May19

Savage Messiah – Demons Review

By Holdeneye on May 27, 2019 in 2019, Century Media, English Metal, Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, Reviews, Thrash Metal, Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, 85 comments

“During high school, I loved our local hard rock station, Funky Monkey, and it was integral in the development of my bad musical taste. The best feature was the tough guy voice that gave you the name of the band and the song title after each track had played, allowing me to quickly categorize which bands I did and didn’t like. But when I got my first iPod, all of that changed. Sure, I had a giant book of CDs that I had kept hidden in my car for when the radio wasn’t cutting it, but being able to load a tiny device with tons of songs was a game changer. Before long, I’d left most mainstream rock and metal behind and was listening to all things cheesy and trve.” The more things change….

Worshipper – Light in the Wire Review

By Huck N Roll on May 26, 2019 in 2019, American Metal, Reviews, Stoner Metal, Stoner Rock, Tee Pee Records, Stoner Metal, Stoner Rock, 22 comments

“Most of the time, stoner metal is the epitome of average. It’s below the great but above the bad, bathwater that’s neither too hot nor too cold, a big-screen TV that’s not 4K. I have yet to review a total dud of a stoner metal release, but when you somehow catch something that winds up being your Album of the Year, you’re encouraged to keep hunting for more greatness. Worshipper mine the depths of stoner metal on Light in the Wire, the Boston quartet’s sophomore release.” Motherload or diaperload?

Emerald – Restless Souls Review

By Dr. Wvrm on May 26, 2019 in 2019, Heavy Metal, Power Metal, Reviews, Rock of Angels Records, Swiss Metal, Heavy Metal, Power Metal, 74 comments

“Emerald is a time capsule. The two years since our last meeting grayed the shit out of me, but their Swiss cheese popped out just as chipper and evergreen as I remember. I suppose I should appreciate knowing what to expect. 24 years on and 8 albums in, Emerald found their niche and niched the hell out of it. They’re the anti-power power band, the least dense of the heavy metals, sitting too squarely in the center of the palate to love or loathe. Vim without vigor, vinegar without piss, a good script but a poor adaptation. You know the drill—or do you?” Broken gems.

Fleshgod Apocalypse – Veleno Review

By Angry Metal Guy on May 25, 2019 in 2019, Death Metal, Italian Metal, Nuclear Blast, Reviews, Death Metal, Melodic Death Metal, 105 comments

“Fleshgod Apocalypse—known affectionately at the AMG offices as “Death Metal Rhapsody of Fire”—had a meteoric rise from its humble beginnings on 2009’s innovative Oracles. Though these Italian death metallers started on a Candlelight/Willtowtip, Nuclear Blast wasted no time elevating them to underground metal’s biggest stage. That pickup resulted in a larger budget, bigger productions and an evolution beyond the band’s death metal quartet status.” One of the brightest stars in the death metal universe is back with its fifth album. Will this be the one that makes us all go “Uuaaaaaauuuu”?

Thonian Horde – Downfall Review

By Emya on May 24, 2019 in 2019, American Metal, Black Metal, Grimoire Records, Reviews, Black Metal, 67 comments

“I prefer my black metal atmospheric. Consequently, I’d be lying if I claimed I’ve listened to more albums classified as black ‘n’ roll than there are strings on my guitar. Given my lowly n00b status, I don’t have the great privilege of selectively perusing through the promo bin for albums to share with the AMG community that suit my fancy. Instead, I must welcome what is thrown at me to earn the respect of the AMG staff. Thus, when I hunkered down to listen to<,i>Downfall, the third full-length from self-proclaimed black ‘n’ roll outfit, Thonian Horde, I wasn’t quite sure what I was in for.” Horders, man….

Calyx – Vientos Arcaicos Review

By Master of Muppets on May 23, 2019 in 2019, Black Metal, Iron Bonehead Productions, Reviews, Spanish Metal, Black Metal, 55 comments

“Maybe an album haunts you with its recollective ghosts, maybe a certain genre only dances with you in the frozen dark of a winters night, maybe that song left a scar that only bleeds when you hear the words. The marks and meanings, the songs and sounds… These things vary uniquely from person to person, but we all experience this phenomenon in some way or other. Spain’s Calyx have added yet another piece to my own perpetually expanding puzzle of music mandated mindsets. To wit, their debut Vientos Arcaicos (“Archaic Winds”) makes me want to turn the lights off, smoke my brains out, and play Skyrim til the Nordic cows come home.” Nordic cows will kill you and everyone you love.

Nihility – Thus Spoke the Antichrist Review

By Mark Z. on May 23, 2019 in 2019, Black Lion Records, Black Metal, Death Metal, Portuguese Metal, Reviews, Black Metal, Death Metal, 117 comments

“It’s been said that the scariest monsters are those which are vaguely familiar. From zombies to the shape-shifting alien in The Thing, it seems the best way to leave a sense of lasting fear in your audience is to take familiar traits and twist them into something grotesque and appalling. Metal (usually) isn’t designed to scare people, but the same basic principle applies. The new releases I enjoy the most are those which take recognizable features from other bands and morph them in their own unique way. Portuguese quintet Nihility are a great example of this. With their Thus Spoke the Antichrist debut, the group take the Behemoth and Belphegor influence promised in the promo blurb and mutate it with an injection of brutal death metal.” Familiar Hell.

Destroyer of Light – Mors Aeterna Review

By Steel Druhm on May 23, 2019 in 2019, American Metal, Argonauta Records, Doom Metal, Reviews, Doom Metal, 51 comments

“2019 hasn’t given me all the doom goodies I’ve been craving thus far, and that makes me a churlish Steel. Since I tend to take it out on the AMG staff, this becomes a lose lose situation for all involved. This led me to hope Texas doom mongers Destroyer of Light might alleviate my essential doom deficiency with their third album, Mors Aeterna. I wasn’t familiar with their past works, but the promo one-sheet caught my attention by namedropping Sleep, Electric Wizard and Mercyful Fate. Well, Mors Aeterna is definitely doom, but it’s more in the ancestral line of Candlemass and Black Sabbath than any of those promo PR teasers.” Doom for all.

Stormlord – Far Review

By Kenstrosity on May 22, 2019 in 2019, Black Metal, Death Metal, Epic Metal, Italian Metal, Reviews, Scarlet Records, Symphonic Metal, Black Metal, Death Metal, Melodic Death Metal, 36 comments

“Every once a while we at AMG hack and slash each other for promos. In this case, I slice-and-diced one Very Messy Individual™ (Holdeneye) in the name of a symphonic death metal band by the name of Stormlord. You see, symphonic death and symphonic black metal seem to be on the upswing this year.” Storming with malice.

Kull – Exile Review

By Eldritch Elitist on May 22, 2019 in 2019, Black Lion Records, Black Metal, English Metal, Reviews, Symphonic Metal, 93 comments

“In my three years with this blog, I have never had as much difficulty penning an introduction as with Kull’s debut record, Exile. This is not due to any conflicting feelings about the subject at hand; rather, I’m petrified of underselling just how monumentally special Kull is to me. Their existence is borne from the ashes of Bal-Sagoth, an English band that is a permanent staple of my listening rotation, and whose output fizzled out just before I stumbled upon them in 2008. Mind you, my ongoing affection for them does not stem from sentimentality or nostalgia.” Big Balls(agoth).