May22

Wachenfeldt – Faustian Reawakening Review

By Holdeneye on May 6, 2022 in Reviews, Black Metal, Death Metal, Thrash Metal, 62 comments

“Just over three years ago, I lost my damn mind over Wachenfeldt’s debut album The Interpreter. I gushed so mightily over its symphonic, thrashened, blackened death metal that hazardous material mitigation crews are still working around the clock to clean up the contamination. That record executed its dark mission so well that it eventually became my Album ‘o the Year for 2019, so if I said that its successor was my most anticipated album of 2022, it would be a gargantuan understatement.” Fanboys awaken.

Rise to the Sky – Every Day, A Funeral Review

By Twelve on May 6, 2022 in Reviews, Death Metal, Doom Metal, 50 comments

“I don’t generally like change. Even an objectively positive change to my life—a new job, for example—takes some time to win me over. In music, however, I’m a lot more flexible—I love it when things are different, odd, unexpected. Rise to the Sky, the death-doom metal project from Chile’s Sergio Catalán, appeals strongly to the former impulse. Now releasing his fifth full-length release in three years (and sixth total release in the last two), Rise to the Sky’s gradual shift away from “death-doom” and into “just-doom” has been little short of glacial. Every Day, A Funeral is, in many ways, exactly what we’ve come to expect from Rise to the Sky, but familiarity is not something I scoff at, and his material has been plenty solid so far.” In the wake of graves.

Ou – one Review

By Dolphin Whisperer on May 5, 2022 in Reviews, Ambient, Progressive Metal, 74 comments

“Fuck the rules—that’s the rough translation of OU’s mission statement. Steeped in the streets of the Beijing jazz scene, OU (pronounced “O”) has emerged with a debut that challenges head-on the stagnant energy of the modern prog space. Striking a masterful balance of joviality, tranquility, and ferocity, OU have emerged from the underground to spread their idiosyncratic brand of futureprog.” The future is NOUW, olde man!

Syberia – Statement on Death Review

By Carcharodon on May 5, 2022 in Reviews, Instrumental Metal, Post-Metal, 12 comments

“Is it possible to make a political statement—or indeed any nuanced statement—through the medium of instrumental metal? Today’s subject, Spanish post-metallers Syberia, believe so. On its fourth full-length, Statement on Death, I am informed that the band tackles “a very worrying issue in the United States of America: police violence against people of color, and each song narrates a specific case.” This is a contentious and highly politicized subject, on which many people have wildly divergent views of varying validity. In all honesty, I am not sure how one sets out to tackle such a subject with no lyrics at all.” Silent protest.

Demonical – Mass Destroyer Review

By Steel Druhm on May 4, 2022 in Reviews, Death Metal, Melodic Death Metal, 24 comments

“Swedeath. I keep ending up with Swedeath. There are worse problems to have to be sure, but there is ultimately a limit to how much of that very specific sound I need in my life in any given year not falling between 1990 and 1995. I reviewed Sweden’s Demonical way back in 2011 on their Death Infernal outing, finding it a mostly enjoyable blend of Entombed and Amon Amarth influences performed by members of Grave, Centinex, and Julie Laughs Nomore. I didn’t review their last few releases, but we gave them solid marks for covering the very same ground as they did back in 2011. Now we come to 7th album Mass Destroyer and not a lot has changed.” Demons in the details.

Depressed Mode – Decade of Silence Review

By Doom_et_Al on May 4, 2022 in Reviews, Doom Metal, Symphonic Metal, 27 comments

“When I first saw the name, “Depressed Mode,” I assumed it was an homage to synth-rock icons, Depeche Mode. Nope. Turns out, these Fins are being literal. That’s their thing. Even their album names are literal. Decade of Silence is the third album after 2009’s For Death and follows a decade(ish) of… er… silence. Depressed Mode plays symphonic doom in the vein of… well… it’s complicated.” Silence is deadening.

Upon a Burning Body – Fury Review

By Dear Hollow on May 3, 2022 in Reviews, Deathcore, Groove Metal, Metalcore, 26 comments

“Upon a Burning Body is a quartet from San Antonio, Texas, vocalist Danny Leal and guitarist Ruben Alvarez the only original members remaining. Beginning with 2019’s Southern Hostility, the act started to get away from the bitter taste of the ironically titled The World is My Enemy Now, focusing on cranking out fun headbanging tunes—no more, no less. Fury continues this trend for a more groove-inflected, crunchier, and overall more memorable listen than its predecessor.” Pyre starters.

I Am The Night – While the Gods Are Sleeping Review

By Grymm on May 3, 2022 in Reviews, Black Metal, 30 comments

“There’s absolutely nothing wrong with pining for the olden days of yore. Retro-gaming is a lucrative, enjoyable hobby that not only fires the synapses of Those Who’ve Been There, but also introduces a new generation of gamers to legendary titles. Classic movies get remade and reworked all the time with varying degrees of success. And in metal, people romanticize about a time when being evil required more than initials-for-names and ominous hooded sweatshirts. Two of those people are Markus Vanhala, guitarist for both Insomnium and Omnium Gatherum, and his OG ex-bandmate, bassist Janne Markannen. Yearning to dive into the classic 90s wave of black metal, they enlisted members of Abhorrence, Horizon Ignited, and Paradise Lost to pay tribute to the Black Wizards via their new project, I Am the Night.” Lease the night!

Tómarúm – Ash in Realms of Stone Icons Review

By Kenstrosity on May 2, 2022 in Reviews, Atmospheric Black Metal, Black Metal, Melodic Black Metal, Progressive Metal, Technical Death Metal, 69 comments

“We as a community speak often of defining and categorizing genres, but sometimes a promo comes along that legitimately challenges those definitions. Atlanta, Georgia’s Tómarúm received a generic “black metal” tag from Prosthetic Records’ PR team, and it falls short as a descriptor for what Tómarúm play. As you’ll surely deduce after giving debut album Ash in Realms of Stone Icons even just one spin, this nascent two-piece perform forbidden alchemy with myriad metallic ores, smelting a writhing, metamorphic amalgamation. It’s that very transmogrification that not only makes this album difficult to categorize but also exciting and satisfying to experience.” Pigeon holes don’t come easy.