“The Kvlt of Glitch pushes a fusion of EDM-pulsing industrial metal colliding with wantonly djent and noodling progressive metal. The more than qualified ChaotH (Humanoid), formerly of the departed Canadian darlings Unexpect, steers Vvon Dogma I through this blasphemous foray.” Good Dogma.
“Nearly ten years to the day Intöxicated blearily burst forth with their debut, the Germans stumble back up to the bar with a new singer in tow for follow-up Sadistic Nightmares. Intöxicated have tried buying Pedialyte in bulk; they’ve tried the greasiest pizza your town has to offer; they’ve tried cocooning themselves on the floor of a windowless bathroom. But the only way to cure this decade-long hangover is with another ultra-tight package of metal, murder, and mayhem.” Hammered and hammering.
“I remember the excitement of hearing that Into Eternity’s Stu Block was joining Iced Earth after Matt Barlow’s second departure from the band, but while the Block era provided a few good moments, I always felt that it was capable of so much more. And after spending time with Finality, I’ve been proven correct.” Block and tackle.
“I didn’t know what to expect with Deformity Adrift. Although I knew it’s rooted in the inherently unfriendly style of dissonant death metal, I wasn’t sure which breed: perhaps the scathing apathy of Mithridatum, the sun-bleached Altars, the occult mumblings of Mitochondrion, or the twisted technicality of Asystole, to name a few. I shrugged and thought, “I’ve seen it all” and pushed play on Nightmarer. What tormented me about the Berlin/Portland quartet is that, despite my best efforts to describe it with bands of similar ilk, I cannot put words to its latest foray. It rides the line neatly between the haunting devastation of its influences and a tantalizingly listenable quality that defies the need for abstraction. Nightmarer has created a unique dilemma.” DilemmaER!
“Last month, Steel Druhm graced us with the absolutely filthy and chunky Rotpit. Since that day, Let There Be Rot hasn’t yet left my almost daily rotation. Grimy, thick riffage met with gonzo groove to form this mountainous, ugly thing that stomps my skull flat, and I love every second of it. Without a doubt, I was sure I wouldn’t see the likes of it again for some time. And yet, fate allowed me no rest, as it unceremoniously plopped an equally massive Bloodgutter upon my already overburdened back.” Blood for the Blood God!
“Dungeon synth. ‘That might be a nice palate cleanser. That might be something chilled and easy to listen to.’ So thought I when I read the promo. This is somehow the seventh album from Swedish dungeon synth/ambient project Örnatorpet. Even after reading Dear Hollow‘s not especially glowing review of their previous, I maintained a grain of optimism, because how bad could it really be?” The death of optimism.
