![Paara – Riitti [Things You Might Have Missed 2018]](https://www.angrymetalguy.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/paaraRiitti_01-768x768.jpg)
“I have a bone to pick with one of you fvckers (you know exactly who you are). One dastardly individual introduced Paara’s Riitti to me this summer, and ever since it has wreaked havoc upon my once untroubled year end list. It also broke me, finally winning me over to the black metal camp to sing its praises until the day I ascend to the higher plane.” Sound of a list shredding.
“Of all the adages that exist to roll my eyes to the back of my head, “expect the unexpected” might be the worst. I hate that kind of axiomatically incorrect, cryptic bullshit. But, in a roundabout way, it does hold true. During even the most lean of musical years, a small part of me always perseveres in the hope that, just maybe, an album will come along, entirely off-radar, and take me by surprise. Sometimes, I even wonder if these records exist in abundance in some kind of alternate reality – an Antiverse, if you will.” Bizarro metal.
“When a record feels right — truly right — you just know. No ramp-up is required. Nothing is asked of you but your admiration. Satisfaction is born in full, a sensation that mirrors the wholly filling quality of a spin free from reservations. Oubliette — a Tennessee meloblack outfit headed by married duo Emily and Mike Low, the latter of Inferi; some readers should be familiar with — comes dangerously close to that feeling with their second offering.” Marriage makes the heart blacker.
“2018 has been a damn good year for folk-oriented black metal. Okay, quantitatively speaking, that’s not true at all; more accurately, there have been two particularly captivating releases in the new Sojourner and Vallendusk records that on their own have single-handedly carried the style in recent months. This seems more than a bit unfair to Norway’s Cor Scorpii. Formed from the ashes of Windir by drummer Steingrim and guitarist Strom (neither of whom are actually still in this band), their decade-in-the-making sophomore effort, Ruin, is relatively featureless when stacked against the current crop of folk-black trailblazers.” Folking in the ruins.
“Astral Necromancy, the third release from American metal band Hoth, has caused me to discard far more words than I will publish about it. Very little of these words concerned the Star Wars theme of the band, which seems to interpret that series as a bunch of myths with archetypal themes that can be put into any context. This makes the whole enterprise more appealing, as there are no forced references and the focus remains on the music instead of hunts for little Easter eggs concerning Jar-Jar.” Death to Jar-Jar!
“2016 saw the release of the debut album by Portland’s Uada, entitled Devoid of Light (DoL). It was a top-drawer album on first listen, secured second place in my top 10 records of that year, and remains one of strongest examples of melodic black metal from this decade. Its greatest assets were assuredly its immediacy and infectiousness despite the typically macabre subject matter and black metal tools. A sophomore release is now due called Cult of a Dying Sun (CoaDS) and it faces the burden of unreasonable expectations.” Why no king flashmob? Uada!
“I like to think that I’m one of the more omnivorous consumers of metal on the AMG staff, but sometimes while perusing the promo sump, I’m overcome with a strong urge to say “fuck it” and dump nothing but atmospheric black metal onto my upcoming review schedule. There are so many submissions to choose from in this style, and I’ve had such consistent luck in reviewing the genre, that I would probably be content with pigeonholing myself as the blog’s go-to atmo-black guy for an extended tenure. Of course, “atmospheric black metal” is an especially broad classification in today’s metal climate, and perhaps no other album I’ve encountered plays with the term as loosely as Vallendusk’s third LP, Fortress of Primal Grace.” Emo the masses.
“‘Just so you know I’ll be milking this for a long time.’ These were the first words out of my girlfriend’s mouth after acting willingly (albeit with trepidation) as a last-minute road trip and concert companion to see Watain and Deströyer 666 after the flu struck down two friends who were originally supposed to go. I knew that sitting through myriad episodes of Dr. Phil or Real Housewives of [Pick a Place with Pretentious Snobs Galore] was my price to pay for seeing one of black metal’s most entertaining live acts rampage through the excellent ‘Nuclear Alchemy’ and other great songs, and that was fine. I knew what I signed up for, and honesty is always the best policy.” Our word is our bond, until we break it!
“One of my top modern bands is Anaal Nathrakh, and seeing that instrumentalist Mick Kenney produced the debut of Californian black metal band Sicarius’, charmingly called Serenade of Slitting Throats, got me intrigued. When I started listening, that rush of excitement hit once again; now this is a band worth watching.” Benicio del Toro approved.
“Nevertheless, the stronger moments from Act I are powerful examples of the band’s capabilities. So, here we go again with round two. Can Xanthochroid pull off this ambitious project with a worthier second act? Or is Of Erthe and Axen gearing for a spot on my ‘Biggest Disappointments o’ 2017′ list?” These double and triple albums, man.
