Melodic Death Metal

Burden of Grief – Eye of the Storm Review

By Master of Muppets on May 8, 2018 in 2018, German Metal, Massacre Records, Melodic Death Metal, Metalcore, Reviews, Melodic Death Metal, Metalcore, 110 comments

“Oh, Metalcore, I mourn for those who never knew you. Glorious was the heyday of such then-gigantic core ‘core acts as Killswitch Engage, All That Remains, Shadows Fall, etc. The alchemy of fusing melodeath-inspired riffage and radio-friendly songwriting yielded far more quality results than one might expect or willingly concede, yet the saturation and over recycling of this formula ultimately failed to maintain the staying power of its trve idols. Nonetheless, it’s still a thing, so people are still doing it. In Germany, Burden of Grief are hard at work being that collective guy.” Burden of core.

Inferi – Revenant Review

By Dr. Wvrm on April 24, 2018 in 2018, American Metal, Melodic Death Metal, Reviews, Technical Death Metal, The Artisan Era, Melodic Death Metal, Technical Death Metal, 122 comments

“AV Club ran a recent piece on the best ever back-to-back-to-back run on an album. That site may not be brutal enough for you malcontents, but you know who is? Me. Inferi. 2014’s The Path of Apotheosis stands on its own merits, but the 6-7-8 of “Destroyer,” “Onslaught of the Covenant,” and “Marching Through the Flames of Tyranny” made that record. Alone, each could have been a song of the year contender; together, they drove me to get “Inferi” tattooed directly on my heart. Needless to say, the Nashville quintet set the bar for follow-up Revenant at an unrealistic level.” Expectations and tattoos.

Into the Obscure: Disillusion – Back to Times of Splendor

By Saunders on April 18, 2018 in 2018, Blog Posts, German Metal, Into the Obscure, Melodic Death Metal, Metal Blade, Progressive Metal, Folk Metal, Melodic Death Metal, Progressive Metal, 75 comments

“There’s a fine line between genuine obscurity and an album that simply flew under the radar and remained a criminally overlooked corker, never quite attracting the attention and recognition it surely deserved. For this long-gestating second chapter of Into the Obscure, I present the strikingly brilliant 2004 debut LP from Germany’s Disillusion.” The unforgotten.

Graveshadow – Ambition’s Price Review

By Swordborn on April 17, 2018 in 2018, American Metal, Heavy Metal, Reviews, Self-released, Heavy Metal, Melodic Death Metal, Symphonic Metal, 23 comments

“Very occasionally, lurking in the shadows of a genre I generally skip over, a band leaps out to capture my attention with a blend of elements exceptional enough in quality to turn my head despite my bias. California’s Graveshadow is generally declared to be symphonic and/or gothic metal – both of which I write off regularly due to an incompatibility in taste.” Grave ambition.

Vallendusk – Fortress of Primal Grace Review

By Eldritch Elitist on April 11, 2018 in 2018, Indonesian Metal, Melodic Black Metal, Melodic Death Metal, Northern Silence Productions, Reviews, Folk Metal, Melodic Black Metal, Melodic Death Metal, 85 comments

“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.

Abinchova – Weltenwanderer Review

By Lokasenna on April 9, 2018 in 2018, Folk Metal, Massacre Records, Melodic Death Metal, Reviews, Swiss Metal, Melodic Death Metal, 15 comments

“One of my esteemed fellows, when I picked it from the promo-bin, dismissed Weltenwanderer as Eluveitie-core. Even as one of the few people around here with a soft spot for Eluveitie, that criticism is spot-on. Abinchova are three albums into their career and are settled into a style of folk-infused melodeath strongly reminiscent of their countrymen. Leaving the merits and flaws of the style itself behind, is Abinchova any good at it?” All folked up.

Evil Drive – Ragemaker Review

By Dr. A.N. Grier on April 8, 2018 in 2018, Finnish Metal, Melodic Death Metal, Reaper Entertainment, Reviews, Thrash Metal, Melodic Death Metal, Thrash Metal, 29 comments

“Two years ago, Evil Drive gave me a lot to think about when it comes to female-fronted metal bands. Like Arch Enemy, this Finnish quintet’s vocalist (Viktoria Viren) is a combination of banshee and hellhound. And, for the most part, she even looks It. But, unlike Arch Enemy, Evil Drive sported an image for their debut that made The Land of the Dead the melodeath soundtrack to a fraternity-organized wet t-shirt contest. Which damn-near ruined a decent melodic death record for me. Well, the band is back with Ragemaker and, thankfully, all that nonsensical fluff is gone.” Road rage.

Kalmah – Palo Review

By Dr. Wvrm on April 4, 2018 in 2018, Finnish Metal, Melodic Death Metal, Reviews, Spinefarm, Melodic Death Metal, 111 comments

“Kalmah could be a fine case study for some poor grad student’s research into band development. Finland’s favorite sons grew up overnight, discovering their unique and — dare I say — iconic sound as young whipper-snappers. They caught the thicket of mid-period lows underfoot and freed themselves through personal evolution, not brute strength. They retooled into an incredibly consistent act not wholly unalike their early days, but not overtly similar either. It’s been nearly five years since Kalmah last stomped the swamp, and Palo would be more a shock if it wasn’t the beautiful bog beast we all expected.” Muckrakers.

The Absence – A Gift for the Obsessed Review

By Lokasenna on April 2, 2018 in 2018, American Metal, M-Theory Audio, Melodic Death Metal, Reviews, Melodic Death Metal, 23 comments

“Even as a child of the internet era, there are a few things that have declined with its spread, for which I hold a bittersweet fondness. One of those is the once-geographic nature of the different metal scenes; while the influence of place is not gone, it hardly holds the sway it once did. Case in point: The Absence are a Tampa, Florida based act, but to the ear, they should be from Gothenburg. Offering an hour slab of At the Gates worship for their fourth album, A Gift for the Obsessed, The Absence bear a difficult task, as this style is well-worn. Do they have the chops to pull it off?” Did Absence make the heart grow fonder, or fatter?

Reject the Sickness – The Weight of Silence Review

By Saunders on March 31, 2018 in 2018, Belgian Metal, Melodic Death Metal, Mighty Music, Reviews, Melodic Death Metal, 17 comments

“Creative stagnation has plagued the modern melodeath scene for years, with the over-saturated market dominated by a handful of select bands injecting life into the sub-genre, while mediocre imitators pile up beneath. So does The Weight of Silence redeem Reject the Sickness and do enough to elevate their status beyond cookie-cutter levels of third-tier tedium?” Oh wah ah ah ah.