“2018 is off to a generally piss poor start when it comes to timely Record(s) o’ the Month postings, and I suppose some of the blame for that rests with us at AMG. I’m never one to point fingers and assign blame, but it’s mostly Muppet‘s fault and he’s a real problem that must be dealt with.” Blame the night.
“In my lengthy tenure as an AMG contributor, I can count on half a hand the number of albums that blindsided me as hard as Messa’s debut Belfry did. I plucked it from the promo sump knowing zero about the upstart Italian doomsters and was soon hopelessly in the thrall of their eerie doom drone hybrid style. Naturally, Belfry was going to be a tough act to follow regardless what direction the young act decided to travel, and after a fairly short wait, we get their second album, Feast for Water.” Into the deep end.
“Female fronted doom metal is certainly in vogue these days, with an ever expanding list of bands joining the fray. Now you can add Swedish act Besvärjelsen to the roster with their doomy debut, Vallmo.” Swe-doom in da house!
![Laser Flames on the Great Big News – Laser Flames on the Great Big News [Things You Might Have Missed 2017]](https://www.angrymetalguy.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/LaserFlamesontheGreatBigNews1-768x766.jpg)
“The term retro metal/rock gets bandied around a lot, due to the over-saturation of bands mining the freewheeling creativity of ’70s rock to varying degrees of success and very little originality. Lumping Laser Flames under the retro label would be a great disservice to the creativity and inventiveness the band conjures throughout the epic stoner odyssey of this self-titled release.” Retro rock with freakin laser beams!
“Norway’s The Soundbyte, a project of The 3rd and the Mortal guitarist Trond Engum, seeks to improve the reputation of scene-setting noisescapes with its 4th experimental platter, Solitary IV. Full disclaimer, it’s only tangentially in the camp of metal, but few experimental albums are and the material on display here is not something we want to keep from you. Let’s get to it.” We’re givers.
“It always disheartens me when bands with so much potential turn to ash shortly after burning brightly. For instance, remember the buzz surrounding Belgium’s Serpentcult? Their 2008 debut Weight of Light caught many a doom aficionado’s ear with their sludged-out grooves, crushing basslines, and the otherworldly vocals of Michelle Nocon. Fast-forward three years, and the Nocon-less follow-up, Raised By Wolves, while still heavy and uncompromising, lost its spark with her departure. Now here we are in 2017, and Nocon’s plying her voice in a new band.” Can the Nocon magic happen twice?
“Well, it looks like we made it to the end of another year of music, mayhem and interweb tomfoolery! And while 2016 kicked most of our asses in unpleasant ways, it was an outstanding year for metal music. In fact, I think it was the best overall since I joined the AMG meat grinder way back in 2010.” Don’t shoot the messenger gorilla.
“As the year winds to a close I find myself reflecting on what this year has been for me musically, and I have to say, unlike other reviewers on the site, I’ve found it extremely difficult to doll out any significantly high scores. This has led me to just one conclusion, Madam X’s Top Ten(ish) of 2016, shall instead be titled Madam X’s Least Disliked Ten(ish) of 2016.” There is no X in team.
“I’m not alone among the AMG staff in having fallen hard for The Gathering’s career defining Mandylion release back in 95. That platter combined elements of doom and goth rock in a way that had never been done before and created something haunting, sad and achingly beautiful. The band quickly drifted toward more commercial waters, and many (myself included) were left hungering for more of what Mandylion delivered. Perhaps that’s why my ears pricked up when I heard a snippet of the Older Terrors promo from hitherto unknown by me English three-piece, Esben and the Witch.” Oh, Mandy, you came and you found me an Esben….
It’s that time again. And by “that time,” I mean the time when Steel Druhm throws a public fit because his little slice of nostalgia isn’t going to be the Record o’ the Month. He will complain loudly in the comments. He will post complaints and whine. But alas, this month it was pretty obvious who the RotM should belong to. Break out your flamethrowers! Commence the wailing and/or gnashing of teeth! The misery is gonna get Biblical up in here.
