Metal Blade

Redemption – The Art of Loss Review

By Steel Druhm on February 27, 2016 in 2016, American Metal, Metal Blade, Progressive Metal, Reviews, Progressive Metal, 24 comments

“Over my life as a metal fan I’ve had my share of issues with proggy musical endeavors. Though there was a time when I loved everything Dream Theater did, they eventually drifted into a grey purgatory of wanking and showboatery which left those of us who appreciated actual songs out in the cold. I loved early Fates Warning even more dearly, but they too took their progressive tendencies too far afield for my liking, losing their traditional metal charm entirely. Somehow, Redemption managed to avoid alienating my affections over their career though they embody the exact same tendencies as the aforementioned acts.” Don’t put the W in wank and everything will be just fine.

Brimstone Coven – Black Magic Review

By Grymm on January 28, 2016 in 2016, American Metal, Doom Metal, Metal Blade, Reviews, Stoner Rock, Doom Metal, 25 comments

“Oh, Ghost… what have you brought upon us? Since the masked Swedes hit paydirt with their patented brand of Scooby-Doobie Doom™ via Opus Eponymous back in 2010, there’s been an influx of retro-rockin’ stoner doom bands looking to drive their own Mystery Machines™ over well-navigated roads. Granted, for each one that wows us, there are several more that we wish would just go away. Those meddling little brats! I would have gotten away with it if not for them.

Exumer – The Raging Tides Review

By Steel Druhm on January 26, 2016 in 2016, German Metal, Metal Blade, Reviews, Thrash Metal, Thrash Metal, 34 comments

“One of the bigger musical surprises of 2012 was the rebirth of ’80s cult thrash heroes Exumer. Those thrashards [thrashtards? – AMG] released the minor thrash classic Possessed by Fire way back in ’86 and things went downhill from there, forcing them to go dark for 25 long years before reforming and dropping Fire and Damnation on an unsuspecting metalverse. The nostalgia factor was high on that one and I couldn’t help but enjoy hearing from these old fiends once again. It certainly wasn’t an essential piece of thrash, but it was a good start after a quarter century of inactivity, and now a mere three years later we get The Raging Tides. So what was Exumer up to the past three years?” How can you not click through with an intro like that!?

The Black Dahlia Murder – Abysmal Review

By Angry Metal Guy on October 13, 2015 in 2015, American Metal, Death Metal, Melodic Death Metal, Metal Blade, Reviews, Death Metal, Melodic Death Metal, 59 comments

“Like every reviewer on the face of the planet, my first thought when seeing the title of The Black Dahlia Murder’s latest full length was Wayne’s World: “Shitty Beatles? Are they any good?” “They suck.” “Then it’s not just a clever name.” To be honest, in the case of Detroit’s finest, I had a hard time believing that this was any kind of In Flames-esque “naming this record based on its meaning for the band” logic. That’s not really TBDM’s style, and well, let’s be honest, even at the very worst these guys have always put out very good music that I consistently get into fights over.” And said fisticuffs shall continue for the foreseeable future.

Rivers of Nihil – Monarchy Review

By Kronos on August 19, 2015 in 2015, American Metal, Death Metal, Metal Blade, Progressive Metal, Reviews, Death Metal, Progressive Metal, 99 comments

“In order to prepare myself for Rivers of Nihil’s sophomore effort, Monarchy, I naturally went back to The Conscious Seed of Light, which I initially hated. And lo and behold, this time I found that I liked it – even less.” Kronos the Merciless hath damned the rivers.

Yer Metal Is Olde – The Black Dahlia Murder – Miasma

By Angry Metal Guy on August 12, 2015 in Blog Posts, Yer Metal Is Olde, Death Metal, Melodic Death Metal, 41 comments

Yer Metal Is Olde is a recurring thing that we’re using to fill up space while we whip our new reviewers for reviews of new the material that we assigned them, but they can’t seem to figure out how to turn in on time. The idea was spurred on by the swath of amazing and classic records that are turning 10, 20, or 30 this year. It’s crazy to think that all the stuff that we worship is really as old as it is. Time moves quickly, but these classics never seem to lose their shine. Still, their enduring quality doesn’t change that your favorite metal is fucking old.

Cattle Decapitation – The Anthropocene Extinction Review

By Kronos on July 27, 2015 in 2015, American Metal, Death Metal, Grind, Metal Blade, Reviews, Death Metal, 68 comments

“The last time I put meat in my fridge was three months ago when I had to store a turtle carcass until I could properly preserve it. At parties I stand by the recycling bin and cuss at people who try to put their beer cans in the trash. Whenever I see a disaster movie I not-so-secretly root against the humans. I’m just short of buying carbon offsets for my own respiration. I think Cattle Decapitation is the coolest band on the entire planet.” Kronos hugs trees and bees.

Between the Buried and Me – Coma Ecliptic Review

By Kronos on July 5, 2015 in 2015, American Metal, Metal Blade, Progressive Metal, Reviews, Progressive Metal, 62 comments

“It’s been three years since North Carolina’s most ambitious prog troupe polished off their Parallax album duo, which means fans will have had time to listen through the past two LPs about twice in total. In the proud tradition of sensu stricto prog rock and metal, Between the Buried and Me have churned out predictably wacky and bombastic rock operas for the past decade and a half and show no sign of slowing down, grounding themselves, or learning how to write songs.” Prog is a mighty sticky wicket.

Dew-Scented – Intermination Review

By Saunders on June 22, 2015 in 2015, German Metal, Metal Blade, Reviews, Thrash Metal, Thrash Metal, 12 comments

“Apart from boasting the wimpiest band name this side of Raunchy, Germany’s Dew-Scented have built a substantial body of work since releasing their debut album Immortale back in 1996. Drawing influence from classic German thrash bloodlines and manipulating them into their own deathlier take on modern thrash, the band has plugged away through an almost comical amount of line-up changes to arrive at their tenth full-length album, Intermination.” Should you do the Dew?

Armored Saint – Win Hands Down Review

By Steel Druhm on May 31, 2015 in 2015, American Metal, Heavy Metal, Metal Blade, Reviews, Heavy Metal, 43 comments

“When you look up the term “underdogs,” there’s a band photo of Armored Saint looking back at you. They’ve struggled since 1983 to eek out a foothold in the metal market and in the process released some great albums like Raising Fear and Symbol of Salvation. And they were easy to root for as the quintessential blue-collar metal band stubbornly staying true to their sound, but they were always held back by bad timing, musical trends and personal misfortunes.” The Saint is marching back in and you may want to be in that number.