“Swansong albums are a difficult subject. Most artists don’t know they are recording their final piece when they’re in the studio, dissolving between albums because of creative differences or members quitting or passing away. But occasionally, a band will decide before release that the next album will be their last. Such seems to be the case for Danish progressive outfit Black Book Lodge.” Dying swans, tragic losses.
“Okay I’ll be honest with you. The cover art alone demanded a review of this one. Just look at that beauty. It’s 100% van-worthy and nearly as good as the cover of their 2014 debut Fantasia, which was a visual gobstopper to be sure. Any-who, Estate hail from Mother Russia and they walk the path of rich, creamy Euro-power metal. Mirrorland is their second go at fame and fortune.” Pan’s lavatory.
“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.
“Have you ever been in the middle of something and suddenly realized you had no idea what you were doing? Desdemonia understand the feeling, but only vaguely, after wandering off in the prime of their career. After two LPs, followed by a nine-year beer run, the Luxembourgians (I believe that’s an AMG first!) remembered to write some more surprisingly decent, albeit rusty, melodeath on 2010’s Existence. Unfortunately, that aptly titled reminder slid off the fridge and eight years passed before they finally answered their label’s phone calls.” Drift of death.
“I am nothing if not a glutton for punishment, which is why I continue my dive into corners of the promo bin untrammeled by more self-respecting reviewers. While my last foray into the depths brought back a surprisingly good collection of alt-metal songs, today’s entree is a bit less appetizing. Marking their ground somewhere between bluesy hard rock and ’90s death doom, Chasing Ghosts don’t sound like many other bands.” Boo-urns.
“In an effort to expand my horizons, suppress my average scores, and prevent this blog from becoming a black- and power-metal only publication, I’ve decided to spend more of 2018 with the dregs of the promo bin; bands no one likes, no one has heard of, or no one has the courage to approach given their genre tag. With the questionable name of Holophonics and the even more questionable tag of ‘Alt Metal,’ I feared that Fast Forward was a product from the center of that Venn diagram.” Deep is the promo sump.
“My first plunge on that trip occurred somewhere late 2003, almost half a lifetime ago. It was the release of Dance of Death by Iron Maiden, though I had been primed by popular bands such as Rammstein and System of a Down, and my father’s extensive classic rock collection before that. Soon I found myself rocking out to the unprecedented brutality of Children of Bodom and Norther, diving headfirst into the world of melodic death metal. Listening to No Return, I am transported back to those halcyon days, despite never hearing the French band before picking The Curse Within from the promo bin.” History-core for dummies.
“Malta’s Forsaken is often cited as their country’s answer to Candlemass and the long-dormant-and-sorely-missed Solitude Aeturnus, it should check off all the tick marks for a good-to-great album. And with their fifth full-length (and first album since 2009’s After The Fall), Pentateuch, it would seem like a solid grand slam of Epicus Doomicus Malteseum Metallicus.” “Seem” is a red flag.
“Alternative metal is among the broadest of genre tags in heavy music. A few months ago, UK act Zedi Forder impressed with their solid interpretation of the alt metal style on their self titled debut. Alas, I broached this second LP offering from France’s Vital Breath with both trepidation and cautious optimism when I saw they were also listed under the alternative metal umbrella.” Alternative to what?
“The AMG promo well had been experiencing a significant power metal drought since I rolled into these hallowed halls roughly a year ago, but within in the past month, something changed. There were no less than five new releases in the genre to choose from, and choose I did; Tales of Gaia turned out disastrously, but I figured that Finland’s Force Majeure, with their surprisingly audacious band name, might turn things around.” Unprecedented or run o’ the mill?
