Noble Demon

Night Crowned – Tales Review

Night Crowned – Tales Review

“Ever since they smashed onto the scene with their 2020 debut Impious Viam, following up on the more quietly well-received EP Humanity Will Echo Out, Night Crowned have presented an almost ideal example of symphonic/melodic blackened death. Take a template of symphonic, subtle synth-accented black metal, and add a bunch of catchy melodies, well-pitched dramatic compositions, and that uniquely Swedish death metal flair, and you’ve got Night Crowned. But the group are more than that; they have a distinctive sound that has only strengthened over the years, and Tales continues this trend.” Evening royalty.

Oceanhoarse – Heads Will Roll Review

Oceanhoarse – Heads Will Roll Review

Heads Will Roll sounds like an idea sparked after a rekindling of enjoyment for In Flamesߵ infamous Reroute to Remain. Now that’s a hoarse of a different color. Defend whatever album you want, but In Flames at their most alternative and least melodeath is not the act you’d expect to see aped in 2023—even In Flames agrees. Yet, here we are, Oceanhoarse in full Björiff meets Breaking Benjamin territory, partying like an 80s arena rock hero got stuck in Sounds of a Playground Fading.” Old flames.

Feelingless – Metal against Animal Cruelty Review

Feelingless – Metal against Animal Cruelty Review

“That title is great advertising. The details are even better. Feelingless is a nonprofit side project of Hugo Markaida from Spanish melodeath band Rise to Fall. Feelingless and record label Noble Demon have pledged to donate all proceeds from debut album Metal against Animal Cruelty to animal shelters in Spain and animal welfare charities abroad. I wasn’t familiar with Markaida’s other work, and reviewing a record that straddles melodic death metal and metalcore is risky business. But after reading that blurb, I couldn’t help but be intrigued.” Up with animals.

Dawn of Solace – Flames of Perdition Review

Dawn of Solace – Flames of Perdition Review

Dawn of Solace’s 2020 sophomore platter of sadboi goth-doom, Waves ended up my top album that year, surprising even me. It had heavy competition to be sure, but throughout 2020 the album kept its sullen tendrils wrapped tight around my iron lungs, and in the end, it became the soundtrack to a strange period of quarantine, unease, and uncertainty. I suppose this shouldn’t have been a surprise as I’ve long been a sucker for the kind of unhappy tidings Tuomas Saukkonen churned out in projects like Before the Dawn and Black Sun Aeon, and Dawn of Solace is the ultimate vehicle for his weepy ideations. Third album, Flames of Perdition was originally slated for a 2021 release but got pushed back to this week, giving me much more time than I usually have with a promo.” Mourning in the morning.

Zornheym – The Zornheim Sleep Experiment Review

Zornheym – The Zornheim Sleep Experiment Review

Where Hatred Dwells and Darkness Reigns floored me the first time I heard it back in 2017. I suspect that I liked it a fair bit more than Ferrous Beuller
did, but his review (one of the first reviews I read on this site, in fact) is how I discovered it, so I owe him big-time. Zornheym’s blend of symphonic bombast with blackened death wrapped in Shutter Island-esque psychological horror sold me right away. Four years later, I still return to it often. The Swedish quartet announced the follow-up to Where Hatred Dwells and Darkness Reigns a few months ago, and since then Ferrous and I spent much time gossiping and whispering in anticipation for The Zornheim Sleep Experiment.” To sleep, perchance to fanboy.

The Vice – White Teeth Rebellion Review

The Vice – White Teeth Rebellion Review

“Genres create expectations. That’s largely their purpose. You categorize music into recognizable sounds and that way you know roughly what sort of sound to expect when a band’s genre or combination thereof is explained to you. Black n’ roll, the combination of black metal’s dark intensity and hard rock’s catchiness and swagger, has a broad range of expectations to operate in, from the icy cold of Satyricon to the incomprehensible party anthems of Kvelertak.” Molar express.

Gomorra – Divine Judgement Review

Gomorra – Divine Judgement Review

“At last week’s regular AMG staff shaming re-education session, TheKenWord and I stood in the center of the writers’ circle and explained that our problem with thrash, despite all the riffage, had always been the vocals. Our Steely overseer prescribed a crash course in early Destruction, with the more unusual vocal delivery of Marcel Schirmer, aka Schmier. Having taken my medicine—and enjoyed both Infernal Overkill and Eternal Devastation, it should be said—I was stoked to find that the thrash promo I’d picked up on a whim actually included at least one member of Destruction.” A scorching case of Gomorra.

No Raza – Transcending Material Sins Review

No Raza – Transcending Material Sins Review

“The moral of the story is that, even at ass-o’-clock in the morning, Colombian death metal quartet No Raza were able to keep not only themselves, but also their audience, awake and fairly hyped for an hour and twenty minutes. That’s nearly twice the span they had allotted. So you can bet your bottom dollar I was going to snag promo for their fourth and latest outing, Transcending Material Sins.” MOOAR Raza.

Dawn of Solace – Waves Review

Dawn of Solace – Waves Review

“As a big fan of Tuomas Saukkonen’s Before the Dawn and Black Sun Aeon projects (R.I.P. to both), I was the natural demographic for his melancholy melodeath vehicle, Dawn of Solace as well. 2006s The Darkness was a beautiful and haunting dose of Finnish gloom that made an impression, and I always wondered why he never released another album under that name. Now in 2020 he finally delivers the followup outing titled Waves.” Surfing blues.