Not Metal

Wudewuse – Northern Gothic Review

By Twelve on November 16, 2020 in Reviews, Neofolk, Not Metal, 18 comments

“From the forests of Norway emerges Sondre Bergersen Mæland, a man of many talents and of many names. Known largely for his work in Tusmørke and Wudewuse, the multi-instrumentalist of Scandinavian folk and rock circles certainly seems to live an interesting life. According to my liner notes, for example, he wrote most of Northern Gothic, the sophomore full-length from the latter band, “over a period of three years while [he] was living in the forest and worked at a graveyard,” a journey that involved a “cosmic psychosis, following a death trip [he] had while on various substances.” So… that got my attention.” Grave matters.

En Minor – When the Cold Truth Has Worn Its Miserable Welcome Out Review

By Twelve on September 11, 2020 in Reviews, Not Metal, 40 comments

“Were I to begin giving the weeks of my life names like some sort of week-naming goon, “When the Cold Truth Has Worn Its Miserable Welcome Out” would be a top-level contender for this past week. As a title, it’s perfect; overly lengthy, blunt, and definitely different. In a slight deviation from the metallic usual, the American group En Minor, headed by one Philip Anselmo (Pantera, Down, Philip H. Anselmo & the Illegals), has let loose their debut album, When the Cold Truth Has Worn Its Miserable Welcome Out, to unsuspecting masses. Given my earlier week-naming sentiments, this probably should be a match made by destiny – but is it?” Cold and miserable.

Aleah – Aleah Review

By Huck N Roll on June 30, 2020 in 2020, Not Metal, Reviews, South African Metal, Svart Records, Not Metal, 8 comments

“Readers of this site, and fans in general, know of Aleah Stanbridge. After doing some work on her own and collaborating with The Mission’s Andy Cousin in That Which Remains, she laid down guest vocals for Swallow the Sun and Amorphis before forming Trees of Eternity with Swallow the Sun guitarist Juha Raivio. Trees of Eternity released Hour of the Nightingale in 2016, months after Aleah tragically passed away from cancer at age 39. Since then, Raivio has been assembling and touching up Aleah’s work, and he’s finally presenting it to us now in the form of a double album.” Music is immortal.

The Moon and the Nightspirit – Aether Review

By Twelve on June 27, 2020 in Reviews, Folk, Not Metal, 10 comments

“I love receiving distinctly non-metal promos. I mean, it’s the name of the site, right? Angry ‘Metal’ Guy. Receiving folk, neo-folk, ambient, and similar musical styles feels like a statement from their artists: “no, it isn’t literally metal, but it’s metal in enough ways for you, ‘Guy.’” And I’m not complaining; from Winterfylleth’s The Hallowing of Heirdom to October Falls’s Kaarna to Forndom’s Faþir, some of my favorite musical discoveries have been metal “in all the right ways but one,” and all featured on this site. Since 2005, The Moon and the Nightspirit, a Hungarian duo featuring multi-instrumentalists Ágnes Tóth and Mihály Szabó, have been making traditional folk music; Aether is their seventh full-length album, and it feels like it belongs in all three of the above fields.” Aether realms?

Secrets of the Moon – Black House Review

By Steel Druhm on May 6, 2020 in Reviews, Not Metal, 28 comments

“Bands change and sounds evolve. These are the most inescapable truisms in music regardless of genre, with only AC/DC and maybe Sodom resisting the inevitable flux. The last time I reviewed a Secrets of the Moon album way back in 2012 they were a somewhat progressive black metal act endeavoring to mix goth elements into their sound. Now Secrets of the Moon no longer play black metal in any way, shape or form.” Evolve or die.

Witchcraft – Black Metal Review

By Twelve on April 29, 2020 in Reviews, Black Metal, Not Metal, 27 comments

“Magnus Pelander, the sole remaining founding member of Witchcraft, takes the reins on Black Metal, seemingly completely. There is his voice, and there is soft plucking on an acoustic guitar, and these two sounds comprise almost the entirety of the Black Metal sound. It sounds very different than the Witchcraft usual — certainly, it stands completely apart from Legend and Nucleus.” One man, one guitar.

Lord Buffalo – Tohu Wa Bohu Review

By Cherd on March 26, 2020 in 2020, American Rock, Blues, Blues Funeral Recordings, Folk, Not Metal, Reviews, Rock, Folk, Not Metal, 22 comments

“Tohu Wa Bohu, a Hebrew phrase found in Genesis describing the Earth as “formless and empty” before the creation of light, is the second album from this Texan quartet, and it’s chock full of earthy darkness. First track “Raziel” creaks into the world sounding like a lost track from Nick Cave and Warren Ellis’ The Proposition soundtrack crossed with Low Estate era 16 Horsepower.” Lost in Americana.

Otoboke Beaver – Itekoma Hits [Things You Might Have Missed 2019]

By Grymm on December 19, 2019 in Damnably Records, Hardcore, Noise, Not Metal, Punk, Things You Might Have Missed, Things You Might Have Missed 2019, Hardcore, Noise, Not Metal, Punk, 40 comments

“As long as it’s good, gives us reviewers joyous vibes, and is kinda sorta somewhat within proximity of our wheelhouse, we’ll give it a fair shake and coverage. Kyoto’s Otoboke Beaver’s debut full-length, Itekoma Hits, is several miles away from our particular wheelhouse, but we see them, cheerfully smiling and waving while screaming, delivering some absolutely apeshit bonkers music that veers from pop-punk to hardcore to surf music to practically everywhere else and in-between.” It’s not metal, but then again, neither are you.

Timelost – Don’t Remember Me for This Review

By Emya on October 24, 2019 in 2019, Golden Antenna Records, Not Metal, Reviews, Shoegaze, Not Metal, Shoegaze, 8 comments

“What do you get when two metalhead friends come together and begin a file-sharing effort from a thousand miles apart to explore their collective musical lusts? You get [drumroll please]…a shoegaze album? I was taken aback when I first played Timelost’s new album Don’t Remember Me for This and was quickly reminded of the modern shoegaze and dream pop sound of Brooklyn, New York band Beach Fossils.” Shoe’s on first.

aswekeepsearching – Rooh Review

By Huck N Roll on September 25, 2019 in 2019, Indian Metal, Not Metal, Post-Rock, Reviews, Self-released, Not Metal, 10 comments

“You ardent readers may not agree, but it can be tough on one’s aural organs to blast metal for hours upon hours each and every day. That’s because in our tiny cubicles we don’t often get to crank the albums we love; we have to play the ones we’re reviewing. And after blasting my assignments from Cult of Luna and Monolord a combined twenty-seven times this month, my weeping ears needed a break. Something peaceful, serene, and calming. And since I wasn’t (un)lucky enough to be tabbed for In Cauda Venenum, I settled on what I hoped would be a sweet little morsel of post-rock: Rooh, the third album from Indian post-rock outfit aswekeepsearching.” Vacation for the ears.