Oct18

Burial Oath – Subjugation of the Bastard Son Review

Burial Oath – Subjugation of the Bastard Son Review

“As I zip maniacally through these hallowed halls with Cleveland, Ohio’s Burial Oath’s second offering Subjugation of the Bastard Son, I can’t help but feel karma sneaking up on me. Surely, for all of the crimes and indecencies I have committed here, this new shadowy thing I’ve snatched will mark my last acquisition before the Mvppety One obliterates me in a singularity of hate and caliginosity.” Into Crypts of Muppets.

VOLA – Applause of a Distant Crowd [Things You Might Have Missed 2018]

VOLA – Applause of a Distant Crowd [Things You Might Have Missed 2018]

“Back in 2015, myself and Kronos were taken with Denmark’s VOLA and their debut album entitled Inmazes, to such an extent that I wrote about it at the year’s end. I was shocked and dismayed that we missed it on the first go around and resolved to keep a weather eye on the musical horizon to not miss another release. Alas, October 12th rushed by and a sophomore release went with it. Now it falls on me to once more make amends and remind our readership of my increasingly poseur taste in metal.” Untrve confessions.

Shallow Grave – Threshold between Worlds Review

Shallow Grave – Threshold between Worlds Review

“Doom is inescapable. Fear of the known is the constant background buzz of human existence, in its way as strong as fear of the unknown. The knowledge of one’s doom can be a chain too heavy to bear. It’s the curse of reading your future chiseled in granite, holding a crayon. Auckland, New Zealand’s Shallow Grave make their malevolent hay with that fear.” Fear the known.

Dirge – Ah Puch Review

Dirge – Ah Puch Review

“So the good news is that today we’ll be taking a field trip, we’ll be heading into the jungle so dress accordingly; the betterer news is that this is a time travel episode! Drawing lyrical inspiration from history and mythology alike, India’s Dirge are taking us to Central America, circa Hernán Cortés’ storied rape of romp through the Yucatán Peninsula. This box-approved bidness is a rather violent affair in and of itself, so hurry up and get your seatbelts fastened. Or don’t, yo. Your safety is none of my concern, I’m just here to tell you about a wicked good doom album.” Exploratory doom.

Vanik – II: Dark Season Review

Vanik – II: Dark Season Review

“There are many ways to celebrate Halloween: candy; costumes; horror movies; punk-influenced thrash metal albums from Cleveland. The latter is brought to you this October [Er, November… my badEd.] by Vanik, a thrash band Frankensteined together from punk and metal musicians harvested from the likes of Toxic Holocaust, Ringworm and Vindicator. Following up their self-titled debut, Vanik have now sharpened their Voorheesian machetes in preparation for spreading terror with their new Halloween-themed record II: Dark Season, released by Shadow Kingdom Records.” Is one of the ways you can celebrate Halloween as dressing up as a retro thrash band and releasing a record? That answer, inside!

Leonov – Wake Review

Leonov – Wake Review

Leonov’s promotional material describes their music as “celestial doom,” which intrigues me greatly. What is celestial doom? What does it mean? Are we contemplating the small, brief existence of mankind in the vastness of space? Are we exploring the ideas of loss and nothingness? I have no idea. My attention has been captured nicely here, but can Leonov follow through?” This here Nameless_n00b sure does ask a lot of questions. Does he have answers? Only a click on this link can tell!

Zealot Cult – Spiritual Sickness Review

Zealot Cult – Spiritual Sickness Review

“One major player in the field were my countrymen Pestilence, particularly with their sophomore album Consuming Impulse. Until they stopped doing what they did best anyway. Then-vocalist Martin Van Drunen, with his anguished, slavering cries put the band on the map, his style often imitated but never transcended. Now, another imitator has arisen from the fields of Ireland by the name of Zealot Cult. Can they do justice to their idols, or will idolatry lead to naught but broken effigies?” Join up.

Paths – In Lands Thought Lost Review

Paths – In Lands Thought Lost Review

“Twenty-seventeen’s tide of incredible black metal releases has considerably waned in 2018, and thank fucking Christ for that. While hardly anything excites me as much as a well-executed black metal record, there is such a thing as too much of a good thing. This year’s stagnated schedule of blackened goodness has allowed me considerable breathing room to delve into new metal in several genres, but it offers an even greater boon for an act like Canada’s Paths. If In Lands Thought Lost had dropped last year, it may have been immediately lost as another drop in the blackened flood, but as of its release window, it comes across as a curious little record that offers a somewhat unique experience.” A new path through old territory.

Eisregen – Fegefeuer Review

Eisregen – Fegefeuer Review

“The metal underground has many virtues: ingenuity, a give-no-fucks attitude, and in many cases listener loyalty. How else does one explain a band like Eisregen, who have cranked out album after album over a twenty-year career, while still clinging tightly to the shadows? Fegefeuer marks these Germans’ thirteen release, one shrouded in mystery, teased as it was with a simple ‘Satan loves you.'”

Malphas – The 39th Spirit Review

Malphas – The 39th Spirit Review

“With a concept album comes even more pressure than a typical release. Not only should the music be good, but it should seamlessly blend with the story. And it’s gotta be convincing. When I listen to King’s The Puppetmaster, I can feel myself hanging from a hook at a long-forgotten puppet shop in “Living Dead.” I can feel the battle brewing in the barren wasteland of Iced Earth’s “Desert Rain.” And I can feel the weight hanging on Immortal in Unleash the Archers’ “Cleanse the Bloodlines.” What’s it feel like to make a pact with a demon to obliterate organized religion?” 39 spirits and a Grier ain’t one.