Oct20

Lord Almighty – Wither Review

By Kenstrosity on October 15, 2020 in Reviews, Black Metal, 40 comments

“Lord Almighty, that’s some pretty artwork. An animal skull, painted with myriad pastel colors, conveys that sense of decay which defines so much of the metal art world. Meanwhile, a rich palette of greens and blues strengthens the impression that this skeletal creature’s surroundings teem with life. Plus, emblazoned atop the stripped-down scenery oversees this Lord’s unholy crest, gnarled and subtly overgrown while simultaneously resembling a fortress, the moon presiding over its kingdom. Needless to say, I was thrumming with excitement to get my hands all over this. Imagine my glee when the Bostonians’ sophomore record Wither—an apt name to go with the cover—didn’t totally suck.” Wither systems.

Repuked – Dawn of Reintoxication Review

By Dr. A.N. Grier on October 15, 2020 in Reviews, Death Metal, 54 comments

“I hope this story finds you munching on your breakfast and drinking a warm pumpkin spice latte with the morning news. Here’s Repuked with the weather.” BLEEAARGH!!!

Molassess – Through the Hollow Review

By GardensTale on October 14, 2020 in Reviews, Occult Rock, Psychedelic Rock, 27 comments

“In 2006, siblings Selim and Farida Lemouchi started a psychedelic occult rock band called The Devil’s Blood. In 2013, it collapsed. During its existence, the band drew a loyal following in underground music. Its music balanced retro occult and innovative psych rock. Selim, guitar player and spiritual heart of the band, was uncompromising in his vision, resulting in shows that were as much Satanic rituals as they were concerts, including buckets of pig blood and candles all over the place. In 2014, after struggling with depression for much of his existence, Selim requested permission to die from his mother and sister shortly before taking his own life. 5 years later, Roadburn overlord Walter Hoeijmakers asked the former members of The Devil’s Blood whether they would be interested in creating a commissioned piece of music. Molassess was born.” Blood and life travel strange pathways.

Wayfarer – A Romance with Violence Review

By Doom_et_Al on October 14, 2020 in Reviews, 67 comments

“Violence is as American as cherry pie, or so the great MLK Jr. once said. The genesis of this hunger for bloodshed has many roots, but an obvious one is the Wild West. A perfect storm of technological force, an insatiable desire for expansion, a fondness for guns, and laws that were… flexible. It was a violent time, and black metal is violent music, so it seems curious that these have never really been combined before.” of gunsmoke and corpsepaint.

Calyces – Impulse to Soar Review

By Huck N Roll on October 14, 2020 in Reviews, Progressive Metal, 20 comments

“Calyces’ mastermind is singer/multi-instrumentalist/songwriter/producer Manthos Stergiou, late of Tardive Dyskinesia. This time around, Stergiou and his bandmates are going for a sound that is heavily influenced by Mastodon, Baroness, and Tool. This has been done to death, so the key to making it work is writing great songs and establishing your own original take on those bands’ sounds.” Impulse to ape.

Goratory – Sour Grapes Review

By Holdeneye on October 13, 2020 in Reviews, Death Metal, Grind, 50 comments

“While scrotal brutal technical death metal is not usually my bag, potty humor certainly is. Boston’s Goratory butter their bread with filth — as evidenced by past album title jewels like Orgasm Induced Diarrhea — and when I saw the ballsy artistic choices the band had made for new record Sour Grapes, I was helpless to resist.” Poo Poo platter.

Wreck-Defy – Powers That Be Review

By Steel Druhm on October 13, 2020 in Reviews, Thrash Metal, 41 comments

“Sometimes quality material can slip through the cracks in a busy month and fall into oblivion. Wreck-Defy’s third album Powers That Be almost suffered that ignoble fate. This Canadian super group has flown under my radar up to now despite featuring Greg Christian (ex-Testament), Aaron Randall (ex-Annihilator) and Alex Marquez (ex-Malevolent Creation) in its ranks. Having overlooked the promo entirely, I only circled back to it because I had some extra time on my hands and decided to cram in another review. Lucky I was too, as Powers is one of the most entertaining thrash albums I’ve heard this year.” Wrecking crew.

Paradise in Flames – Devil’s Collection Review

By Dear Hollow on October 13, 2020 in Reviews, Black Metal, Deathcore, Doom Metal, Heavy Metal, Melodic Black Metal, Melodic Death Metal, 11 comments

“Paradise in Flames is a Brazilian black metal quartet, having released two albums, two demos, and an EP since their 2003 formation. While their third full-length’s cover poses questions, a glance at their promo confuses further. They cite death metal countrymen Sepultura and Sarcófago as influences, while the Devil’s Collection was mastered by producer Tue Madsen of Meshuggah and Dark Tranquility fame. Such first impressions are baffling, but the looming question is: is Devil’s Collection any good?” Riffing is fundamental.

Crippled Black Phoenix – Ellengæst Review

By Huck N Roll on October 12, 2020 in 2020, Reviews, Progressive Rock, 37 comments

“I’ll open this review with the sentence I used to close my last Crippled Black Phoenix review: Crippled Black Phoenix are a band I want to like more, but the material continues to fall short of their potential. And with that thought the band’s latest album, Ellengæst, was bestowed upon me, giving me several weeks to think about how I’d be going in with high expectations and coming out feeling like I’d only eaten half a meal. A quick scan of the promo material did raise an eyebrow: the size of the band has been cut in half (CBP have always been immersed in drama), and there are a number of interesting guest vocalists as a result.” Crippled but dangerous.

Spirit Adrift – Enlightened in Eternity Review

By Grymm on October 12, 2020 in 2020, American Metal, Heavy Metal, Reviews, Heavy Metal, 127 comments

“Look up “prolific” in the dictionary, and there’s a good chance you’ll see Nate Garrett’s name somewhere in there. Besides spending time in doom/death merchants Gatecreeper, Garrett’s also tirelessly spent energy and time with his main project, Spirit Adrift, having released three acclaimed albums in the span of four years. However, with 2020 being the year that it is, Garrett felt the need to do some massive soul-searching, choosing to focus on the more positive aspects in ourselves, and decided a massive upheaval was necessary in order to survive, let alone succeed. In doing so, he’s stepped down from the ‘creeper and put all of his energy back into his main gig. With renewed focus and a change of attitude, Enlightened in Eternity, the fourth album in five years, is upon us.” Enlighten the dark.