Oct21

Burning Point – Arsonist of the Soul Review

By Steel Druhm on October 21, 2021 in Reviews, Heavy Metal, Power Metal, 21 comments

“Burning Point have a very inconsistent track record in the Euro-power rat race. Early releases Salvation by Fire and Feeding the Flames were decent but a bit too generic to leave a lasting impression. Some subsequent albums just seemed phoned in, further consigning them to second or third-tier status in the Euro-power sweepstakes. It wasn’t until 2012s The Ignitor that they delivered an album that really grabbed my attention and shook it. Full of heavy, aggressive riffs and powerful vocals, it was a punchy, angry dose of power leaning into Mystic Prophecy and Brainstorm territory with good results. Just as things seemed to be heading in the right direction, vocalist Pete Ahonen pulled a Kai Hansen, opting to hand off vocal duties and focus solely on guitar.” Burning bridges and lineups.

1914 – Where Fear and Weapons Meet Review

By Holdeneye on October 21, 2021 in Reviews, Black Metal, Death Metal, Doom Metal, 153 comments

“If I said that a new 1914 album is a big deal for me, it would be a huge understatement. The band’s 2018 opus The Blind Leading the Blind was one of the first records I covered for this site—and my first 4.0. I was still a probationary writer at the time, and as a brand new music journalist, watching the metalverse collectively lose its mind over what 1914 accomplished on that record was a surreal and humbling experience. 1914 have already demonstrated that they are consummate pros with a clear strategic objective, and I would have been shocked if 2021 follow-up Where Fear and Weapons Meet was anything less than great.” War 4 sale.

Conjureth – Majestic Dissolve Review

By Kenstrosity on October 21, 2021 in Reviews, Death Metal, 14 comments

“As October enters its final weeks, the looming threat of list season and a veritable deluge of highly anticipated releases towers menacingly above. The first of those highly anticipated releases for me happens to drop on my birthday. Conjureth, an old-school death metal trio wreaking havoc from the West Coast (California, to be more specific), released one very strong short form outburst that garnered my attention last year. Now their debut Majestic Dissolve lies throbbing and evil in my waiting grasp.” Throb rules.

WORM – Foreverglade Review

By Cherd on October 20, 2021 in Reviews, Death Doom, Death Metal, Doom Metal, Funeral Doom, 105 comments

“Over a year and a half ago, Floridian band WORM released Gloomlord, a funeral/death doom album that marked a left turn for the former black metal outfit. I found it below average. Remarkably, my proclamation of its deficiencies wasn’t enough to keep others from enjoying it. The absolute fucking nerve. An inordinate number of other metal polymaths in the blogosphere sang its dolorous praises to the point that I wondered if maybe I had been mistaken, as rare an occurrence as that may be. When follow-up Foreverglade was announced, I decided to revisit Gloomlord, and I found it…about the same. Two good tracks and three duds. As I hit play on Foreverglade, I mentally prepared to be the bearer of bad reviews a second time.” The WORM has turned.

Order – The Gospel Review

By Diabolus in Muzaka on October 20, 2021 in Reviews, Black Metal, 10 comments

“It’s no secret that I like Mayhem. Since Slayer disbanded, they’re my favorite active metal band. Each of their “eras” has offered something unique, special, memorable, and great. I’ve been listening to the legendary Deathcrush a lot lately, and I’ve never found anything quite like it. Imagine my surprise, then, when I learned that Norway’s Order existed and featured Manheim (drums on Deathcrush) and Messiah (some vocals on Deathcrush).” Crushing.

Osukaru – Starbound Review

By El Cuervo on October 19, 2021 in Reviews, Glam Metal, Hard Rock, 40 comments

“Alarm bells tend to ring when, after randomly picked an album for review, that album is one of several for a band you’ve never heard previously. It usually signifies a group toiling in mediocrity, never having sufficiently impressed a critical mass to start developing a reputation. In the case of Sweden’s Osukaru, I suspect it may be a consequence of their style. The target demographic of their sixth release, Starbound, stopped listening to new music in 1992 with the last good Def Leppard record, the stratification of a variety of extreme metal sub-genres and the advent of grunge as the most popular form of rock.” Star daddy.

Extreme Cold Winter – World Exit Review

By GardensTale on October 19, 2021 in Reviews, Death Metal, Doom Metal, 44 comments

“The Dutch are often quite proud of their English capacities. We frequently top the list of most proficient non-native speakers, and expats often find it more difficult to learn Dutch because anyone who hears them struggling just switches to English instead, both to accommodate them and to show off. Which is why the moniker above is rather baffling to me. Shouldn’t it be Extremely Cold Winter? Or Extreme Winter Cold? Is the winter both extreme and cold? If so, in what other capacity is it extreme?” How about this weather?

Feral Season – Rotting Body in the Range of Light Review

By Twelve on October 18, 2021 in Reviews, Black Metal, 19 comments

“Feral Season is a great band name, and Rotting Body in the Range of Light is an album title I can definitely get behind. It’s nice when a band is able to immediately tell you what you’re going to be in for before you’ve reached the play button, and everything about this package, from the promo text to the “black metal” label to the album art, looked promising.” Angry kitties and suspicious promises.

Skeletoon – The 1.21 Gigawatts Club Review

By Holdeneye on October 18, 2021 in Reviews, Power Metal, 40 comments

“I’d like to start this review with an apology to Eldritch Elitist. I violated his rights by covering Skeletoon’s 2020 album, Nemesis. In Steel Druhm‘s excitement to assign me a goofy album from a goofy band with a goofy name, and in my excitement to receive such an honor, we both failed to realize that Eldritch had covered Skeletoon’s Goonies-themed album They Never Say Die in 2019, giving him the right of prima promo. The gracious Mr. Elitist gently broke the news to me shortly after that review published, and even went so far as to allow me to cover this, Skeletoon’s fifth album in six years. The Nerd Metal Superheroes are headed back into classic film territory, this time tackling the Back to the Future trilogy.” Yucks Capacitor.

Alda – A Distant Fire Review

By Twelve on October 17, 2021 in Reviews, Black Metal, Folk Metal, 30 comments

“How was I supposed to pass on that album cover? Gorgeous, gorgeous stuff. That the associated album was labelled as “blackened folk metal”—or “atmospheric black metal” on the trusty Encyclopaedia—was icing on the cake, but really, I was drawn in by the album art. A Distant Fire is the fourth full-length release from the American Alda, which I’m told means “tree” in a language invented by J.R.R. Tolkien.” Tree aggressive.