Old Man Gloom

Bleeth – Harbinger Review

By Carcharodon on May 28, 2021 in Reviews, Post-Metal, 18 comments

“It gets a bad rap around here, I know, but I’ve admitted before to being a post-metal fan. I’m not alone in this among the writers but I won’t out Doom_et_Al or Sentynel or the other post fans in case they’d rather keep it to themselves. What do I like about post-metal, I hear you ask. Well, since you were so nice as to inquire, let me tell you. What hooks me about the best bands of the genre – the likes of Isis, Cult of Luna, The Ocean, Neurosis, to name but a few – is their ability build atmosphere and tension, layering delicate melodies and mellifluous harmonics in repetitive, swirling streams, before you slam into a wall of crushing guitars that rewards you for your patience. In some senses, it’s all about the pay off but, at the same time, that pay off feels so much greater because of the journey the band takes you on. With their sophomore effort, Harbinger, Miami trio Bleeth ask whether the same can be achieved in dramatically shortened form.” Harbinger of sorrow?

Heretical Sect – Rapturous Flesh Consumed Review

By Dear Hollow on December 12, 2020 in Reviews, Black Metal, Death Metal, Doom Metal, 16 comments

“As I close out the year with reviews, what better way than to go back to my roots? Is that vague? Maybe. Mysterious? Definitely. What on earth would I have in common with Heretical Sect? Am I a skeleton with a snake in my skull? Maybe. I’ll bring that up with the doctor later. I suppose you could ask: what do chile, Breaking Bad, Ancestral Puebloans, hot air balloons, and the worst pedestrian safety rating in the US have in common? Secting crew.

Fós – Rinne mé iarraidh Review

By Carcharodon on March 10, 2020 in 2020, Drone, Folk, Irish Metal, Reviews, Self-released, 14 comments

“Prior to this review, you could have jotted down what I knew about sean-nós singing on the back of a postage stamp and still had most of the stamp free for other notes. Still, we are where we all are and probably only Fós, a collaboration between Irish singer Orla Cadden Patel and multi-instrumentalist Fionn Murray, have much right to feel aggrieved. Sean-nós turns out to be a traditional form of Irish singing. Typically unaccompanied, the singing is highly ornamented in terms of melodic style and the lyrics often deal in laments and tales of historic events. That description does not, perhaps, suggest it as the obvious partner for electronica-driven drone but then, as I always try to explain to non-metal friends and colleagues who ask (and usually regret doing so), one of the things I love about metal is its seemingly endless ability to blend genres and influences.” Luck o’ the Irish.

Glassing – Spotted Horse Review

By Dear Hollow on May 17, 2019 in 2019, American Metal, Black Metal, Brutal Panda Records, Mathcore, Noise, Post-metal, Reviews, Sludge Metal, Black Metal, Mathcore, Post-Metal, Sludge Metal, 56 comments

“During my short tenure at AMG, I’ve discovered the magical terror that is the Promo Bin. While it is a World War I-esque no man’s land of one-man black metal carpet bombs, awkwardly rumbling deathcore tanks, nu-metal mustard gas, and experimental drone-doom PTSD, you can find some gems in the trenches while the good Lord Himself picks us, contributors, off one by one. It’s a trve and rvthless battle of good vs. evil, light vs. dark, Jedi vs. Sith, Kramer vs. Kramer, power metal vs. actual metal. It’s all about balance, after all.”

John, the Void – III – Adversa Review

By Carcharodon on May 13, 2019 in 2019, Argonauta Records, Doom Metal, Italian Metal, Post-metal, Reviews, Sludge, Post-Metal, Sludge, 42 comments

“During the Great N00b Off, I told myself that, should I one day be given unchaperoned access to the promo bin, I absolutely would not choose a band purely on the basis of its name. I would do my research and make an informed decision. So, following my first foray into the promo bin sans Steel Druhm, take a bow John, the Void, a band I chose purely for its name.” What’s in a name?

A Secret Revealed – Sacrifices Review

By Cherd on January 28, 2019 in 2.5, 2019, Black Metal, German Metal, Hardcore, Lifeforce Records, Metalcore, Post-metal, Reviews, Metalcore, Post-Hardcore, Post-Metal, 64 comments

“I’ve learned that when it comes to the promo sump, metalcore sneaks in the back door. This makes sense. we at AMG like to joke about all things -core, so why explicitly say you’re a metalcore band in your promo? Why not say you play post-metal, and when you’re safe inside the city gates, sneak out of that Trojan horse and stab the shit out of us with your VERY EARNEST SCREAMING and siq breakdowns? And so it is that I find myself reviewing Sacrifices, the second full-length from Germany’s A Secret Revealed.” Core at the door.

Chelsea Wolfe – Hiss Spun Review

By Saunders on September 19, 2017 in 2017, American Metal, Doom Metal, Industrial Metal, Non-Metal Metal Things, Post-metal, Reviews, Rock, Sargent House, Doom Metal, Folk, Industrial Metal, Post-Metal, 78 comments

“With expectations sky high after the mesmerizing Abyss, Wolfe returns with her highly anticipated sixth opus, Hiss Spun. One of Chelsea Wolfe’s key strengths as an artist lies in her ability to continually evolve and reinvent herself. Familiar strands tie her works together, but she is not in the game of repeating herself, as Hiss Spun firmly attests.” Wolfe at your doorstep.

God Root – Salt and Rot Review

By Treble Yell on July 12, 2017 in 2017, American Metal, Horror Pain Gore Death Productions, Post-metal, Reviews, Sludge, Post-Metal, Sludge Metal, 25 comments

“Despite what the band and album name may conjure up, Salt and Rot by God Root is not the latest word in primal vegan cuisine. What we have instead is the second release from the Pennsylvanian quintet, a sludgy, post-metal mediation that sings of soil and sky and man’s connection to both.” Have we finally reached post-Neurosis?

Mountain God – Bread Solstice Review

By Treble Yell on April 3, 2017 in American Metal, Artificial Head Records, Post-metal, Reviews, Sludge, Post-Metal, Sludge Metal, 33 comments

“Post-metal – like it’s nearest neighbor sludge metal – builds upon the foundations laid down by doom, keeping intact the throbbing riffs and ponderous pace while shedding much of the fantasy and occult trappings in favor of a more intellectual, existential outlook. If doom was about the “what” then one could argue post-metal is more about the “why?”” Ask why to the Mountain God.

Concert Review: Southwest Terror Fest, Tucson, Arizona – October 20th-23rd 2016

By Dr. A.N. Grier on November 5, 2016 in 2016, Blog Posts, Live Reviews, Reviews, 16 comments

“It seems like all the greatest adventures begin with a phone call. This particular call came about a month ago. The gentleman on the line was one of my brothers. Brother Grier had called to inform me he had purchased tickets to Southwest Terror Fest in Tucson, Arizona. His plane ticket was purchased, the hotel reservation was set, and I had no choice but to join him (he had apparently bought me tickets too).”Tales of brotherhood, beers and grind.