Panzerfaust

Panzerfaust – The Suns of Perdition – Chapter II: Render unto Eden Review

By Carcharodon on August 28, 2020 in Reviews, Black Metal, 117 comments

“To prepare myself for the much-anticipated The Suns of Perdition – Chapter II: Render unto Eden, I had to commit an act of Contrition, upgrading my review of The Suns of Perdition – Chapter I: War, Horrid War to a 4.0. The fact that it has only taken this quartet of Canadians a smidge over a year to pen the follow-up to that rampaging, brvtal beast of an album was, I’ll admit, concerning. War, Horrid War combined raw intensity and crvshing riffs with moments of beauty and fragility to such stunning effect that, while I desperately wanted to get my hands on the follow-up, I wondered if Panzerfaust shouldn’t take just a bit more time to pen a worthy successor.” Burning paradise.

Contrite Metal Guy – Mistakes Were Made

By Carcharodon on June 29, 2020 in Blog Posts, 86 comments

“The life of the unpaid, overworked metal reviewer is not an easy one. Cascading promos, unreasonable deadlines, draconian editors and the unwashed metal mobs – it makes for a swirling maelstrom of music and madness. In all that tumult, errors are bound to happen and sometimes our initial impression of an album may not be completely accurate. With time and distance comes wisdom, and so we’ve decided to pull back the confessional curtain and reveal our biggest blunders, missteps, oversights and ratings face-plants. Consider this our sincere AMGea culpa. Redemption is retroactive, forgiveness is mandatory.” Tiny missteps.

Sarpa – Solivagus Review

By Carcharodon on June 9, 2020 in Reviews, Uncategorized, Black Metal, 10 comments

“The promo blurb had promised me that Sarpa, although rooted in the black metal aesthetic, incorporates a lot of other elements, including some Afro/Latin rhythms! Have I got a blackened Sepultura on my hands or a misguided attempt to make world-music black metal?” Kitchen sink-core.

Israthoum – Arrows from Below Review

By Carcharodon on December 13, 2019 in 2019, Black Metal, Dutch Metal, New Era Productions, Portuguese Metal, Reviews, Black Metal, 20 comments

“I come to my last writing engagement of the year off the back of reading Grymm’s humbling first post on mental health in metal – and the absolutely incredible reaction to that – as well as wrapping up my TYMHMs and agonizing over my year-end list. It feels somehow anticlimactic to return to ‘normal’ reviewing. That’s no disrespect, however, to today’s subject, a band formed way back in the early 90s in Portugal under the name Grendel, then becoming Geryous, before assuming their current and enduring moniker, Israthoum in 1998.” What’s in a name?

Maeskyyrn – Interlude Review

By Carcharodon on October 14, 2019 in 2019, Black Metal, Canadian Metal, Hypnotic Dirge Records, Melodic Black Metal, Reviews, Black Metal, Melodic Black Metal, 65 comments

“I normally dislike interludes intensely – the recent, very good Tool album, for example, I recreated as a playlist minus the four interludes because they annoyed the crap out of me. So an album called Interlude, with three tracks actually titled “Interlude,” plus an “Introduction” and final track “The End,” put me somewhat on edge. Despite having really liked the advance tracks for Maeskyyrn’s Interlude, I was expecting to have to report that here is yet another really promising album ruined by bloat and plinky … well, interludes.” Interludes, man.

Panzerfaust – The Suns of Perdition I: War, Horrid War Review

By Carcharodon on June 12, 2019 in 2019, Black Metal, Canadian Metal, Death Metal, Eisenwald Records, Industrial Metal, Reviews, Black Metal, Death Metal, 41 comments

“Canadian black metallers Panzerfaust‘s forthcoming album is the follow up to 2016’s The Lucifer Principle, which the band describe as a “full-length,” making The Suns of Perdition I: War, Horrid War Panzerfaust‘s fifth album. With only four tracks and clocking in at 25 minutes, personally, I’d be inclined to describe The Lucifer Principle as an EP. At just slightly over 31 minutes and comprising five tracks, I will give the Toronto natives a pass on their 2019 release’s claim to album status. Just.” Nasty, brutal and short.

Svartidauði – Revelations of the Red Sword Review

By Angry Metal Guy on November 30, 2018 in 2018, Black Metal, Icelandic Metal, Reviews, Van Records, Black Metal, 115 comments

“Although not the first country that leaps to mind, Iceland is tailor made for a black metal scene. With thirty active volcanoes, a sun that can still shine in the middle of the night, and a winter that lasts almost precisely as long as summer, bands have plenty of inspiration in which to toil and leave their legacy on the sound. The arguable leader of these is Svartidauði, whose debut full length Flesh Cathedral received heaping praise and exposed the Icelandic scene to the world at large.” Of ice, volcanoes, and red swords.