“Distances’ Diableries has a pretty cover, but one I’ll always remember for a subtle flaw. The Albuquerque-based post-metal unit’s new full length comes beautifully dressed in auburn hues, cloaked in North American fauna. Monarch butterflies cloak the figure, and wrapped around the neck — sorry, what kind of snake is that? Some unholy graft of king snake and rattler, it seems. Perhaps it’s a symbol — the harmless given fangs — though it seems hardly worth it to have a dangerous snake mimic a harmless snake that mimics a dangerous snake. Yet the album embodies these conflicting layers, shuttling its death metal riffing past a mournful violin resting on aphotic sludge muck. Is Diableries dangerous? Or is it a lonely soul, wearing another’s colors to ward us away?” Serpent surprise.
Post-Metal
Erdve – Vaitojimas Review
“If your home country only has a whopping 172 bands documented on The Metal Archives, with roughly half of them split up or otherwise disbanded, there’s a decent chance that relatively few people have ever heard your particular take on metal before. Such is the case for Erdve, a fledgling four-piece emerging from the enigmatic Lithuanian underground.” Small scene, big sound.
Marriage + Cancer – Marriage + Cancer Review
“Many cite Meantime as the apple of their eye from Helmet but it’s the 1994 follow up, Betty, that brought the New Yorkers to my attention and with it delivered a slab of feedback and odd-time signatures that I never grow tired of. The plunging chords and staccato drums are perfectly balanced against Page Hamilton’s wry vocal delivery, a seismic yet focused payload of anti-establishment vitriol that takes hold of your spine and yanks it through your bowels. Meantime and Betty’s influence was partly responsible for the establishment of the alternative and post-metal scenes and to this day still inspires bands to pick up the axe, none more so thanMarriage + Cancer.” Strap it on?
Long Distance Calling – Boundless Review
“Long Distance Calling is the best instrumental metal band you’ve never heard of. Formed in 2006, this German quartet first came to my attention when I discovered 2007 debut Satellite Bay last year, an album that went perfectly with my lonely drives along the sparkling New England coastline.” Accept the charges.
Faal – Desolate Grief Review
“While many of my writing colleagues hunker down amid inches of snow and ice, wallowing in gloom, I’m enjoying a haphazard but sporadically scorching Australian summer. The closest I’ve got to such frosty atmospheres recently was on an evening sitting outside where I outrageously had to retrieve a jacket in the middle of fucking summer. As such, my musical appetite generally stays on the lighter side at this time of year, in extreme metal terms that is. However, as it turns out, January, and life circumstances have forced my hand to embrace the darker, doomier realms of metal.” Faal for every season.
Agrimonia – Awaken Review
“Those of you who have been reading this Revered Site regularly know that the Huckster’s ranking on the Kronos Scale of Brvtality is a paltry 0.5. I mean, take a look at my bio: vocalists who sound like Lord of the Rings villains need not apply. And yet, there are times when I do enjoy my music a bit more extreme, and when I do, I go in deep.” Helms Deep!
Tetrafusion – Dreaming of Sleep [Things You Might Have Missed 2017]
“I’m more of a modern prog dude. Not that I have anything against the classic ’70s era of progressive rock, but aside from a few notable bands, led by the obvious Pink Floyd, I simply haven’t been exposed to a lot of it, despite being a big fan of ’60s and ’70s music, in general. Yeah, I know, it’s something I need to rectify. Luckily, modern prog of the rock and metal variety offers an embarrassment of riches to indulge in.” Prog for the noggin.
Deadspace – The Liquid Sky [Things You Might Have Missed 2017]
“Down Under’s Deadspace have craftily sneaked their way into the upper echelon of bands from the past few years. Their debut full-length was a depressive but dramatic cut of black metal with a strong narrative voice through its measured pace and use of film samples. 2016’s EP felt ‘purer’ as it featured less spoken words no interlude tracks; it was 4 lengthy, cathartic tracks which tracked life and death. A sophomore record called The Liquid Sky released towards the death of 2017 and the high standard is maintained.” In space no one can hear you frown.
EP Edition [Things You Might Have Missed 2017]
“Last year I compiled a year-end EP post with which I received help from my colleagues and of which I was quite proud. This year I institute this post by repeating it.” Get institutionalized.
Cascades – Cascades [Things You Might Have Missed 2017]
“This might be difficult to believe, coming from an adult who pretends to be a Muppet and uses his free time to write about metal for $0.00/hr, but sometimes I make decisions which are… well, I won’t say ‘stupid’, as I’m a freakin’ genius, yo….But being of such mortal-mindset transcendence, I’ve been known to choose me a choice or two that made roughly zero sense to roughly everyone who wasn’t me. I walk the Oz-ian line of ideas most frequently when I’m out Bandcamping, where something as simple as a particularly fetching album cover can damn me to another week of poverty.” Live for art, not money.