Progressive Death Metal

Aronious – Irkalla Review

By Carcharodon on August 17, 2022 in Reviews, Death Metal, Technical Death Metal, 22 comments

“Well, this could have been awkward. In trying to research this week’s subject, I had become increasingly puzzled as to why I couldn’t find much on them. Nothing on AMG itself; nothing on Metal Archives, nothing on Facebook and so on. It turns out there had been a fluff up in the AMG Engine Room, meaning that the band’s name was misspelled in the promo sump. Once this snafu came to light, it also revealed that Aronious is not, in fact, new to AMG and it would seem I have unwittingly stolen reviewing rights from no lesser death metal scribe than Kronos.” Deathly strife.

Wake – Thought Form Descent Review

By Cherd on July 22, 2022 in Reviews, Death Metal, 57 comments

“I’ll let you in on a little secret. Sometimes, before I write a review, I read the ones already out there for the album in question. This is after I’ve heard the album a few times, and I do it for a few reasons, curiosity being one. Now, there are writers who solemnly proclaim, pearls fully clutched, that they would never taint their process with such unprofessionalism. I get that. But I also get that you inconstant, two-timing jilts will also read those other reviews, and I don’t like being redundant with mine. So, having read a couple reviews for Wake’s fifth full-length Thought Form Descent, I’ve decided NOT to write an intro paragraph along the lines of “Boy howdy, these Wake bois sure do keep evolving, man alive.”” Thought form pieces.

Artificial Brain – Artificial Brain Review

By Dear Hollow on May 31, 2022 in Reviews, Black Metal, Death Metal, Progressive Metal, Technical Death Metal, 60 comments

“Artificial Brain, with or without intending it, has become the gold standard for modern death metal. Seamlessly blending earth-rumbling death metal with the raw edges and tines of black metal and adding a dissonant edge that embarks on voyages across dimensions, I knew I had bitten off more than I could chew. I feel as if I’ve intruded upon something holy.” Artifice and art.

Dischordia – Triptych Review

By Dear Hollow on April 29, 2022 in Reviews, Death Metal, Technical Death Metal, 39 comments

“A crucial aspect of my death metal enjoyment comes from the mood it invokes. I feel plain cold with OSDM stuff, but the oft-maligned dissonant death offers a spectrum of atmospheres and environs: Portal’s gates of madness, Ulcerate’s apocalyptic meditativeness, and Ad Nauseam’s croaking caverns, for example. Sinister intent and apathies to our suffering are a given in the dissonant stylings, but what if we could make it fun?” Devil-may-care and discord.

Hath – All that Was Promised Review

By Kenstrosity on March 2, 2022 in Reviews, Black Metal, Death Metal, Melodic Death Metal, 77 comments

“Hath are a cool band. They fill that Slugdge-shaped hole in my thirsty sponge body quite snugly without being a carbon copy, and you can clearly hear how much the group’s sound and skill grew between debut EP Hive and debut LP Of Rot and Ruin. The same measure of growth in songwriting and style applies between Of Rot and Ruin and their latest opus, All that Was Promised.” Hell Hath more fury.

Brood of Hatred – The Golden Age Review

By Kenstrosity on February 24, 2022 in Reviews, Death Metal, Post-Metal, Progressive Metal, 9 comments

“Tunisian one-man band Brood of Hatred caught my attention during my early days on Bandcamp, luring me into mastermind Muhammed Mêlki’s twisted brand of progressive post-death metal with Skinless Agony. He apparently released a second album, Identity Disorder, so quietly that I completely missed it until just a few days prior to writing this. Catching up on what I missed gave me a clearer picture of how Brood of Hatred developed over the last eight years leading up to his latest outing, entitled The Golden Age.” Pox Romana.

WAIT – The End of Noise Review

By Kenstrosity on February 9, 2022 in Reviews, Progressive Metal, 24 comments

“Time WAITs for no sponge. This apparently holds true for my unfortunate green friend to my left, the sands of time quite literally gushing out of his be-hourglassed noggin. The oddly disturbing artwork depicting this surreal injury translates to the weird and wacky, grungy prog-death stylings of Baltimore’s WAIT (short for We are in Transit). A supergroup of sorts, the trio pulls from the pool of live performers who jammed for acts ranging from Cynic to Defeated Sanity to Obscura, so it comes as no surprise to me that debut album The End of Noise promises to be a twisted and technical affair.” Difficult commute.

The Final Sleep – Vessels of Grief Review

By Twelve on February 4, 2022 in Reviews, Death Doom, 18 comments

“The fusion of death metal and doom metal is something I’ve never fully embraced as a purveyor of the heavy and hard-hitting. I mean, I should have, a long time ago—death metal is usually more extreme than I’m in the mood for and doom metal is great, if occasionally too un-speedy, so the blending should work. Sometimes it does—Rise to the Sky has certainly made a fan of me—but it just isn’t something I often seek out. When I first sampled The Final Sleep, a five-piece band from the United States of whom four are guitarists (yes, one of them is a bassist), I was drawn to the almost-progressive style of the vaguely doom-ish death metal on their sophomore release Vessels of Grief.” To sleep, perchance to scream.

Aethereus – Leiden Review

By Holdeneye on January 12, 2022 in Reviews, Death Metal, Progressive Metal, Technical Death Metal, 73 comments

“In his mostly positive review of their 2018 debut Absentia, Kronos pointed out that Aethereus treads the middle ground between flashy tech-death and death metal’s more dissonant realms. Not much has changed in this department, but where Absentia had a tendency to feel a bit disjointed because of the band’s stylistic duality, sophomore effort Leiden cashes in on the potential inherent in Aethereus’ chosen sound palette.” Technical ecstacy.

Wilderun – Epigone Review

By El Cuervo on January 7, 2022 in Reviews, Progressive Metal, Symphonic Metal, 413 comments

Wilderun’s Epigone marks the band’s first new material while signed to Century Media, but fourth record. Readers of this website will know that I think they are the best band of the 2010s, having composed progressive, deathly, folksy metal records that will stay with me forever. Their last two albums have both been my record of the year (and AMG Himself’s) and the band continues to accrue acclaim for their incredible sound and talent. Epigone is, without a doubt, an album that comes with high expectations from everyone. It’s interesting to note, then, that the title means “a less distinguished follower or imitator of someone.”