Releases

Ingrina – Siste Lys Review

By Kronos on December 2, 2020 in Reviews, Post-Metal, 41 comments

“Many metal bands do not have drummers. This is not because drummers are cantankerous, unhygienic, or otherwise objectionable people – though of course you may have evidence to that effect. No, the value of a drummer is so great that bandmates will tolerate even the worst tendencies of the percussively inclined, and in fact seek out kit-kickers like the jilted seek closure. The reason is scarcity; there are just not enough drummers out there. Which makes it especially rare for a band to contain two.” Kit cats.

Skelethal – Unveiling the Threshold Review

By Kronos on November 18, 2020 in Reviews, Death Metal, 50 comments

“Though a combative Al Kikuras rightfully panned the group’s debut, this sophomore record introduces a more fleshed-out Skelethal offering something beyond buzzsaw revivalism. After the departure of founding drummer/bassist Jon Whiplash, the band’s other half, Guillaume Zeller, pieced Skelethal back together at twice the size.” Bone collecting.

Faceless Burial – Speciation Review

By Kronos on August 3, 2020 in 2020, Reviews, Death Metal, 77 comments

“Sometimes you know within seconds that an album is going to absolutely rule. I knew it when I heard the chimes in Desolate Endscape. I knew it when I heard the first riff of “Cognitive Sedation Butchery.” This time I knew it when I heard three notes – guitar, bass, and snare – and fell into a tetanic stupor, fists clenched in ecstasy, tongue projected out to the state line. Faceless Burial just made a modern classic in old school death metal.” Endangering species.

Gaerea – Limbo Review

By Kronos on July 23, 2020 in Reviews, Black Metal, 156 comments

“Is black metal good? The answer is no. Or at least, I would have said no when I started writing here. Flippantly, sure, but I was a different man and back in 2013 black metal was a different beast. Most of the mass clogging the drain of the promo sump was of the two-waves-one-man variety, and with the exception of luminary avant-garde acts like Sigh and Dodecahedron, it seemed like the only alternative to reliving the early Norwegian days was playing blast beats over Slowdive.” Time changes a man.

Alizarin – The Last Semblance Review

By Kronos on July 17, 2020 in Reviews, Progressive Rock, 19 comments

“The Last Semblance is the second Alizarin album, and the first that is not instrumental. That’s an important note, because Alizarin is the passion project of a one Josh Kay, who wrote the songs, played the guitar parts, made the album art for, and mixed The Last Semblance.” One man army.

Aseitas – False Peace Review

By Kronos on July 11, 2020 in Reviews, Death Metal, 30 comments

“Aseitas are the Northwest’s death metal answer to the Northeast’s black metal alchemists in Genevieve, twisting the most experimental threads of metal into sleeker, stronger songs. The Portland quintet’s eclectic experiments began with 2018’s Aseitas, a record that seemed woven from every strand of extreme metal’s experiments in the decade before it.” No brutality, no peace.

Voidceremony – Entropic Reflections Continuum: Dimensions Unravel Review

By Kronos on June 30, 2020 in Reviews, Death Metal, 57 comments

“With heavyweights like Tomb Mold and Blood Incantation drowning in the love of the underground, proggy OSDM has never been so widely celebrated or practiced. If you’re a player in the death metal underground, that makes it an ideal time to switch focus from your nasty death metal band to your proggy death metal band and release your inscrutably titled debut album.” Void where prohibited.

Pyrrhon – Abscess Time Review

By Kronos on June 24, 2020 in Reviews, Death Metal, Experimental Metal, 47 comments

“Where do Pyrrhon go next? It’s a question that, to my surprise, I had not truly considered. In pushing the walls as far out as they would go with 2017’s stunning What Passes for Survival, the band became torch-bearers in death metal’s unexplored corridors. The quartet synthesize techniques from technical death metal, noise rock, and free jazz to craft ungainly structures and cut winding new paths through the labyrinth, resulting in two of the most original and contentious records of the 2010s. In Abscess Time, the band have a chance to explode into the new decade with a bold new direction.” Time, tide, and transformation.

Caligula’s Horse – Rise Radiant Review

By Kronos on May 18, 2020 in Reviews, Progressive Metal, Progressive Rock, 51 comments

“In Contact was one of the best records of the 2010s, an extremely ambitious concept alum that connected both lyrically and musically on a level above anything the band had accomplished before. That unexpected success puts its follow-up, Rise Radiant, under pressure.” Horse Pressure.

Abysmal Dawn – Phylogenesis Review

By Kronos on April 27, 2020 in Reviews, Death Metal, 35 comments

“Abysmal Dawn play a lunch pail, nine-to-five style of death metal that gets the job done on time and within the budget. You can’t expect miracles out of them, but the band are nothing if not dependable, barely changing their style over six albums with Phylogenesis. And hey, if it ain’t broke, why fix it? Good riffs, confident solos, and an attention to presentation have been a winning formula for the band for about a decade and a half and have served the genre well since 1985.” Unfoolish consistencies.