“Cherry picking the best parts of acts as diverse as Symphony X, Opeth, Arcturus and even Pain of Salvation, whilst focusing them through an unmistakably melodeath filter, Persefone manages to be impressive from pretty much all angles.” Name dropping is both art and science.
“I love music that takes chances. Those chances can be a myriad of elements: fusing disparate styles, unexpected arrangements (or non-arrangements), unique vocal delivery, you name it. Despite the fact that I love olde-school metal as much as the next Druhm, take a chance in your music and you’ll at least garner a close listen from the Huckster.” Take a chance, take a chance.
“There is nothing special about this record. No mind-boggling solos, no affecting melodies, not a whiff of progressive ideas or grand concepts. What it does have is everything a brutal album needs: riffs, hatred, and a conspicuous lack of snare dampening. To put it simply, Desecrate the Faith sound like a grittier version of Aborted or Benighted.” And sometimes that’s enough, dammit!
“Though I live in quasi-bear country, I had no idea “bear mace” was a thing until I started researching Bear Mace (the band). While I know encounters with real-life Pooh bears are no laughing matter, there’s something comical about whipping out a can of bear mace to fend off a charging Grizzly. I mean, seriously, what are the odds that everything is going to end well?” You have the bear minimum chance of success.
“Using different tempos, introducing secondary instruments, changing style of vocals or inviting guest singers, I could go on and on about the many ways a band can break the bonds of monotony. And maybe I should, just in case Cataleptic read this review.” Free pointers because we care.
“Whenever Tuomas Saukkonen releases something there’s a certain amount of buzz in the filthy underbelly of metal. When he had Before the Dawn and Black Sun Aeon running simultaneously, he released a staggering amount of high-quality melo-death steeped in Finland’s biggest export – melancholy. After folding both well-regarded acts and creating Wolfheart, things seemed to take a few steps backward quality-wise.” Have you found the secret that I have lost?
“As the curfew tolled the knell of the parting day, I decided to wander through the dark remains of a graveyard near my home. A thick and heavy fog rolled in, illuminated by moonlight, as I stared into the well of souls. By this point, I was thirsty and miserable and I felt myself slipping further into the void. I was bewitched by the scent of death as the children of the grave emerged from the gloom and approached me. The children carried individual USB sticks that held copies of an album by the Irish band Dread Sovereign.” Mix Tapes of the Dead!
“It’s no secret: I love me some black metal. But, even I, have gotten tired of every other album we review being a product of the genre. And none of it is good. So, it’s no surprise that I have to ignore a large portion of the releases that sneak by our oh-my-god-I’m-so-sick-of-black-metal filters. Again, I love the genre and still listen to way more black metal than even the sickest doctor would dare prescribe. But many of the new black metal outfits just don’t do it for me.” Feel like you’re drowning in excessive blackness?
“It’s hard to go wrong when you pluck fruit off the King Crimson tree. The band’s branches extend far and wide throughout not only progressive rock, but metal as well (they go way further than that, but for the purposes of this site we’ll truncate things there). Those branches have influenced generations of musicians, some of whom have been lucky enough to collaborate with the band itself, or at least with various members. How does that relate to the oddly named O.R.k.?” The Lord of all Prog has been invoked and you must read. [This band has a connection to King Crimson. What else do you need to know, you philistines?]
“Oh, I’ve heard death and I’ve heard black. I’ve heard prog metal albums that I thought would never end. I’ve heard so much shit that it’s all started to blend, but I never thought I’d see Pyogenesis again.” The cease and desist letter is inbound.
