Review

Evocation – The Shadow Archetype Review

By Dr. A.N. Grier on March 11, 2017 in 2017, Melodic Death Metal, Metal Blade, Reviews, Swedish Metal, Melodic Death Metal, 24 comments

“I still remember the day I ventured into the world of Swedish melodic death metal. The time, the mood, the buying of so many albums. There was At the Gates’s Slaughter of the Soul, Dark Tranquillity’s Projector and Damage Done, In Flames’ Jester Race and Clayman, The Haunted’s debut and Made Me Do It, and Amon Amarth’s Fate of Norns. All purchased and consumed within weeks of each other. I was fucking hooked—ignoring reason (and my food budget) to please my insatiable craving for everything this genre had to offer.” The Left Hand Path has many toll booths.

Darkest Hour – Godless Prophets and the Migrant Flora Review

By Grymm on March 10, 2017 in 2017, American Metal, Melodic Death Metal, Metalcore, Reviews, Southern Lord, Melodic Death Metal, Metalcore, 52 comments

“If there was ever a band that by all accounts should have broken big when the New Wave of American Heavy Metal took over nu-metal’s spot in terms of popularity and Ozzfest playtimes, Washington, D.C.’s Darkest Hour would be that band.” Ozzfest must not be spoken of.

Behind the Sun – Post Solis Review

By GardensTale on March 10, 2017 in 2017, American Metal, Djent, Progressive Metal, Reviews, Self-released, Djent, Progressive Metal, 21 comments

“We live in an age where trends tend to follow a very specific curve thanks to high-speed propagation and market saturation. Djent is no exception. The first stage is inception. A creator comes up with an idea, shares it, and becomes ground zero. Sometimes this is subtle and hard to trace back, sometimes it’s Meshuggah.” Consult the Djent Timeline if you will.

Oceanwake – Earthen Review

By El Cuervo on March 9, 2017 in 2017, Doom Metal, Finnish Metal, Reviews, ViciSolum Productions, Doom Metal, 44 comments

“A couple of years back I reviewed the sophomore album from Finland’s Oceanwake. I commended their compelling fusion of sheer power with delicate atmospherics and it made my year-end list. They’ve now returned with Earthen and the scope is huger than ever. Comprising just two tracks of over 20 minutes apiece, I feared drone and repetition had taken hold. The succeeding album to the one with which I discover a good band is always a dicey affair as I have expectations as to quality and style. And so it was with trepidation that I clicked play…” Doom with a view.

Lubricant – Swallow This Review

By Mark Z. on March 9, 2017 in 2017, Death Metal, Finnish Metal, Reviews, Rock, Svart Records, Death Metal, Rock, 26 comments

“One of death metal’s weirdest phenomenon was the so-called ‘death ‘n’ roll’ movement. First popularized by albums like Entombed’s Wolverine Blues and Carcass’s Swansong, death ‘n’ roll is kind of like your weird older cousin at the family reunion. On one hand, you have to love him because he’s family — but at the same time, nobody really talks about him or seems to be totally comfortable in his presence. Point is, death ‘n’ roll is one of those genres that most people seem to tolerate rather than actually enjoy, and maybe that’s why bands like Lubricant are so often overlooked.” Death rock in a tight place.

The Furor – Cavalries of the Occult Review

By Saunders on March 8, 2017 in 2017, Australian Metal, Black Metal, Reviews, Thrash Metal, Transcending Obscurity, Black Metal, Thrash Metal, 31 comments

“The patriot in me gets a little warm and fuzzy when contemplating the healthy state of the Australian metal scene. Whether it be divisive big guns Ne Obliviscaris and King Parrot, head-scratching experimental acts like Portal and Hope Drone, the thrashy old-school goodness of Hobbs’ Angel of Death and Deströyer 666, cutting edge modern tearaways Départe and Deadspace, or reliable tech death stalwarts Psycroptic, there’s a hugely satisfying selection of Aussie metal to satiate a wide variety of extreme tastes.” Is it just me or do Aussies like their D’s and P’s?

Atlas Pain – What the Oak Left Review

By El Cuervo on March 8, 2017 in 2017, Folk Metal, Italian Metal, Reviews, Scarlet Records, Symphonic Metal, Folk Metal, Power Metal, Symphonic Metal, 34 comments

“I like folk metal. It’s best when it takes the form of black metal infused with instrumentation and arrangements native to its respective country. Saor, Panopticon, and Nechochwen are truly great examples of this. The upbeat frolics of Finntroll, Korpiklaani, and their ilk are not merely average by comparison but actively annoying. I find their attempts at inducing happiness grating and vapid. There are logically two conclusions which I would likely reach following my random selection of Atlas Pain’s What the Oak Left: delight or irritation.” Not liking Korpiklaani is like hating dogs.

Rozamov – This Mortal Road Review

By Huck N Roll on March 8, 2017 in 2017, American Metal, Battleground Records, Doom Metal, Dullest Records, Post-metal, Reviews, Sludge, Doom Metal, Post-Metal, Sludge, 14 comments

“While I (im)patiently wait for Pallbearer to drop their next tour de force upon us, I find myself digging through the promo bins looking for other angst-ridden doom to whittle away the days. Thus I stumbled upon the first full-length effort from Boston’s Rozamov.” Hold over doom is now a thing.

Junius – Eternal Rituals for the Accretion of Light Review

By Huck N Roll on March 7, 2017 in 2017, American Metal, Post-metal, Prosthetic Records, Reviews, Post-Metal, 56 comments

“Here’s a little-known fact about Angry Metal Guy: we love triple LPs. There’s something to be said for the sheer audacity, the pretentiousness that goes into even thinking of releasing something so ludicrous. Such events, therefore, deserve our complete attention. This latest opus from Junius, Eternal Rituals for the Accretion of Light (or ERAL because I’m lazy), isn’t a triple LP, per se, but it is part three of a trilogy of conceptual albums, and that’s the next best thing.” Good things come in threes (every 2- years).

Cellador – Off the Grid Review

By Eldritch Elitist on March 7, 2017 in 2017, American Metal, Power Metal, Reviews, Scarlet Records, Power Metal, 72 comments

“In January of 2007, I received one of the best packages of my teenage years, purchased with a Best Buy gift card I received for Christmas. The box contained two CDs: The Best of Led Zeppelin, and Cellador’s Enter Deception. While the former helped kickstart my affinity for classic rock, the latter, an uncharacteristically high quality American power metal record that did Euro-power better than most Euro-power bands, cemented my newfound love for the genre.” Best Buy always knows.