Review

Bastard Grave – What Lies Beyond Review

By Jean-Luc Ricard on October 27, 2015 in 2015, Death Metal, Pulverised Records, Reviews, Swedish Metal, Death Metal, 25 comments

“I presume most of you guessed Bastard Grave’s chosen genre without listening to a second of their music, but in case you’re an extreme metal newbie (welcome! Take a seat, have some cake! Don’t mind the skulls, they’re not real. Probably), this extract from their promo sheet will give you a hint: “With the opening blare on the album starting off with the all-too-familiar guitar feedback reminiscent of a vague Entombed-ish trademark, it is easy to tell What Lies Beyond is heavily laced with the murderous HM-2 destruction and with absolutely no mercy.” That’s right, old school Swedish death metal that’s so devoid of new ideas, even the label thinks it’s generic!” Let’s get rote to the point, shall we?

Killing Joke – Pylon Review

By Grymm on October 26, 2015 in 2015, English Metal, Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, Industrial Metal, Post-Rock, Reviews, Spinefarm, Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, Industrial Metal, 135 comments

“Many older bands, once established, will eventually coast by just on their name alone. Sure, they’ll cut a new album every few years, but it never lives up to their influential works of yesteryear. It’s often an excuse to go out on the road, play nothing but the classics, and bring home the money while also hocking wares that have nothing to do with the band’s original intent. England’s Killing Joke, however, are a unique beast.” The Joke is on you!

Arkaik – Lucid Dawn Review

By Kronos on October 26, 2015 in 2015, American Metal, Death Metal, Reviews, Unique Leader, Death Metal, Technical Death Metal, 21 comments

“One of the longer-running bands in the seemingly boundless Southern California tech-death scene, Arkaik are coming up on ten years now, with Lucid Dawn as their fourth full-length in eight years.” Even in this sluggish economy, the tech sector is going strong.

Vehemence – Forward Without Motion Review

By Mark Z. on October 25, 2015 in 2015, American Metal, Battleground Records, Death Metal, Melodic Death Metal, Reviews, Death Metal, Melodic Death Metal, 24 comments

“Gather round, I have a story for ye. Back in 2002, a Phoenix-based death metal group called Vehemence released an album called God Was Created, a work that escaped widespread popularity to essentially become the little engine that could – a cult classic of the genre, if you will.” As snobbish metal elitists, we like cult classics.

Stellar Master Elite – III: Eternalism – The Psychospherical Chapter Review

By Dr. A.N. Grier on October 24, 2015 in 2015, Black Metal, Doom Metal, Essential Purifiation Records, German Metal, Reviews, Black Metal, Doom Metal, 26 comments

“Since first listening to Thorns, I’ve wanted nothing more than an equally excellent follow-up to their self-titled release. Seriously, if I was granted three wishes, that would be one of them. But getting this wish granted is as unlikely as having Freddy Krueger drag me kicking and screaming up my bedroom wall and splaying me open on the ceiling.” Don’t look to Freddy for wish fulfillment.

Panopticon – Autumn Eternal Review

By El Cuervo on October 23, 2015 in 2015, American Metal, Bindrune Recordings, Black Metal, Folk Metal, Nordvis Produktion, Reviews, Black Metal, Folk Metal, 30 comments

“Austin Lunn is proving to be one the most talented and prolific musicians in the modern American metal scene. Barely a year after releasing the excellent Roads to the North and contributing to Saor’s stunning depiction of Celtic folklore, Aura, he’s returned with the seventh full-length under his primary Panopticon moniker.” Grab your dip and stick it in your lip. It’s time for some redneck black metal!

Havukruunu – Havulinnaan Review

By Dr. A.N. Grier on October 23, 2015 in 2015, Black Metal, Finnish Metal, Folk Metal, Naturmacht Productions, Reviews, Black Metal, Folk Metal, 27 comments

“Let’s be honest; I’m as excited for Abbath as my son is about his new Optimus Prime Halloween costume. Ever since hearing about Abbath’s new venture, my fellow scalpel wielder (Dr. Fisting) and I have yet to cease our musings of grand times spent with Immortal and the one-hit-wonder that is I. It’s bad enough that I’s Between Two Worlds already gets a shitload of playtime on the Grier IPod, but lately it has been even worse [I worship that damn album. – Steel Druhm]. So, what the hell does this have to do with anything? Paint yourself like a black & white cookie and follow us to the mountains!

Horrendous – Anareta Review

By Saunders on October 22, 2015 in 2015, American Metal, Dark Descent Records, Death Metal, Progressive Death, Reviews, Death Metal, Melodic Death Metal, Progressive Metal, 84 comments

“Horrendous caught many off guard when they dropped last year’s sublime sophomore opus, Ecdysis. The album blew away my modest expectations and cemented Horrendous as far more than your typical old school retro death act they appeared to be on their solid debut. Putting an innovative spin on their old school formula and heaving a weighty sack of delicious riffs, Horrendous took some gravity defying leaps forward to complete one of the more astonishing evolutionary strides I’ve had the pleasure of hearing in recent years.” Adapt or die. That is the credo.

Saxon – Battering Ram Review

By Steel Druhm on October 22, 2015 in 2015, English Metal, Heavy Metal, Reviews, UDR Music, Heavy Metal, 28 comments

“The Elder Godz of the NWoBHM are making a major statement in 2015. Iron Maiden dropped their first ever double album last month, Satan hit this month with a righteous release and here comes Saxon’s twenty-first album, Battering Ram. Let that number soak in for a moment – twenty-one goddamn albums of heavy metal thunder!” Release the old dogs of war.

Cryptopsy – The Book of Suffering: Tome 1 Review

By Kronos on October 21, 2015 in 2015, Canadian Metal, Death Metal, Reviews, Technical Death Metal, 36 comments

“If Cryptopsy’s bandcamp page is to be believed, the legendary brutal/tech-death pioneers took a quick 16 year break after releasing the classic None So Vile, triumphantly regrouping to produce 2012’s unfuckwithable Cryptopsy. Yet as fans know all too well, the truth is quite a lot messier.” We’re pretty OCD here at AMG, so we’ll clean up that mess for you.