Review

Distance – I Review

By Jean-Luc Ricard on November 8, 2014 in 2014, Mighty Music, Progressive Metal, Reviews, Spanish Metal, Melodic Death Metal, Metalcore, Progressive Metal, 5 comments

“Here’s a free top tip for all you kids looking to break into the music business: name your band something easily googleable. Distance have been kicking around for almost ten years now – forming in 2005, releasing a demo in 2006 and several singles at the end of the last decade – but presumably escaped any significant interest because no-one could bloody find them.” Marketing is for the market wonks, but you have to give them a little help.

In Tormentata Quiete – Cromagia Review

By Grymm on November 8, 2014 in 2014, Avante Garde, Black Metal, Gothic Metal, Italian Metal, My Kingdom Music, Reviews, Black Metal, 19 comments

“”Emphatic Music.” This is how the PDF file describes the accompanying Cromagia, the third album by Italian septet In Tormentata Quiete, in which the band blends theatricality, black metal, and progressive folk elements into a heady mixture. According to the bio, Cromagia revolves around the concept that our existence is colored by emotions, and the music explains how these songs are an interpretation of said colors. So is this a melting pot of the prismatic rainbow colors of humanity, or is it just a puddle of crayons left out in the sun for too damn long?” Roy Gee Biv and all the chromatic death crew are here to paint you a memory.

Short Sharp Shock – Limp.Gasp.Collapse Review

By Madam X on November 7, 2014 in 2014, Crust Punk, English Metal, Grind, Reviews, Thrash Metal, Grind, Thrash Metal, 5 comments

“Short Sharp Shock (SSS) have been around peddling their brand of old school 80s era crossover thrash since the release of their self titled EP and similarly titled full length back in 2006. Their latest hilariously titled foray wasn’t even a blip on my radar, but with a title like Limp.Gasp.Collapse, how could I resist checking it out?” 80s crossover is a grave you best open very cautiously.

Just Before Dawn – The Aftermath Review

By Steel Druhm on November 6, 2014 in 2014, Chaos Records, Death Metal, Reviews, Swedish Metal, Death Metal, 4 comments

“The war (metal) goes ever on, from the recent efforts of Finnish death metallers, Decaying, and on to the new album from Just Before Dawn. Originally formed by Anders Biazzi (Blood Mortized, ex-Amon Amarth) and Rogga Johansson (every death metal in Sweden), this Swedish WMD dropped a bombshell of Bolt Thrower-esque battle metal on 2013s Precis Innan Gryningen, which was heavy-as-hell, raw-as-fuck and meaner than a honey badger on blue meth and Taco Bell.” The war has come to your door and this will put a warhead on your forehead.

Manimalism – Manimalism Review

By El Cuervo on November 6, 2014 in 2014, Adversum, Avante Garde, Black Metal, Norwegian Metal, Progressive Metal, Reviews, Black Metal, Progressive Metal, 14 comments

“Originating as Taarenes Vaar in 1992 in a very different metal landscape, Sølve resolved to push his brand of Norwegian black metal further than previously. Composed of two demos from 1996 and 1997, plus additional material from the same period, the integration of black metal with avant garde here is raw and darkly perverse.” There are more mentions of sex in this review than any in AMG history, and this isn’t even cock rock! You just never know what to expect these days….

Kult Ofenzivy – Nauky ruznic Review

By Mark Z. on November 5, 2014 in 2014, Black Metal, Czech Metal, Iron Bonehead Productions, Reviews, Uncategorized, Black Metal, 7 comments

“Black metal has become so diverse that the tag has practically lost all meaning. What does it refer to these days? The post-black style first whisked from Cascadia in 2007 with Wolves in the Throne Room’s seminal Two Hunters? Or the stomach-churning dissonance of Deathspell Omega? Or maybe legacy acts like Mayhem, still trudging on and attempting to rekindle the fires that burned so fiercely in the early 90s?” Black metal has been seriously wounded, but the fire still burns.

Necrophagia – WhiteWorm Cathedral Review

By Al Kikuras on November 4, 2014 in 2014, American Metal, Death Metal, Reviews, Season of Mist, Death Metal, 6 comments

“If you’re a death metal fan and haven’t at least heard the name Necrophagia, you either aren’t much of a fan or you’re deaf, in which case you have a really good excuse and aren’t listening to death metal anyway. Or nu-metal. Or polka.” These fiends have been lurking at the periphery of extreme metal since the 80s and just wont die. Die, monster, die!

Anguish – Mountain Review

By Grymm on November 4, 2014 in 2014, Dark Descent Records, Doom Metal, Reviews, Swedish Metal, Doom Metal, 6 comments

“Sweden’s Anguish have a lot of hype going for them. Their debut, 2012’s Through the Archdemon’s Head, turned the heads of fans, critics, and foxes the world over, bludgeoning everyone with their massive mix of Candlemass, Trouble, and the *ahem* unique vocals of J. Dee. Unfortunately, I never had the opportunity to check that album out, but when news hit that their newest release, Mountain, would take their sound and streamline it, cutting out the fat and giving us just the meaty morsels of their maddening dinner spread, I took the opportunity to jump in…” There may or may not be some minor hype about this band, but we ignore the buzz and deal in facts. Just the facts.

Ne Obliviscaris – Citadel Review

By El Cuervo on November 3, 2014 in 2014, Australian Metal, Black Metal, Death Metal, Progressive Metal, Reviews, Season of Mist, Black Metal, Death Metal, Progressive Metal, Symphonic Metal, 62 comments

“The Seasons of Mist promo team must have collectively flipped their titties when the Sydney Conservatorium of Music announced they were to use Ne Obliviscaris’s “And Plague Flowers The Kaleido” on their teaching syllabus. In a world of increasingly simple and commercial music, nothing screams musical credibility more than appreciation from a prestigious classical school. Mutual respect and musical coalition of the ‘complex’ and ‘respectable’ genres of classical, jazz and metal are commonly used by bands and fans for self-validation and in intellectual dick-waving contests.” El Cuervo braves the dick wavery and boards the hype train like Phallus in Wonderland.

Crazy Lixx – Crazy Lixx Review

By Jean-Luc Ricard on November 3, 2014 in 2014, Cock Rock, Frontiers Records, Heavy Metal, Reviews, Swedish Metal, Cock Rock, Glam Metal, Hair Metal, Heavy Metal, 11 comments

“You know how Kurt Cobain killed Hair Metal? Of course you know; we’ve been through this already. He didn’t. Yes folks, it’s time for your second dose of hair metal in under a month! You see, while AMG has been distracted dealing with Steel Druhm’s incessant efforts to inject more Jorn onto the site by any means necessary, I’ve launched my own elaborately coiffured campaign to restyle Angry Metal Guy into the far more fabulous Hair Metal Guy.” Jorn in the U.S.A.!