“Dread, despair, and impending doom were forged when Tony Iommi dragged his world-weary, calloused, and disfigured hands over the steel of his signature Epiphone. What is doom metal, then, when the lead guitar is replaced by the dreamy and ethereal violin? How can dread and despair pass through the strings of a fragile violin?’ The new face of classic(al) doom.
“I’ve gotten a lot of shit from the AMG staff ever since I reviewed Unleash the Archers’ 2015 release, Time Stands Still. Though I had plenty of complaints about that record, I couldn’t put it down. And they all knew it. After the album released, I listened to it for the rest of the year… and the rest of 2016… and even to this day. I will be the first to admit I find the band’s songwriting a tad absurd and packed to the brim with nacho cheese. But, that never kept me from enjoying their music. And now the time has come for me to endure more punishment at the hands of the crew. But, this time, the staff will have accept that I’m right.” Restrain the Doctor.
“Long Island’s br00tal death pioneers have been having the time of their life for nearly three decades now, specializing in cutting-edge instrumentation and dramatic, crushing tempo changes to build one of the most impressively consistent discographies in all of death metal.” Don’t mess with Strong Island!
“‘Super groups’ aren’t all of Pulsar Class wattage. In truth they fall all over the spectrum from truly famous assemblages to largely unknown folks from somewhat established bands. Walpyrgus hovers closer to the latter pole, being composed of members of Twisted Tower Dire, While Heaven Wept and Daylight Dies. This may not be the most recognizable collection of musician, but what they do, they do surprisingly well, namely rocking early 80s NWoBHM in all its ear-wormy, guitar-driven glory.” I am the Walpyrgus.
“Every so often, an album comes out of nowhere and truck sticks you into next Tuesday. Elder’s 2015 opus Lore did that for me. Their complex brand of New England stoner metal featured the right amount of proggy psych stylings to land in my personal Top Ten. Lore has been a constant friend these last two years, and I expected that topping it would be tough, given its lofty heights and incredible riffcraft. Leave it to Reflections of a Floating World to prove me so incredibly wrong.” Respect your Elder.
“Anybody familiar with Sólstafir’s discography, knows that they’re agents of change. Where Í blóði og anda was steeped in abrasive black metal, Svartir sandar signalled a turning point for the band, showing signs of the post-rock/metal that Sólstafir would ultimately refine on their later releases. Do I have high expectations for Berdreyminn? Hell yes!” Great expectations is a depressing story.
“The sound of Mutoid Man is not something easily explained. The best I can come up with is ”80s metal mashed up with Nintendo game music, but with more hooks and a ton of guitar effects.’ Formed in NYC by Boston expats Steve Brodsky (Cave In) and Ben Koller (Converge), Mutoid has cranked out two and a half albums of catchy, hyperactive metal within a short span of time. 2015’s excellent Bleeder gained some recognition here at AMG, and now the band returns with that crucial third album, entitled War Moans.” Kiss the war.
“2016 saw the release of the debut, self-titled, full-length album by Manchester’s Wode. While I never got round to a Thing You Might Have Missed, I was impressed by their vitriol and riffcraft. The arrival of the sequel scarcely a year later afforded me the opportunity to make amends for my prior laziness, so I booted up, strapped in and prepared myself for an auditory annihilation.” Wode to spheres.
“Despite numerous recommendations from plenty of people smarter than I, reading any Tolkien beyond some excerpts has eluded me. I have nothing against the man or fantasy in general, but tend to get caught up reading other things instead. So perhaps it’s inexperience or a biased understanding of the Lord of the Rings universe by playing Shadow of Mordor almost pathologically when that came out, but in Round Two of reviewing Italy’s Wind Rose I noticed something that wasn’t present in their Wardens of the West Wind success: this sounds like what I’d imagine Middle Earth metal would.” Frodo-core.
“There’s something to be said about truth in advertising, a mythical beast that promises the end-product bears some resemblance to the picture on the box. From Death to Obituary to Autopsy, few genres carry the torch with such ardent fervour than death metal, a genus devoted to announcing with a bullhorn its intentions to all and sundry. With a name like Plague Throat — other body part-related titles workshopped but rejected were “Funny Bone” and “Tennis Elbow” — this Indian trio is signaling loud and clear the type of music one can expect to find on their debut, The Human Paradox.” Perturbed Toenail could have worked too.
