“A great wise man once said, “You have your whole life to craft your debut album for the masses.” It’s true, though. The time taken to craft an impressive debut is, quite literally, limitless. While some bands gloriously fly against this logic, many of them take extra care to make sure their debut shines brighter than a million incandescent suns. Some bands take a few months after inception to write, while others, like Greece’s Disharmony, took a while. And by “a while,” I mean 26 years.” Band meets world.
Reviews
Gorephilia – Severed Monolith Review
“Gorephilia. Just the word, let alone the cover, should clue you in as to what genre this release belongs to. Like most people, it’s not a term that often finds itself in my daily vocabulary, heard only by local restaurant staff when instructing them as to how to cook my fucking cow. Turns out in Finland it means grim, Morbid Angel worshiping death metal.” Gore is hell. [Gorephilia. What else can we really add to that one? Rich man, gore man, Incantation man, die!]
Solitary – The Diseased Heart of Society Review
“Why is thrash metal the de facto outlet for raging against the machine nowadays? The genre was always pissed off, but the distillate of what was once a hallowed pastime of metal at large is now brewed exclusively into the complimentary Milwaukee’s Best served at your local jean vest purveyor. Don’t look to Solitary to deviate from that. Featuring $$$, Jesus, a handgun, and some sweet, sweet H, The Diseased Heart of Society’s cover is four-fifths of the way to social commentary Bingo.” Don’t drink the Beast.
Svart Crown – Abreaction Review
“‘Malevolence.’ That word resonated through my mind as I listened to the fourth full-length by French death/black outfit Svart Crown. A word so mundane and exploited in adjective-laden reviews that it appears frivolous when used to describe metal. Yet, when Abreaction is concerned, the seeping and creeping feeling suggested by the word seems almost palpable, venturing beyond just a cool appellation and into territories of real unease.” You merely adopted the evil.
Sons of a Wanted Man – Black Days Black Dust Review
“Who are Sons of a Wanted Man you ask? In short they’re a fledgling band, hailing from Beringen (Belgium). Citing the influence of Gojira, Deafheaven and Alcest, Sons of a Wanted Man dabble in introspective post-black metal, forcibly heavy sludge and raw hardcore with Black Days Black Dust claiming to journey through beauty and frenzy in equal measure.” This looks suspiciously like an EP….
Light of the Morning Star – Nocta Review
“I’ve always found gothic metal to be, much like viking or pagan metal, a phrase that is more evocative of a specific feel rather than a genre with finite boundaries. It’s one of those styles that manages to fit a deceptively diverse array of bands under its umbrella; Type O Negative, Moonspell, and The Vision Bleak differ greatly from a purely mechanical standpoint, yet the thick, gloomy atmosphere is ever present.” Ready for a graveyard romance?
Persefone – Aathma Review
“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.
Hark – Machinations Review
“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.
Desecrate the Faith – Unholy Infestation Review
“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!
Bear Mace – Butchering the Colossus Review
“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.