“Before picking this promo up, I had never heard of Sanguine Glacialis before, but I quickly fell head over heels for their wild extreme metal after checking out the kaleidoscopic blunderbuss that is Hadopelagic, their 2018 sophomore record.” Tastis the Glacialis.
“There are three schools of symphonic extreme metal, generally speaking. You have neoclassical material, which aims to recreate the lush and delicate intricacies of classical music of a bygone era reinvigorated by a metallic influence. Then, there’s the cinematic blockbuster approach, where choirs and orchestral hits function as a source of grandiose drama and explosive scale. Finally, you have the oddball works of mad scientists who use orchestration as a tool primarily to create strange and uncomfortable music. Vortex fall under the second category.” A night at the Vortex.
“Nothing against Whythre’s 2015 debut, Hel’s Hollow, but it’s shit. It’s slow, dull, and the vocals are just dreadful. To make matters worse, said vocals are all you can hear. It’s like being blissfully drunk, and then your wife yells at you for being such a loser. But it’s ok; those days are past us. Since the release of the debut, Whythre has done a complete overhaul. New singer, new direction, and, goddamn, I am here for it.” Unsafe practices.
“Egolution was a tough nut to crack. I picked up the debut from Sweden’s Black Oak based on the promo’s bold namedrops of Cult of Luna, ISIS, and Palms. When I started listening, I expected standard sludgy post-metal. I was wrong. Fifty-three minutes later, my head spinning with variants of “what the hell did I just listen to,” I panicked. Black Oak’s restless blend of post-rock and hardcore with electronic influences, prog, classical flourishes, and more left me confused.” Let go my Ego.
“Punk has never been my favorite genre. I am not sure if it’s the rough and ready vocals that often help define the punk sound, or if it’s just something about punk songwriting that doesn’t enthuse me. Either way, it’s something I struggle to love. That is, until I went to my first Cam Girl show only about a year ago.” Punk in a tight place.
“After producing one of 2022’s greatest pieces of album art, Mitchell Nolte is back with a vengeance. The fantasy scene that graces Raider’s Trial by Chaos depicts a lone warrior battling a sea of dragons, snakes, and cephalopods attacking from every direction. Violent, claustrophobic, and extravagant, it’s a perfect match for the music. Canada’s Raider specializes in an explosive brand of death-thrash that keeps the dial turned to 11 at all times.” The April wind is a Raider.
“Look, I get it. You’re a new post-metal band trying to make it, but is it, maybe, a bit of a stretch to tout that your debut EP was recorded at the same studio that, 21 years ago, hosted the sessions for ISIS’ iconic Oceanic and has, at some point in the intervening two decades, changed its name? Yes, but I’d do it too. So, Boston-based Lesotho recorded its 2021 EP, Summer Wars, at The Bridge Sound & Stage, formerly known as Fort Apache Studios, where post-metal legends ISIS … Never mind.” Studio stalkers.
“’Twas two weeks and change before Christmas, 2018, when I went to see Madder Mortem. The venue turned out to be one of those backrooms behind a cafe, the kind regularly rented for family gatherings and bat mitzvahs and stuff, complete with random sad disco ball. There were 5 bands in total, and the whole thing lasted for 5 goddamn hours because of half-hour breaks. It was a weird and exhausting afternoon into night, and the only good thing until the main act hit the stage was a largely unknown troupe called ¡Pendejo!, who blew me away with a unique brand of brass-infused, Spanish-sung stoner metal.” Latin heat in the street.
“Eleven years. Eleven years since Scotland’s Ascension released their debut record, Far Beyond the Stars. While shreddery and wank found a cozy little home on that record, the songs were there, the talent amongst all involved abundant. It was clear from the very start that Ascension were a band to watch for, primed and ready to unseat DragonForce for hyper-speed cheese supremacy after Inhuman Rampage exploded in the mid-aughts. But eleven years is a long time to wait.” Tick tock….
![Dystopia A.D. – Doomsday Psalm [Things You Might Have Missed 2022]](https://www.angrymetalguy.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/a2561097949_10.jpg.webp)
“Boy, did we miss this one. I reviewed Dystopia A.D.’s Rise of the Merciless back in 2020 and very nearly awarded the band a 4.0. I chanced upon that review doomscrolling through my writing history and was struck with curiosity whether anything else was in the pipeline. But no, the pipeline had already shat out a very fine self-produced album in early December, polished by the artwork of the ever-productive Adam Burke no less.” Missing Dystopia.
