Self Released

Pink Mass – Necrosexual Review

Pink Mass – Necrosexual Review

“From the beginning, metal was the place for wayward souls to find refuge from society’s scornful gaze. Be you a high school drop-out, a Dungeons & Dragons bespectacled nerd, or just someone who didn’t click with the cliques, metal provided a soapbox to the disenfranchised yearning to give voice to their frustrations. Born from the rejection of consumerism and music’s increasing pomposity, punk too acted as a bulwark against the hegemony, drawing a rebellious fringe to its anarchistic bosom. As metal and punk grew in popularity, a disillusioned minority rebelled against their respective subculture’s dalliance with mainstream acceptance and fused elements of the two genres to create something truly repugnant: grindcore.” Hitting the Stonewall of grind.

Siberian Meat Grinder – Metal Bear Stomp Review

Siberian Meat Grinder – Metal Bear Stomp Review

“Recently I’ve developed a newfound appreciation for thrash metal. I never used to dig it, but somewhere in the last few years, something must have clicked. However, the sub-genre of crossover thrash was still foggy to me, which made me hesitant to review it. But the combo of the ridiculously cool nameSiberian Meat Grinder and title Metal Bear Stomp were too much to resist. Topping that with an equally ridiculous album cover, with a 60 foot bear dressed in bullet chains and a cape stomping his soldier boots into a panicking mob, I felt it was my sworn duty to brush up on my crossover and expose the masses to the Russian quintet.” The right to bear arms.

Blues Funeral – Awakening Review

Blues Funeral – Awakening Review

“Our reviewers diligently convince our readers to give a listen to promising bands in hopes of them making a bit of money via their Bandcamp page or even drawing enough attention to get them signed to a big label. Sometimes, though, one or two will slip by our radar. Texas’ Blues Funeral is such a case. Having formed in 2014, they self-released their debut, The Search, last year with some notable buzz. Now they’ve returned with their second album in as many years in the form of Awakening.” Blues clues and brews.

Crafteon – Cosmic Reawakening Review

Crafteon – Cosmic Reawakening Review

“Cthulhu rises from the depths. Seawater cascades in waterfalls down its body; its colossal form dwarfs a nearby castle, a monument to mankind’s delusions of superiority as if it were some child’s plaything. The logo in the top left reads “Crafteon,” a nod to Lovecraftian[1. Get it? Huh? Do ya?] fiction, complete with dangling tentacles. Sure, this album’s exterior presentation pretty much screams “Eldritch bait,” but you know what? This is my 50th review for AMG, and I feel like indulging my base impulses in celebration.” Celebrate with Cthulhu!

Xanthochroid – Of Erthe and Axen: Act I Review

Xanthochroid – Of Erthe and Axen: Act I Review

“Finally, Xanthochroid return with a detailed prequel narrative to the storytelling events of the debut, split into two albums to be released in 2017, beginning with Of Erthe and Axen: Act I. Do they have what it takes to craft a prequel story with the musical output to match their ambition? Or is Act I destined to become the metal equivalent of The Phantom Menace?” Jar Jar-core?

Canyon of the Skull – The Desert Winter Review

Canyon of the Skull – The Desert Winter Review

“I might have a minor masochistic streak when it comes to reviews. Sure, much of my rapidly developing reputation for reviewing dreck (see: Akoma, Invidia, Insatia, Blind Seer) arose from sheer bad luck on blind promo selection. But why else would I stand up and say “I’ll take the ring to Mordor” when Steel mockingly requested volunteers to review a 37-minute, self-released(!), sophomore(!!), single-track(!!!), instrumental(!!!!) doom metal album?” Snakebit.

Khazaddum – Plagues Upon Arda Review

Khazaddum – Plagues Upon Arda Review

“I love listening to death metal. I could easily call a doctor after four hours spent with innards–outers American, Polish, and every nationality in between. Writing about it? Not so much. For some reason, my enthusiasm never translates to print nearly as well as my usual poser fare. But when death styled after The Lord of the Rings surfaces among the promos — “elf–released” to boot — I will delve the depths to secure my precious, the jewels of Khazaddum.” They have a cave troll.

Lör – In Forgotten Sleep Review

Lör – In Forgotten Sleep Review

“Maybe it was the strange appearance of an unsigned progressive power metal band from Philadelphia of all places (or maybe it was Lör’s use of the most sacred of all metal naming conventions, the umlaut) that drew me to it, but I instantly reserved In Forgotten Sleep when it popped up in our promo queue. A totally unjustifiable anticipation grew in the back of my mind in the weeks leading up to my acquisition of the album.” Hope in the promo sump.