Self Released

¡Pendejo! – Volcán Review

By GardensTale on March 21, 2023 in Reviews, Stoner Metal, 33 comments

“’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.

Ascension – Under the Veil of Madness Review

By Kenstrosity on March 5, 2023 in Reviews, Power Metal, 87 comments

“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]

By GardensTale on February 19, 2023 in Reviews, Melodic Death Metal, Progressive Metal, 21 comments

“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.

Carnosus – Visions of Infinihility Review

By Ferox on February 10, 2023 in Reviews, Technical Death Metal, 144 comments

“Listen to this album, and witness Carnosus use every part of the tech death buffalo to document the rise of a “totalityrannic empire” bent on repopulating the world with a race of “cadaverine-like beings.” You won’t be thinking about the concept much, though, not while these nine thrash-inflected songs scramble your central nervous system.” Carne asunder.

Soulmass – Let Us Pray Review

By Dr. Wvrm on February 7, 2023 in Reviews, 28 comments

“In my humble estimation, Soulmass exemplify the death-doom style. Weighty, but not plodding; methodical but not overwrought. I’ve been following these Floridians for a long time and I’ve only grown more impressed with their development. Their third full-length finds my expectations too damn high, especially after the act took a massive step forward on 2019’s The Weakness of Virtue. Can Soulmass live up to the hype? Let Us Pray so.” Mass effects.

Godiva – Hubris Review

By Kenstrosity on February 2, 2023 in Reviews, Death Metal, Gothic Metal, Melodic Death Metal, Symphonic Metal, 29 comments

“Portuguese symphonic death metal outfit Godiva founded in 1999. Between that year and 2007, the fledgling band released a couple of demos and an EP, only to go on hiatus until their resurrection in 2018 with a revamped lineup and a new single, “Empty Coil.” Now, after 24 long years of toil underground, Godiva ready their first full-length LP, Hubris, in a rather saturated market for symphonic and gothic death metal.” Not just for dessert anymore.

Flidais – Pathogen Review

By GardensTale on February 1, 2023 in Reviews, Power Metal, Progressive Metal, 20 comments

“I have been waiting for this one for a long time. Way, way back in late 2016, when I had only been with the staff for less than 6 months and reviewing EP’s was not yet outlawed, I picked up Kazador by Flidais, a bite-sized portion of energetic prog-power with a cover so lilac as to be blinding. I enjoyed it quite a bit, thanks to the snappy hooks and enthusiastic vocal performance, and ever since I’ve been on the lookout for a proper debut full-length. Well, a plump 6 years in the making, that release is finally upon us.” Monkey pawed.

Gorotica – Morbid Menagerie [Things You Might Have Missed 2022]

By Ferox on December 19, 2022 in Things You Might Have Missed 2022, 27 comments

“Your beloved Aunt Maxine passed away after a long illness, and now the family faces a choice between two admittedly less-than-ideal options. Is it better for necrophiles to take their pleasure with what remains of the old gal, or for ghouls to cook her up into a delicious fricassée? The corpsefucking cannibals in Gorotica answer this question with an enthusiastic “por que no los dos?”” Corpus delickti.

Second to Sun – Nocturnal Philosophy [Things You Might Have Missed 2022]

By Dr. A.N. Grier on November 30, 2022 in Things You Might Have Missed 2022, Black Metal, 15 comments

“Of all the black metal names tossed around this site, Second to Sun is one of my favorites. Since giving their amazing record, The Walk, the top spot in 2018, StS have been regular listers for ole Grier. The combination of atmoblack, unsettling dissonance, and crushing riffs is like nothing I’ve ever heard before from a black metal outfit. The band has followed a standard format of digestible track lengths spread evenly over a forty-to-fifty-minute runtime for the last few years. But something dark is hovering over Vlad and co. Nocturnal Philosophy is something different.” Swallow this Sun?

Black Cross Hotel – Hex Review

By Dr. A.N. Grier on November 12, 2022 in Reviews, Industrial Metal, Punk, 25 comments

“Is there anything better than a horror-themed album? I think not. But, being the mentally unstable King Diamond fan that I am, I’m sure that’s no surprise to anyone. But you won’t find soaring falsettos and soloing as old as Steel on Black Cross Hotel’s debut record, Hex. Instead, you’ll discover Killing Joke-inspired industrial metal mingled with punky vocals and synths that you’d swear came from a John Carpenter movie.” The horror….