“Over their wanderings through the desert, an ethereal soundscape of psychedelic rock ebbs and flows like the undulating dunes of sand. In a style that sways between chilled-out stoner and prog rock, Pelegrin paint a hazy desert vibe with a broad brush.” Desert planes.
“The bucket of solo black metal(-adjacent) projects is seemingly bottomless. Hetman—or alternatively Getman as the two transliterations are interchangeable—were an unknown quantity to me until now. The solo project from Cerberus of equally underground black/death project Demonium, with ex-Demonium member Storm providing session drums, Hetman’s black metal de choix is noteworthy in at least one respect. Rather than opting for an atmospheric, raw, or electronica-fused approach, they favor the folky variety.” Folking the darkness.
“What could it mean to be Nostalgic about a Prediction? As the one implies backward-looking longing, and the other forward-looking anticipation, the suggestion is of a mysterious, conflicted deja vu. Vermörd may not have been aiming for anything other than a cool-sounding quasi-oxymoron in titling their debut LP Nostalgic Predictions. Nonetheless, it provides a suitable metaphor for this album.” Prediction of trouble.
“Between threats of violence and comparisons of bicep circumference, a blessed soul shared the album art to Tymo’s second full-length The Art of a Maniac in the AMG group chat. I knew then I had to have it. It evokes the very best of over-the-top 80s thrash album covers, complete with a comically sinister figure in the foreground (in this case evil Bob Ross with his very own shoulder-Kuato), a post-apocalyptic cityscape in the background, and more vibrant colors than a Lisa Frank trapper keeper. I’d made the right call though, when I learned that these Alberta-bound Canucks not only walk the walk but talk the talk, contributing another mighty slab of unrelenting party-thrash to the never-ending thrash revival.” Ross fight.
“If you make stuff, you probably make side-projects. No matter how much you like what you do, some things get too big, too stressful, to focus creative efforts on, and the creative urge trickles into one-offs that reflect what the main project cannot. Prospectors is one such oddity, formed by a couple black metal musicians leaning into their progressive tendencies. They take after Colin Marston projects—Krallice and early Behold… the Arctopus—but temper their oddities with more conventional structures.” Fertile soil.
