Sep16

Pain – Coming Home Review

By Madam X on September 21, 2016 in 2016, Industrial Metal, Nuclear Blast, Reviews, Swedish Metal, Heavy Metal, Industrial Metal, 46 comments

“I’ve never quite got my head around open-plan office space and those waist-height cubicles. Yes, your hive of corporate activity looks wonderful photographed from seven different angles; prominently displayed on your enterprises website. Oh and let’s not forget about the collaboration! But what’s the cost? Stress-induced irritability, hostility towards creativity and productivity, anxiety and ongoing health issues. Oh wait, collaboration just flew out the window… Where am I going with this? Music. More specifically, metal. Pain have proved themselves inconsistent over the years and as with most things in life, with the good comes the bad.” Good pain, bad pain, you know we’ve had our share….

Mare Cognitum – Luminiferous Aether Review

By Grymm on September 20, 2016 in 2016, American Metal, Black Metal, I Voidhanger Records, Reviews, Black Metal, 63 comments

“Okay, so you burned every church out there. Every last forest has been utilized for frost-bitten photographs of corpse-painted minions wielding medieval weaponry, invisible oranges, or both. You sang every hymn there is for either Satan, Tolkien orcness, darkness, the wilderness, or anything even remotely related to the above. What’s left to cover? Why SPACE, of course!” Into the blackness (of space).

Demonomancy/Witchcraft – Archaic Remnants of the Numinous/At the Diabolus Hour Review

By Treble Yell on September 17, 2016 in 2016, Black Metal, Death Metal, Finnish Metal, Italian Metal, Nuclear War Now! Productions, Reviews, Black Metal, Death Metal, 12 comments

“Worry not my child for the balm to salve your festering wounds exists in the form of a split from Demonomancy and Witchcraft. Bestial, coarse and outright evil, this 26-minute payload of blackened death offers a brief respite for those needing an outlet for their rancor.” Now available at AMG – Rancor relief.

Cara Neir/Wildspeaker – Guilt and His Reflection [Split] Review

By Mark Z. on September 16, 2016 in 2016, American Metal, Black Metal, Broken Limbs Recordings, Crust Punk, Hardcore, Reviews, Sludge, Black Metal, Crust Punk, Hardcore, Sludge, 23 comments

“Crack a beer and grab a seat. Today’s entertainment is a double feature from two Texas-based bands with a proclivity for taking black metal and turning it on its ugly, corpse-painted head. First up is Cara Neir, an idiosyncratic, punky duo whose hardcore-tinged blackness often lends itself to wild stylistic forays, as heard on 2013’s Portals to a Better, Dead World. On the flip side is Wildspeaker, a crustier, sludgier outfit who formed in 2013 and released debut Survey the Wreckage last year. They’re here to deliver Guilt and His Reflection, 13 tracks depicting ‘humanity crumbling into itself’ through ‘the story of post-civilization sins committed when desperation overwhelms.'” That certainly sounds cheery.

Chariots of the Gods – Ages Unsung Review

By Dr. Wvrm on September 16, 2016 in 2016, Canadian Metal, Melodic Death Metal, Metalcore, Reviews, Self-released, Melodic Death Metal, Metalcore, 40 comments

“Every metal-head has their watershed moment; whether that’s Master of Puppets, Symbolic or actually Watershed, that magic album taps you on the shoulder and says “young poser, let me show you the way to trveness.” Chariots of the Gods bills itself as melodic metal with In Flames as its top influence, I’m feeling cautious yet optimistic.” Get ready to chug.

Slomatics – Future Echo Returns Review

By Akerblogger on September 15, 2016 in 2016, Black Bow Records, Doom Metal, Irish Metal, Reviews, Doom Metal, 16 comments

“A blanket of smoke and incense billows from an attic-bedroom conversion as Electric Wizard makes a rare appearance from his occult abode to make a sandwich or to record an episode of Most Haunted. Conan sits in the garage and uses his sharp fingernails to shape mythical creatures out of wood, sporadically bellowing songs of war into the night, begrudgingly quieting down when his mother threatens to take away his copy of The Silmarillion. Slomatics is the younger brother of the two aforementioned doomsters. He spends his time gazing into the stars, reading Frank Herbert, Philip. K. Dick and H.G. Wells, and exploring the Moog that his father found for cheap at the car boot sale.” At home with the Slows.

Heaven Shall Burn – Wanderer Review

By Grymm on September 14, 2016 in 2016, Century Media, German Metal, Melodic Death Metal, Metalcore, Reviews, Melodic Death Metal, Metalcore, 38 comments

“I love seeing bands progress beyond their infant stages, taking their influences and branching out into worlds unknown. Germany’s Heaven Shall Burn are not one of those bands you think of when you picture the word “progress.” They’ve taken their signature sound from 2004’s landmark Antigone, refined their attack, and proceeded to beat us over the head with variations of their trademark brand of metalcore/death metal/whatever it is the cool kids are calling them these days.” AMG: Voice of the cool kids since 2009.

Volturyon – Cleansed by Carnage Review

By Ferrous Beuller on September 14, 2016 in 2016, Death Metal, Reviews, Swedish Metal, Uncategorized, ViciSolum Productions, Death Metal, 29 comments

“One of the things I love about death metal is that I always find it appropriate. Walking to work? Absolutely. Working out? Yes please. Spring cleaning? Why not? Volturyon, Swedish purveyors of all things death, are a band clear in their understanding of this and eager to churn out an absolute riff-fest to facilitate any and all spur of the moment gym sessions… or vacuuming.” Make that carpet BLEED!

Inanimate Existence – Calling From a Dream Review

By Kronos on September 13, 2016 in 2016, American Metal, Progressive Death, Progressive Metal, Reviews, Unique Leader, Death Metal, Progressive Metal, 22 comments

“Advice is a tricky thing, really. I try to give only when asked and take only what’s given freely, but the general advice economy moves much faster than I like to. So instead of giving advice, I prefer to just point out issues and have people come up with their own solutions. This works well when you’re reviewing music since most of the job is explaining why that music isn’t as good as it could be. A case in point would be the last album from Inanimate Existence, A Never-Ending Cycle of Atonement, an album about which I had many complaints.” Is this an atonement?

Barishi – Blood From the Lion’s Mouth Review

By Akerblogger on September 11, 2016 in 2016, American Metal, Progressive Metal, Reviews, Season of Mist, Progressive Metal, 35 comments

“Metal is undeniably a multifaceted wonder. It has many moods and it incorporates many styles from a wide range of genres and mediums. But how much is too much? Is it too late in the evolution of this dark and dangerous genre for us to return to the simple days of booze, drugs, and rock ’n roll?” Yes, yes it is.