Sep17

Biesy – Noc Lekkich Obyczajów Review

By Kronos on September 8, 2017 in 2017, Black Metal, Death Metal, Polish Metal, Reviews, Third Eye Temple, Black Metal, Death Metal, 24 comments

“Our own Grymm poised no shortage of praise before Outre’s Ghost Chants in 2015, and that admiration for the album stuck long enough for it to post a respectable spot on his year-end list. I was too pissed off by the year’s dismal death metal output to look into the album at the time, but later listens revealed it to be just as described: a grating bramble of black metal, supported by a remarkably evil vocal performance. While Biesy’s Noc Lekkich Obyczajów isn’t exactly the album’s successor, it’s within spitting distance, also heavily reliant on sounds pioneered by Ulcerate and Deathspell Omega.” Spit in the city.

Cardinals Folly – Deranged Pagan Sons Review

By Ferrous Beuller on September 7, 2017 in 2017, Doom Metal, Finnish Metal, Nine Records, Reviews, Doom Metal, 12 comments

“We all know that imitation is supposedly the sincerest form of flattery, but where exactly is that flimsy line, where tribute slips into mimicry and thunders down that Jacob’s ladder, only to greet the ground with a limp thud, uniform and unremarkable. This is a question I find myself pondering whilst meandering through the trails of traditional doom that comprise Deranged Pagan Sons, the fourth release from Finland’s Cardinals Folly.” Ozzy says.

Tales of Gaia – Hypernova Review

By Eldritch Elitist on September 7, 2017 in 2017, Fighter Records, Power Metal, Reviews, Spanish Metal, Power Metal, 102 comments

This album absolutely fucking broke me. You see, the AMG style guide requires blog contributors to make careful scoring decisions based on how good or bad an album is. In terms of quality, Tales of Gaia’s debut Hypernova, in direct defiance of this foolproof system, is absolutely paradoxical. It is both one of the best and worst power metal albums I have ever heard, an amazing contradiction of a record that lacks so much as a hint of self awareness while also never taking itself seriously.” Power without responsibility.

Arch Enemy – Will to Power Review

By GardensTale on September 6, 2017 in 2017, Century Media, Melodic Death Metal, Power Metal, Reviews, Swedish Metal, Melodic Death Metal, Power Metal, 179 comments

“It’s a ritual most metalheads born in the 80’s have participated in. At some point, that guy who got into metal a few months before you did comes up to you, brandishing a discman, and says: “You gotta hear this, there’s a band with a chick who can growl!” In 10% of the cases, he’d have Kittie or Otep with him, but most of the time he’d be talking about Arch Enemy, the melodic death metal band whose primary distinguishing feature is having a chick who can growl.” Growlers, man.

Stump Tail Dolly – Soundtrack to the Second Civil War Review

By Mark Z. on September 6, 2017 in 2017, American Metal, Black Metal, Folk Metal, Non-Metal Metal Things, Reviews, Black Metal, Non-metal Metal Things, 80 comments

“To paraphrase Jurassic Park’s Ian Malcolm, we were so preoccupied with whether or not we could, we never stopped to think if we should. Yet here it is: a Nashville quartet who bill themselves as a fusion of country and metal, complete with twangy guitars, honkytonk fiddle, rudimentary attempts at extreme metal, and shit-kicking rhythms pulled straight from the Bumfuck County square dance.” Wrong Turn: the Musical.

Silius – Hell Awakening Review

By Dr. Wvrm on September 5, 2017 in 2017, Austrian Metal, Groove Metal, Massacre Records, Reviews, Thrash Metal, Thrash Metal, 10 comments

“This site has no shortage of writers that enjoy a good face-peel, so thrash albums typically fly off the shelves. Add a cute little “groove/” tag to the front and suddenly you can’t move that shit for a ticket to one of Doc Grier’s famous tea parties. But not all groove is equal, as the entirely serious Silius wants us to remember.” Groove is in the heart.

Tony Mills – Streets of Chance Review

By Huck N Roll on September 5, 2017 in 2017, Battlegod Productions, British Metal, Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, Reviews, Hard Rock, 16 comments

“Back in the ’80s, before a little thing called the World Wide Web came along, we got our metal news from magazines like Circus and Hit Parader. In a pathetic attempt to be hip and now amongst my fellow teenage metalhead pals, I was always on the lookout for any obscure band that got a decent review in those rags. One such band in 1985 was a British act called Shy. I’ll be honest: Brave the Storm was probably the worst album I bought based on these old reviews. The songs were bad, it was dated and sounded old a week after I bought it, and the vocals — by one Tony Mills — were screechingly awful.” 32 years will change a man.

Subterranean Masquerade – Vagabond Review

By GardensTale on September 4, 2017 in 2017, Israeli Metal, Oriental Metal, Progressive Metal, Psychedelic Rock, Reviews, ViciSolum Productions, Oriental Metal, Progressive Metal, Psychedelic Rock, 66 comments

“Twelve years down the road from the debut, Subterranean Masquerade no longer sounds the same. The psychedelic has lost ground to the Oriental, and the introduction of Green Carnation vocalist Kjetil Nordhus has brought influences from his main gig into the songwriting. The subtle madness and looming shadow have made way for a scene of sunlit clay houses in a strange, vaguely Middle-Eastern land.” The mind of an artist is murky and mysterious.

Botanist – Collective: The Shape of He to Come Review

By Eldritch Elitist on September 4, 2017 in 2017, American Metal, Avantgarde Music, Black Metal, Reviews, Black Metal, 33 comments

“While some avant-garde bands attempt to breach genre boundaries by removing as many traditional melodies and discernible rhythm patterns as possible while still qualifying as music, these Californians take an experimental approach by simply modifying the tools of the trade. By swapping six-string guitars for the obscure yet beautiful hammered dulcimer, they practice modern black metal on a structural level with a completely unique sound capable of moments more beautiful and more terrifying than one is likely to find anywhere else in the genre. Collective: The Shape of He to Come, their seventh LP in as many years, is an attempt to further not only the boundaries of the scene but also their own aesthetic.” Bring down the hammer!

FireForce – Annihilate the Evil Review

By Dr. A.N. Grier on September 3, 2017 in 2017, Belgian Metal, Limb Music, Power Metal, Reviews, Power Metal, 29 comments

“Like Sabaton, Belgium’s FireForce focuses all their energy around battles come-and-gone, the bravery of the few, and the historical instances that led to war. With two albums under their belt, this five-piece is back with another history lesson. This time on Greece’s Oxi Day, the Danevirke, the infamous Iron Brigade, and much more. So, come along, dweebs. School’s in session. Grab your Thermos and knapsack, it’s time to get learneded.” The professor is a doctor.