Sep23

Subsignal – A Poetry of Rain [Things You Might Have Missed 2023]

By Mystikus Hugebeard on January 10, 2024 in Things You Might Have Missed 2023, Progressive Metal, Progressive Rock, 37 comments

“Subsignal, the German progressive metal/rock outfit that rose from the ashes of Sieges Even, has gradually evolved from “a band I quite like” into “a core tenet of my musical identity,” and it pains me that they’ve never been covered on this site. Granted, even at their heaviest, Subsignal’s style of progressive metal leans toward gentleness, but they’re still no less heavy than some other groups featured on AMG. I hoped that after all this time their newest opus might get a full review, and I was crestfallen that we never received their promo. I guess sometimes you’ve just gotta be the change you want to see in the world.” You can’t stop the signal.

World’s End Girlfriend – Resistance & The Blessing [Things You Might Have Missed 2023]

By Dolphin Whisperer on January 3, 2024 in Things You Might Have Missed 2023, Electronic, Noise, 51 comments

“For those unfamiliar, World’s End Girlfriend has been producing a unique brand of cinematic music rooted in classical composition, post-rock sound palette, glitchy and warped electronics since 2000’s debut Ending Story—very much a stepping stone on this long and forlorn path. Though there’s plenty to enjoy in this Japanese one-man exploration, it was 2007’s Hurtbreak Wonderland that first took my breath away and signaled a string of increasingly wide-viewed, somberly-toned albums that cemented me as a WEG die-hard.” End Times and significant others.

Stuck in the Filter – September’s Angry Misses

By Kenstrosity on December 10, 2023 in Stuck in the Filter, Black Metal, Heavy Metal, Industrial Metal, Melodic Black Metal, Metalcore, Power Metal, Thrash Metal, 21 comments

Steam the Filters, they need cleaning! Fa la la la la la la la. Stains in the gearworks require sweeeping! Fa la la la la la la la. Holiday.

Upir – Threads of Seiðr – Seeing Under Starlight Review

By Dear Hollow on October 14, 2023 in Reviews, Black Metal, Noise, 31 comments

“Calgary’s Upir dropped the absolutely and wonderfully noisemongering Effigy for the Fiercest Frost – Shadows Dance in the Fires of Yule, which achieved a meditative effect across two tracks in its blend of thick ambiance and raw black metal – landing as one of my biggest surprises of 2021. As another surprise, the enigmatic act dropped their first full-length proper out of nowhere.” Surprise bone call.

Kambodsja – Resilient Review

By Dolphin Whisperer on October 12, 2023 in Reviews, Post-Hardcore, Punk, Stoner Rock, 13 comments

“Don’t let anyone tell you different, metal is fun—well, except for all the times when it isn’t. But even when it is fun, many metal genres have a hard time achieving the same kind of raw joviality that their cousins in the punk space can. Good ol’ heavy metal and thrash make a good play—they share roots after all. But when it comes to yelling playfully in a mix with less of a regard for tonality and more of a focus on blasting a message out with volume as a guide, punk’s got an edge that’s hard to match. Kambodsja knows this, and they play the game well, slowly manipulating their exact style over the course of the past couple decades.” Be loud.

Iskandr – Spiritus Sylvestris Review

By GardensTale on October 11, 2023 in Reviews, Doom Metal, Folk Metal, 14 comments

“The Netherlands has a very healthy black metal scene, with many bands using peat-bogs and Germanic folklore as inspiration. Until recently, Iskandr was part of that tradition. Twelve gave the band a mixed review last time, and clearly, this caused a major identity crisis in drummer M. Koops (Fluisteraars et al) and everything-elser O. Iskandr (Dool, Turia et al). Because Spiritus Sylvestris marks a huge shift in the band’s sound, going from shrieking and blastbeats to pastoral atmospheric doom.” Horse of a different color.

Harm’s Way – Common Suffering Review

By Dolphin Whisperer on October 11, 2023 in Reviews, Hardcore, Industrial Metal, Post-Hardcore, 15 comments

“Power. No, not power in the flamboyant nature of a curl-adorned Italian cosplayer wielding sword to fire-breathing dragon. Power. The fast-twitch response to anticipating joints bearing weighted-iron that engorges relaxed fibers with blood, with breath—this is where Harm’s Way lives. Straight-edge, hardcore, beatdown, just a few of the words that explain Chicago’s own and their method of compressed and concerted attack.” In gainz way.

Bekor Qilish – The Flesh of a New God Review

By Dear Hollow on October 10, 2023 in Reviews, Black Metal, Death Metal, Thrash Metal, 16 comments

“Last time we met Bekor Qilish, the one-man show was the thrashened epitome of what we like to call “Voidhanger-core:” black metal with a penchant for riffs, wonky rhythms, and a healthy slathering of dissonance. Honing in on a completely alien sound tossed with reckless abandon and a healthy amount of lighthearted fun, Throes of Death from the Dreamed Nihilism nonetheless suffered from a lack of surefire direction, just kinda bouncing around wonky dissonance and neat riffs for the hell of it. Over a year later, we are greeted with its follow-up, The Flesh of a New God.” Flesh is a gift.

Den Saakaldte – Pesten Som Tar Over Review

By Doom_et_Al on October 9, 2023 in Reviews, Black Metal, 11 comments

“Formed in 2006 by guitarist Sykelig, the band has previously featured members from Shining, Gehenna and Dødheimsgard. Unfortunately, most of these folks have gone, raising the question about whether Den Saakaldte still qualifies as a “super group” anymore. There’s one way to shut up the doubters and that’s to release a killer album.” Kill or be filler.

Bolt Gun – The Tower Revew

By Dear Hollow on October 9, 2023 in Reviews, Ambient Metal, Black Metal, Doom Metal, Experimental Metal, Noise, Post-Metal, Sludge Metal, 24 comments

“The Tower feels like ascent. You’ll feel light as air, floating upon the ether in warm sunlight, only to crash to earth in plummeting gravity. While journeys are not uncommon across metal’s many weathered and storied expanses, Australia’s Bolt Gun offers a vertical trek. Its experimental fervor, blackened climaxes, and monolithic weight, and above all, the emphasis on atmosphere, offer scenic vistas and groveling earth alike, hurtling towards the summit and the zenith. Always majestic, as if in reverence to the colossal structure always in view, The Tower feels like a chronicle: a breathing, organic, but dense legend.” Climbing creativity.