“You never know which bands are going to pull together seemingly disparate minds, whether it be the starving prog fans who can’t agree on anything or the ever-diverging wiles of our own Angry Metal Overlord and Kronos—the polished professor and the angular dreamer. But more so than any other band in the modern progscape, Caligula’s Horse does just that, bridging the gap of the jittery, sweep-starved guitar lover; the hug-craving, sunset-staring sadboi; the chorus-hook, bravado-stricken empath, all with a brand of progressive metal that’s grown alongside genre titans Haken and Leprous in curious, somewhat convergent ways.” Lead a horse to water.
Soen
Angry Metal Guy’s Top Ten(ish) of 2023
What, you thought I wasn’t going to make a list?
El Cuervo’s and GardensTale’s Top Ten(ish) of 2023
The days grow short and Listurnalia grows ever more refined and thoughful. Or so you would like. See what El Cuervo and GardensTale do to the curve.
Dolphin Whisperer’s and Ferox’s Top Ten(ish) of 2023
Listurnalia continues the plowing towards the year’s inevitable end with two more excellent lists from people who have surprisingly not been fired!
GardensTale goes to Graspop
What happens when we embed an AMG staffer at the Graspop metal festival in Belgium? Heavy drinking and strong takes happen.
Sermon – Of Golden Verse Review
“UK’s mysterious Sermon burst from out of nowhere on phenomenal 2019 debut album, Birth of the Marvellous. The debut was an incredibly accomplished, polished jewel of intense and emotive progressive metal, boasting excellent production and top-shelf writing and performances from the duo. Sermon bided their time crafting the follow-up to an unexpected underground hit, with combined efforts and careful craftmanship resulting in another triumphant release.” Preaching to the choir.
Katatonia – Sky Void of Stars Review
“I’ve been a long-time admirer of their Swedish sadperson exports, and after putting out what stands as one of my favorite releases of the past decade, Fall of Hearts, they went and put out City Burials, which was just not good. Regardless, Katatonia, the institution of gloom they are, have remained a steady force of sullen output. As such, Renkse and co have been predictably busy distilling from tear water and stained diary pages this latest collection of twilight tunes for Sky Void of Stars.” Star diary.
Angry Metal Guy’s Top 10(ish) of 2022
Another year has reached its close and Angry Metal Guy is still standing—both the metal review site and the man. Come inside for reflections and rampant, unbridled listing.
Saunders’ and Felagund’s Top Ten(ish) of 2022
Saunders and Felagund demand to have their Top Ten(ish) lists heard across the land. We obliged.
Guild of Others – Guild of Others Review
“Too many bands today make progressive music for the sake of being progressive, prioritizing meandering exploration over songcraft, and this is akin to a chef filling a bowl with flavorful seasonings and serving it as a full meal. Guild of Others seem intent on dishing out hearty meals seasoned with proggy goodness, their promo even going so far as to quote prolific music critic Martin Popoff, who is supposed to have said, “Guild of Others accomplish the near impossible, and that’s make progressive metal that is accessible.” Let’s see if there is any truth to these words, or if they’re merely promospeak.” Guild to last.