“They say nine out of ten startup companies fail. Much of this has to do with the venture’s lack of resources and connections; failing to find the know-how and know-who before the money runs out.” As companies race to find investors, you’re tasked with deciding what bands to invest your funds into. Choose…wisely.
“There are three things you need to know in regards to Raunchy: 1) I’ve had an unhealthy love affair with them since stumbling across Wasteland Discotheque back in 2008; 2) they have the most misleading band name ever; and 3) never say “can I get Raunchy?” when asking for their promo.” We call that a micro-aggression, and we only tolerate macro-aggressions at AMG. HR awaits!
“Here’s a free top tip for all you kids looking to break into the music business: name your band something easily googleable. Distance have been kicking around for almost ten years now – forming in 2005, releasing a demo in 2006 and several singles at the end of the last decade – but presumably escaped any significant interest because no-one could bloody find them.” Marketing is for the market wonks, but you have to give them a little help.
“Bloodshot Dawn appeared in 2012 brandishing a sword whose fiery arc emblazoned their thrash-influenced melodic death metal into the skies. Their self-titled debut impressed many and was hailed as a unique and creative offering in a genre that’s been riddled with Soilwork clones for the last decade. Now, they’re returning with their second-most creatively named album Demons, and with a moniker that inventive, one has to wonder if they’re falling victim to the much maligned ‘sophomore slump.’” Well, that’s an original album title.
“The past two years have put to death the oft-spoken cliché that only young hungry bands make exciting music anymore. 2014 alone has given us career highlights from genre titans Vader and Behemoth, while last year’s Gorguts/Carcass one-two comeback punch still has me walking around like our gore-obsessed friends across the pond personally shoved their captive bolt pistol up my ass. Now on the eve of an At the Gates reunion record, it’s no surprise newcomers like Denmark’s Aphyxion have trouble finding a place to surface in the churning sea of the current scene. Even with three EPs and over 100 shows logged since forming in 2007, their debut album Earth Entangled shows them fighting their damnedest to breathe as a modern metal group.” I hear mercy drownings are on the rise these days….
“Darkane is a band is that has been somewhat overlooked over their fifteen plus year career despite some solid output. Born in the second wave of Swedish melodic death metal, they were strongly influenced by the likes of At the Gates, Dark Tranquility and Soilwork. They made their bones crafting, thrashy, technically impressive death with plenty of melody and references to the “Gothenburg sound” and albums like Rusted Angel, Expanding Senses and Layers of Lies were enjoyably intense assaults on the listener full of vicious riffs and harsh vocals, all sugar-coated with slick, technical prowess. Unfortunately for the band, their birth more or less coincided with the explosion of metalcore bands equally influenced by the Swedish melo-death sound and Darkane quickly got lost amid a sea of crappy core.” Can these melo-death mongrels re-establish themselves after a five year hiatus or is it too little too late in a genre that has began to dry up?
I’ve spent the last few minutes trying to stick a label on Wake. Not that it matters anyway and, to be honest, watching MTV on mute while listening to “Ruinbuilder” with my headphones on is a valid alternative to tiring out my brain. Ms Germanotta is out of sync in this peculiar, extemporary world of mine as she moves about trying to keep up with the pace imposed by the nervous beat of a Swedish drummer. This unrepeatable choreography slowly fades into the background as Niklas Eriksson’s vocals, sometimes reminiscent of Savatage’s Zachary Stevens and Jon Oliva’s melancholic elegance, boldly sets the record straight with the opener “A Stir from Slumber”.
“In recent years, euro-thrash veterans Soilwork have reached near-Megadeth levels of member turnover and failure to live up to expectations. After bursting out of the gate with now-classic albums like The Chainheart Machine and Predator’s Portrait, Soilwork softened with age, and produced a few albums of increasingly slick melodeath-by-numbers.” What’s got 12 legs, 88 keys, and a double album that puts me to sleep? You got it.
It’s the Record O the Month for December and now the beloved Madam X is here to give you the down n’ dirty on it. She seems pretty excited about it.
Lost in the diarrhea-like flood of bad deathcore and pretentious doom metal released in 2012, a little band from Sweden released a gem of old-school, adjective-less rock ‘n roll. The album in question is Internal Affairs by The Night Flight Orchestra, a quintet that just happens to include vocalist Björn “Speed” Strid and guitarist David […]
