“They say you should never judge a book by its cover, so I didn’t. Even though the cover of Seum’s sophomore Double Double set off alarm bells in my head concerning the quality and style of the music contained therein. But garish as the art is, it might be the best thing about the album. Seum’s brand of stoner-sludge here is (almost literally) one-note.” Double over.
“Siberian Tusk’s sound certainly owes much to stoner rock progenitors like Kyuss / Queens of the Stone Age, but even more so to Audioslave. While Siberian Tusk’s promo material emphasizes a punk aesthetic, it doesn’t translate to the band’s sound. No, this cocktail is an alternative base with several dashes of butt rock bitters.” Tusken raiders.
“Well, this is certainly a unique release in many ways, and thanks to the bureaucracy of our PDS this one slipped by everyone and right down to me. Meet Vitskär Süden, a progressive/psychedelic/overall trippy band that hails not from some esoteric land as the umlauts in their name might suggest, but rather from Los Angeles, California. These guys have been playing together in some form or other for around twenty years now, but as Vitskär Süden this is their second release. The Faceless King follows up 2020’s well-regarded eponymous debut.” Dungeons and prog kings.
“Moths seemingly come out of nowhere. Often left unchecked, they move from chewing a couple holes in that one jacket you forgot about (and probably doesn’t fit you anymore anyway) to causing major issues with carpets, rugs, and insulation. These Moths are different, though. Hailing from Puerto Rico, Moths flutter about with vibe-heavy jazz doom hoping to infest oscillating melodies into your highest consciousness.” Bug hugs.
“Back in the primordial days of this here blog, we attempted something called “AMG’s Unsigned Band Rodeo.” The basic idea was to select a bunch of unsigned bands and give them the collective review treatment to find the most worthy buried gems. It was our humble effort to remind folks that the metal underground is still an important part of the world of metal.” Sludge is the new grey.
“The stoner rock / stoner metal scene is one littered, perhaps more than many sub genres, with tepid mediocrity. One where the utterly forgettable bands seem to massively outnumber both the outstanding and the awe-inspiringly awful acts. While the likes of Clutch, Monster Magnet and Red Fang stand head and shoulders above most in the genre, I have begun to wonder whether there is something intrinsic in the style that leads to so much tediousness. Can North Carolina quartet HolyRoller buck this trend and avoid the apparent pitfalls that trap so many of their baked brethren to deliver something truly interesting with debut Swimming Witches?” Don’t witches just sink?
“Allow me to be contrite for a moment. Three and a half years ago I casually dropped a 3.5 rating on My Diligence’s second album, Sun Rose. I’m not too proud to tell you that, after circling back to the album many times since, I definitely had my overrating cap on. At best Sun Rose was a 3.0, more likely closer to a 2.5. But I was somehow smitten at the time and threw caution to the wind. I’ll admit it now: I was too enamored of the strong songs, and ignored the chaff. Now here we are with The Matter, Form and Power, and I am determined to approach this stoner-prog platter with open eyes and an even keel.”” Doom Diligence.
“Do you know what a big muff pedal does? Well, if you don’t, it essentially can turn electric guitars into fat fuzzy rock machines. Over the decades, that sound has found a home across all genres that riff, stomp, and tear blues licks a new one. As such, the pedal name lends itself well to the mission of the wacky Norwegian outfit Big Muff 68, who seeks to give us a fresh new genre view with Swing Metal. If you hadn’t guessed yet, that genre is none other than… swing metal!” Tough Muff.
“Wo Fat and I go back a long ways. Some trivia for you before we dig in: my first ever Angry Metal Guy review was written in May of 2016, for the band’s Midnight Cometh album. But, dear readers, I hear you saying “Huckster, we never saw said review.” This is true. By the time Steel Druhm and myself sorted things out, my fully-edited review was a few weeks too late to post. It probably sucked as well, but the album didn’t. It isn’t possible for these guys to suck, to be honest. And now here we are, six years to the month later, and I can finally review a Wo Fat album for you.” Wo to you of earth and sea.
“Birmingham-based Alunah returns with their fourth album—Strange Machine—and second since the departure of founding members Sophie and David Day. As originally formulated, Alunah played straightforward—albeit folk-tinged—doom metal. Perhaps the biggest difference from doom in the vein of Saint Vitus is Alunah’s penchant for the bounce and swing of early Black Sabbath’s heavy blues.” Rage against the Strange Machine.
