Swallow the Sun

Bode Preto – Mystic Massacre Review

By Grymm on January 4, 2016 in 2016, Black Metal, Brazilian Metal, Death Metal, Reviews, Thrash Metal, Thrash Metal, 32 comments

“In recent months, I’ve been noticing a disturbing trend of bands putting out hours worth of new music as one album. While Iron Maiden has already been notorious for giving you your money’s worth since the creation of the compact disc, other acts are taking that idea and running wild with it. I’ve always been a proponent of the idea that less is more [How can that be? – Yngwie]. Apparently, Brazil’s Bode Preto (or “Black Goat” in Portuguese) believes in the same philosophy. Mystic Massacre, their second album, is a hair shy of thirty minutes long. A little goes a long way… or is Mr. Malmsteen right?”

Best and Worst Sounding Records of 2015 [Angry Metal-Fi]

By Angry Metal Guy on January 2, 2016 in 2015, Angry Metal-Fi, Blog Posts, Lists, 131 comments

“It’s that time again where we extol those releases that exemplify high caliber production and condemn those which exact tyranny on all of our collective volume knobs. 2015 was a break out year for production in metal if you ask me. Not because the percentage of releases had higher DR scores mind you. Quite the opposite actually. But because you guys have made production a real talking point across the web.”

Swallow the Sun – Songs From the North I, II, and III Review

By Steel Druhm on November 13, 2015 in 2015, Century Media, Death Metal, Doom Metal, Finnish Metal, Reviews, Death Metal, Doom Metal, 219 comments

“It has finally come to pass. A metal band fell so in deeply love with their own music that they just had to release a TRIPLE album. Not a three part conceptual piece stretching over several years, mind you, but three (3) full albums dropped at once for fans to have a righteously extended soak in.” We never thought the day would come, but it’s here and it’s a big one.

Shape of Despair – Monotony Fields Review

By Jean-Luc Ricard on June 18, 2015 in 2015, Doom Metal, Finnish Metal, Reviews, Season of Mist, Doom Metal, Funeral Doom, 37 comments

If sitting alone in a darkened room, lighting a few candles, uncorking a good claret, and settling in for an uninterrupted hour of beauteous funeral doom sounds like your idea of a fun night in, you’re probably already a fan of Shape of Despair. Discovering that they were finally releasing a new LP after eleven years of waiting left me pert with anticipation.” Slow and low, that is the tempo.

Barren Earth – On Lonely Towers Review

By Angry Metal Guy on March 23, 2015 in 2015, Century Media, Death Metal, Doom Metal, Epic Metal, Finnish Metal, Melodic Death Metal, Progressive Death, Progressive Metal, Reviews, Doom Metal, Progressive Death, Progressive Metal, 56 comments

“Barren Earth may be the only band I ever forgive for not giving me an audition to be their vocalist. After it was announced that Mikko Kotamäki (Swallow the Sun) was leaving the band and that they were publicly searching for a singer, I screwed up my courage and dropped them an email with some songs. Being that I am “the standard by which all should be judged” (which is why I started a blog), I was duly shocked, dismayed and offended that they never even sent me a kind rejection letter.” Bitter and jilted, can Angry Metal Guy ever forgive this Finnish super group their taste in singers!?

Oceanwake – Sunless Review

By El Cuervo on March 19, 2015 in 2015, Doom Metal, Finnish Metal, Reviews, Sludge, ViciSolum Productions, Doom Metal, Sludge, 12 comments

“Doom. Doom is done right when the word is no longer a mere genre, but an onomatopoeic descriptor of what you are hearing. Suffice to say, Finland’s Oceanwake understands this.” Prepare to meet your new doom flavor of the week. Mmmm doom.

Kuolemanlaakso – Tulijoutsen Review

By Steel Druhm on February 19, 2014 in 2014, Death Metal, Doom Metal, Finnish Metal, Reviews, Svart Records, Death Metal, Doom Metal, 9 comments

“The majesty and grandeur of the Finnish wilderness has been source material for a veritable fuckload of metal bands over the years, with Amorphis and Korpiklaani, being the better known examples. Those untamed forests and pristine lakes apparently beckoned to the folks in Kuolemanlaakso as well, since their sophomore album is a loose conceptual piece focused on the Finnish countryside and the national folklore that featured it so prominently.” Nature-themed doom death from Finland seems like an easy sell. Are you buying?

Things You Might have Missed 2013: Kuolemanlaakso – Musta Aurinko Nousee

By Steel Druhm on December 10, 2013 in 2013, Death Metal, Doom Metal, Finnish Metal, Svart Records, Things You Might Have Missed 2013, Death Metal, Doom Metal, 3 comments

“Since all my “Things You Might Have Missed” this year came from the doom genre, I thought I’d shake things up with… some doom/death! Yes I know, not a very big shake up, but worthwhile metal is worthwhile. Anywho, Kuolemanlaakso is a Finnish doom/death act with an insanely complicated name, composed of members from Swallow the Sun and Chaosweaver and they rock a rather simple, but very effective style of death/doom that somehow remains accessible.” This is a release Steel Druhm was supposed to review last month, but he was too overworked (he’s essentially an indentured servant with an iPod and a keyboard). Since he liked this quite a bit, he wanted to be sure you didn’t miss it and feel remorse later. You can thank him with beer.

October Tide – Tunnel of No Light Review

By Steel Druhm on March 12, 2013 in 2013, 3.0, Death Metal, Doom Metal, Pulverised Records, Reviews, Swedish Metal, Death Metal, Doom Metal, 6 comments

“Steel Druhm is a sucker for well done doom death with oodles of morose, melancholy atmosphere. Yep, I like stuff that makes me feel as if I’m slowly drowning in an ice cold Finnish lake as wood gnomes and forest elves cry and throw Mardi Gras beads into the water (just go with it, don’t analyze). Because of these predilections, I heartily enjoyed the last opus from this bunch of downcast Swedes, which featured several members of Katatonia at one time or another. After some line up changes and a few years away from the game, October Tide skulks back with Tunnel of No Light and it’s business as usual (that business being depressing but darkly beautiful music).” But is the business as successful as before? Steel Druhm splashes about and does his best to answer that very question.

Hanging Garden – At Every Door Review

By Dr. Fisting on January 21, 2013 in 2.5, 2013, Doom Metal, Finnish Metal, Gothic Metal, Lifeforce Records, Rating, Reviews, 9 comments

As I write this, it’s 15 degrees Celsius outside. The sun rises, but does not provide any warmth. Everything in my world is covered in a thin layer of ice, and things seem to be moving very slowly. In other words: it’s cold as shit out here. This is the perfect weather for some gloomy, atmospheric, slow-ass metal. And it just so happens that I have At Every Door, the new album by Finnish sextet Hanging Garden.