“Were Angry Metal Guy not lashed to the slave stick most days, I’m sure he would make good on his promise to give this a 1.0/5.0 based solely on how much he hated Eluveitie’s last album Origins. To be fair, that verdict may overstate the strain that Origins placed on Eluveitie’s generic melofolk, but not by much.” Stop straining the folk!
“It doesn’t mean a thing if it ain’t got that musical, rhythmic, melodic swing, baby. So with that in mind, I grabbed Radiation, the sixth full-length from Swiss post-metallers Impure Wilhelmina on a blind whim, having never heard a note from them prior. Only bad things can happen, right?” Take the impurity test.
“Though grayed and wizened by bitter years of scathing aural abuse, my tastes never developed the way I expected. Gush over Dodecahedron; pre-order the new Ahab; “Pain of Salvation for AotY!”; I’ll be in the back row, drawing dicks on the cover of my Extreme Metal Starter Pack. Voice of Ruin, is right there with me.” Dicks and melo-death, man.
“Last time around, Steel Druhm summed up both Emerald’s Unleashed and career with one line: “You’ve heard it a zillion times before from far superior bands.” Reckoning Day makes strides towards memorability, but old habits die hard….” Precious.
![Zeal and Ardor – Devil is Fine [Things You Might Have Missed 2016]](https://www.angrymetalguy.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Zeal-and-Ardor-–-Devil-Is-Fine.jpg)
“It’s about time we got to this. Since its release in April, Devil is Fine has exploded in popularity and earned accolades and interviews across the web, based on, as far as I can tell, little to no promotion from the artist. It has sold over 1000 copies on Bandcamp. But the album’s worth as a success story is just the beginning and even its contents don’t quite tell the whole tale.” This is a weird one.
![Schammasch – Triangle [Things You Might Have Missed 2016]](https://www.angrymetalguy.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Schammasch-Triangle-768x768.jpg)
“Based on vocalist and guitarist Chris S.R.’s amalgamation of a number of religions and philosophies, Triangle is a sprawling, grandiose effort that bridges progressive black metal, progressive rock, post-rock, and ambient music, while hinting towards a deeply personal struggle.” A triple album again? Why do we do this to AMG?
“Switzerland’s Bölzer created sizable tremors in the underground in 2013 upon the release of their stunning Aura EP. I got caught up in the swell, impressed by their atmospheric and innovative blackened death formula, laced with memorable hooks and otherworldly vibes.” When expectations meet reality.
“In a dimly lit basement sits an easel covered by a dust-kissed veil. Beneath it reveals a portrait illustrating denim-clad, leonine-tousled men. Their faces are sunken and scored, their skin sallow and mottled. Whilst the painting’s subjects may be cruelled by time, the actual bands portrayed here are instead brimming with life, churning out quality music that belies their age.” The olde can still be bold(e).
“The concept of outer space presented in the confines of black metal is nothing new. Samael’s 1996 classic, Passage, delivered the final frontier via programmed drum beats and symphonic grandeur, making the concept dark yet accessible. Yet, for as great as Passage was, it lacked a certain coldness and aura that goes hand-in-hand with black metal. Leave it to fellow Swiss aliens Darkspace to take the concept of outer space, with its unknown and potentially evil discoveries, and travel at warp speed with it over the course of three minimalist albums and one EP.” Creepy outer space black metal is creepy.
“Bölzer know that time is precious and quality cheap in today’s oversaturated music climate. Armed with three songs clocking in at about 23 minutes, the Swiss duo more than charmed the metal community and earned themselves a slot right at the forefront of extreme metal hopefuls dwelling in the underground with their 2013 EP, Aura. Bölzer is back and JF Williams is back with them.
