“The few times I’ve run reconnaissance to the front lines of war metal—sometimes called bestial black metal—it hasn’t exactly inspired me to take up arms. On paper, the bastard child of grindcore and raw black metal sounds like fun, but the unrelenting frenetic assault often turns tedious for this reviewer. I don’t mind dense music, but I like it smart, and that’s not really war metal’s MO. “Then why are you reviewing a war metal album?” the insolent reader may ask. I’ll tell you, though you deserve no such courtesy.” Towers of noise.
Vanum
Dr. Wvrm’s Top Ten(ish) of 2019
Dr. Wvrm takes time away from his busy n00b kicking schedule to drop his Top Ten(ish) of 2019 because he cares.
El Cuervo’s and Diabolus in Muzaka’s Top Ten(ish) of 2019
El Cuervo and Diabolus in Muzaka made lists and checked them twice. But are their Top Ten(ish) of 2019 naughty or nice?
Gardenstale’s and Ferrous Beuller’s Top Ten(ish) of 2019
The lists continue as GardensTale and Ferrous Beuller regale us with their Top Ten(ish) picks for the year. Pay attention.
Holdeneye’s and Cherd of Doom’s Top Ten(ish) of 2019
Once they were n00bs, but now they get their own Top Ten(ish) of 2019 lists. They grow up so fast!.
GardensTale’s Top Ten(ish) Album Art of 2019
“Yes, dear readers, the time has come once again for the favorite annual article of our deaf readership. Yours truly, the Furious Art Maestro, has once again taken it upon himself to make a selection of covers that pleased him personally.” Art for the metal masses.
Yellow Eyes – Rare Field Ceiling Review
“Now that the year is finally over, let’s look back on the embarrassment of riches that has been black metal in 2019. With so many incredible albums to pick from it’s hard to…wait, FUCK ME IT’S STILL JUNE?! How have we had so many exceptional albums from what is supposedly an overstuffed, tired genre in just six months? By my count, we’ve awarded a 3.5 or higher to 43 albums that feature black metal as the primary genre over the last 26 weeks, and that’s just albums we’ve covered at AMG & Sons LLC.” Trending up.
Record(s) o’ the Month – February 2019
A RotM post going up 17 days late? Wow, smells like old times ’round here. What’s going on? And more importantly, how are the n00bs to blame?
Vanum – Ageless Fire Review
“Vanum caught my attention with this gorgeous image of a violent geological process–a particular interest of mine–that is both legibly pictorial and pulling at the edges of abstraction. Tasteful typography and minimal framing compliments rather than competes with the painting. Interest piqued, I dug further and discovered this to be a project of K. Morgan and M. Rekevics of American black metal bands Ash Borer and Yellow Eyes, respectively, both of which I enjoy. Now firmly on the hook, my main question is: does the musical carpet match the visual drapes?” For lavas of fine art.