Vienna Teng

Meer – Playing House [Things You Might Have Missed 2021]

Meer – Playing House [Things You Might Have Missed 2021]

“There’s no formal rule for what non-metal stuff gets covered at AMG. We just look for things that are likely to appeal to metalheads. Sometimes they’re side projects of metal musicians, sometimes things that are heavy aesthetically even if they’re not built on distorted guitars. Meer aren’t either of those, but they do play a lush, complex progressive pop with rock leanings which should delight prog fans of any stripe.” Catting around the house.

Steven Wilson – Hand. Cannot. Erase. Review

Steven Wilson – Hand. Cannot. Erase. Review

“Unlike many of my friends and colleagues, I’ve rarely been moved by Steven Wilson’s music. With notable exceptions, Porcupine Tree’s studio work put me to sleep. Nor, I must admit, was I a fan of Insurgentes or Grace for Drowning at release. Despite having long been harangued for being an Opeth fanboy, I could not get into Storm Corrosion. In fact, if you’d asked me 5 years ago, I would have said that Steven Wilson’s genius is the ways in which he makes other bands sound incredible. That changed for me, however, with The Raven Who Refused to Sing from 2012. So when I heard that Wilson had a new record coming, I was intrigued: would it keep up the momentum and style of The Raven?” Well, can it?

Vienna Teng – Inland Territory

Every Angry Metal Guy has a soft side, right? Not necessarily. I think lots of angry metal guys sort of lack soft sides, at least when it comes to music–which is a shame, because they often miss very musically interesting records that are being put out by other bands and musicians throughout the world. Sure, I agree that the majority of what pop music has to offer is pointless, unentertaining, drivel that hurts me somewhere deep down inside… Regardless of the state of pop music, though, every once in a while you stumble onto an artist that somehow manages to bridge that gap between the angry, stubborn four year-old who just wants to hate things that don’t fit into his very small view of the world and your inner connoisseur who is willing to set aside those judgements to just enjoy excellence when confronted with it.