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Angry Metal Guy @[email protected] · 2025-08-03 · 13:00 UTC

Record(s) o’ the Month – April 2025
By Angry Metal Guy
“April is the cruellest month,” wrote T.S. Eliot in a poem that no one quoting it has ever finished reading.1 And while Eliot was quite metal in his exquisite, existential despair about WWI or whatever, he never understood true existential dread. I speak, of course, of the dread of being force-fed twenty-five promising albums, half of which are drenched in so much reverb that you feel like you’re swimming, only to realize that you didn’t even review the Record o’ the Month yourself. Regardless, this April continued to be cruel. But this cruelty came bearing bloodied knuckles and a furrowed (and noticably pronounced) brow. Dormant Ordeal took that energy and weaponized it.

It’s not every month that a death metal album crawls out of the woodwork and shatters the Score Safety Counter like a warhammer through a piñata, but Dormant Ordeal—whose new record Tooth and Nail dropped April 18th, 2025, from Willowtip Records [Bandcamp]—did exactly that. Tooth and Nail is a masterclass in (blackened) death metal—”the classic Polish death metal sound”—done right. It’s taut, unreleating, melodic when it counts, and angrier than Angry Metal Guy when reminded of the existence of Disqus. This record hits a sweet spot inside of me best described as the “oh yeah, that’s how death metal is done” spot. The riffs flow, and my brain just opens up the spigots, releasing a veritable tsunami of dopamine. Every riff that cuts, every transition that seethes, and every recognition of the slick, skilled ways that these guys construct songs, I get a nice big kick of that Happy Chemical. Tooth and Nail is dynamic, punishing, aggressive, and better yet, it’s smart. Dormant Ordeal is like a boxer who knows exactly when to drop his guard and knock you out.2 Our very own Tyme was so excited he penned an overwrought review of Angry Metal Guyan proportions. In one of his more uncontainable moments of verbal climax, he ejaculated: “Tooth and Nail represents the absolute best of what Dormant Ordeal can be.” The rest of us wiped down the walls and nodded in agreement. And I, being an instantiation of the will of the staff through my very existence, elected it to be Record o’ the Month.
Runner(s) Up:
Structure // Heritage [April 25th, 2025 | Ardua Music | Bandcamp] — “Solo” doom project Structure did a thing that I never thought possible. It made Steel Druhm feel about a Dutch doom metal project like I felt about The 11th Hour. Oh, also, it crushed our collective will to live in the most painful way possible. A labor of love from Bram Bijlhout of Officium Triste, Heritage is crushing, exquisite, and dramatic in all the right ways. Pim Blankenstein’s vocal contributions take this funeral doom lament to operatic heights. Steel Druhm, while shotgunning his seventh doppelbock, enthusiastically spilled his beer all over the bar while trying to emphasize for everyone slightly louder than necessary that Structure has written “a monumental doom epic that caves in your chest with its raw power and brings a tear to the most jaded eye with its heartwrenching beauty!” He even gave it a 4.5, which is 5.0 in Steel Druhmese. And if none of that convinces you, I, too, concede that this is a great record and I suspect it’s going to be quite present during Listurnalia.
Messa // The Spin [April 11th, 2025 | Metal Blade Records | Bandcamp] — The reason I started doing three, or sometimes four, releases for Record(s) o’ the Month was because there were times when it was just impossible to choose. This month is actually kind of cruel in that all three of these could have been Record o’ the Month without question. Italian doom-jazz mystics Messa put up a good fight with their most seductive release yet. The Spin sheds the sprawl of Close in favor of tighter, moodier bangers. For my part, this is as good as I think they’ve ever sounded. Sharky Shark Boy was right when he said that “Sara’s smouldering, siren-like vocals have hit a whole new level,” lending the compositions a power I don’t remember Messa having. The Spin is doom with eyeliner and a degree in art history—classy, smokey, and ready to crush you with riffs and moody quotes from a Frenchman. While Messa has always had some appeal, there’s something about The Spin that works differently. It’s not like they’re a new band with a new sound, but instead, to quote Sharky Shark Boy, “Rather like using a velvetizer to make your hot chocolate. It’s still hot chocolate. But it’s thicker, richer, and, well, velvet-ier.” Yeah, I think that analogy pretty much says it all. No? Fine, The Dolphin Half of the Aquatic Duo chirped and bobbed overexcitedly: “Music this powerful stands ready to inspire binge listening, tone envy, and, with any luck, another generation hopelessly addicted to six strings screaming at unadvisable volumes.” And that seems like the final word on the matter.

#2025 #Apr25 #DormantOrdeal #Heritage #Messa #OfficiumTriste #RecordSOTheMonth #RecordsOfTheMonth #Structure #The11thHour #TheSpin #ToothAndNail

#apr25 #dormantordeal #heritage #messa #officiumtriste #recordsothemonth
Angry Metal Guy @[email protected] · 2025-08-03 · 13:00 UTC

Record(s) o’ the Month – April 2025
By Angry Metal Guy
“April is the cruellest month,” wrote T.S. Eliot in a poem that no one quoting it has ever finished reading.1 And while Eliot was quite metal in his exquisite, existential despair about WWI or whatever, he never understood true existential dread. I speak, of course, of the dread of being force-fed twenty-five promising albums, half of which are drenched in so much reverb that you feel like you’re swimming, only to realize that you didn’t even review the Record o’ the Month yourself. Regardless, this April continued to be cruel. But this cruelty came bearing bloodied knuckles and a furrowed (and noticably pronounced) brow. Dormant Ordeal took that energy and weaponized it.

It’s not every month that a death metal album crawls out of the woodwork and shatters the Score Safety Counter like a warhammer through a piñata, but Dormant Ordeal—whose new record Tooth and Nail dropped April 18th, 2025, from Willowtip Records [Bandcamp]—did exactly that. Tooth and Nail is a masterclass in (blackened) death metal—”the classic Polish death metal sound”—done right. It’s taut, unreleating, melodic when it counts, and angrier than Angry Metal Guy when reminded of the existence of Disqus. This record hits a sweet spot inside of me best described as the “oh yeah, that’s how death metal is done” spot. The riffs flow, and my brain just opens up the spigots, releasing a veritable tsunami of dopamine. Every riff that cuts, every transition that seethes, and every recognition of the slick, skilled ways that these guys construct songs, I get a nice big kick of that Happy Chemical. Tooth and Nail is dynamic, punishing, aggressive, and better yet, it’s smart. Dormant Ordeal is like a boxer who knows exactly when to drop his guard and knock you out.2 Our very own Tyme was so excited he penned an overwrought review of Angry Metal Guyan proportions. In one of his more uncontainable moments of verbal climax, he ejaculated: “Tooth and Nail represents the absolute best of what Dormant Ordeal can be.” The rest of us wiped down the walls and nodded in agreement. And I, being an instantiation of the will of the staff through my very existence, elected it to be Record o’ the Month.
Runner(s) Up:
Structure // Heritage [April 25th, 2025 | Ardua Music | Bandcamp] — “Solo” doom project Structure did a thing that I never thought possible. It made Steel Druhm feel about a Dutch doom metal project like I felt about The 11th Hour. Oh, also, it crushed our collective will to live in the most painful way possible. A labor of love from Bram Bijlhout of Officium Triste, Heritage is crushing, exquisite, and dramatic in all the right ways. Pim Blankenstein’s vocal contributions take this funeral doom lament to operatic heights. Steel Druhm, while shotgunning his seventh doppelbock, enthusiastically spilled his beer all over the bar while trying to emphasize for everyone slightly louder than necessary that Structure has written “a monumental doom epic that caves in your chest with its raw power and brings a tear to the most jaded eye with its heartwrenching beauty!” He even gave it a 4.5, which is 5.0 in Steel Druhmese. And if none of that convinces you, I, too, concede that this is a great record and I suspect it’s going to be quite present during Listurnalia.
Messa // The Spin [April 11th, 2025 | Metal Blade Records | Bandcamp] — The reason I started doing three, or sometimes four, releases for Record(s) o’ the Month was because there were times when it was just impossible to choose. This month is actually kind of cruel in that all three of these could have been Record o’ the Month without question. Italian doom-jazz mystics Messa put up a good fight with their most seductive release yet. The Spin sheds the sprawl of Close in favor of tighter, moodier bangers. For my part, this is as good as I think they’ve ever sounded. Sharky Shark Boy was right when he said that “Sara’s smouldering, siren-like vocals have hit a whole new level,” lending the compositions a power I don’t remember Messa having. The Spin is doom with eyeliner and a degree in art history—classy, smokey, and ready to crush you with riffs and moody quotes from a Frenchman. While Messa has always had some appeal, there’s something about The Spin that works differently. It’s not like they’re a new band with a new sound, but instead, to quote Sharky Shark Boy, “Rather like using a velvetizer to make your hot chocolate. It’s still hot chocolate. But it’s thicker, richer, and, well, velvet-ier.” Yeah, I think that analogy pretty much says it all. No? Fine, The Dolphin Half of the Aquatic Duo chirped and bobbed overexcitedly: “Music this powerful stands ready to inspire binge listening, tone envy, and, with any luck, another generation hopelessly addicted to six strings screaming at unadvisable volumes.” And that seems like the final word on the matter.

#2025 #Apr25 #DormantOrdeal #Heritage #Messa #OfficiumTriste #RecordSOTheMonth #RecordsOfTheMonth #Structure #The11thHour #TheSpin #ToothAndNail

#apr25 #dormantordeal #heritage #messa #officiumtriste #recordsothemonth
Angry Metal Guy @[email protected] · 2025-06-30 · 10:53 UTC

Stuck in the Filter: April 2025’s Angry Misses
By Kenstrosity
The cicadas have passed, the brood has bred. And now, it’s all being washed away by a constant deluge of heavy rain and hail amidst thunderous storm of increasing intensity. I imagine those skyborne rumblings shudder every wall of the ducts where my minions toil. I am sure they are frightened, claustrophobic, and soaked. And yet, they persist under my demanding and ruthless management—all so you can have more of what you already get every day in these halls.
Show your appreciation for what we bring to you, and enjoy ov deep Filter!

Kenstrosity’s Biblically-Accurate Beast
Ancient Death // Ego Dissolution [April 18th, 2025 – Profound Lore Records]
A lot of people pine for Death. We know this due to the sheer number of Death worship acts out there, most of which operate eternally under that legend’s shadow. Less common, however, are acts of worship in the service of underground-er heroes The Chasm. Thankfully, Massachusetts death metal quartet Ancient Death take on this mantle, blending much Death and The Chasm inspo with their own curated, abyssal sound. Everything here hearkens back to the ways of olde, but updated to feel relevant in the modern era. Such as this is the case, opening salvos “Ego Dissolution” and “Breaking the Barriers of Hope” strike while the iron is hot, piercing through all expectation with sharp riffs, evolving passages, and dynamic shifts in structure. So effective is this attack strategy that even instrumental aberrations like “Journey to the Inner Soul” feel story driven and purposeful. Standout tracks like “Breathe – Transcend (Into the Glowing Streams of Forever),” “Echoing Chambers Within the Dismal Mind,” and “Unspoken Earth” steal the show, however, boasting Ancient Death’s best riffs, a downright surprising display of vocal versatility, and disgusting solos and dive bombs. It needs time and dedicated spins to bloom and come alive, though, which may discourage listeners hoping for a cheap fix. But trust me, it’s worth the investment!

Killjoy’s Flavorful Feasts
Malphas // Extinct [April 11th, 2025 – Soulseller Records]
If I’m to enjoy no-frills black metal, it needs to have lots of hooks. In this sense, Switzerland’s Malphas had their priorities straight while writing Extinct. Their melodic guitar leads may not be as exuberant or exaggerated as, say, Moonlight Sorcery’s, but they have a thrashy flair which is just as much fun. Once the riffs captured my attention, they reeled me in for a battering vocal assault of coarse barks and spiteful snarls. Drummer Jöschu Käser (also of Aara and many others) can play seemingly any rhythm or tempo, best exemplified across the entirety of “Butcher’s Broom.” This is key for Malphas to prove they have the nuance to pull off mid-paced tempos (“Majestic Moon,” “Consumed,” “Armada Christi”), a quality that I find important in black metal. There are a few neat little surprises as well, like the piano section midway through “Majestic Moon” and the icy synths popping up momentarily in the instrumental closer “Astral Dissonance.” Fans of engaging and catchy meloblack won’t want to miss out on Extinct.
Svnth // Pink Noise Youth [April 18th, 2025 – These Hands Melt]
You’ve likely heard of white noise, but what about its counterpart, pink noise? Whereas white noise contains equal amounts of all frequencies audible to humans, pink noise favors lower frequencies and is generally considered to be easier on the ears. Likewise, Pink Noise Youth, Svnth’s fourth album, is a remarkably pleasant listen. This unassuming post-black group from Rome, Italy has evolved considerably since Cherd’s review of 2020’s Spring in Blue. The familiar glossy guitar tremolos and chords now have an unexpected companion: the electric sitar. This newcomer is mainly supportive, with stray notes and lines drizzled atop the already dreamy guitars for extra sweetness. There are spicier moments, too, like the punky riffs and d-beats peppered with rasping barks that kick off “Winter Blues.” There’s also a much greater prevalence of clean singing this time around, Rodolfo Ciuffo’s hypnotic intonation complements the chunky post-metal of “Perfume” as easily as the carefree guitar strumming in “Nairoby Lullaby.” Gone are the overlong, meandering tracks of before; Pink Noise Youth gets straight to the point with sharper songs hovering in the 5-minute range across a tight 37 minutes in total. Svnth seem determined to make the post-black genre their own and, by all indications, it’s working.

Owlswald’s Wide-Eyed Wonders
Game Over // Face the End [April 25th, 2025 – Scarlet Records]
In the absolutely loaded month that was April, two records surprised these owl ears enough to earn regular spots in my playlist. First up is Game Over’s sixth full-length, Face the End. These Italian thrashers have been peddling their version of the Bay Area sound since 2009, yet this is somehow my first encounter with them. Following the departure of co-founder/bassist/vocalist Renato Chiccoli, Game Over revamped its lineup, bringing in Danny Schiavina on vocals and Leonard Molinari on bass. This refreshed five-piece delivers a newly polished sound, making Face the End the most fun I’ve had with a thrash album in recent memory. “Grip of Time,” “Weaving Fate” and “Veil of Insanity” showcase Game Over’s mastery of Testament and Exodus-level aggression while “Neck Breaking Dance” offers a light-hearted pit call reminiscent of early Anthrax. Alessandro Sansone’s and Luca Zironi’s fast and forceful down-picking, melodic leads and flashy solos run over Anthony Dantone’s rock-solid drumming, all within a crisp and powerful production with ample punch. Schiavina’s charismatic, high-flying vocals immediately grab your attention on “Lust for Blood,” never relinquishing their grasp as they transmit their 70s and 80s horror-inspired themes above abundant gang vocals. In a genre plagued by inconsistency, Face the End is everything I want my thrash to be—aggressive, dynamic and fun.
Kiritsis // Kiritsis [April 4th, 2025 – Wise Blood Records/Pout Records]
Next up is the ruthless sludge and hardcore of Kiritsis. I hope you checked your fun at the door because this Indianapolis-based quartet isn’t here to make friends. Formed by members of Trenches, Hatesong, and Sundown, Kiritsis’ self-titled debut is here to punch you square in the face and take your lunch money. Over the course of thirty-one minutes, this foursome bludgeons listeners with uncompromisingly heavy doses of abrasive distortion, hard-hitting beats and pure unadulterated anger, all slathered in a blackened layer of Carcass-like filth. Blake Henry’s roars and rasps tear through your speakers with pure vitriol and torment, perfectly complementing Eric Mason’s grim riffing, Bill Scott’s demonic bass growls and Nik Jensen’s weighty drum strikes. “Like the Taste,” “Pissant” and “Deny.Defend.Dispose” embody a Will Haven spirit with a barrage of penetrating, assaulting riffs and pounding half-time slams underpinning Henry’s blood-curdling screams. Meanwhile, the sorrowful and doom-tinged “It Ain’t Easy” and “Thieves and Fools” drag you into anguish-ridden depths, draped in their dark, hopeless atmospheres and plodding facades. You won’t find any overly technical or flashy music here—this is pure hatred and loathing in a tight, cathartic package, meant to blast at high volume while you fuck shit up.

Tyme’s Grungy Gift
Melvins 1983 // Thunderball [April 18th, 2025 – Ipecac Recordings]
Hot on the heels and building off of 2024’s Tarantula Heart, stalwart grunge/sludge rock icon Buzz Osborne has teamed back up with original drummer Mike Dillard for Melvins 1983‘s third release and first in four years, Thunderball. This time around, Osborne and Dillard have partnered with experimental electronic artists Void Manes and Ni Maîtres to deliver yet another in a long line of inimitable, don’t-give-a-fuck-what-you-think releases that have become synonymous with the Melvins brand. As influential a band as any going right now on sludgy noise rock emanating from garages across the world, I take note anytime a new Melvins project hits shelves. With Thunderball, Buzz ‘n company have delivered another tasty morsel packed with some o’ that Houdini-sweet heaviness (“King of Rome”) that sweats grunge like “Negative Creep.” A merging of shimmery post-rock with punky garage rock and bass-laden disso-doom that meanders to a close in a wash of plodding riffs and bleep-bloop electronics, “Victory of the Pyramids” is a decent summation of what you’ll find lurking around most of Thunderball‘s thirty-four minute, five track corners, as Void Manes and Ni Maîtres don’t so much enhance as they incorporate their particular brand of electronica into Thunderball‘s sonic aesthetic. As a newcomer still assimilating into the Melvin hive mind here at AMG, I still have the independent lock-step wherewithal to recommend Melvins 1983‘s Thunderball to those who might have missed it.

Dolphin Whisperer’s Ample Acquisitions
Emma Goldman // All You Are Is We [April 28th, 2025 – Zegema Beach Records]
Sassy is as sassy does or somethin’ like that. If you were wondering whether anarchist icon Emma Goldman came back to life to front a mathcore band, I’m sorry to report that that is not the case. However, if you’re in the ballpark for Canadian punks speedballin’ through skronked-out, strung-out chorus barks with a hundred words trapped in ten seconds, then Emma Goldman will be your ticket to a hot psych ward summer.1 From working class psychosis (“i don’t think much at all,” “this is your brain on minimum wage”) to patchwork insomniac ramblings as loaded as the cut-and-scan cover collage (“at rock bottom i was a piss girl,” “that is the land of lost content”), vocalist Victoria delivers a shredded flurry of barks, nags, and cries that pierce straight through the boomy mix. And though the rhythm guitars and bass pulse and industrial cracklings (particularly the two interlude scratches) register on the lower end of the sound spectrum, a fluid twang and tight, clanging snare find an abrasive balance throughout—two broken tones make a right. In under half an hour, All You Are Is We both breezes by in its effortless flow and brandishes passersby with heart-stained tirades and boiled-over emotion. Along with modern acts like Massa Nera and Blind Girls, Emma Goldman in bold, romantic, and unsettled rage makes a strong case for how true skramz can continue to evolve through rich musicianship, progressive leanings, all while maintaining an adherence to post-indebted builds (“it rubs the boycott ketchup on its brand new slacks,” “that is the land…”). And with a dollop more of that cathartic and capturing energy, Emma Goldman may yet charge with the notoriety of its namesake at the front of this genre pack.
Sonum // The Obscure Light Awaits [April 11th, 2025 – Dusktone]
As a product of a previous filter fetching, I had hoped to provide a lengthier statement on my enjoyment of Sonum’s sophomore outing The Obscure Light Awaits. You see, this Italian act has a knack for supplying death metal that holds true to the origins of dark and twisted riffage while still pushing at edges of richer composition in hypnotic rhythms. As a second attempt at deathly glory, The Obscure Light Awaits shows studio knowledge growth in a drum sound that highlights expansive cymbal textures and quick-turn tom rolls that power the mood-driven world in which Sonum inhabits. And in post-growing melodic builds—the kind of atmosphere that leans dissonant like the Ulcerate-channeling broodings of Devenial Verdict—Sonum shows that mood can swell and explode on the backs of horror-tinged orchestral accompaniment and creaking refrains (“Trapped in the Labyrinth of Aberration,” “Nobody Is Innocent”). Trimmed to a three-piece set for The Obscure Light Awaits, the focus that borders on self-similarity on this extended-length journey feels both intimate and indulgent—the closing psychedelic jam session certainly leans on the latter feeling. But with churning tremolo runs that lead to gruff-toned cries, the majority of what Sonum brings to the table lands in consistent and crushing effort (“In This Void We Dwell,” “Messenger of Cosmic Dread”). As a band still finding their footing in the grander scheme of the death metal universe, Sonum has a sense of identity that gives them a fighting edge. And though The Obscure Light Awaits wears its unique vision a little loose at the waist, its journey is well worth exploring.
Zmarłym // Wielkie Zanikanie [April 18th, 2025 – Godz of War Productions]
Once upon a time, Zmarłym fancied themselves a Polish sadboi act whose turmoil was wrapped in the urban decay of early COVID lockdown measures. And now that we’ve all stepped some distance—a safe distance you might say—away from that reality, Zmarłym has learned that the sad doesn’t dissipate quite that easily. Wielkie Zanikanie finds a familiar malaise in isolation, frustration, and a general defeated nature wrapped up in a longing black metal wane with post-punk and progressive undertones, much like you’d find on a record like Voice’s Frightened or Cursebinder’s Drifting. Blaring synth throbs give way to entrancing drum patterns and phase-shifting vocal howls (“Miejsca,” “Bunt maszyn”). Classic tremolo flurries raze playful energy to set the stage for sinister, blood-soaked cries (“Sny o lataniu,” “Plamy II”). And though a goofy mid-album Killing Joke-indebted romp—even a switch to heavy accent English from the brooding native tongue—threatens to break the sinister ambiance that Zmarłym explores throughout the rest of Wielkie Zanikanie, its soft and bouncy inclusions still find layering amongst smoldering black metal riffage. And as all elements come to join hands in the space-bound, synth squealing crescendo of the closing title track, Zmarłym has delivered an experience full of variety and surprise, curated to bore a hole into a mind searching for melancholy with a sense of adventure and play.
#2025 #Aara #AllYouAreIsWe #AmericanMetal #AncientDeath #Anthrax #Apr25 #BlackMetal #BlindGirls #Carcass #Cursebinder #Death #DeathMetal #DevenialVerdict #Dusktone #EgoDissolution #EmmaGoldman #Exodus #Extinct #FaceTheEnd #GameOver #GodzOfWarProductions #Grunge #Hardcore #Hatesong #IpecacRecordings #ItalianMetal #KillingJoke #Kirtisis #Malphas #MassaNera #Mathcore #MelodicBlackMetal #Melvins #Melvins1983 #Metal #MoonlightSorcery #NiMaîtres #PinkNoiseYouth #PolishMetal #PostBlackMetal #postPunk #PoutRecords #ProfoundLoreRecords #ProgressiveDeathMetal #Review #Reviews #ScarletRecords #Screamo #Sludge #SludgeMetal #SludgeRock #Sonum #SoulsellerRecords #StuckInTheFilter #StuckInTheFilter2025 #Sundown #Svnth #Swiss #Testament #TheChasm #TheObscureLightAwaits #TheseHandsMelt #ThrashMetal #Thunderball #Trenches #Ulcerate #Voices #VoidManes #WielkieZanikanie #WillHaven #WiseBloodRecords #ZegemaBeachRecords #Zmarłym

#italianmetal #killingjoke #kirtisis #malphas #massanera #mathcore
Angry Metal Guy @[email protected] · 2025-05-26 · 13:57 UTC

Ash Twin Project – Tales of a Dying Sun Review
By sentynel
Metal has a long history of writing songs inspired by science fiction and fantasy, probably because we’re all a bunch of great big nerds. Outer Wilds is a singular piece of storytelling, a work that couldn’t be told in any medium other than a video game: a story and a series of revelations pieced together from found fragments, with no enforced order or progression beyond what the player finds and assembles. Imagine my excitement when I saw the obviously Outer Wilds-inspired Ash Twin Project appear in the promo queue. Imagine how quickly I mashed the “assign to self” button before any of the other fans on the staff could pinch it.1 I’m going to avoid saying more about the game in this review to minimise spoilers for those who haven’t played it. Just trust me that if you like exploration and stories, you should drop everything and play it. (And avoid listening to the lyrics on this record until you have.)
I hadn’t even stopped to check the genre when I picked up Tales of a Dying Sun, but fortuitously, it’s post-rock/-metal and would have been my thing even without the theme. Ash Twin Project sit on the more melodic and immediate end of the genre. There’s not a huge amount of wandering ambience here, nor of huge, crushing riffs. Their guitar work is nearly always pretty, and the five songs here tend to evolve and reprise through a series of pretty melodies and occasional chugging riffs. There’s even a very prog-rock solo or two (“Cœlacanthe”). It’s very vocal heavy, befitting the narrative goal of the project. Eglantine Dugrand does most of the work with clean singing. She’s occasionally supported by Nicolas Lougnon’s harsh vocals in the traditional hardcore-influenced post-metal style.
Outer Wilds is a very musical game. The soundtrack is excellent, but it’s also important to the gameplay and story in a number of ways. Ash Twin Project have a tricky balance to strike in acknowledging that without simply covering the songs. They pull it off via some generally subtle musical references. Players will find the openings of tracks like “The Wilds,” “Isolation,” and “Sunless City” familiar, and more obviously the end of the album on “Moon.” Tales of a Dying Sun’s flaw is that aside from this, there’s little that makes Ash Twin Project stand out from a surfeit of other post-rock/metal bands. It’s not particularly unique, nor particularly hard-hitting. Post- led by a female vocalist brings obvious comparisons to healthyliving, but ATP aren’t distinctive to the same extent.
I need to highlight Stéphane Cocuron’s work on bass, metal’s most neglected instrument, which is interesting, forward in the mix, and interacts well with the guitars (“Sunless City”). Dugrand is a versatile lead vocalist. The material calls for a variety of tones, from ethereal to sweet to breathy to soaring to a belt, often on the same song (“Cœlacanthe,” “Isolation”), and she spans all these and more without any trouble. I’m not a huge fan of the slight vibrato she uses at times, but it’s hard to complain too much. The lyrics feel like they’re trying a bit too hard a lot of the time—often both overly literal and overly complex (“The Wilds,” “Cœlacanthe”). Nobody listens to metal for the poetic lyrics, but they’re such a big part of what the album is going for, so it’s a bit disappointing.
Tales of a Dying Sun is good. It’s melodic post-metal done well. It does a commendable job of referencing its source material in a way that tickles the brain without being derivative of it. Dugrand does a lot of the work carrying the album and does it well. But in the end, the connection with the game made me want to like this more than I actually do. I like it, but it’s not unique enough or hard-hitting enough to climb my year-end list.

Rating: Good
DR: 8 | Format Reviewed: 256 kbps mp3
Label: Klonosphere Records
Websites: ashtwinproject.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/ashtwinprojectband
Releases Worldwide: April 4th, 2025
#2025 #30 #Apr25 #AshTwinProject #FrenchMetal #healthyliving #KlonosphereRecords #PostRock #PostMetal #Review #Reviews #TalesOfADyingSun

#apr25 #ashtwinproject #frenchmetal #healthyliving #klonosphererecords #postrock
Angry Metal Guy @[email protected] · 2025-05-25 · 12:18 UTC

Supreme Void – Towards Oblivion Review
By Owlswald
Relative newcomers Supreme Void began their journey as Depravity in 2016, releasing a couple of EPs over a five-year period, culminating with 2021’s End of Games. The EP delivered a familiar slab of Polish death metal, packed with the aggression, technicality, and power that flagbearers like Behemoth and Hate have long championed. Presumably realizing the existence of numerous other bands named Depravity, the trio changed their name to Supreme Void in 2023, coinciding with their signing to French label Dolorem Records, who then re-released End of Games under the new moniker. Now, Supreme Void’s debut full-length, Towards Oblivion, aims to fuse the brutal, fast and specialized Polish sound with the dissonant and stylish tendencies of the likes of Ulcerate and Gorguts—a conceptually intriguing and ambitious endeavor that tests Supreme Void’s ability to carve out their own niche within a formidable death metal landscape.
Like a murkier Hate colliding with the ominous atmosphere of Ulcerate and groovier ambitions of Replicant, Towards Oblivion oscillates between crushing weight and morose, undulating passages. Strategically placed starts, stops, and tempo changes enhance Supreme Void’s varying moods and textures as eight-string guitar provides conquering low-end and drums pummel everything into dust with devastating precision. Exile’s monstrous roars blanket Supreme Void’s underlying chaos with a thick layer of demonic miasma while the grim rumble of bass rounds out the trio’s vast and immersive sound. Opener “Remnants of Hope” is a fitting representation of what to expect on Towards Oblivion with Ravager’s cacophonous arpeggiations, blazing tremolos, and mammoth chugs shifting and writhing with Cyklon’s syncopated eruptions and Exile’s massive roars. Benefiting once again from excellent production, Supreme Void crafts a dissonant and heavy soundscape marked by writhing tension.
Supreme Void’s powerful guitar-drum attack drives Towards Oblivion’s sinister manifestation with colossal might, binding twists, turns, and jolts into an intense and turbulent auditory assault. Tracks like “Sustained by Malice” and “Eclipse of the Exalted” contrast storms of discordant chords, thrashy riffs, and machine-like rhythms with trudging grooves, enigmatic hooks, and dark atmospheric transitions that are off-kilter but also captivating. Tasteful solos (“Embrace Extinction,” “Dissolution of Power,” “Repulse Manifesto”) showcase both technical skill and emotional vision while Meshuggah-esque drawls and plodding hits drag you further into the abyss. Cyklon’s drumming is outstanding—his menacing blasts and kicks melding with darting tempos, grooving transitions, and flickering cymbal flares augment Exile and Ravager’s swirling arpeggiated dissensions and percussive shredding. Unleashing terror, Exile’s growls saturate everything with an ardent layer of filth, effortlessly tearing through the instrumental mass. The production enhances everything, granting the material the necessary space to exude its qualities while allowing each piece of Supreme Void’s sonic onslaught to shine through with refreshing clarity.
For all of Supreme Void’s merits, Towards Oblivion is sometimes challenged by a sense of imbalance across its thirty-eight-minute runtime. “Repulse Manifesto” follows a less compelling arc as “Dissolution of Power” or “Remnants of Hope,” for example, which fully realize Supreme Void’s immersive qualities. Beginning with a subdued militaristic-like primer that feels like it should be a separate interlude, the track takes too long to develop before surging into its more convincing second half. While this hints at Supreme Void’s ability to command a “slow burn” style of songwriting, the execution is awkward and affects the song’s course. Additionally, closer “Embrace Extinction” lacks the same memorable hooks as Towards Oblivion’s stronger compositions, and “Eclipse of the Exalted” feels a bit overlong, largely due to the song’s cyclical back end.
Despite these stumbles, however, Towards Oblivion finds Supreme Void delivering a strong debut that effectively merges the ferocious sounds of Polish death metal with the dark, ominous tones of today’s disso-death scene. The young trio’s dynamic interplay of crushing heaviness, shifting tempos, maddening dissonance, and technical skill—particularly the one-two punch of the guitars and drums—is enveloping and will appeal to fans across the ever-widening death metal spectrum. Although Towards Oblivion occasionally trips at asserting its vigor, Supreme Void’s clear command of aural intensity, coupled with their ambition, serves as a gateway for them to rip open the abyss with reckless abandon in the future. I, for one, will be eagerly waiting to venture into the void again.

Rating: Good!
DR: N/A | Format Reviewed: Stream
Label: Dolorem Records | Bandcamp
Websites: supremevoid.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/supremevoid
Releases Worldwide: April 25th, 2025
#2025 #30 #Apr25 #Behemoth #DeathMetal #Depravity #DissonantDeathMetal #DoloremRecords #Gorguts #Hate #Meshuggah #PolishMetal #ProgressiveDeath #Replicant #Review #Reviews #SupremeVoid #TowardsOblivion #Ulcerate

#apr25 #behemoth #deathmetal #depravity #dissonantdeathmetal #doloremrecords
Angry Metal Guy @[email protected] · 2025-05-13 · 10:51 UTC

Phantom – Tyrants of Wrath Review
By Tyme
Vampires and castles and axes, oh my! In addition to a love for the video game Castlevania, these are some of the favorite things for Guadalajara, Mexico’s Phantom, reflected in the cool Meagan Lemay cover art. I had a fair amount of fun with Phantom‘s 2023 debut album, Handed to Execution. It’s a tasty little slab of thrashy speed metal that took me back to the halcyon days of Kill ‘Em All Metallica and Show No Mercy Slayer. When I saw Phantom‘s follow-up, Tyrants of Wrath, floating around in the sump pit, I waded into Castle de AMG’s mucky moat, battling tentacled meanies and dodging Grier‘s skid mark-ruined speedos to retrieve it. I was eager to find out if Tyrants of Wrath would fill me with war lust and have me storming the gates or leave me non-plussed and in my cups, lazily slumped next to a fire.
Tyrants of Wrath sounds straight out of 1985 and finds Phantom tweaking the more straightforward formula used on Handed to Execution. Carryover traces of early Metallica and Slayer, with some Kreator and Razor bits thrown in for good measure, remain intact as forays into trad-metal, second-wave black metal, and atmospheric organ/piano interludes attempt to expand Phantom‘s overall sonicscape. JC Necrohex and Harel Mortem fly across fretboards in flurries of furious riffs and chaotic lead work, imbuing early tracks like “The Tower of Seth” and “Violent Invasion” with raw, thrashy, speed metal intensity that lands just this side of completely unhinged. The chorus to the Midnight-fueled banger “Thunderbeast” will have you pounding your chest, eager to make war, not love. JC’s vocals remain on point for the style, pairing blackened growls ala Kreator‘s Endless Pain-era Ventor mixed with high-pitched screams that would put a smile on Tom Araya’s face. Rair Tavizon provides pounding bass lines, and JP Alatorre rounds out the rhythm section, turning in a serviceable drum performance that mostly corrals Phantom‘s chaotic acrobatics, but not always. With more expansive songwriting and experimentation, Tyrants of Wrath is the product of a young band broadening its musical horizons.
The ambition of Phantom‘s vision exceeds the resources available to execute it successfully. While the front edge of Tyrants‘ sword does positive damage, holes in the castle’s defenses start to show when “Nimbus” rolls around. Meant as a traditional nod toward old-school influences like Manilla Road and Heavy Load, the track suffers from weak instrumentation—its strongest pulse some Maiden-esque dual guitar leads—and clean vocals that never stretch from their narrow baritone range, hobbling with broken wings, a track meant to soar like an eagle. Add in the amateurish, Egyptian-tinged “Lost in the Sands,” where the guitars and drums fall entirely out of sync and distract rather than charm, to the very awkwardly performed, ill-flowing piano interlude “Nocturnal Opus 666,” and it’s clear Phantom is unable to stretch far enough to fulfill Tyrants of Wrath‘s intended goal.
With a runtime of just over forty-eight minutes, Tyrants of Wrath is far from the brevity of Handed to Execution, which is disappointing because the unrealized gains of Phantom‘s experimentation lead to this bloat. That’s not to say every experiment fails, as the spooky intro, spunky-punk bass, and tremolo strumming of “Dance of the Spiders” works in a mostly non-Phantom way, and closer “Dark Wings of Death,” an excellent amalgamation of speed-thrashy chugs and trad-heavy, war horse galloping riffs make for a trver representation of what an evolved Phantom is capable of. I’m happy my active listening of “Dark Wings of Death” allowed me to reach that conclusion since, sadly, the fatigue I felt during my initial, traditionally linear listening sessions left me apathetic to this last song’s successful charms.
Phantom is a fun and very young band, which works in their favor as they continue to evolve and find their footing. Handed to Execution was a nostalgically compelling and raucously promising debut. While I think Tyrants of Wrath, despite its expansive intentions, sees Phantom take a step back, there’s a lot to look forward to as well. I commend these youngsters for having the courage to look beyond the relative success of their previous effort to do something exactly as they want. There are glimpses on Tyrants of Wrath of what a more mature third Phantom outing could sound like, and you can bet I’ll be there to listen to it.

Rating: 2.5/5.0
DR: 10 | Format Reviewed: 320kbps mp3
Label: High Roller Records
Website: Bandcamp
Releases Worldwide: April 25th, 2025
#25 #2025 #Apr25 #HighRollerRecords #Kreator #Metallica #MexicanMetal #Phantom #Razor #Review #Reviews #Slayer #SpeedMetal #ThrashMetal #TyrantsOfWrath

#apr25 #highrollerrecords #kreator #metallica #mexicanmetal #phantom
Angry Metal Guy @[email protected] · 2025-05-04 · 13:39 UTC

Vomitizer – Release the Rats Review
By Mark Z.
I’m this site’s resident “vomit” guy. I didn’t choose this life, it chose me. Nonetheless, I take my duties seriously, and when I see a band in the promo bin with “vomit” in the name, I know I have to review it (even if I’m a fucking week late in doing so). So it was with Vomitrot, so it was with the bands before them, and so it is with Vomitizer. Formed in 2023, this dirty Norwegian group bring with them experience in many other metal bands I’ve never heard of, including Chton, Corroder, Cleaver, and Ghetto Ghouls. Release the Rats is the band’s debut album and is described as “a concept album telling an apocalyptic story about how the world rots through fanatics, pestilence and the pure evil of mankind.” I question the need to even listen to this record given that this “story” seems to just be everyday life these days, but such are my solemn duties as this site’s designated vomit scholar. Fortunately, while Vomitizer deliver the nastiness you’d expect from their name, they also offer a few surprises that make for a decent little romp through the filth of the world.
At its core, Release the Rats is a death metal album, though Vomitizer often incorporate ideas that cause this putrid pile to ooze over stylistic borders. The ragged, chunky riffs that serve as the album’s building blocks remind me of a certain thrower of bolts, while the manic, phlegmy rasp of vocalist “PeTerror” likewise feels most firmly rooted in the death metal genre. Yet atop this foundation, you have more atypical moments, like the sharp clean picking that appears in the chorus of the opener, “A Wonderful World to Destroy,” and the verses of the second track, “Rat Religion.” Both “Rat Religion” and a later highlight, “Something Dark and Bloody Did Indeed Occur,” also venture even further from the metal of death, incorporating frostier progressions that evoke the blackened spirit of Immortal’s Sons of Northern Darkness.
Though the sound is raw and unkempt, Vomitizer’s ability to craft direct and memorable songs causes them to be successful regardless of exactly what style they’re playing. “The Church of Rats” slows things to a more shambling pace early in the runtime, yet the switchup feels entirely welcome at that point in the album, and the song’s big, dominant chords ultimately make for a solid tune. Later, “The Reek of Death” again slows things down but takes a sludgier approach in doing so, sounding like what would probably happen if Bolt Thrower drank Eyehategod’s bath water. Perhaps the oddest switchup comes in “Indulge into Chaos,” which features gruff, semi-clean vocals that sound something like Crowbar. Through it all, the band have a snotty, anything-goes attitude that’s hard not to find at least somewhat endearing.
Though nothing here is bad, the album is hampered a bit by a lack of consistency. After opening with three of its strongest songs, the record immediately gives us some of its weakest. Compared to the opening cuts, “Pestilence (the Sickness)” is much shorter and feels like it could have used more time in the incubator. “Rattus Rittualis” is also a misstep. The two-minute song is essentially an extended buildup, making it sound more like an album intro that was accidentally placed as the fourth track. Later, “Raw Meat” barrels forward with lots of energy but little impact. Through it all, the production gets the job done, with an unpolished sound that presents everything clearly without doing anything special. Fortunately, the closer, “Wicked Supremacy,” ends things in a strong fashion, with its groaning tremolos and catchy chugs coming the closest to evoking the trve glory of Bolt Thrower.
Ultimately, Release the Rats sounds like one of those fun little records that you randomly discover years after its release and are happy you did so, even if it doesn’t quite rise to the level of “hidden gem.” I appreciate the album’s memorability, diversity, and quality riffs, but the occasionally undercooked compositions hold it back a bit. Nonetheless, even if Vomitizer seem more obsessed with rodents than retching up last night’s dinner, they’re still more than worthy of the “vomit” name, and those looking for an eclectic and enjoyable batch of extreme metal tunes could find far worse ways to spend 34 minutes.

Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 8 | Format Reviewed: 128 kbps mp3
Label: Undercover Records
Websites: Facebook | instagram.com/vomitizerofficial
Releases Worldwide: April 25th, 2025
#2025 #30 #Apr25 #BlackMetal #BoltThrower #Chton #Cleaver #Corroder #Crowbar #DeathMetal #Eyehategod #GhettoGhouls #Immortal #NorwegianMetal #ReleaseTheRats #Review #Reviews #UndercoverRecords #Vomitizer #Vomitrot

#apr25 #blackmetal #boltthrower #chton #cleaver #corroder
Angry Metal Guy @[email protected] · 2025-05-01 · 19:51 UTC

Ancient Bards – Artifex Review
By Killjoy
Italy’s Ancient Bards was one of my formative bands as a budding metalhead. Their original trilogy (The Alliance of the Kings, Soulless Child, A New Dawn Ending) received tons of playtime as I dove headfirst through my twin gateways of symphonic and power metal years ago. Then, one fateful day amidst my excitement for a brand new album, I happened upon Eldritch Elitist’s review of Origine by way of a Google search, the first I ever read on Angry Metal Guy. Its brutal and unflinching honesty initially shocked my naïve, uninitiated mind but though I would have rated Origine a touch higher, I had to agree that it was the weakest Ancient Bards record thus far. And now that fifth album, Artifex, is here, I’m relieved to report that this is still the case.
Ancient Bards have now completed their transition from symphonic power metal to power symphonic metal. Songwriter Daniele Mazza’s orchestral and choral arrangements were always important, but now they positively drench the music. It’s impossible not to hear Epica in the unabashed bombastic excess, an association further cemented by a guest appearance from Mark Jansen as he practically breathes fire delivering his lines in “The Empire of Black Death.” Sara Squadrani’s voice sounds sharper than ever, soaring and slicing like the Black Crystal Sword that serves as the focal point for the Bards’ epic saga. Martino Garattoni’s frisky bass noodling crosses over from Ne Obliviscaris to Artifex—especially echoing his other band when paired with the guest violin1 in “Soulbound Symphony”—and offers rich counterpoint melodies while filling out the lower end nicely.
Ancient Bards have grown more confident with increasingly complex songwriting. The choir’s lines are largely distinct from Squadrani’s, discontinuing the prior tendency to dilute her lead vocals. The operatic swells that punctuate “Soulbound Symphony” and “My Prima Nox” supercharge the music with euphoric energy. Further, “My Blood and Blade” literally channels the climactic power of Ancient Bards’ earlier work by cleverly weaving an identical choral melody from A New Dawn Ending’s “Showdown” into this chapter’s final battle. Unfortunately, some of the issues that cropped up on Origine persist on Artifex, most noticeably when the orchestral compositions evoke the heavy-handed, “tell, don’t show” style common in movie trailers (“Ministers of Light,” “Luminance and Abyss,” “Mystic Echoes”). Regardless of how strong each orchestral segment is, it’s disappointing that they’ve essentially supplanted Claudio Pietronik’s guitar leads, which are usually buried underneath everything else outside of their allotted shredding time during the bridges. Artifex is an improvement in many technical respects, but it sometimes feels like the symphonic elements have become the end rather than the means.
Artifex has no shortage of adventurous and exciting moments, but the overall pacing makes it less enthralling as a whole. The hour-long album sags under the weight of two ballads (“Unending,” “Sea of Solitude”) and the two bookending narrative tracks (“Luminance and Abyss,” “Artifex”). “Unending” is particularly troublesome, as it clotheslines the momentum garnered from back-to-back guest vocalists Francesco Cavalieri of Wind Rose (“The Vessel”) and the aforementioned Mark Jansen of Epica (“The Empire of Black Death”). This generic love song stands in stark contrast with other Bards ballads that advanced character development with heart-wrenching topics like the loss of an infant child and, crucially, weren’t afraid to speed things up to keep the listener engaged. Luckily, Squadrani’s raw talent as a singer functions as a safety net when the songwriting fizzles and falls off the track. The other major speedbump is the Suite of Requiem and Solace (the final four songs replacing the customary epic concluding track), which takes a bit too long to wrap up the story after the electric resolution of “My Blood and Blade.”
Artifex is a wild ride with higher highs but also lower lows than ever before. When the symphonic compositions are integrated well, it feels exhilarating; when they feel forced, the songs fall flat. I’m not convinced that moving away from power metal is the right choice, as the guitarists are underutilized in this new style. But, while I don’t agree with every creative decision, I still enjoy Artifex and its masterful performances. It’s a humbling privilege to write the next Ancient Bards review after stumbling onto Eldritch’s years ago. Call it nostalgia if you like, but their earnest, heartfelt music still makes me happy. By that measure, I dub Artifex a success.

Rating: Good!
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Limb Music
Websites: ancientbards.bandcamp.com | ancientbards.com | facebook.com/ancientbards
Releases Worldwide: April 25th, 2025
#2025 #30 #AncientBards #Apr25 #Artifex #Cinematic #Epica #ItalianMetal #LimbMusic #NeObliviscaris #PowerMetal #Review #Reviews #SymphonicMetal #SymphonicPowerMetal #WindRose

#ancientbards #apr25 #artifex #cinematic #epica #italianmetal
Angry Metal Guy @[email protected] · 2025-04-30 · 19:29 UTC

Exterminatus – Echoes From a Distant Star Part 1 Review
By Owlswald
“Exterminatus” is a Warhammer 40k term that describes a global mass extinction event authorized by the emperor when the Imperium deems the cost of holding or retaking a planet too high. While I’m naïve about such things, Canadian fivesome Exterminatus certainly isn’t. And these Canucks are here to incinerate your eardrums with a heavy dose of sci-fi inspired tech-death. Originally demoed in 2012, Echoes From a Distant Star Part I was to be the follow-up to Xenocide’s debut album, Galactic Oppression. However, the group disbanded before they completed the album, and its members—including most of the original lineup—subsequently formed Exterminatus. Thirteen years later, these Vancouverites have released two solid albums and are finally prepared to relaunch Echoes after recording and re-recording the material three times. Seeking to venture into deep space through a celestial narrative that investigates interstellar creation and its obscure realities, I’m left wondering if the destination justifies the voyage.
Raising the pace and intensity of its predecessors, Exterminatus mostly operates in overdrive on Echoes, peppering the limited moments of empty space with Faceless-esque grooves and melodic leads. Lead by the dual axe attacks of Tabreez Azad and Elia Baghbaniyan, the duo warps the fabric of reality with their percussive shredding, laser-fire tremolos, and technical articulation, flicking and tapping for thirty minutes across the album’s seven chapters.1 Together with Max Sepulveda’s (The Zenith Passage) ruthless drumming, the trio dominate the record’s linear mix, occasionally permitting Lucas Abreu’s virtuosic basslines to break through the wall of crushing brutality (“The Cloud,” “Suffer in Silence”). Lukas Bresan’s heavy Archspire-like growls provide additional gravity as they narrate Echoes’ grand planetary saga. Drawing inspiration from the famous works of Isaac Asimov and Arthur C. Clarke, as well as the Stargate SG-1 and Mass Effect franchises, Exterminatus explores the universe’s fundamental forces through the familiar and technical movements of tech-death’s stalwarts.
Exterminatus thrive when they back off the accelerator and use their technical expression to manipulate the cosmos in a manner that boosts Echoes’ groove-rich currents. Closer “The Signal,” is a no-frills banger that finishes with a savage dose of syncopated thrash riffs and agile drumming that aptly finds the balance between brutality and accessibility. Abreu’s playful bass lines at the onset of “Cosmic Disturbance” conveys its ominous warning with finesse, while the pulse-driven riffing of the song’s end hits with the power of a supernova. Meanwhile, the heroic solo before the launch of “Starbound” or the melodic leads of “The New Theia” provide moments of respite around outbursts of cosmic turbulence. Though Echoes’ highlights are generally not as memorable as I would like, there are enough amidst the onslaught of staccatos, pummeling double bass, and light speed shifts to provide necessary touchstones and avoid a full system overload.
Still, Exterminatus’ ambitious pursuit fares better in concept than in execution. Track sequencing and songwriting diminish Echoes’ voyage, hindering the whole with abrupt openings and sudden descents that disrupt the journey. Songs like “Primordial Sea,” and “The New Theia” suffer from bloat, while “Suffer in Silence” and “The Signal” seem truncated. Accordingly, Echoes feels more academic than vibrant, a collection of separate tracks that are challenging to connect with, rather than an absorbing cosmic saga. Additionally, the production sacrifices nuance and emotion for volume and intensity, thereby crushing any promise of dynamics. The overly loud mix is too aggressive—particularly the drums and guitars—which fatigued my ears and became frustrating. Likewise, Exterminatus’ reliance on tropey bass drops to replace the lack of energy in Echoes’ peak moments are a distraction, achieving the opposite of their intended effect.
Despite years of development, Echoes doesn’t hit its mark. Exterminatus clearly possess the talent to create something special, and their commitment to crafting an ambitious, sci-fi narrative is commendable. However, the album’s songwriting and production prevent it from reaching its potential, serving instead as a demonstration of what they are capable of. What Echoes lacks in cohesion, it partly compensates for in technical expression and sheer sonic intensity. But if Exterminatus can refine the issues that hinder Echoes, their next venture into the cosmos could be great indeed.

Rating: Mixed
DR: 4 | Format Reviewed: 256 kbps mp3
Label: Self-Released
Websites: exterminatus.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/exterminatusband
Releases Worldwide: April 18, 2025
#25 #2025 #Apr25 #Archspire #CanadianMetal #DeathMetal #EchoesFromADistantStarPart1 #Exterminatus #Review #Reviews #SelfReleased #TechnicalDeathMetal #TheFaceless #TheZenithPassage

#apr25 #archspire #canadianmetal #deathmetal #echoesfromadistantstarpart1 #exterminatus
Angry Metal Guy @[email protected] · 2025-04-28 · 11:19 UTC

Sijjin – Helljjin Combat Review
By Mark Z.
I’ve heard people say that today’s music has nothing new to offer, but I actually think it has the opposite problem. To me, there are too many fucking bands out there playing technical blackened dissodeath with a tuba or some shit and not enough who simply take a tried-and-true style and execute it well. Such was what initially drew me to Sijjin. Right around the time their infamous doom-death band Necros Christos dissolved in 2021, bassist/vocalist Malte Gericke and drummer Iván Hernández joined forces with guitarist Ekaitz Garmendia (Legen Beltza) to pay homage to the earliest years of death metal with Sijjin’s full-length debut, Sumerian Promises. With its twisted tremolos and thrashy undercurrents, Sumerian Promises was a fun throwback that reeked with the archaic death stench of bands like Sadistic Intent, Mortem, Atomic Aggressor, and early Morbid Angel. Almost four years later, the group have now finally delivered their second album, Helljjin Combat. But is this a triumphant victory or yet another casualty of the heavy metal battlefield?
One thing is clear: Helljjin Combat is quite a bit different than its predecessor. The change in approach is apparent right from the opener, “Fear Not the Tormentor,” which begins with an extended instrumental opening that uses technical riffing and lively bass guitar in a way that almost sounds like Voivod. The tech-thrash vibe continues throughout the songs’s eight-and-a-half minute runtime, with dexterous fretwork trading off with quick, chunky chords and twirling tremolos, all anchored by a refrain that consists of a staccato shout of the track title. While it’s not the primitive death-thrash I was looking for, it’s a fine song in its own right.
Unfortunately, the rest of the album isn’t quite as successful in executing the band’s new style. It soon becomes apparent that many of these eight tracks spend less time delivering sharp hooks and memorable riffs and more time simply lurching forward on mid-paced pseudo-grooves that only occasionally get the head bobbing. Sometimes, interesting ideas will crop up, like when “Religious Insanity Denies Slavery” evokes old Metallica with a dusty, cleanly-picked midsection that builds into Old West-style lead guitars. Yet moments like this only make it more apparent how so much of the surrounding material fails to stand out. It doesn’t help that none of these songs are under five minutes, and it’s also unfortunate how many of them open with similar-sounding semi-technical riffs that make me contemplate hitting the stop button well before the album’s 49 minutes are over. Malte’s vocals also sound throatier and less raspy than on Sumerian Promises, which is fitting for the band’s new approach but still isn’t the most welcome change.
Fortunately, there’s some stuff to enjoy here. The two pre-release songs, “Dakhma Curse” and “Five Blades,” probably won’t make anyone’s Song ‘O the Year List, but at least their nimble riffing and quicker rhythms offer the album a nice shot of energy. “The Southern Temple” serves as a decent closer with the more powerful riffing in its second half, and the band’s instrumental prowess is more impressive than ever (especially Ekaitz’s adept riffing and solos). Ekaitz recorded the album in his own studio in the Basque Country, and the result is fantastic. The sound is clear and powerful, with the guitars roaring confidently and the bass guitar maintaining an active and distinct presence below the riffing. And while the atmosphere isn’t as strong as the debut, there’s still a whiff of ancient evil here that I find most welcome.
Yet ultimately, Helljjin Combat is the epitome of a Mixed bag. While the production and the instrumental performances are great, the songwriting is less compelling. With a few sharper hooks, tighter track lengths, and a couple of faster songs, Helljjin Combat could have easily been better than Sumerian Promises. As it is, I can’t help but be a bit disappointed that not only did Sijjin choose to move away from death metal and into a more technical thrash metal sound, but also that they didn’t do the best job executing this new style. While there are a couple of decent songs and some impressive things here, I don’t see Helljjin Combat as an album I’ll be returning to often.

Rating: 2.5/5.0
DR: 9 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Sepulchral Voice Records
Websites: sijjin.bandcamp.com | Facebook | instagram.com/sijjin_official
Releases Worldwide: April 25th, 2025
#25 #2025 #Apr25 #AtomicAggressor #DeathMetal #HelljjinCombat #InternationalMetal #LegenBeltza #Metallica #MorbidAngel #Mortem #NecrosChristos #Review #Reviews #SadisticIntent #SepulchralVoiceRecords #Sijjin #ThrashMetal #Voivod

#apr25 #atomicaggressor #deathmetal #helljjincombat #internationalmetal #legenbeltza
Angry Metal Guy @[email protected] · 2025-04-28 · 11:19 UTC

Sijjin – Helljjin Combat Review
By Mark Z.
I’ve heard people say that today’s music has nothing new to offer, but I actually think it has the opposite problem. To me, there are too many fucking bands out there playing technical blackened dissodeath with a tuba or some shit and not enough who simply take a tried-and-true style and execute it well. Such was what initially drew me to Sijjin. Right around the time their infamous doom-death band Necros Christos dissolved in 2021, bassist/vocalist Malte Gericke and drummer Iván Hernández joined forces with guitarist Ekaitz Garmendia (Legen Beltza) to pay homage to the earliest years of death metal with Sijjin’s full-length debut, Sumerian Promises. With its twisted tremolos and thrashy undercurrents, Sumerian Promises was a fun throwback that reeked with the archaic death stench of bands like Sadistic Intent, Mortem, Atomic Aggressor, and early Morbid Angel. Almost four years later, the group have now finally delivered their second album, Helljjin Combat. But is this a triumphant victory or yet another casualty of the heavy metal battlefield?
One thing is clear: Helljjin Combat is quite a bit different than its predecessor. The change in approach is apparent right from the opener, “Fear Not the Tormentor,” which begins with an extended instrumental opening that uses technical riffing and lively bass guitar in a way that almost sounds like Voivod. The tech-thrash vibe continues throughout the songs’s eight-and-a-half minute runtime, with dexterous fretwork trading off with quick, chunky chords and twirling tremolos, all anchored by a refrain that consists of a staccato shout of the track title. While it’s not the primitive death-thrash I was looking for, it’s a fine song in its own right.
Unfortunately, the rest of the album isn’t quite as successful in executing the band’s new style. It soon becomes apparent that many of these eight tracks spend less time delivering sharp hooks and memorable riffs and more time simply lurching forward on mid-paced pseudo-grooves that only occasionally get the head bobbing. Sometimes, interesting ideas will crop up, like when “Religious Insanity Denies Slavery” evokes old Metallica with a dusty, cleanly-picked midsection that builds into Old West-style lead guitars. Yet moments like this only make it more apparent how so much of the surrounding material fails to stand out. It doesn’t help that none of these songs are under five minutes, and it’s also unfortunate how many of them open with similar-sounding semi-technical riffs that make me contemplate hitting the stop button well before the album’s 49 minutes are over. Malte’s vocals also sound throatier and less raspy than on Sumerian Promises, which is fitting for the band’s new approach but still isn’t the most welcome change.
Fortunately, there’s some stuff to enjoy here. The two pre-release songs, “Dakhma Curse” and “Five Blades,” probably won’t make anyone’s Song ‘O the Year List, but at least their nimble riffing and quicker rhythms offer the album a nice shot of energy. “The Southern Temple” serves as a decent closer with the more powerful riffing in its second half, and the band’s instrumental prowess is more impressive than ever (especially Ekaitz’s adept riffing and solos). Ekaitz recorded the album in his own studio in the Basque Country, and the result is fantastic. The sound is clear and powerful, with the guitars roaring confidently and the bass guitar maintaining an active and distinct presence below the riffing. And while the atmosphere isn’t as strong as the debut, there’s still a whiff of ancient evil here that I find most welcome.
Yet ultimately, Helljjin Combat is the epitome of a Mixed bag. While the production and the instrumental performances are great, the songwriting is less compelling. With a few sharper hooks, tighter track lengths, and a couple of faster songs, Helljjin Combat could have easily been better than Sumerian Promises. As it is, I can’t help but be a bit disappointed that not only did Sijjin choose to move away from death metal and into a more technical thrash metal sound, but also that they didn’t do the best job executing this new style. While there are a couple of decent songs and some impressive things here, I don’t see Helljjin Combat as an album I’ll be returning to often.

Rating: 2.5/5.0
DR: 9 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Sepulchral Voice Records
Websites: sijjin.bandcamp.com | Facebook | instagram.com/sijjin_official
Releases Worldwide: April 25th, 2025
#25 #2025 #Apr25 #AtomicAggressor #DeathMetal #HelljjinCombat #InternationalMetal #LegenBeltza #Metallica #MorbidAngel #Mortem #NecrosChristos #Review #Reviews #SadisticIntent #SepulchralVoiceRecords #Sijjin #ThrashMetal #Voivod

#apr25 #atomicaggressor #deathmetal #helljjincombat #internationalmetal #legenbeltza
Angry Metal Guy @[email protected] · 2025-04-27 · 14:08 UTC

Benthos – From Nothing Review
By Dear Hollow
It’s sexy when things you love collide with things you hate. My lust for mathcore is well-established – I go hard for that mind-numbing dyscalculic tinnitus any day – but if you put a slab of prog metal in front of me, I’m gonna go as flaccid as a gummy worm in a hot car faster than you can say “Wilderun.” That’s Benthos. The Italian collective slides a platter of progressive rock’s lush, ambivalent, and emotive movements alongside mathcore’s jagged edges and feral energy, and you’re guaranteed to find something you’ll love and hate – and get hot and bothered by. It’s core’s sellout and prog’s elitism personified in the dichotomy of the heavenly and hellish – yet in your divinely appointed and coarsely deadly free will, you decide which is which. In the words of the wisest, “yeet and yoink” with this particular Haken-themed hatefuck.
Benthos has been around since 2018, and gained recognition in their hometown of Milan by opening for The Contortionist and appearing in the Dissonance Festival in 2023. From Nothing is their debut full-length, although they released the ironically titled EP/mini-album II in 2021. Settled upon a foundation of lush melodies and evasive chord progressions before exploding into frantic Dillinger-inspired rhythm abuse, the act wavers between super serious and frantically silly, soulful cleans colliding haphazardly with demonic shrieks. From Nothing is ambitious in fusing two styles strangely congruous but also not at all, but in the end Benthos is exactly split down the middle, its arrhythmic beatdowns stealing the spotlight from masturbatory prog sections, blurring into some ambivalently erotic background.
First glances of Benthos are synth-heavy progressions and killer vocals. Gabriele Landillo has a formidable set of pipes, their post-hardcore-meets-Chino Moreno vibe lending a creeping sexiness (“Let Me Plunge,” “The Giant Child”) and a desperate belt that adds serious dynamic and show-stealing propensity (“From Nothing,” “Pure”), keeping the more uninteresting passages from descending into drearier monotony. Without careful listening, however, the proggier tracks blur together in a blurry pastel mesh in sprawling layered atmospheric rock tricks – serious synth on guitar action – with interspersed chuggy portions, feeling like a less nuanced songwriting a la (recent) The Contortionist or The Fall of Troy. Speaking of your favorite dark romance crooner Chino, From Nothing feels quite a bit like Deftones’ Gore in its decision to put include metal as a mere monument marker on the jaded journey to the pits of prog – ultimately, a bit of a cockblock. Benthos mixing is likewise stellar, Alberto Fiorani’s dummy thicc bass as audible as the cheek-clapping guitars and slamming drums.
Of its two audio halves, Benthos’ more chaotic mathcore attacks offer the best listening experience. After the vastly longwinded four-song introductory blur, the intro to “As a Cordyceps” introduces what makes From Nothing worth a bit more. Practically brimming with energy, the mathcore technicality and hardcore intensity finally kick in. This continues into the easy highlights that dispense the prog fluff into something that feels cutthroat and quirky, wonky leads weaponized with nimble and mind-bending rhythms (“Fossil,” “Athletic Worms,” “Perpetual Drone Monkeys”). These give Benthos more breathing room when the proggy sensibilities raise their ill-smelling feet, offering nuance to otherwise unwelcoming rooms. These also incorporate more of these chunkier vibes into more mundane moments, letting the rhythms inject a tasteful – albeit short-lived – dose of intensity (“The Giant Child,” “Pure”).
The best and worst part about From Nothing is that Benthos manages to sound both bored to tears and absolutely apeshit depending on which part you tune into. Its moments of unhinged insanity are too few and far between to warrant consistency or balance… or a solid recommendation. But if you’re like Dolphin Whisperer and like your music hot and heavy, while disrobing From Nothing’s many sexy layers and textured sprawls, take a cold shower before venturing out to pick up a copy.1 Benthos offers promise with the softness for the foreplay and the vigor for the penetration, but From Nothing has difficulty keeping it up across its forty-five minute runtime with too-long portions of pretty monotony2 and excessive indulgence,3 but armed with a vocalist both sexy and devastating and an instrumental presence as bonkers as it is patient… goddammit, I need a cold shower now.4

Rating: 2.5/5.0
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Inside Out Music
Websites: benthosmusic.bandcamp.com | benthos-band.com | facebook.com/benthosbandofficial
Releases Worldwide: April 11th, 2025
#25 #2025 #Apr25 #Benthos #Deftones #FromNothing #Haken #InsideOutMusic #ItalianMetal #Mathcore #ProgressiveMetal #ProgressiveRock #Review #Reviews #TheContortionist #TheDillingerEscapePlan #TheFallOfTroy #Wilderun

#apr25 #benthos #deftones #fromnothing #haken #insideoutmusic
Angry Metal Guy @[email protected] · 2025-04-26 · 12:49 UTC
Cave Sermon – Fragile Wings Review
By Thus Spoke
For the second year in a row, I was blindsided by a silent Cave Sermon drop. At least it didn’t take me 11 months to catch up this time.1 Album number three, Fragile Wings, sees Charlie Parks returning as a solo act, but now handling vocals on top of everything else. This latter is a welcome development, given how well the previous record proved vocals complement and enhance the unique musical style. After Divine Laughter blew my socks off and nonchalantly pushed its way to the top half of my 2024 year-end list, a follow-up so soon filled me with a mixture of excitement and trepidation. Surely he couldn’t do it again? But, of course, he has.
Fragile Wings is instantly recognisable as Cave Sermon, but rather than simply being Divine Laughter part two—not that I would have complained about that—it is tonally quite different. Different, but with the same dreamlike longing at its core. Whereas its predecessor felt nihilistic and angry, Fragile Wings is a little more vulnerable, a little sadder, and more wistful. This shines through the now more prominent melodies, which feel playful and exuberant, in the beguiling way that characterises Cave Sermon’s sound. Fluid layers of liquid strums, riffs that vibrate alternately with urgency and mirth (“Hopeless Magic,” “”Moloch”), and tremolos that burr and hum as much as they warble like songbirds up and down scales (“Three-Headed Moth,” “Ancient to Someone”). The untamed tempos that lead tracks through a series of stomps, sways, charges, and thoughtful pauses are more mischievous than before, in a way that makes explicit the spirited defiance that bubbled within Divine Laughter. Parks’ vocals work just as well as Miguel Méndez’s did, if not better, against this vibrant backdrop, and there’s an additional weight given to the already strange and touching lyrics because their author is now delivering them himself.
Fragile Wings is stirring and vivacious, and somehow outdoes Divine Laughter in its sparkling dynamism and bright unusualness. After arresting with odd, colourful arrangements, Cave Sermon looks wryly over at the listener and says, “watch this,” as some effervescent lead comes frolicking in (“Moloch,” “Three-Headed Moth”), or an already satisfying groove switches to a new dance with a flick and a crash (“Hopeless Magic,” “Ancient for Someone”); you can’t help but smile back. The very way guitars are distorted, and the atmosphere surrounding their notes and the here-skittish, there-assertive percussion, is…different. And this is all charming because it’s not self-indulgent; not weird and challenging and complicated, but refreshing, like a splash of cool water to the face on a hot day. All the more so given how Cave Sermon makes it look easy, creating a soundscape that seems simpler than it is, managing to presage and reprise melodies and rhythms in a way I can only describe as “very cool.” Interwoven strands of ethereal ambience—warm strums and purring high notes (“Arrows and Clay,” “Sunless Morning”)—violent sludgy riffs and a tripping, resonant drumbeat (“Moloch,” “Ancient for Someone”); symphonies of burbling tremolo and synths (“Hopeless Magic,” “Ancient for Someone”); and the delicate assuredness of wavering melodies, each are so carefully placed, but weightless, as though carried by some spirited wind that breezes through each track.
In this organic, careless novelty and expression, Fragile Wings continues what Divine Laughter established, but does it better. Not only is it more poignant, it flows with a more tangible through-line, and even cleverer rhythmic interplay. There is no track-length ambient noise here; this tendency is relegated to the faded conversation that closes “Arrows and Clay,” and the birdsong scattered over the serene first act of “Sunless Morning.” The difference is that these are not divorced from the music, but part of it, contributing to its sense of nostalgia, and sombre reflectiveness. A harsher version of me would still argue that the first half of “Sunless Morning” is a bit too slow of a build, but another would gesture fanatically at the song’s second act, with its quaking bass refrain and heartfelt tremolo descent melody that might actually be the best on the album, before it enters another wild dance I won’t spoil. Cave Sermon has refined their ability to transition between energies and styles whilst keeping the tone consistent. So seamless is the integration that it no longer feels like multiple genres are in play, but like a new one entirely.
Fragile Wings confirms what I had secretly hoped, that Divine Laughter was not just lightning in a bottle. If anything, it only raises the bar. Cave Sermon create music that is some magical combination of emotionally stirring, endlessly engrossing, and completely unique. There is simply no other artist in metal making music like them.2 You have to hear this.

Rating: Excellent3
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Self-Release
Website: Bandcamp
Releases Worldwide: April 16th, 2025

Show 3 footnotes
1. Thank you, Dolph. ↩
2. If there is, please tell me who they are. ↩
3. Watch this space for a possible contrite upgrade. ↩
#2025 #45 #Apr25 #AustralianMetal #BlackMetal #CaveSermon #DeathMetal #ExperimentalMetal #FragileWings #PostMetal #Review #Reviews #SelfReleased #Sludge
#apr25 #australianmetal #blackmetal #cavesermon #deathmetal #experimentalmetal
Angry Metal Guy @[email protected] · 2025-04-26 · 12:49 UTC

Cave Sermon – Fragile Wings Review
By Thus Spoke
For the second year in a row, I was blindsided by a silent Cave Sermon drop. At least it didn’t take me 11 months to catch up this time.1 Album number three, Fragile Wings, sees Charlie Parks returning as a solo act, but now handling vocals on top of everything else. This latter is a welcome development, given how well the previous record proved vocals complement and enhance the unique musical style. After Divine Laughter blew my socks off and nonchalantly pushed its way to the top half of my 2024 year-end list, a follow-up so soon filled me with a mixture of excitement and trepidation. Surely he couldn’t do it again? But, of course, he has.
Fragile Wings is instantly recognisable as Cave Sermon, but rather than simply being Divine Laughter part two—not that I would have complained about that—it is tonally quite different. Different, but with the same dreamlike longing at its core. Whereas its predecessor felt nihilistic and angry, Fragile Wings is a little more vulnerable, a little sadder, and more wistful. This shines through the now more prominent melodies, which feel playful and exuberant, in the beguiling way that characterises Cave Sermon’s sound. Fluid layers of liquid strums, riffs that vibrate alternately with urgency and mirth (“Hopeless Magic,” “”Moloch”), and tremolos that burr and hum as much as they warble like songbirds up and down scales (“Three-Headed Moth,” “Ancient to Someone”). The untamed tempos that lead tracks through a series of stomps, sways, charges, and thoughtful pauses are more mischievous than before, in a way that makes explicit the spirited defiance that bubbled within Divine Laughter. Parks’ vocals work just as well as Miguel Méndez’s did, if not better, against this vibrant backdrop, and there’s an additional weight given to the already strange and touching lyrics because their author is now delivering them himself.
Fragile Wings is stirring and vivacious, and somehow outdoes Divine Laughter in its sparkling dynamism and bright unusualness. After arresting with odd, colourful arrangements, Cave Sermon looks wryly over at the listener and says, “watch this,” as some effervescent lead comes frolicking in (“Moloch,” “Three-Headed Moth”), or an already satisfying groove switches to a new dance with a flick and a crash (“Hopeless Magic,” “Ancient for Someone”); you can’t help but smile back. The very way guitars are distorted, and the atmosphere surrounding their notes and the here-skittish, there-assertive percussion, is…different. And this is all charming because it’s not self-indulgent; not weird and challenging and complicated, but refreshing, like a splash of cool water to the face on a hot day. All the more so given how Cave Sermon makes it look easy, creating a soundscape that seems simpler than it is, managing to presage and reprise melodies and rhythms in a way I can only describe as “very cool.” Interwoven strands of ethereal ambience—warm strums and purring high notes (“Arrows and Clay,” “Sunless Morning”)—violent sludgy riffs and a tripping, resonant drumbeat (“Moloch,” “Ancient for Someone”); symphonies of burbling tremolo and synths (“Hopeless Magic,” “Ancient for Someone”); and the delicate assuredness of wavering melodies, each are so carefully placed, but weightless, as though carried by some spirited wind that breezes through each track.
In this organic, careless novelty and expression, Fragile Wings continues what Divine Laughter established, but does it better. Not only is it more poignant, it flows with a more tangible through-line, and even cleverer rhythmic interplay. There is no track-length ambient noise here; this tendency is relegated to the faded conversation that closes “Arrows and Clay,” and the birdsong scattered over the serene first act of “Sunless Morning.” The difference is that these are not divorced from the music, but part of it, contributing to its sense of nostalgia, and sombre reflectiveness. A harsher version of me would still argue that the first half of “Sunless Morning” is a bit too slow of a build, but another would gesture fanatically at the song’s second act, with its quaking bass refrain and heartfelt tremolo descent melody that might actually be the best on the album, before it enters another wild dance I won’t spoil. Cave Sermon has refined their ability to transition between energies and styles whilst keeping the tone consistent. So seamless is the integration that it no longer feels like multiple genres are in play, but like a new one entirely.
Fragile Wings confirms what I had secretly hoped, that Divine Laughter was not just lightning in a bottle. If anything, it only raises the bar. Cave Sermon create music that is some magical combination of emotionally stirring, endlessly engrossing, and completely unique. There is simply no other artist in metal making music like them.2 You have to hear this.

Rating: Excellent3
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Self-Release
Website: Bandcamp
Releases Worldwide: April 16th, 2025
#2025 #45 #Apr25 #AustralianMetal #BlackMetal #CaveSermon #DeathMetal #ExperimentalMetal #FragileWings #PostMetal #Review #Reviews #SelfReleased #Sludge

#apr25 #australianmetal #blackmetal #cavesermon #deathmetal #experimentalmetal
Angry Metal Guy @[email protected] · 2025-04-25 · 18:30 UTC

Structure – Heritage Review
By Steel Druhm
Just when I thought I’d make it to May without awarding the coveted Steel ov Approval, an unheralded project erupts from the Netherlands and forces my unwilling hand. Structure is the labor of love of Bram Bijlhout, who served seven years as a guitarist in atmo-doom deathers Officium Triste. Now he’s putting his own spin on the genre, handling everything save for vocals and drums. In comes the esteemed Pim Blankenstein, also of Officium Triste and The 11th Hour, to handle the former, with Dirk Bruinenberg (Elegy, ex-Adagio) manning the latter. On the full-length debut, Structure prove this project can honor the doom Heritage that birthed it. This is a massive, monolithic slab of doom that paints a sweeping mural across your head and heart, all in gray and black. Crushing and gorgeous in equal parts, Heritage takes you on an immersive journey through the human experience, teaching you about fathomless despair, undying hope, and ultimately, redemption. It’s a staggering work of heartbreaking genius, and something every doom fan needs to know about.
The album opens with what may be the hands-down winner of Song o’ the Year, “Will I Deserve It.” It’s a monumental doom epic that caves in your chest with its raw power and brings a tear to the most jaded eye with its heart-wrenching beauty. Vaguely Bathorycore riffs thunder away as Pim emits inhumanly death bellows, and soon the melancholic trilling calls to the sadperson in all of us. It’s heavy as fook but maintains a forlorn, tragic air, taking one back to the glory days of the Peaceville Three and those early My Dying Bride and Anathema gems. When Bram cuts loose with his soloing at the 4-minute mark, bittersweet beauty blooms like springtime flowers over the grave of a dearly departed, like a gift to remind you that, no matter where their spirit roams, they’re with you always. I could write 750 words about this song alone, but suffice it to say, it’s brilliant. It’s the rare album that can match a radiant moment like this one, but Heritage is far from done with its smoke show. “What We Have Lost” drags things down into funeral doom territory for rib-cracking density before gradually evolving into a more melodic voyage. Bram’s emotive guitar weaves throughout the heaviness as minimalist piano lines plink mournfully, and Mr. Pim shakes the rafters with unbearable pain. It’s a wonder something this intensely despondent can be so captivating, but despite its nearly 8-minute runtime, when it ends, you’ll wish it hadn’t.

“Long Before Me” is even longer yet no less stunning. It’s so morose and gloriously depressive, it’s almost exhilarating. It sucks you in with its funereal trilling and carries you away in its dark embrace. The guitars from 5 minutes onward are so minimalist but pure perfection. The title track borrows much from Warning’s timeless Watching from a Distance, replicating that album’s unrelenting glumness perfectly, only to switch to Bolt Thrower-esque power chugs that threaten your very existence. Surrounding these moments are bright, melodic bits that take me back to Edge of Sanity’s Crimson. Closer “Until the Last Gasp” is a somber instrumental that imparts the same grim emptiness evoked by the denouement of Agalloch’s Ashes Against the Grain, making one feel as if they stand at the precipice of a swirling, matter-annihilating black hole. As the track advances, small hints of hope creep into the droning doom, imparting faint rays of light into the inky blackness. The album climaxes with horns blaring a sad but cautiously uplifting note, giving you the perfect ending to a truly stupendous journey. At 50 minutes, Heritage somehow feels much shorter, and despite the harrowing despair, you won’t want to escape its bleak cocoon. It almost hurts to hear the last strains fade away into silence. I haven’t had that experience in a long time. I’m at a loss to find flaws, and no song feels overlong or bloated. This is an album you must experience as a whole, and it’s shockingly easy to digest in its entirety.
I’m nothing but impressed by what Bram accomplished here. His writing is at another level, and his guitar work is stunning. He does so much by doing so little, always opting for feeling over showboating. His melodic touches are perfect and arrive at ideal times to take some of the burden from the listener’s shoulders. His heavy riffing is spot on, oppressive, pulverizing, and inevitable. He shows a great ability to inject real emotion into the music without leaning too much on Goth idioms. It’s all so well-crafted and defined that Heritage is more like a master’s canvas than a recording. Many moments triggered an emotional response in me, though I strenuously resist such things. Mr. Blankenstein was the perfect choice to provide vocals. His ungodly death roars are powerful and tooth-rattling, and he pairs superbly with the larger-than-life material. He’s the ideal doom-death front man, and this may be his finest hour. Ayreon / Star One singer Robert Soeterboek provides very sparse, understated, clean vocals and does a fine job.
When you spin an album as heavy and depressive as this and immediately want to hit replay, there’s something very right about it, and something very wrong with you. Heritage is as close to flawless as it gets, and I’m unable to pinpoint any areas that could be improved upon. This is a stunning accomplishment, and I can’t do Heritage justice with mere words. You need to experience this yourself. A MUST HEAR.

Rating: 4.5/5.0
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Ardua Music
Websites: structure-doom.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/structure.doom
Releases Worldwide: April 25th, 2025
#2025 #45 #Anathema #Apr25 #ArduaMusic #DeathMetal #DoomMetal #DutchMetal #Heritage #MyDyingBride #OfficiumTriste #Review #Reviews #Structure #The11thHour #Warning

#anathema #apr25 #arduamusic #deathmetal #doommetal #dutchmetal
Angry Metal Guy @[email protected] · 2025-04-25 · 15:01 UTC

Changeling – Changeling Review
By Dolphin Whisperer
Creation, evaluation, iteration—art lives and transforms an untold number of times before its flesh lays bare for a dissecting audience. Thus, the album runs on a path of turns sharp, around, back again—whatever it takes—before the artist declares it enough. Tom Geldschläger has worn many musical lives, both under his given moniker and “Fountainhead” with acclaimed acts like Obscura and Ingurgitating Oblivion, and as a performer/engineer. And now, with Changeling, Geldschläger seeks to express a culmination of his works, partnerships, and curiosities in a grand exploration of his unique fretless guitar stylings amongst progressive, orchestral, and deathly conjurings. In the credits alone—over thirty performers with credits ranging from Wagner tuba to marimba to an Andy LaRocque (King Diamond, ex-Illwill) wailing solo—Changeling shows its mutable form forged of virtuosity, novelty, and adventure.
Looking to the past to create a history-laced work with a fresh trajectory holds a foundational pillar throughout Changeling. Consumers of Geldschläger’s past—whether they’ve realized he was part of it or otherwise1—will notice signature shred motifs and Cynic-imbued urgencies that pass through shades of Akróasis (“Instant Results,” “Falling in Circles”),2 with the epic conclusion of “Anathema” holding as a spiritual successor to “Weltseele.” Geldschläger has also accumulated a talented Rolodex along the way, with minor identities like Matthias Preisinger’s (Shape of Dreams) piano and strings and Jan Ferdinand’s (Ingurgitating Oblivion) vibraphonic emissions holding necessary weight against primary contributors like the chameleonic Morean (Alkaloid) on word and voice and virtuoso Arran McSporran (Vipassi, ex-De Profundis) on dancing bass. In the spirit of true collaboration, the resulting Changeling wears progressive music, and its own associated acts, in a vision that screams and scurries and soars into the fade of a thunderous drum strike.
A unifying voice of fretboard bombast holds tight the flow that whips Changeling through its fiery, deathly roots and its experimental crawl and swell. Though progressive and technical death metal begin to define early numbers, Changeling holds loose to genre conventions and pairs playful string ensembles (“Falling in Circles”), rhythm-warping oud tuplets (“World? What World?”), and tabla-guided choirs (“Changeling”). Of course, dissonance in excess and avant-garde-isms can often pose heavy barriers to long-term enjoyment. And though Changeling dabbles plenty in both the ghastly awe of Morean’s off-kilter and emotional vocal charisma (“Abyss” and “Abdication” hosting the greatest highlights), and alien tonal explorations (“Cathexis Interlude”), the weight of diverse riffage and stupefying power of Geldschläger’s fretless anomolies anchor Changeling in masterful songcraft—every song idea cradled and decorated with mischievous flair.
In sequence, Changeling swells from short-form shredscapades (“Instant Results,” “Falling in Circles”) to novella-length celebrations (“Anathema”)—layers of progression towards a whole. Following its escalating narrative, Changeling’s themes follow the spasm of psychedelic expansion (“Instant Results”) to dissociated questioning (“World? What World?”) to ego breakdown (“Abyss”) to awakening and rebirth (“Abdication,” “Anathema”). And despite this overarching cohesion, each successive track introduces a new element, whether it be as simple as the Germanic drama of deep brass (“World? What World?”), as darting as the chase of wobbly percussion (“Changeling”), or as escaping as the Yes-via-Princess Mononoke of dreamlike orchestration (“Abdication”). With every piece finding a return and final hurrah in the throes of “Anathema,” Changeling’s lengthy run feels justified so long as you can give it proper time and space.
And even if you can’t carve an hour to explore Changeling’s enriched and engorged elaborations, the questions that Changeling raises with this fresh take on progressive death metal dig plenty deep, even at the song level. Just how many times does that main ostinato in “World? What World?” jump instruments? Where does one rapid-fire guitar arpeggio end and velvety bass recursion begin in “Instant Results”? Is that slippery lead intro to “Falling in Circles” a bend, a dive, a slide, or some unholy combo of all three? Does any solo compete with the triumphant stutter-to-squeal finale of “Anathema”? Sometimes the answers include a revelation that yes, in its Devin Townsend-y “wall of sound,” Changeling requires some loudness adjustments. And, yes, that snare packs a POW more aggressive than any other sound on the whole album. But after countless dives into its meticulous and eccentric world, it’s apparent that Changeling wears any flaws it may have with an empowering and intoxicating flamboyance.

Rating: 4.5/5.0
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Season of Mist | Bandcamp
Websites: thefountainhead.de | changelingofficial.bandcamp.com | instagram.com/changeling.official
Releases Worldwide: April 25th, 2025
#2025 #45 #Alkaloid #Apr25 #Changeling #Cynic #DeProfundis #DevinTownsend #GermanMetal #IngurgitatingOblivion #Obscura #ProgressiveDeathMetal #ProgressiveMetal #Review #Reviews #SeasonOfMist #ShapeOfDreams #SymphonicDeathMetal #TechnicalDeathMetal #Vipassi #Yes

#alkaloid #apr25 #changeling #cynic #deprofundis #devintownsend
Angry Metal Guy @[email protected] · 2025-04-25 · 11:17 UTC

Conan – Violence Dimension Review
By Alekhines Gun
Alongside money, sex, and the number 42, “To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and hear the lamentation of their women” remains the peak answer to the meaning of life. Such melodic woe, such malodorous despair is the anthem to many a succulent succumbing of the Other, the Lesser Than, and the Detested. Conan traffic in an unusually encouraging slab of doom; namely, rather than horror descending upon the listener, you are that horror, and woe betide all who come to oppose you and your curiously hawk-shaped weapons. Here to be the accompaniment to your next assault on all those whose name you scorn and singing the songs of your own personal terrorization of those beneath your notice, sixth LP Violence Dimension has arrived. Does it name a frame of mind? A place you exile your conquests? The wing of the dungeon the n00bs are kept in? Grab your noblest of steeds and polish your battle axe, we have a pillaging to get to.
While most subgenres survive based on the might of the RHIFF, doom survives as much on its tone as its composition. Violence Dimension offers that tone in spades, with a plod like the flinging of pure tar splatter into your eardrums and a woofer rattle thicker than a wooly mammoths mating thrusts. From the kickoff rumblings of “Frozen Edges of the Wound” to the opening quake of terror lifting the curtain on “Foeman’s Flesh”, Conan offer up a sound which sidesteps fuzzed out stoner tropes into something much more akin to banging impossibly large rocks together. The grindy, sub-one-minute “Warpsword” blasts with a sandpaper buzz to reduce your saber teeth to stumps in seconds. The vocals of Jon Davis echo across the neighboring mountain, bringing tidings of destruction meshed with rarely seen motivational lyrical refrains (“Total Bicep”) while riding grooves stacked atop grooves across the whole package.
Subjugating the Tyrannosaurus tone is one spear-chucking assault after another. “Desolation Hexx” comes out swinging an Ankylosaurus tail straight for the feeble brain cavity, only to keep wailing on you with extreme prejudice as drummer Johnny King switches his flows to take the repetition from merely brutal to prehistoric savagery. “Total Hex” rides riffs with balls bigger than Messa’s Belfry and closes out on a better Electric Wizard riff-and-fuzz-solo than that outfit has penned in several albums. Even the mostly instrumental title track manages to channel the sinister atmospheres of modern Bongripper into Conan’s own sense of identity and flow, with bass solos, ever-shifting drum fills, and one relentless chug after another violating the listener.
So with so much weighty blood and Brontosaurus poo being flung about, what’s the catch? Violence Dimension suffers excessively from “The Windhand paradox”. Every single song here features top-shelf, grade A, Triceratops steak medium rare riffage ready to create new caves to dwell in with their own might; these riffs are promptly run right past the stone age and well into the modern age, into regrettable monotony. Other than the possible exception of the title track (which itself starts to run out of steam the last couple of minutes), many of the songs don’t deserve the length they’re given. The shorter songs are absolute volcano cratering ragers, and every long song has many a melody of menace to welcome your enemies’ wives into your harem. But those moments don’t deserve to be repeated as often as they do, and what would make for a delightful 4 minute song gets pushed into a nine-to-ten-minute song with gleeful abandon. Closer “Ocean of Boiling Skin” is the worst offender, ending on a glorious clubbing of a groove and then ooga-booga’ing for a solid five extra minutes, until all the initial impact is long forgotten.
This is maddening because when Violence Dimension is on, it is on. Make no mistake, this is still a quality album and doom aficionados will find much to love here, but I’m rooting for more. Conan write unique, relatively uplifting, energetic doom, and I want more of it. I also want them to write riffs worthy of the song lengths they dole out, or commit to an album of shorter songs just to see what happens. For the moment, make sure your axes are sharpened and find your favorite loincloth, for Violence Dimension is here to ensure you have a fitting soundtrack to send your enemies to the great beyond in style.

Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 303 kbps mp3
Label: Heavy Psych Sounds Records
Websites: Album Bandcamp | Official Facebook Page
Releases Worldwide: April 25th, 2025
#2025 #30 #Apr25 #Bongripper #Conan #DoomMetal #ElectricWizard #HeavyPsychSoundsRecords #Messa #Review #Reviews #UKMetal #violenceDimension #Windhand

#apr25 #bongripper #conan #doommetal #electricwizard #heavypsychsoundsrecords
Angry Metal Guy @[email protected] · 2025-04-24 · 20:03 UTC

Wisdom & Fools – Prophecy Review
By Dr. A.N. Grier
Liminal Dread Productions has been on a roll with releases in the past year. Some really took it home (Vanessa Funke), while others (Weep) didn’t quite hit the mark. Now, they are back with the debut record from LA’s newest thrash band, Wisdom & Fools. As far as I can gather, this two-person outfit was a collaboration between vocalist/guitarist Philip Vargas and bassist John Ramirez, who fronts the one-person progressive death outfit Parasite. The only thing missing is a drummer. So, they bought a computer and did some shit. Prophecy is a brief record that tries to push the boundaries of thrash, technical thrash, and death. The result is a riff machine with harmonizing guitar leads and vocals in the vein of Pantera and Throwdown. It’s an odd combination of elements that could be an absolute hit or a thrash fire behind Albertson’s. Either way, its thirty-six-minute construction should at least get you through your morning coffee shits.
My favorite part about the band’s inception was their first release, a 2020 collab with Parasite called St. Angry (A Loving Tribute to Metallica’s St. Anger). Yep, you read that correctly. These four cover songs include “Dirty Window” and “Sweet Amber,” which absolutely no one asked for, especially considering that I prefer the unfiltered vocals of Papa Het to those of Vargas. After a couple of singles and an EP, Prophecy finally arrives as the band’s official debut LP. With eight original tracks that don’t include St. Anger covers, Wisdom & Fools set out with their programmed drums to leave a mark on the Bay Area thrash scene. But will that mark be a notch on the Big 4 bludgeoning club or that skid mark I had to wash out of my speedo?
The first thing you notice from the opening number, “Escaping Eden,” is its guitar chops and the bass that pops and rumbles like old-school Sadus. But after charging along with one of the better thrash licks on the album, the vocals kinda diminish the mood. The song becomes garbled with all the riff and mood changes, even if the death textures and stomping riff on the back end are nice touches. One of the best tracks on the album is “The Devil in a House of God.” The screaming vocals and heavy riffs deliver the goods, alternating between thrash mixtures and interesting, swirling guitar leads. The song also includes melodic elements, ’80s metal flourishes, and a headbangable interlude that—for some demented reason of my own—resembles the entrance song to WWE’s Hardy Boyz.
After the album comes out attacking, the back half introduces more melodic elements in back-to-back pieces, “Thorns” and “Perpetualis.” While “Thorns” is riddled with some interesting, old-school soloing and harmonizing guitar action, the song’s foundation is completely forgettable. And, once again, the vocals don’t help to bring this track up to the melodeath caliber it should be. Sadly, “Perpetualis” is an identical song to its predecessor. Repeating the verse, pre-chorus, and chorus sections for most of the track, the only interesting part is the harmonizing leads toward the end. Thankfully, the closer brings some semblance of justice to the previous tracks. “Husk” is a marching thrasher that dabbles in death-thrash territories before unveiling its own melodic tendencies. But the lush textures of the song’s outro are not enough to save the lackluster songwriting of the two previous tracks.
Prophecy is an enigma. While the performances are undoubtedly great—especially those harmonizing leads and the gigantic bass presence—the songwriting is lacking. Balancing between being a standard thrash band and a technical one, Prophecy achieves too much and too little at the same time. There are a lot of riffs on this platter, but they tend to blend rather than add memorable weight to the overall song. As stated before, the vocals also do little to contribute, and I find myself ignoring them to focus on the guitar and bass. All that to say, there is definitely something here that, with some restraint, could be great. Of all the songs, “The Devil in a House of God” seems to know what it wants to do, but most of the album becomes predictable, as if the riffs are used to promote the impressive leads and soloing sections. I’m not quite ready to write this band off, but this ain’t the album I wanted.

Rating: 2.0/5.0
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: WAV
Label: Liminal Dread Productions
Websites: wisdomfools.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/wisdomandfools
Releases Worldwide: April 25th, 2025
#20 #2025 #AmericanMetal #Apr25 #LiminialDreadProductions #Metallica #Pantera #Parasite #Prophecy #Review #Reviews #Sadus #ThrashMetal #Throwdown #VanessaFunke #Weep #WisdomFools

#americanmetal #apr25 #liminialdreadproductions #metallica #pantera #parasite
Angry Metal Guy @[email protected] · 2025-04-24 · 16:07 UTC

Kardashev – Alunea Review
By Carcharodon
Kardashev’s return has been the most eagerly anticipated in a year, and so far, it has been full of returning favorites. Since I discovered their stunning 2020 EP, The Baring of Shadows, they’ve been a firm favorite. Their progressive, blackened “deathgaze” was both haunting and beautiful in its ferociously emotive stylings. Although 2022’s Liminal Rite suffered a bit from its production, that didn’t stop me awarding it a 4.5 and placing it at #5 on my end-of-year List, both decisions that I stand by. Upping their progressive tendencies and leaning into longer form storytelling, I hoped the Arizonan quartet would carve their own little niche just a little deeper on fourth full-length, Alunea. Three years in the making, and picking up a tale they began on 2017’s The Almanac, can Kardashev possibly match what they achieved on Liminal Rite?
As Alunea opens on “A Precipice. A Door,” it’s immediately and unmistakably Kardashev. From the swelling wash of synths, through which Mark Garrett’s crystalline cleans and Nico Mirolla’s precise guitar lines slowly surface, to the propulsive, deftly progressive drum work by Sean Lang, I felt like I was on familiar ground. However, as Alunea progresses, it’s clear that the band’s journey is taking them in a subtly new direction. Dubbed as ‘deathgaze’ from an early stage in their career, much of the ‘gaze’ is now gone, with the band focusing on progressive, and even technical, death metal, recalling the likes of Fallujah and Aronious (parts of “Reunion” and “Truth to Form”). Garrett, whom I’ve lauded as one of metal’s most versatile vocalists, rampages through the album’s heavier passages, rasping, snarling, and growling like a man possessed. However, this juts up against fragile, stripped-back melodic passages, which see his soaring cleans, replete with powerful sustains set to rising guitar melodies and Alex Rieth’s liquid bass groove.
At an hour long, Liminal Rite risked faltering under its own weight. The fact that Kardashev reined in this tendency, keeping Alunea to a tight 43 minutes, despite the band’s deeper forays into progressive metal, does them credit. However, the compositions here don’t hold a candle to Liminal Rite or The Baring of Shadows. Meandering, often lacking an obviously discernible structure, Kardashev packed so many ideas in that it’s actually disorienting as tracks lurch unpredictably between frantic techy heaviness, extended melodic passages, or both. At its best, Alunea pulls this off. Lead single “Reunion,” probably closest in tone to earlier Kardashev, is great, while “Seed of the Night” and “We Could Fold the Stars” both showcase what I think Kardashev aimed for throughout: vicious heaviness, borrowing from both post-black and tech death, to create something harsh and crushing, but also complex. This is then played off against soft, but deceptively involved, melodic passages. While there are flashes of brilliance elsewhere (the back end of “Speak Silence,” which sees guest vocals from Genital Shame’s Erin Dawson being one), much of it falls short.
Too often, Alunea feels like Kardashev exploring partly formed ideas, leaping between them, without taking the time to either fully flesh out what they’ve written or consider logical sequencing. The skill of the musicians involved prevents the record from descending into the chaos it could have been in less capable hands, with transitions smooth, and the musicianship still top tier. But, whether it’s the confused “Truth to Form” or “Edge of Forever,” which simply runs out of energy and ideas around the halfway mark, Alunea lacks both bite and incisiveness. Garrett, so often the band’s MVP, is also clearly trying to further expand his already huge versatility. While his death growls and snarling, blackened rasp remain on point, and his cleans are as gorgeous as ever, he often leans into a heavily distorted bark, which sounds slightly forced and lacking in power. Kardashev did at least learn from the production errors made on Liminal Rite, with Alunea’s soundstage more expansive and the guitars just about in the right place in the mix, likely the work of new engineer Zack Ohren (taking over from Mirolla).
Penning this review of Kardashev’s latest outing has given me even less pleasure than Alunea itself. I was so disappointed by the first few spins that I had to leave it completely alone for a week before returning fresh. Rose-tinted spectacles duly crushed underfoot, I started to see some of Alunea’s qualities (“Reunion,” Seed of the Night” and “We Could Fold that Stars”) but its key shortcoming came into focus also: it lacks structures, which guide the listener through the journey Kardashev want to take you on. They did this very effectively on Liminal Rite, but, in cutting length, they also lost clarity in the songwriting. Alunea has many strong building blocks, but they have been stacked at overly jaunty angles.

Rating: 2.5/5.0
DR: 5 | Format Reviewed: 256 kbps mp3
Label: Metal Blade Records
Websites: kardashev.bandcamp.com | kardashevband.com | facebook.com/Kardashevband
Releases Worldwide: April 25th, 2025
#25 #2025 #Alunea #AmericanMetal #Apr25 #Aronious #Deathcore #Deathgaze #Fallujah #GenitalShame #Kardashev #MelodicMetal #MetalBladeRecords #PostMetal #ProgressiveDeath #Review #Reviews

#alunea #americanmetal #apr25 #aronious #deathcore #deathgaze
Angry Metal Guy @[email protected] · 2025-04-24 · 11:59 UTC

Cancer – Inverted World Review
By Steel Druhm
No one lists Cancer as their favorite death metal band. That’s because even in their heyday, they were pretty average. Early 90s platters like To the Gory End and Death Shall Rise were mildly enjoyable for their primitive, meatheaded approach, sitting at the crossroads of thrash and primordial death along with other bands of that era like Morbid Saint, Protector, and Incubus. 1993s The Sins of Mankind had a more proggy bent that cribbed notes from what Death was doing on Spiritual Healing and Human, and it had its moments. Yet none of these releases were formative or “Must Hear” records either then or now. After that, Cancer dubiously dabbled in nu-metal and groove, thereby alienating their fanbase. After 13 years in limbo, they started a second career redemption arc with 2018s Shadow Gripped, returning to their original death metal sound. Six years later, we get seventh album, Inverted World. Only vocalist/guitarist John Walker remains from the early days, and he brought in a whole new crew for this outing. The sound is basically what Cancer did on Shadow Gripped, offering proto-death with thrash influences. After a long, patchy history, can Cancer metastasize into a higher form?
The short answer is nope. Inverted World is the same kind of stuff Cancer spat out in the old days, ignoring everything that’s happened musically over the last few decades. This kind of evolutionary resistance works for some (all caveman death and Sodom), but it doesn’t do any favors for Cancer. Opener “Enter the Gate” is mid-paced OSDM spiced with modest breakdowns and slight traces of prog. It has the basic Cancer sound, but it’s a very watered-down version of it, and John Walker’s vocals sound weak and uninspired. There are some interesting riffs and guitar bits, but it’s not enough to stick. This sets the stage for issues that plague the whole album. There are inspired moments, but few songs that thrill from start to finish. The title track is exceptionally dull, plodding along in a brain-numbing mid-paced slog, and the follow-up “39 Bodies” keeps it going for another painstaking 5 minutes. A few riffs sound like they came from Death’s Spiritual Healing, but that’s not enough to save things. Lead single “Amputate” is like a drunken Jungle Rot trying to do Leprosy-era Death, and it’s a lunkheaded clunker. It’s so painfully dull, actual amputation might be preferable.
There’s not much on Inverted World that truly grabs the listener, but “Test Site” is a thrashy foray into Coroner-esque riffs that twist and corkscrew in interesting ways, and there are interesting hints of Voivod in the song structure. They even add a touch of dissonance to acknowledge the modern age. It’s still only decent, but at least it’s got some spunk. “When Killing Isn’t Murder” has flashes of lively guitar interplay and harmonies, but it’s still underwhelming. At 44 minutes, Inverted World feels longer due to the over-reliance on mid-paced tempos. Production-wise, the guitar tone is way too weak and non-confrontational to have any real impact. It also doesn’t help that Walker’s flat, monotone vocals are mixed so prominently. Especially since he’s barely even doing death vocals at this point.
The modern Cancer sound revolves around riffs, and John Walker and new lead guitarist Robert Navajas are certainly talented six-stringers. There are minor flashes of inspiration dotting the album, but they only latch onto decent riffs on half the songs, creating a paucity of truly killer riffs. The writing is a huge letdown too, with nearly every song limping along in a mid-tempo fog. John Walker was never an A-list death metal vocalist, but he sounds washed out here, entirely lacking in gravitas and intensity. He sounds bored most of the time, which I can certainly relate to by album’s end. It’s drummer Gabriel Valcázar (Wormed) who comes off best here. He’s a punchy dynamo on the backline, providing a thunderous performance. He can only do so much, though, considering the album’s commitment to pedestrian pacing.
Inverted World is better than the nu-groove stuff Cancer was churning out in the mid-90s, but it still doesn’t have much to offer the average death fiend. It’s too flat and static to inspire repeat listens, and its only appeal is to those who may have overly fond memories of Cancer’s early days. Go back to The Sins of Mankind if you bother to drill down into Cancer’s discography at all. This is a sleepy miss.

Rating: 2.0/5.0
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Peaceville
Websites: facebook.com/goryend | instagram.com/cancerofficialband
Releases Worldwide: April 25th, 2025
#20 #2025 #Apr25 #Cancer #Coroner #Death #DeathMetal #Incubus #InvertedWorld #MorbidSaint #PeacevilleRecords #Protector #Review #Reviews #UKMetal

#apr25 #cancer #coroner #death #deathmetal #incubus
Angry Metal Guy @[email protected] · 2025-04-23 · 15:56 UTC
Flummox – Southern Progress Review
By Kenstrosity
Originally slated to be my main Thing You Might Have Missed feature, Tennessee avant-garde metal quintet Flummox’s fifth LP Southern Progress caught me completely off guard. Attracted to the prompt “their most obnoxious album yet,” I wasn’t sure what to expect from my first exposure to Flummox’s work. I figured it might be weird, but it’s also distinctive, fun, and infectious. Fearlessly creative, deeply detailed, lyrically cutting, and stupidly intelligent, Southern Progress rapidly became my favorite record released so far this year. It doesn’t seem likely now that anything out of the metalverse this year will surpass it.
Southern Progress embodies a rhizomic system of inspirations and influences that, when harnessed by Flummox’s wacky brains, emerges from the soil as something wholly unique in style, sound, and intent. My best attempt to contextualize this material would involve names from the progsphere like Fair to Midland, Native Construct, Pink Floyd, early Queen, and Mike Patton; purveyors of the extreme such as Strapping Young Lad and Slugdge; avant-garde touchstones like Mr. Bungle, Igorrr, and Diablo Swing Orchestra; genre-jumpers such as King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard; and even cinematic composers like Danny Elfman and Hans Zimmer.1 Ultimately, though, there is no comfortable comparison. Flummox are a singular entity of weird, wild, theatrical metal capable of nailing every bizarre idea they throw at me, such that in less than a week, I had a majority portion of Southern Progress’ 57-minute runtime pinned to my psyche. All the while, its candid exposition of the queer and genderfluid experience in the Bible Belt (“Southern Progress”) struck a chord so rarely plucked by music on this sphere, and its inspired exploration of the neurodivergent experience as one of its parallel plot lines (“Executive Dysfunction”) gave me an easy avenue to resonate even more deeply with its voice.
The tricky reality of Southern Progress is that 750 words is woefully insufficient to encompass all that Flummox achieves, but its primary triumph is in universal songwriting excellence. Music like this marks a once-in-a-blue-moon occasion—and an ambitious undertaking—but Flummox makes it look effortless as they balance the beauty of melodious, theatrical compositions with the livid, frothing rabidity of searing, off-kilter riffs, thunderous rhythms, and revolutionary attitude (“Southern Progress,” “Femto’s Theme,” “Long Pork,” “Executive Dysfunction”). While these elements are familiar to anyone with experience in the metalverse, their twisted forms instead leave a vivid impression of something altogether more eccentric and uncanny (“Southern Progress,” “Nesting Doll,” “Locust Eater,” “Coyote Gospel”). Well-defined structures and concrete themes play their part in making sure these warped representations stick. Presenting every unhinged idea, cynical line, and explosive outburst inside a digestible package makes Southern Progress somehow even stranger and more enthralling for its deceiving accessibility (“What We’re In For…,” “Always Something Going Down,” “Siren Shock,” “Flumlindalë”).
In spite of its unquestionable adoption of metallic methods, Southern Progress is an intensely theatrical affair unfit for the genrephobic, but is nonetheless something everyone should experience at least once. Challenging in a different way than Imperial Triumphant or other known creators of what certain pundits call “not music,” Flummox is similarly fearless in their exploration of style and technique, and equally meticulous in application and execution. To that end, Southern Progress’ music is mutated and maniacal, but grounded through several root elements: emotional depth, societal awareness, thoughtful critiques, and artistic integrity. More than just a vehicle for that cogent societal commentary, the potent passion that each member of Flummox hemorrhaged into Southern Progress is unmatched by all except the unfuckwithable technical quality of their writing and performances. The fact that this intangible factor boasts such strong presence inside of, and coalesces so harmoniously with, the tangible product proves that Flummox’s dedication, attention to detail, and intentional artistry contributes meaningful substance and significance not just to Southern Progress on its own, but also to the greater body of metal as we know it today.
It is for this reason that Flummox’s Southern Progress isn’t just an excellent album, but also an important one. Aside from its high artistic merit, Southern Progress is a timely and fierce challenge against the dehumanization of queer, gender-nonconforming, and even neurodivergent communities across the American South—and, by extension, the country—especially by organized religious (read: Christian) entities. But it’s also a celebration, a triumphant expression of pride and love and resilience that only comes from openly and unashamedly discovering, struggling with, and ultimately embodying all that you are in spirit, body, and mind. Everyone deserves to know this feeling without fear of stigmatization, fetishization, violence, or isolation. Southern Progress is an unorthodox and fun, but wildly effective, advocate for that cause.

Rating: Excellent!2
DR: 8 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Needlejuice Records
Websites: flummoxed.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/flummoxband
Releases Worldwide: April 11th, 2025

Show 2 footnotes
1. Specifically, Zimmer’s work for Rango’s OST. ↩
2. You should expect to see me within a year or so, Contrite and ashamed that I didn’t award this the coveted Iconic score! ↩
#2025 #45 #AmericanMetal #Apr25 #AvantGarde #BlackMetal #DannyElfman #DeathMetal #DiabloSwingOrchestra #ExperimentalMetal #FairToMidland #Flummox #FolkMetal #Gospel #HansZimmer #Igorrr #ImperialTriumphant #KingGizzardAndTheLizardWizard #MelodicMetal #MikePatton #MrBungle #NativeConstruct #NeedlejuiceRecords #PinkFloyd #ProgressiveMetal #Queen #Review #Reviews #Slugdge #SouthernProgress #StrappingYoungLad
#americanmetal #apr25 #avantgarde #blackmetal #dannyelfman #deathmetal
Angry Metal Guy @[email protected] · 2025-04-23 · 15:56 UTC

Flummox – Southern Progress Review
By Kenstrosity
Originally slated to be my main Thing You Might Have Missed feature, Tennessee avant-garde metal quintet Flummox’s fifth LP Southern Progress caught me completely off guard. Attracted to the prompt “their most obnoxious album yet,” I wasn’t sure what to expect from my first exposure to Flummox’s work. I figured it might be weird, but it’s also distinctive, fun, and infectious. Fearlessly creative, deeply detailed, lyrically cutting, and stupidly intelligent, Southern Progress rapidly became my favorite record released so far this year. It doesn’t seem likely now that anything out of the metalverse this year will surpass it.
Southern Progress embodies a rhizomic system of inspirations and influences that, when harnessed by Flummox’s wacky brains, emerges from the soil as something wholly unique in style, sound, and intent. My best attempt to contextualize this material would involve names from the progsphere like Fair to Midland, Native Construct, Pink Floyd, early Queen, and Mike Patton; purveyors of the extreme such as Strapping Young Lad and Slugdge; avant-garde touchstones like Mr. Bungle, Igorrr, and Diablo Swing Orchestra; genre-jumpers such as King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard; and even cinematic composers like Danny Elfman and Hans Zimmer.1 Ultimately, though, there is no comfortable comparison. Flummox are a singular entity of weird, wild, theatrical metal capable of nailing every bizarre idea they throw at me, such that in less than a week, I had a majority portion of Southern Progress’ 57-minute runtime pinned to my psyche. All the while, its candid exposition of the queer and genderfluid experience in the Bible Belt (“Southern Progress”) struck a chord so rarely plucked by music on this sphere, and its inspired exploration of the neurodivergent experience as one of its parallel plot lines (“Executive Dysfunction”) gave me an easy avenue to resonate even more deeply with its voice.
The tricky reality of Southern Progress is that 750 words is woefully insufficient to encompass all that Flummox achieves, but its primary triumph is in universal songwriting excellence. Music like this marks a once-in-a-blue-moon occasion—and an ambitious undertaking—but Flummox makes it look effortless as they balance the beauty of melodious, theatrical compositions with the livid, frothing rabidity of searing, off-kilter riffs, thunderous rhythms, and revolutionary attitude (“Southern Progress,” “Femto’s Theme,” “Long Pork,” “Executive Dysfunction”). While these elements are familiar to anyone with experience in the metalverse, their twisted forms instead leave a vivid impression of something altogether more eccentric and uncanny (“Southern Progress,” “Nesting Doll,” “Locust Eater,” “Coyote Gospel”). Well-defined structures and concrete themes play their part in making sure these warped representations stick. Presenting every unhinged idea, cynical line, and explosive outburst inside a digestible package makes Southern Progress somehow even stranger and more enthralling for its deceiving accessibility (“What We’re In For…,” “Always Something Going Down,” “Siren Shock,” “Flumlindalë”).
In spite of its unquestionable adoption of metallic methods, Southern Progress is an intensely theatrical affair unfit for the genrephobic, but is nonetheless something everyone should experience at least once. Challenging in a different way than Imperial Triumphant or other known creators of what certain pundits call “not music,” Flummox is similarly fearless in their exploration of style and technique, and equally meticulous in application and execution. To that end, Southern Progress’ music is mutated and maniacal, but grounded through several root elements: emotional depth, societal awareness, thoughtful critiques, and artistic integrity. More than just a vehicle for that cogent societal commentary, the potent passion that each member of Flummox hemorrhaged into Southern Progress is unmatched by all except the unfuckwithable technical quality of their writing and performances. The fact that this intangible factor boasts such strong presence inside of, and coalesces so harmoniously with, the tangible product proves that Flummox’s dedication, attention to detail, and intentional artistry contributes meaningful substance and significance not just to Southern Progress on its own, but also to the greater body of metal as we know it today.
It is for this reason that Flummox’s Southern Progress isn’t just an excellent album, but also an important one. Aside from its high artistic merit, Southern Progress is a timely and fierce challenge against the dehumanization of queer, gender-nonconforming, and even neurodivergent communities across the American South—and, by extension, the country—especially by organized religious (read: Christian) entities. But it’s also a celebration, a triumphant expression of pride and love and resilience that only comes from openly and unashamedly discovering, struggling with, and ultimately embodying all that you are in spirit, body, and mind. Everyone deserves to know this feeling without fear of stigmatization, fetishization, violence, or isolation. Southern Progress is an unorthodox and fun, but wildly effective, advocate for that cause.

Rating: Excellent!2
DR: 8 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Needlejuice Records
Websites: flummoxed.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/flummoxband
Releases Worldwide: April 11th, 2025
#2025 #45 #AmericanMetal #Apr25 #AvantGarde #BlackMetal #DannyElfman #DeathMetal #DiabloSwingOrchestra #ExperimentalMetal #FairToMidland #Flummox #FolkMetal #Gospel #HansZimmer #Igorrr #ImperialTriumphant #KingGizzardAndTheLizardWizard #MelodicMetal #MikePatton #MrBungle #NativeConstruct #NeedlejuiceRecords #PinkFloyd #ProgressiveMetal #Queen #Review #Reviews #Slugdge #SouthernProgress #StrappingYoungLad

#americanmetal #apr25 #avantgarde #blackmetal #dannyelfman #deathmetal
Angry Metal Guy @[email protected] · 2025-04-23 · 11:41 UTC

Eluveitie – Ànv Review
By Twelve
Unlike a certain Angry Metal Overlord, I really liked Origins. Up to 2014, I had only a dim awareness of Eluveitie, save that they were a Swiss group that did not believe in keyboards. Origins was my gateway into folk metal, an album I found exciting and refreshing, and Eluveitie’s live show in support of it is still one of my top concert experiences. For over twenty years, Eluveitie has been a force in folk metal. Armed with many instruments and a metal core, they are now on their ninth full-length album, Ànv. What have these giants of the genre cooked up for us this time?
The hallmarks of Eluveitie’s sound are all present on Ànv: melodeath riffs from ye ole aughts, the violins, Chrigel Glanzmann’s shouts, and Fabienne Erni’s cleans—it’s the Eluveitie you love or love to hate, continuing their trajectory from Helvetios through Origins and up to Antegnatos. As ever, the Swiss octet blends traditional Celtic folk, Gaulish themes, and modern metal into their music. “Aeon of the Crescent Moon” and “The Prodigal Ones” are instantly recognizable as Eluveitie, with fast-paced riffing, vocal duels, and Lea-Sophie Fischer’s violin, either keeping pace or layering in emotion. Another familiar hallmark is the use of folky interludes like “Memories of Innocence,” a jig with an eastern feel that gives Glazmann’s mandolin and whistles their moments to shine alongside Fischer’s lively fiddling.
It’s all familiar, and a touch predictable too—Ànv feels safe as Eluveitie albums go. It’s odd to remark that an album performed by an octet playing more than fifteen instruments between them is predictable, but if you’ve followed Eluveitie at all since Evocation, you know what to expect. “Premonition” is standard Eluveitie fare and could have easily fit on Origins. It features In Flames-esque riffs that are more texture than flavor, followed by a brief flute appearance and lively violin over the chorus. “The Harvest” follows a near-identical formula, but executes it more intensely, which makes it a stronger song; this time, one that would be at home on Helvetios. “Ànv” feels like an outtake from Evocation II—Erni’s singing is passionate, but the formless music makes it forgettable. In each case, you know what you’re in for before the song reaches the minute mark.
There are a few genuine surprises on Ànv, but I’m sad to say I dislike most of them. “Taranoías” is a hard-hitting beast of a song right up until the minute mark, when Erni takes over from Glazmann’s furious growls and performs what I keep thinking is the chorus to a different song. “All Is One” similarly sounds like it’s found its way to the wrong album. Here, Eluveitie perform their best Nightwish impression, reaching for emotional highs in a very clichéd fashion. In neither case is the decision bad in isolation, but both are tonally mismatched from the rest of Ànv. What’s particularly frustrating is that in both examples, Erni is the odd musician out, despite being a very strong singer, evidenced particularly by her terrific performance in “Awen.”
But the most surprising part of Ànv is that it doesn’t feel all that much like folk metal, especially when compared to past Eluveitie albums. Often, it feels like modern melodeath with a violin. The flutes and hurdy gurdy are produced so weakly as to slide under the radar in most songs. Much of the folk rests in the three metal-less interlude tracks, none of which feel essential. Instead, songs like “All Is One” suggest an interest in a poppier, more “modern” sound.1 In this sense, there is something akin to a division in Ànv, making for a disjointed listen of good songs (“The Harvest,” “Awen”), forgettable songs (“The Prodigal Ones,” “Aeon of the Crescent Moon”), folk tunes (“Anamcara,” “Memories of Innocence”), and “All Is One.”
I’ve been a fan of Eluveitie for some time—I know that authenticity is important to this band. And don’t get me wrong, Ànv is certainly folk metal and certainly Eluveitie. It is also inconsistent and signifies a direction that I hope Eluveitie are not set on. I’ve loved this band for the way it blends folk and metal music. Unfortunately, that makes it very difficult to feel much love for Ànv.

Rating: 2.5/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Nuclear Blast Records
Websites: eluveitie.ch | facebook.com/eluveitie
Releases Worldwide: April 25th, 2025
#25 #2025 #Amaranthe #Amorphis #Ànv #Apr25 #ArchEnemy #Eluveitie #Epica #FolkMetal #InFlames #Nightwish #NuclearBlastRecords #Review #Reviews #SwissMetal

#amaranthe #amorphis #anv #apr25 #archenemy #eluveitie
Angry Metal Guy @[email protected] · 2025-04-22 · 15:29 UTC

Behölder – In the Temple of the Tyrant Review
By Steel Druhm
When members of various obscure power and prog metal bands like Shadowdance and Chaos Frame managed to recruit Judicator’s John Yelland for an epic doom project heavily inspired by Dungeons & Dragons, Steel was unable to resist hearing the results. So he took a flyer on Behölder and their In the Temple of the Tyrant debut and hoped for good doom things. Would it be utter cheese and need a high-level necromancer to save it? Would it be a rousing, sword-swinging platter or Iron Age heroics? As it turns out, In the Temple of the Tyrant is more like Crypt Sermon mixed with a modest dose of Hammerfall-esque power and seasoned with the muscular machismo of Eternal Champion. Does the sound of that meaty broth get your sword rising? Me too. Let’s fight!
The best way to open an epic doom album is with some hefty epic doom, and Behölder does just that with “A Pale Blood Sky.” It’s very Crypt Sermon / Candlemassive, with big, crunchy doom riffs and slick melodic trills. Yellen’s powerful and enthusiastic delivery rounds out the doom enchilada excellently, taking us on a trip through dark crypts and creepy vistas. It’s the kind of doom I eat up like candied bacon, and I love this tune muchly. It’s powerful, but oh so accessible and entertaining, and shows that these cats know their chosen genre very well. “Eyes of the Deep” is another killer, with a strong Eternal Champion vibe. Tomi Joutsen of Amorphis shows up on the back end to drop immense death roars that take the song to the next level and everything is slick and compelling as fook. “For Those Who Fell” is like the glorious Hammerfall power ballads of old (their first 2 albums) and it sucks you in and keeps you hanging on. “Draconian (Slave or Master)” is a ridiculously hooky cut elevated to glorious heights by Yellan’s epical vocals. You will not forget the chorus, and it will haunt you onto death. This one has Song o’ the Year written all over it, folks.
While the highs on the album are very high, there are a few tracks that can’t scale the same summit. “Dungeon Master” is just okay and overly tongue-in-cheek as it takes the perspective of those master nerd game planners a bit too seriously. It doesn’t vibe well with the huge epic doom flavor of the surrounding tracks and takes you out of that headspace. Closer “I Magus” is also a bit underbaked. It’s plenty riffy with a Sanctuary / Nevermore vibe, but it never gets rolling into high gear. Likewise, “Summoned & Bound” trods on the path to greatness laid out by classic Candlemass, but it never completes the journey, becoming somewhat unsatisfying by the end. No song is completely unworthy, however, and as a cohesive album, this thing is a whole lotta fun from start to finish.
John Yellan is the star of the show here, with his vocals elevating the material several notches. On the best stuff, he takes it to the house, bringing poise and grace to the doom show. He manages to keep his performance restrained and doesn’t overdo things, nor does he rely on high-pitched wailing to emphasize the dramatic bits. He gives the songs just the right amount of power and poise and does a great job throughout. Founder and band mastermind Carlos Alvarez, along with Matt Hodson of Chaos Frame, bring a healthy selection of large doom leads and stirring solos, while dabbling in plenty of traditional and power metal spaces along the way. I like their work best when they stay in the Candlemass / Crypt Sermon vein, but I can’t argue one bit with departures like “Draconian (Slave or Master).”
Behölder have chops across the board, and when their writing comes together, you get great tunes full of nods to genre masters. If the writing was a touch more consistent, this would be my first 4.0 of 2025, but In the Temple of the Tyrant falls a bit short of those lofty heights. Yet there are several songs that could end up as my Song o’ the Year, and that’s saying something about the strength of this googly-eyed floating beast. Roll the dice, hear this, find the moments that thrill your inner warrior. Swords up for Behölder!

Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Black Lion
Websites: beholderblacklion.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/beholderdoom
Releases Worldwide: April 25th, 2025
#2025 #35 #AmericanMetal #Apr25 #Behölder #BlackLionRecords #Candlemass #CryptSermon #EpicDoomMetal #EternalChampion #Hammerfall #HeavyMetal #InTheTempleOfTheTyrant #Judicator #Review #Reviews #Sorcerer

#americanmetal #apr25 #beholder #blacklionrecords #candlemass #cryptsermon
Angry Metal Guy @[email protected] · 2025-04-22 · 11:26 UTC

Coffin Feeder – Big Trouble Review
By El Cuervo
Sometimes you can judge a book by its cover. The intellectual property rights-busting album artwork of Big Trouble by Coffin Feeder pays tribute to the silliest action movies of the 80s and 90s, just like the music within. This album represents the band’s full-length debut after a pair of EPs that tickled our very own Kenstrosity. Though the core members may be Belgian, the bands through which these guys ordinarily peddle their wares (Aborted, Leng Tch’e) are fused with a steaming smorgasbord of high-profile guest spots (Benighted, Cattle Decapitation, Archspire). The result is an energetic fusion of various cores, from death to grind to hard (also the order of events at Dr. A.N. Grier’s place on a Friday night). How are these sub-genres fused?
Distilling Big Trouble down into its key elements is relatively easy, even if those key elements themselves don’t offer easy listening. It combines the monumental heft of deathcore with the sneering attitude of hardcore and the speedy intensity of grindcore. “Porkchop Express” is prototypical of the album, as it blends a stomping lead that reeks of slam with a faster, tremolo-picked verse, while the vocals unpredictably flip between pig squeals, hardcore shouts, and deathly growls. These songs are extremely extreme, favoring an obnoxiously loud master, boisterous riffs, and relentless energy. It’s a lot, but also – at least on first listen – a lot of fun. It’s difficult to dislike something so active and aggressive, and it’s all too brief to become bored. The cacophony is more of an experience than mere music.
I also admire how Coffin Feeder lean into their own silliness; they represent the diametric opposition to bands that take themselves too seriously. It’s difficult to dispute the “What is best in life?” speech from Conan the Barbarian when layered over beefcake deathcore (“The Destroyer”). But I would also argue that Big Trouble favors style over substance. The sense of humor pastes over an album that’s solid in execution of the fundamentals, but not much better. It feels like the band has used up all their ideas by the back half of the record. The songs become predictable, shuffling between mid-paced/deathlier passages, faster/grindier passages, and slower/breakdown passages. Likewise, most of the riffs sound basically the same. Though the leads are typically entertaining, not many of the tracks really stand out because they follow similar sounds throughout.
Like all good -core music, the breakdowns are often the highlights. When those blast beats are broken down with a slower but groovier lead, heads will bang. In fact, breakdowns are such an easy win in -core music that they feel like a song-writing crutch. Big Trouble accordingly struggles more where there are longer gaps between those fist-pumping moments. “Plain Zero” is a straighter death metal track with a hefty punch, but the relative absence of breakdowns means my attention is less focused. Paradoxically, there are other tracks with poorly deployed breakdowns that disrupt their flow. “Love at First Death” features a pause that becomes a beefy breakdown, but it’s too sudden and changes the tone of the song. Despite solid leads and entertaining grooves, some tracks aren’t particularly cohesive. The music is so frenetic that it can feel disjointed; it’s an amalgamation of ideas but not written into tidy, individual songs.
Coffin Feeder boast some qualities that will undoubtedly appeal to those with a brutal, slamming proclivity. The songs flex with muscular riffs and mighty breakdowns, and the motley vocals go some way to offering a little variety. But Big Trouble (in Little Belgium) ultimately fails to distinguish its individual songs due to repetitive songwriting. Its sheer power can’t overcome a lack of creative spark or ingenuity required to elevate music beyond the average. I feel like there’s more to come from these Belgians.

Rating: 2.5/5.0
DR: 4 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps MP3
Label: Listenable Records
Websites: coffinfeederband.com | coffinfeeder.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/coffinfeeder
Releases Worldwide: April 25th, 2025
#25 #2025 #Aborted #Apr25 #Archspire #BelgianMetal #Benighted #BigTrouble #CattleDecapitation #CoffinFeeder #DeathMetal #Deathcore #Grindcore #Hardcore #LengTchE #Review #Reviews

#aborted #apr25 #archspire #belgianmetal #benighted #bigtrouble
Angry Metal Guy @[email protected] · 2025-04-21 · 16:25 UTC

Machine Head – UnatØNed Review
By Dr. A.N. Grier
If you take a step back—maybe a big one—Machine Head’s career is a rollercoaster ride through hell. And not always in a good way. After getting off to a good start and dropping two of their best records, dark clouds began to gather. The Burning Red rain came down on our heads, and the floods of the Supercharger drove torrents of radio-friendly, rap-metal destruction through the streets. Yet, they overcame and rebuilt, marching Through the Ashes of Empires and, “Clenching the Fists of Dissent,” putting The Blackening on “From This Day” forever. Or so we thought. After riding Unto the Locust, they arrived at a village where they purchased Bloodstone & Diamonds. But they were fake bullshit and the band got pissed. So they decided to unleash a Catharsis on diamond sellers everywhere. But they became “Volatile,” “Psychotic” “Bastards.” Plus, their Goodwill “Triple Beam” broke. So, two of their members left to look for wenches and beer while the others pushed on. ØF KingdØM and CrØWn, these two would not give up—even when all hoped they would. They pushed on, feeling their sins should remain UnatØNed, regardless of what anyone thinks. Someone find me a fucking priest!
While this year’s UnatØNed continues the stupid trend set by ØF KingdØM and CrØWn, using o’s with a stroke in their song titles, that previous album was a step up (though not by much) from Catharsis. While Catharsis was a vicious attack on the band’s fanbase, ØF KingdØM and CrØWn proved the band still had new ideas to put on tape. They also somehow convinced the mighty Vogg to contribute to the album’s guitar harmonies and dueling solos. They probably promised him wenches and beer. While the boat has not been set right since The Blackening, there was at least some positivity in the outcome. Without a concept or direction to drive UnatØNed, we are subject to twelve tracks and an hour of music written for Spotify playlists. Outside of the useless opener, the sad boi closer, and the stupid, mid-album instrumental, you can expect the verse-chorus-verse-chorus-dosomethingboring-chorus approach this time around. So, let’s get this over with.
After thirty seconds of pure boredom, “AtØMic RevelatiØNs” finally charges out of the gates in a surprising way. Not only is it one of the heaviest songs the band has penned in the last decade, but it actually got my air guitar going. It also uses a low, clean vocal approach with backing support to build this melodic beauty. Another bruiser that surfaces above the rest is “BØNescraper.” Though it uses those odd oooo’s from ØF KingdØM and CrØWn’s “My Hands Are Empty,” it has a crushing charge that builds up to the chorus nicely—even if said chorus sounds like Fozzy. You’ll also get a chuckle from the classic “Let freedom ring with a shotgun” vocal approach, but this time it’s, “Love is a loaded gun.” The award for most radio-friendly goes to “ØUtsider.” This annoying track is so undeniably catchy that it makes me both loathe and vehemently hate myself for liking it.
Now, let’s get to the part we all knew was coming. “Addicted tØ Pain” has to be one of the most boring tracks the band has released in a long time. It goes absolutely nowhere during its three-minute runtime and uses half-assed Trivium riffs for inspiration. It also contains some of the most cringeworthy lyrics on the album.1 The follow-up track, “Bleeding Me Dry,” is another that lacks any real soul. While the clean vocals swim sweetly through the effects-infused atmosphere, the rest of the song pounds away with outdated, early-2000s chuggery. This song also includes those death growls they’ve been experimenting with that, to this day, still don’t work. Lastly, I don’t even know what the fuck “Shards ØF Shattered Dreams” is trying to do. The chorus is a melodic delight that would shine higher if it wasn’t contemplating suicide as the out-of-place “speed” licks surround it. The worst part is that all these songs exist on the album’s backside, completely draining it of life.
With solid cuts in the front and lazy ones in the back, UnatØNed is an unbalanced mish-mash of singles and filler pieces. I hate to say it, and no one wants to hear it, but UnatØNed would have been a decent EP. Thankfully, this new record is better than Catharsis. I’m not sure I can survive another review like that again. For those who like the newer sound of Machine Head and stand confused as shows when they play “Davidian,” UnatØNed is probably for you. For those of us who walk out thirty seconds into “Crashing Around You,” it’s best to stay clear.

Rating: 2.0/5.0
DR: 5 | Format Reviewed: 256 kb/s mp3
Label: Nuclear Blast Records
Websites: machinehead1.com | facebook.com/machinehead
Releases Worldwide: April 25th, 2025
#20 #2025 #AmericanMetal #Apr25 #Fozzy #GrooveMetal #MachineHead #NuclearBlast #Review #Reviews #Trivium #UnatØNed

#americanmetal #apr25 #fozzy #groovemetal #machinehead #nuclearblast
Angry Metal Guy @[email protected] · 2025-04-21 · 12:39 UTC

Last Leaf Down – Weight of Silence Review
By Killjoy
I imagine we all have our own personal keywords that snag our attention and interest. Marketers (and record labels) know this and try their best to capitalize on our weakness. The descriptor “dreamy shoegaze from the woods” doesn’t sound particularly like something one might look for on Angry Metal Guy, nevertheless, it was the deciding factor for me to fish Weight of Silence out of the promo bin. Last Leaf Down originally formed in Switzerland in 2003 as a “dark doom” metal band. Whatever that sounds like, we may never know because on their debut album Fake Lights in 2014 they had already veered into the shoegaze sphere. Now, coming off a long break since 2017’s Bright Wide Colder, Last Leaf Down offers a reinvigorated interpretation of this timeless genre.
Although I’m not so sure that the woodsy label fits, Weight of Silence is certainly dreamy. The serene, melancholic atmosphere strongly reminds of Slowdive. Last Leaf Down have been steadily adding more and more alt-rock to their original shoegaze formula, specifically the polished, moody alt-rock of Snow Patrol and The Fray. The pairing is a good one; the hazy allure of shoegaze and the reliable structure of alt-rock complement each other well. As might be expected, Weight of Silence is heavily reliant on the vocals, and Benjamin Schenk’s voice has a vulnerable timbre that gives the music a distinct character. He’s clearly been working to stretch his singing abilities further during the extended break, and, despite the occasional signs of strain, he sounds more confident compared to prior albums.
Weight of Silence seems designed to magnify rather than produce intense emotion. This is largely a function of the instrumentation’s stripped-back, minimalist nature. The guitar parts are usually simple and supportive (I was surprised that three guitarists are credited), with nary a keyboard or synthesizer to be heard. In some ways, this approach is refreshing, as it leaves plenty of room for Daniel Dorn’s bass lines to add subtle depth in “Cold Heart” and satisfying heft to the chorus of “Reach the Sun.” On the other hand, the guitars and drums seem relegated to primarily building atmosphere and supplementing Schenk’s vocals. I appreciate the instances when they can break free from the norm a bit, like the swirling post-rock guitar melodies in the ending of “The Ending”1 or the tom grooves in the second half of “Falling Sky.”
This probably explains why the closer I pay attention to Weight of Silence, the less invested I feel. It makes for a great companion while sitting at my desk late at night, catching up on work, but my focused listening time usually results in lukewarm enjoyment. The more upbeat songs with well-defined choruses are, understandably, more memorable (“Illusion,” “Mislead,” “Reach the Sun”), while others feel too repetitive, particularly in the lyric structure. Album opener “Silence” is the biggest offender of this, with some variation of the phrase “It feels like I’ve lost myself” comprising around half of its lyrics sheet. To Last Leaf Down’s credit, they have improved at self-editing. The shorter overall runtime helps the punchier moments retain their potency and ushers the less engaging parts along, making Weight of Silence far from the longest 42-minute record I’ve heard.
The best way I can sum up Weight of Silence is that it’s aggressively inoffensive. Like morning mist, it’s pretty, pleasant, and refreshing when the mood strikes, but also ultimately immaterial. It’s the strongest Last Leaf Down album to date, and I like the direction in which they are trending. Their blend of shoegaze, alt-rock, and post-rock makes for an agreeable musical palette. I wouldn’t mind hearing them revive the dark doom style that they purportedly used to play, as I think it could have real potential inside this framework. I encourage anyone who, like me, feels even slightly enticed by the phrase “dreamy shoegaze from the woods” to take a chance on Weight of Silence.

Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 5 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Lifeforce Records
Websites: lastleafdownlfr.bandcamp.com | lastleafdown.ch | facebook.com/lastleafdown
Releases Worldwide: April 11th, 2025
#2025 #30 #AltRock #Alternative #Apr25 #LastLeafDown #LifeforceRecords #NotMetal #PostRock #Review #Reviews #Shoegaze #Slowdive #SnowPatrol #SwissMetal #TheFray #WeightOfSilence

#altrock #alternative #apr25 #lastleafdown #lifeforcerecords #notmetal
Angry Metal Guy @[email protected] · 2025-04-20 · 14:26 UTC

The Infernal Deceit – The True Harmful Black Review
By Alekhines Gun
In a year that already looks to be filled with heady pomp and artistry, there’s something to be appreciated about some straightforwardness in back-to-basics. You don’t always need the ultra highbrow and thought-provoking violence – sometimes you just want to throw on an album and veg out. Such wants prompted my newest scourings of the promo pit for something more immediate, something to get fists pumping and bootie shaking with blackened frowns to be had by all. Answering this call is German duo The Infernal Deceit, a self-described black/death hybrid outfit who are dropping their sophomore effort The True Harmful Black this month. Sporting some admittedly cool artwork and an uncommonly legible logo, I dove in to see what harms await in the promised black.
When The Infernal Deceit put their best foot forward, what results is a fun, riff-centric album with bounce and groove to be found in fair measure. The True Harmful Black slings some congenial black metal of the punky, catchy stylings ala Spectral Wound or Hulder with production pulled straight from the book of modern death metal. This gives moments like the “everybody clap your hands” buildup of “The Great Seducer, The Greatest Deceiver (Dethroned)” and the sprawling melodies of “The Primordial Maze and The Crawling Chaos” some real bop-to-the-nose force without losing the requisite trebly underpinnings. Songs wrapped around neck bobbing hooks demand attention and imply greatness ahead, with no genuine surprises to be found, instead opting for a handful of rote but well-implemented ingredients.
Instead of targeting for all rage all day, The True Harmful Black opts for a melancholy approach as much as a riff-centric one. Vocalist “R” has a suitably gruff bark, straddling the overlap between a blackened shriek and a deathly growl without neatly falling into either category. His somewhat monotone delivery helps the musical presentation, as he sounds at home whether the music blasts or crawls. Multi-instrumentalist “C” offers up a platter of songs which alternate between the expected bpm pushing swipes at Necrophobic melodies while frequently bringing the tempo to a much more somber, mood-drenched drawl. This saves the album from becoming too homogenous despite a bit of an overly familiar palate of riffs and lead stylings. Clean acoustics also litter the album, both as extra instrumentation as well as interlude and closer, offering up a nice flow and easy listening.
The Infernal Deceit peddle an enjoyable sound, but the album doesn’t seek to be much more than that. The constant changing of tempo eventually works against the band, particularly in the back half of the album. The True Harmful Black is at its strongest when bringing the pain (“In the Wilderness of Pernicious Black”), but its quest for atmospheric theatrics robs the riffs of much of their staying power. The clean acoustics are pretty when implemented as instrumental flourishes, but focusing on them robs the album of momentum. Combining that with the aforementioned frequent brake pumping leads to an album that doesn’t flow as much as it stutters. This is a bit disappointing because individual moments hint at some truly good stuff waiting to be unearthed; solos in particular rip and shred with delightful melodic prowess. An album with a filthier mix, more consistent strength in riffs, or some more extremity in the disparaging tempos would create a Deceit that could be Infernal indeed.
The True Harmful Black is a pleasant album, just not a remarkable one. There’s nothing wrong with that; not every album needs to be an earth-heaving, forest-felling, giant slaying leviathan of artistic intent. The Infernal Deceit are a competent pair who can craft solid moments and good melodies, but are still on the prowl for that x factor which will launch them further to stand shoulder to shoulder with their peers. I believe they have better in them, and will certainly check out what their next offering holds for us. For the moment, while certainly not challenging for any end-of-year placements, listeners on the quest for a quick black metal fix could do far worse, and might find some select moments of real harm waiting for them in the depicted black maze above.

Rating: 2.5/5.0
DR: 8 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Personal Records
Websites: Official Bandcamp | Official Facebook
Releases Worldwide: April 11th, 2025
#25 #2025 #Apr25 #BlackMetal #DeathMetal #GermanMetal #Hulder #Necrophobic #PersonalRecords #Review #Reviews #SpectralWound #TheInfernalDeceit #TheTrueHarmfulBlack

#apr25 #blackmetal #deathmetal #germanmetal #hulder #necrophobic
Angry Metal Guy @[email protected] · 2025-04-19 · 14:48 UTC

Morbific – Bloom of the Abnormal Flesh Review
By Al Kikuras
Finnish wizards of gore Morbific have been at this grimy game for half a decade, and to say the wear their ruptured hearts on their sleeves would be much more of an understatement than anything they have churned out of the chum factory on their previous two full-lengths or this, their third. The gloriously titled Bloom of the Abnormal Flesh drips with youthful enthusiasm, but as Ferox so eloquently described their absolute barbarism in his review of their sophomore outing, Squirm Beyond the Mortal Realm, Morbific aren’t here to break any new musical barriers; they’re just cracking skulls. These three Finnish grave robbers aren’t surgeons, they’re pugilists with all the finesse of a Sledge-o-Magic to a watermelon. If you don’t want to get messy, stay away from these three amigos, but if you’re into wearing a plastic schmatta in the front row at Sea World, gear up. Morbific are the Gallagher 2 to the Gallaghers of their progenitors. Take equal parts Autopsy, Carcass, and Mortician, whack them up in a blender, and you have the chunky, vile smoothie that is Bloom of the Abnormal Flesh. Even the logo is a noble homage to Impetigo sans prominently placed penis.
The aforementioned great gore grandads have been oft imitated generation after generation. First came General Surgery, then 45 different Razorback Records bands, but like copying an album to a cassette, and then copying that cassette to another cassette, the quality tends to decrease a bit with each duplicate. Some of the latest crop are more successful in their savagery, like Miasmatic Necrosis, Pathologist, Pharmacist, and the very close-to-my-heart/sphincter monikered Hemorrhoid. While I will visit these morgues on occasion for a quick whiff of formaldehyde, as an old head, I find myself going back to the actual classics where all the stuff started, and I fear that Morbific, as much as they mean well, pale compared to the much meatier outings of their forefathers.
Opening dirty ditty “Smut Club (For the Chosen Scum)” sets the seedy bar high, lurching like an unhoused leviathan on meth on the wrong side of the sidewalk in an affluent neighborhood. Vocalist/bassist Jusa Janhonen announces his arrival with a mighty ‘Pillard’ (a new phrase for ‘a cavernous roar that ends with a foul gurgle’ that is expected to be added to the Oxford English Dictionary in the fall of 2025). His equally foul bass breakdown at the minute mark has a satisfying squelch, especially when doubled by Olli Väkeväinen’s buzzsaw guitar tone, and Ollli’s brother, Onni’s refreshingly untriggered drum sound perfectly captures all the Discharge d-beat spirit of old. The literal gurgle under the ensuing keyboard interlude mid song is a shining moment in the proceedings that lends an air of almost innovation to what is otherwise a primarily paint-by-numbers OSDM affair. For example, the straightforward song two, “Panspermic Blight,” would benefit from a little more coloring outside of the chalk outlines.
It’s when Morbific bring new smells to the noxious bouquet that the listens are more rewarding. While their hearts are in the right place, in the case of this gory mess removed from the chest and planted on the grimy piss-soaked floor of a rest stop bathroom, rather than sticking, much of this rotted meat falls away from the bone. While the fuzz bass sound in the slow section of “Womb of Deathless Deterioration” gives me a rigor mortis hard on and the musical interlude “Stifling Stagnant Reek” is a very gloomy and interesting respite, moments like that make the more workmanlike passages pale by comparison. In the six minutes of the title track where they balance nuance with barbarity to great effect elevate things to a level that I hope Morbific can further harness to a greater focus on outing four.
Like a B-level horror film, Bloom at its core delivers all the blood and guts, but not always the heart and soul. As a relatively new jockey in this race to the grave, Morbific still have plenty of time to hone their craft to that of a razor sharp serial killer on a decade long spree as opposed to a Floridian meth head that got pissed off he/she/they got kicked out of a Circle K and decided to do the Dance of the Machetes in D Minor. It’s my firm belief that great things are yet to come from this truculent triumvirate, but this time around, the flesh needs a little more time to putrefy.

Rating: 2.5/5.0
DR: | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Me Saco Un Ujo Records
Websites: morbific.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/morbific
Releases Worldwide: April 21st, 2025
#25 #2025 #Apr25 #Autopsy #BloomOfTheAbnormalFlesh #Carcass #DeathMetal #Discharge #FinnishMetal #Hemorrhoid #Impetigo #MeSacoUnUjoRecords #MiasmaticNecrosis #Morbific #Mortician #Pathologist #Pharmacist #Review #Reviews

#hemorrhoid #impetigo #mesacounujorecords #miasmaticnecrosis #morbific #mortician
Angry Metal Guy @[email protected] · 2025-04-18 · 19:00 UTC

Dormant Ordeal – Tooth and Nail Review
By Tyme
Though often yoked to the tech death scene, I’ve never found Dormant Ordeal particularly technical. Or at least not in the way bands like Defeated Sanity, Archspire, or Gorod are considered technical. Why is this important? Because on Tooth and Nail, their fourth outing and first for new label Willowtip, we see Dormant Ordeal step further away from any vestiges of technicality. Factor in too that, since the release of We Had It Coming, Dormant Ordeal continues to shrink—the most recent departure being that of drummer and founding member Radek Kowal—and you have an ordeal ripe for drama. Dormant Ordeal has, however, always managed high levels of quality output. AMG’s own Dr. Wvrm praised 2016’s WHIT with a TYMHM treatment and crowned 2021’s The Grand Scheme of Things with a 4.0 of thorns. Still, I wondered how Kowal’s absence would affect the Dormant Ordeal sound and whether Tooth and Nail would have the amount of fight I’d hoped for.
A showcase for every weapon at Dormant Ordeal‘s disposal, Tooth and Nail writhes with ruthless savagery, staying true to the classic Polish death metal sound. And while the likes of Decapitated, Ulcerate, and Gaerea still hold some comparative weight, Dormant Ordeal has done more than enough to step from the shadows of comparison into the light of its own sound. Like a grizzled wizard atop rocky crags, Maciej Nieścioruk casts rifferous spells filled with whirling tremolos, walls of layered dissonance, grinding chugs, and cascading shimmers of post-metal strums as well as bass lines brimming with gravitas. Chason Westmoreland (Cambion, ex-Equipoise, ex-Hate Eternal) fills in behind the kit and turns in a monstrous performance. His snare blasts, machine-like double kicks, and miles of tom fills lend warmth and deep richness to the vibrant drum sound, departing from Dormant Ordeal‘s former snare-heavy drone. Add in the fact that Maciej Proficz sounds more beastly and vicious than I’ve ever heard him, and we realize this iteration of Dormant Ordeal walks a different path—a path of blackened death, sure, but also one of well-crafted atmospheres, post-metallic melodicism, and a low-end presence absent from previous efforts.
For every passage on Tooth and Nail that tips a hat toward Dormant Ordeal‘s past, there are as many that point to a brighter future. Longtime fans will feel wrapped in a warm, WHIC comforter when the stutter-stepping, skronky riffs of “Dust Crown” take off or the theatrically dramatic “Orphans” flies by in blurs of blistering blasts and speed-hungry riffs. These moments juxtaposed against the brilliance of the plodding, weighty drama of “Solvent,” an atmospheric long-player full of melancholic guitar lines and shimmering tremolos or the very excellent “Against the Dying of the Light,” a nod to Dylan Thomas that is one of the most vicious songs on the album, Proficz’s roar of ‘Against the dying of the light. RAGE!” gives me goosebumps every time. Every song a marvel, Tooth and Nail finds Dormant Ordeal plumbing new depths of excellence by tapping into a dormant, lush production that suits the material to a tee.

Aside from Westmoreland recording his drum parts, all aspects of the production on Tooth and Nail appear, at least on paper, the same as on TGSoT, even down to the DR score. Yet, this time, Pawel Grabowski exited the lab at JNS Studio with a mix that brought to life the dark textures of Nieścioruk’s bass lines (“Halo of Bones”) and the theatrical intricacies of his guitar work (“Everything That Isn’t Silence Is Trivial”) in a way no previous Dormant Ordeal album has managed. Every minute of Tooth and Nail‘s forty-seven-minute runtime is put to good use, leaving not even the traditional complaint of artistic bloat on the table. I suppose I would have liked to see a bit more instrumentality added to “Wije I Mary, Pt. 1” to better tie it to the beautifully executed work on the bookend “Wije I Mary, Pt. 2,” but even this minuscule nit barely registers.
From its cover to its content, Tooth and Nail represents the absolute best of what Dormant Ordeal can be. It isn’t easy to part ways with a band’s sole founding member. Many don’t survive. Perhaps the fight and struggle it took Nieścioruk and Proficz to overcome and usher Tooth and Nail into the light of day is reflected in the album’s title and theme, which is one of grit, determination, and doing the difficult thing, to fight tooth and nail if you will. I commend Dormant Ordeal for carrying on and in so doing releasing its best album yet.

Rating: 4.0/5.0
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Willowtip Records
Websites: Bandcamp | Facebook
Releases Worldwide: April 18th, 2025
#2025 #40 #Apr25 #BlackMetal #DeathMetal #Decapitated #DormantOrdeal #Gaerea #PolishMetal #Review #Reviews #ToothAndNail #Ulcerate #WillowtipRecords

#apr25 #blackmetal #deathmetal #decapitated #dormantordeal #gaerea
Angry Metal Guy @[email protected] · 2025-04-18 · 15:44 UTC

Chestcrush – ΨΥΧΟΒΓΑΛΤΗΣ Review
By Tyme
Chestcrush is what happens when you fuck around and find out. These three blackened death dealers from Edinburgh, Scotland, formed in 2020, released their independent debut album, Vthelygmia, in 2021. That’s when Chestcrush caught my ear for the first time, penning one of my favorite songs, “Different Shepherd, Same Sheep.” After swapping original vocalist Thomas Blanc for Topias Jokipii, who debuted his wares on 2022’s Apechtheia EP, Chestcrush is back with its sophomore prüno-piss and vinegar-filled platter, ΨΥΧΟΒΓΑΛΤΗΣ. Translated from Greek to mean ‘soul extractor,’ ΨΥΧΟΒΓΑΛΤΗΣ metaphorically describes an experience or person that is so incredibly tormenting to you that it feels like it’s pulling your very soul out through your mouth. Will I need my jaw re-aligned after listening to ΨΥΧΟΒΓΑΛΤΗΣ, or is this dog just a toothless barker?
Chestcrush executes its misanthropic, anti-everything brand of nihilism by fusing blackened deathgrind with sludgy, doomy industrialism on ΨΥΧΟΒΓΑΛΤΗΣ. And even with the grindier bits dialed back, ΨΥΧΟΒΓΑΛΤΗΣA sounds like a bloodied blend of Anaal Nathrakh, Immolation, and Napalm Death sprinkled with an extra vitriolic dash o’ Nails. Evangelos Vasilakos crushes chests and eardrums with an onslaught of riffs full of brutish chugs, crusty sludge, and deathly density (“Existence is Punishment”). Drummer Robin Stone (Ashen Horde) brings the mutha-fuckin’ skulls to the yard with his rib-rattling, Anaal Nathrakhian double kick work, which often serves as a tempodic counterpoint to Evan’s wall of sound bass and guitar destruction (“We Shall Be Devoured by the Offspring of Our Own Flesh”). Topping off this sundae of fuck-off-fun-day decimation are the Mikael Åkerfeldtish vocals of Jokipii, whose roars and guttural growls bring an altogether beastlier edge to ΨΥΧΟΒΓΑΛΤΗΣ‘s throat work. Chestcrush will not make you feel good about yourself, nor will they have you looking hopefully into the future.
Speaking of hope, if not abandoned wholly before entering Chestcrush‘s world, it will be by the time “Every Single Word That Comes Out of Your Filthy Hole Is an Infectious Lie a Spreading Disease” invades your earholes. It is a punishing, anti-religious anthem full of chunky riffs, dissonant tremolos, Stone’s inhuman drumming, and Jokipii’s tortured growls and screams, prefaced by an ominous warning, ‘Until the last stone, from the last church, falls on the last priest.’ And as the screechy, staticky ending of “Hang Them! Torch Them!” gives way to the tolling bells of the sludgy behemoth and album closer, “As the Damned Writhe in Eternal Woe,” it is clear that Chestcrush hates us all. ΨΥΧΟΒΓΑΛΤΗΣ has no high points, no zenith; it is a cavalcade of sorrow, a series of nadirs plumbing depths subterranean of Dante’s seventh circle.
From the very Hellraiser-esque cover art courtesy of Vladimir Chebakov to the forty-minute runtime, Chestcrush‘s ΨΥΧΟΒΓΑΛΤΗΣ is infinitely more mature than its predecessor, Vthelygmia. I attribute this leap in maturation to two things. First, Chestcrush‘s songwriting has blossomed like a blackened rose, resulting in fully developed compositions that wend, wind, and weave within themselves, an ebb and flow of drama that casts a pall of abject hopelessness over the entire affair. Second, the addition of vocalist Topias Jokipii, whose beefier delivery and propensity to stay in his lower, more guttural register better fit Chestrcush‘s aural aesthetic. I have little in the way of criticism for ΨΥΧΟΒΓΑΛΤΗΣ, but there was something that stood out, which is a brief screech of feedback that rears its head throughout the album, mainly as an exclamation point. It works when employed to create an intersong dynamic (“Every Single Word…”), but it becomes grating when tacked on the end of nearly every track, sometimes twice (“We Shall Be Devoured…”).
Chestcrush has penned a dirge celebrating the death of humanity and is the human embodiment of existential hate. You’ll not be blasting ΨΥΧΟΒΓΑΛΤΗΣ poolside this summer, cracking beers and seltzers with your buddies and their wives, crisping flesh in the sun. Chestcrush is of darkness, despair, and destitution, and that is where ΨΥΧΟΒΓΑΛΤΗΣ will take you. I have committed several hours to ΨΥΧΟΒΓΑΛΤΗΣ in preparation for this review, and this time has left me spent, my jaw firmly wired shut, soul removed. I think I need to go and listen to some Fellowship now.

Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320kbps mp3
Label: Self-Released
Websites: Bandcamp | Facebook
Releases Worldwide: April 4, 2025
#2025 #35 #AnaalNathrakh #Apr25 #BlackMetal #Chestcrush #DeathMetal #Immolation #Nails #NapalmDeath #Review #Reviews #ScottishMetal #Sludge #ΨΥΧΟΒΓΑΛΤΗΣ

#anaalnathrakh #apr25 #blackmetal #chestcrush #deathmetal #immolation
Angry Metal Guy @[email protected] · 2025-04-18 · 11:22 UTC

Valhalore – Beyond the Stars Review
By Twelve
Valhalore is a great name for a band. Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s a little goofy—but look, you get it instantly. “Valhalla?” Folk metal. “Lore?” Symphonic/power metal. Put them together and you get that exact album cover. Beyond the Stars is Valhalore’s sophomore release, following a seven-year silence from their debut. It’s a long time to cook up something cool, and I’m an easy mark for this kind of music, but Valhalore are treading a well-worn path in their fusion of styles. The question is certainly not what kind of music you’ll find on Beyond the Stars, but how well it is executed and what will set these Australians apart from their many contemporaries.
The answer to the question, of course, is wind instruments. Valhalore do indeed play a blend of symphonic, folk, and power metal that treads easily into melodic death metal; the three guitarists (Anthony Willis, Lucas Fisher, and Joseph Dipisa-Fiorenza on bass) bring on the power, the riffs, and the leads; there are roars and clean singing (Fisher and Lachlan Neate), and Morgan Cox’s drumming keeps exactly the right pace for the adventurous spirit of the album. All of that is standard, but Sophie Christensen is what sets Beyond the Stars apart, her contribution of wind instruments present throughout. These flutes and pipes soften the music somewhat, offering a powerful counter to what is otherwise a fast-paced, heavy folk metal album. Combine this with cello and mandolin from Neate and you get an album that deftly balances strong power metal with organic, authentic folk tunes.
Authenticity really is the key here. Beyond the Stars bears some resemblance to Time II (Wintersun) in its pace and seeming influence from Japan in the wind section, but avoiding samples allows Valhalore to breathe more easily. From there, it’s all about balance. “Within the Fire” is a great song with strong riffs, a huge build, and an awesome chorus, and the same can be said for “A Walk Among the Stars.” Valhalore is a little given to the standard idea of balancing growling verses with catchy, clean-sung choruses, but what the heck—it’s standard for a reason, and they execute it well. On the softer side, “Wayfinder” demonstrates more clearly than any other song the power of authenticity. For much of the song, the mandolin, cello, and wind instruments are all the support the singing needs. It’s frankly gorgeous, and demonstrates the breadth of talent in performance and songwriting Valhalore are working with, not to mention the emotion, without which the whole thing would fall apart.
To some extent, Beyond the Stars suffers from having too much of a good thing. A little repetition in a strong formula is hardly bad, but I find the journey stalls a touch in the middle. After the stunner that is “Wayfinder,” neither “Horizon” nor “The World Between” land for me; both feel like lesser versions of the trio that opens the album. In the case of “Horizon,” I can’t help but feel the guitars would be stronger leads for the song’s aggressive pace, and I just don’t care much for the chorus in “The World Between.” With so much formula seemingly at work, it is perhaps unsurprising that the full forty-eight minutes is not fully engaging. For more evidence of this idea, see “Heart of the Sea,” the song that shatters this feeling—and the one most unlike the others. Part of that is the guest spot from Anny Murphy (Cellar Darling, ex-Eluveitie), but much of it is simply the great writing, catchy vocal lines, and sense of something different. It’s almost progressive in its writing, and it feels wistful and strong, again with the emotional vibrancy of Valhalore coming up to shine.
Beyond the Stars is a very fun album. To some extent, it is predictable—you’re not in for any serious surprises, but rather for an exciting style of metal written and performed very well. It’s a little familiar and a lot fun, and you can hear that Valhalore are seasoned musicians who love what they do. For my part, I feel right at home here, and it seems they do too. Hopefully, we won’t have to wait so long for the next instalment—I would love more of this music in my life.

Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Roar Rock of Angels Records
Websites: valhalore.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/valhalore
Releases Worldwide: April 11th, 2025
#2025 #30 #Apr25 #AustralianMetal #BeyondTheStars #CellarDarling #Eluveitie #FolkMetal #MelodicDeathMetal #Review #Reviews #RoarRockOfAngelsRecords #SymphonicMetal #Valhalore #Wintersun

#apr25 #australianmetal #beyondthestars #cellardarling #eluveitie #folkmetal
Angry Metal Guy @[email protected] · 2025-04-18 · 11:22 UTC

Valhalore – Beyond the Stars Review
By Twelve
Valhalore is a great name for a band. Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s a little goofy—but look, you get it instantly. “Valhalla?” Folk metal. “Lore?” Symphonic/power metal. Put them together and you get that exact album cover. Beyond the Stars is Valhalore’s sophomore release, following a seven-year silence from their debut. It’s a long time to cook up something cool, and I’m an easy mark for this kind of music, but Valhalore are treading a well-worn path in their fusion of styles. The question is certainly not what kind of music you’ll find on Beyond the Stars, but how well it is executed and what will set these Australians apart from their many contemporaries.
The answer to the question, of course, is wind instruments. Valhalore do indeed play a blend of symphonic, folk, and power metal that treads easily into melodic death metal; the three guitarists (Anthony Willis, Lucas Fisher, and Joseph Dipisa-Fiorenza on bass) bring on the power, the riffs, and the leads; there are roars and clean singing (Fisher and Lachlan Neate), and Morgan Cox’s drumming keeps exactly the right pace for the adventurous spirit of the album. All of that is standard, but Sophie Christensen is what sets Beyond the Stars apart, her contribution of wind instruments present throughout. These flutes and pipes soften the music somewhat, offering a powerful counter to what is otherwise a fast-paced, heavy folk metal album. Combine this with cello and mandolin from Neate and you get an album that deftly balances strong power metal with organic, authentic folk tunes.
Authenticity really is the key here. Beyond the Stars bears some resemblance to Time II (Wintersun) in its pace and seeming influence from Japan in the wind section, but avoiding samples allows Valhalore to breathe more easily. From there, it’s all about balance. “Within the Fire” is a great song with strong riffs, a huge build, and an awesome chorus, and the same can be said for “A Walk Among the Stars.” Valhalore is a little given to the standard idea of balancing growling verses with catchy, clean-sung choruses, but what the heck—it’s standard for a reason, and they execute it well. On the softer side, “Wayfinder” demonstrates more clearly than any other song the power of authenticity. For much of the song, the mandolin, cello, and wind instruments are all the support the singing needs. It’s frankly gorgeous, and demonstrates the breadth of talent in performance and songwriting Valhalore are working with, not to mention the emotion, without which the whole thing would fall apart.
To some extent, Beyond the Stars suffers from having too much of a good thing. A little repetition in a strong formula is hardly bad, but I find the journey stalls a touch in the middle. After the stunner that is “Wayfinder,” neither “Horizon” nor “The World Between” land for me; both feel like lesser versions of the trio that opens the album. In the case of “Horizon,” I can’t help but feel the guitars would be stronger leads for the song’s aggressive pace, and I just don’t care much for the chorus in “The World Between.” With so much formula seemingly at work, it is perhaps unsurprising that the full forty-eight minutes is not fully engaging. For more evidence of this idea, see “Heart of the Sea,” the song that shatters this feeling—and the one most unlike the others. Part of that is the guest spot from Anny Murphy (Cellar Darling, ex-Eluveitie), but much of it is simply the great writing, catchy vocal lines, and sense of something different. It’s almost progressive in its writing, and it feels wistful and strong, again with the emotional vibrancy of Valhalore coming up to shine.
Beyond the Stars is a very fun album. To some extent, it is predictable—you’re not in for any serious surprises, but rather for an exciting style of metal written and performed very well. It’s a little familiar and a lot fun, and you can hear that Valhalore are seasoned musicians who love what they do. For my part, I feel right at home here, and it seems they do too. Hopefully, we won’t have to wait so long for the next instalment—I would love more of this music in my life.

Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Roar Rock of Angels Records
Websites: valhalore.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/valhalore
Releases Worldwide: April 11th, 2025
#2025 #30 #Apr25 #AustralianMetal #BeyondTheStars #CellarDarling #Eluveitie #FolkMetal #MelodicDeathMetal #Review #Reviews #RoarRockOfAngelsRecords #SymphonicMetal #Valhalore #Wintersun

#apr25 #australianmetal #beyondthestars #cellardarling #eluveitie #folkmetal
Angry Metal Guy @[email protected] · 2025-04-17 · 15:28 UTC

Lik – Necro Review
By El Cuervo
Lik have become a low-key favorite among the old school death metal nerds of Angry Metal Guy. Mass Funeral Evocation is one of stronger debuts from the last decade, while Carnage doubled down on its strengths. While I personally found Misanthrophic Breed less compelling, it had fans among other writers. And besides two albums of great (and one album of average) death metal, Lik have also gifted me one of the coolest experiences of my life: the immortal Mikael Stanne fist-bumping me as I donned one of their shirts at 70000 Tons of Metal. It was therefore with high expectations that I embarked on this review.
At its core, Necro remains an old school death metal album. The spectres of Entombed and Dismember loom heavily over Lik; such is the lot of all Swedish metalheads indulging in a spot of the necrophiliac arts. But recent years have also found the troupe eagerly devouring the corpse of In Flames, if buried in their 90s heyday. “War Praise” opens with a machine-gunning lead you might expect from an early 90s death metal record, but this swiftly gives way to a shredding lick that caps the song’s introduction and acts as an instrumental quasi-chorus. The shredding guitar tone skips over the harshness of At the Gates and bee-lines straight for the relative clarity of their more melodic comparators. It’s just a brief taster of a melodic sound that will recur later on the album. Make no mistake; this is still death metal of the blood-spattered variety. But the melodic punch belies a group casting their deathly gaze away from their Stockholm roots towards Gothenburg on the other side of the country.
As if to assuage any trepidation of existing fans concerned about “melody” or “hooks” (forgetting, of course, that Lik have always favored hooks, even if heavy ones), the vast majority of the ten tracks here prioritize the fusion of bludgeoning rhythms and scything melodies that is unique to Swedish death metal. Though Necro may have a melodic knack, the savage bite of its guitars always comes first. “Worms Inside” features a particularly fast and brutal opening, leading with a riff that bulges like a vein on the verge of explosion. And “Shred into Pieces” almost has the speed and relentlessness of grindcore. The energetic vocalist barks through ridiculous lyrics that are as violent as they are depraved, while the drums sound more powerful than ever as they’re presented more prominently in the mix than previously. Lik manifest a never-ending pursuit of exciting, energetic music, and their morgue-defiling enthusiasm is infectious.
Besides the judicious injection of melody through cleaner guitar tones and/or harmonizing guitars, Necro further demonstrates a song-writing hand that’s beginning to develop from pure, old school death metal. “Morgue Rat” opens with a purring bass and techy leads, but later orients around the rhythmic, expressive vocals, its lyrics dripping with blood and semen. While they begin in guttural territory, the back half progresses to a blacker, witchy shriek. Likewise, an unexpected mid-song interlude lends an air of intrigue and re-energizes the song for its finale. “In Ruins” is the most expansive track here; it deliberately shuffles a slower, doomy introduction, frenzied solos, pulsating rhythms, and harmonized shouts into a song that feels more than the sum of these parts. This and “Rotten Inferno” feel more thoughtful and varied as they frequently switch gears and escape the trappings of a verse/chorus structure.
Necro is a fundamentally sound album. It does what all good old school death metal albums do by focusing on razor-sharp leads, lo-fi production,n and energetic song-writing. It’s impossible to be a fan of death metal and not enjoy Lik. So why no better than a 3.5? I still feel that the sharpest edges in the Lik discography are in the past; Necro just isn’t as joyous or memorable as Mass Funeral Evocation or Carnage. Although it strives to expand the core sounds it uses, it isn’t so good as to escape the trappings of a sound that’s already been heard many times over. I didn’t necessarily expect more, but I had hoped the newfound development might push the band a little further.

Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 256 kbps MP3
Label: Metal Blade Records
Websites: likofficial.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/lik
Releases Worldwide: April 18th, 2025
#2025 #35 #Apr25 #AtTheGates #DeathMetal #Dismember #Entombed #InFlames #LIK #Necro #Review #Reviews #SwedishMetal

#apr25 #atthegates #deathmetal #dismember #entombed #inflames
Angry Metal Guy @[email protected] · 2025-04-17 · 11:18 UTC

Enevelde – Pandemonium Review
By Dear Hollow
There’s something to be said for simplicity in black metal. You don’t need an onslaught of atmospherics and technical skill to make it work – and in most cases, it’s discouraged. Sometimes you just need an effective chord progression, the right distortion, basically any vocal style that you can put through a reverb filter, and drums that hold a beat. Norway’s Enevelde knows this. Honing a distinctly cavernous approach to the Nidrosian black metal scene, the one-man act may not blow you away with its riffage, ferocity, or darkness, but third full-length Pandemonium aims for its most cohesive and sinister album yet.1
Enevelde is a project of B. Kråbøl, best known as vocalist of Misotheist and constituent of the second-wave Addams Family band Kråbøl, and at one time serving as drummer of the melodeath act Hypermass. While his projects are largely known for their intensity, Misotheist bringing the terror back to black metal and Kråbøl enacting traditional second-wave frigidity, Enevelde has always dealt in a more subtle and more evocative breed. Drums verge on DSBM in their restraint, rarely exploding into blastbeats, and guitars rely on droning tremolo picking rather than the sharp and vicious tinnitus with which we are accustomed. Vocals are guttural roars rather than sinister shrieks, lending a cavernous quality that adds depth and weight across the board. Following up 2020’s densely atmospheric self-titled debut and 2023’s more cruel and intense En Gildere Død, Pandemonium’s aim is subtlety, a creeping quality that suggests chaos rather than weaponizing it.
Subtlety is the emphasis for Enevelde, crafting subtly atmospheric tracks that rely on chord progressions, . Reminiscent of acts like Harakiri for the Sky or Gaerea, Kråbøl paints an unmistakably evocative picture with diminished chord progressions enriched by reverb-y roars and subtle synth flourishes (“Nigromantia,” “Helvete Reiser Seg”), haunted leads guiding grave, intensely dark, and nearly doomy weight (title track, “Eksilfyrste”), and fury and reaching the surface with tasteful blastbeats and dense bass (“Offer,” “Rasende Flammer”). The guitar tone throughout blends second-wave’s more barbed maceration (the raw misdirect opener “Gapende Grav) and a more modern doomish density (“Rasende Flammer”). Utilizing a style that kicks the gut-punch intensity down a few notches in favor of that creeping feeling, it’s a dreary piece of work in the most pleasant way.
While the best of black metal’s upper echelon features a smart blend of highlights and mood, Enevelde is very comfortable in its emphasis of the latter. Granted, you won’t come upon a black metal band that dwells in more cavernous tones often, but that’s about all that Enevelde does. It’s spooky blackened music with a somewhat unique vocal attack,2 a style that will please fans of the style, but there’s little else to be found aboard Pandemonium. Its slower dirge-like pacing is more akin to DSBM in the emotional gravitas attached to each plod, but if you’re not in the mood to be taken into the place that Kråbøl’s riffs and roars create, there’s nothing hooking you either. While effective, Enevelde is remarkably straightforward and one-note, its layers and richness devoted to the feeling in every movement. In short, there are no hooks aboard Pandemonium – just mood and reverie.
Enevelde has a good thing going, but its audience remains starkly limited. It will not change your mind on black metal, but its humble and straightforward execution, an atmosphere without the need for over-the-top theatrics, is a strong asset. It rarely rises above haunting and creepy, but it recognizes that it doesn’t need to. Pandemonium is far less an all-out chaos attack, and more demons are looming in the wings, utilizing punishment and insanity only when necessary. Enevelde offers a neat little black metal album – nothing more, nothing less.

Rating: 2.5/5.0
DR: 10 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Terratur Possessions
Website: 2 kvlt 4 u
Releases Worldwide: April 9th, 2025
#2025 #30 #Apr25 #AtmosphericBlackMetal #BlackMetal #Enevelde #Firtan #Gaerea #HarakiriForTheSky #Hypermass #Kråbøl #Misotheist #NorwegianMetal #pandemonium #Review #Reviews #TerraturPossessions

#apr25 #atmosphericblackmetal #blackmetal #enevelde #firtan #gaerea
Angry Metal Guy @[email protected] · 2025-04-10 · 16:45 UTC
Epica – Aspiral Review
By Kenstrosity
Since their founding in 2002, Epica garnered my everlasting adoration as my absolute favorite symphonic metal band, followed by other household names like Nightwish and After Forever. However, unlike the overwhelming majority of their ilk, Epica’s music bares sharper teeth, maintains a stronger connection to the greater pantheon of metal and its more extreme fringes, and remains to this day the most consistent in quality album to album. Few symphonic bands celebrating over 20 years of uninterrupted activity exhibit these characteristics. Consequently, my anticipation for Aspiral soars in my trust that Epica could never let me down, grounded by a great anxiety that one day, they just might.
The sigh of relief I let out after my first spin of Aspiral could be heard around the world. Brimming with drama, loaded with hooks, and laser-focused on delivering passionate, energetic songs, Epica’s ninth opus sees every member of this remarkably stable1 Dutch sextet operating in rare form. Running for bang-on one hour, Aspiral follows the classic Epica blueprint: epic, opulent symphonic metal informed by prog and power, and grazed across the cheek by death’s bony phalanges. However, new accoutrements and novel structures showcase a group exploring the boundaries of their sound with a gentle growth indicative of a collective eager to play and learn. While this never leaves any of these 11 songs unrecognizable as an Epica piece by any means, these admittedly light risks allow Aspiral to shine as a late career highlight.
Aspiral, first and foremost, is a triumph of performance in music. As the world already knows, lead siren Simone Simons is a powerhouse, her voice only getting better with time (“Obsidian Heart,” “Apparition,” “The Grand Saga of Existence—A New Age Dawns Part IX”). However, a delightful surprise, Mark Jansen’s immediately recognizable growl and scream rips across the record with a palpable presence and rabid tone (“Metanoia—A New Age Dawns Part XIII,” “Eye of the Storm,” “The Grand Saga of Existence”). Ariën van Weesenbeek’s incredible drumming steals the show all over the place, too, whether in the service of creating additional interest inside breakdowns and riffs (“Arcana”); by driving transitions smoothly between faster freakouts and slower spells (“T.I.M.E.,” “Apparition”); or when manifesting a groovy beat that all but guarantees remembrance (“Obsidian Heart,” “Fight to Survive—The Overview Effect,” “Apparition”). Thankfully, Mark Jansen’s and Isaac Delahaye’s axework keeps up, injecting oodles of fun leads and riffs (“Cross the Divide,” “Darkness Dies in Light—A New Age Dawns Part VII”) and quite a number of killer solos (“Apparition,” “Eye of the Storm”). Even Rob van der Loo’s bass guitar gets to shine a bit more, too, though he’s still a bit difficult to spot sometimes—a clear point of improvement for future records. And of course, Coen Janssen’s orchestrations need no introduction, but his gorgeous choirs in particular make a huge impression this time around (“T.I.M.E.”).
Of course, all of those performances would mean nothing without great songs in which to showcase them. Thankfully, Aspiral is loaded with pieces that live rent-free in my head. Hits like “Cross the Divide,” “Arcana,” the VOLA-esque “Obsidian Heart,” “Apparition,” the energetic “Eye of the Storm,” and beautiful penultimate epic “The Grand Saga of Existence” compete viciously for top spot as the album progresses—to the point that I always feel I’m giving the wrong answer when I call any one of them my favorite. Moreover, despite Aspiral’s adventurous and exuberant spirit, the whole feels cohesive, well-conceived, and smartly arranged. Even instrumental moments that threaten to derail my attention, like the initially questionable breakdowns in “Arcana” and “Fight to Survive,” get scooped right up by Mark’s and Isaac’s clever leads, Ariën’s kit wizardry, and Coen’s uplifting orchestrations. This, in turn, creates a dynamic experience that evokes a range of actions and reactions, logical progressions of story, and thoughtful decorations which make repeat spins valuable to invested listeners.
There’s so much more I can say about Aspiral, but as I continue to overwrite, I want to leave with a couple of notes. Firstly, while it occupies an ideal placement in the tracklist, delicate closer “Aspiral” might be the one song that meanders too long, creating a spot of bloat at the tail end. Secondly, I was hoping to hear more of the extremity that Epica unexpectedly unleashed on “Human Devastation” from their The Alchemy Project EP. I recognize that it was a one-off collaboration, but I do hear little hints of its beastly spirit in places here, and I crave more of it now that I know that Epica are willing to engage with it. Finally, Aspiral, flaws and all, made it impossible for me to go back to previous records as a point of comparison, because its pull is just too strong. Every impulse to pick up something else instead resulted in withdrawals, followed by yet another ravenous draught of Aspiral.2 If that’s not the making of a Great record, I don’t know what is.

Rating: Great!
DR: N/A | Format Reviewed: Stream [Stop This!]
Label: Nuclear Blast
Websites: epica.nl | facebook.com/epica
Releases Worldwide: April 11th, 2025

Show 2 footnotes
1. They’ve kept the same lineup since 2012! ↩
2. And this promo was a shitty stream! ↩
#2025 #40 #AfterForever #Apr25 #Aspiral #DutchMetal #Epica #Nightwish #NuclearBlast #PowerMetal #ProgressiveDeathMetal #ProgressiveMetal #Review #Reviews #SymphonicMetal #VOLA
#afterforever #apr25 #aspiral #dutchmetal #epica #nightwish
Angry Metal Guy @[email protected] · 2025-04-08 · 11:03 UTC
Blood Abscission – II Review
By Thus Spoke
We tend to underestimate how great a role knowledge of the artist plays when experiencing their art. Even if unfamiliar with their work, the awareness of them as a person (or group of people) whose intentions are either plain or discoverable through interviews, notes, or academic consensus informs our opinions insidiously but inevitably. In an age when self-promotion is easier than ever thanks to the internet, a musician choosing to remain anonymous speaks to a desire to center their music in as absolute a way as possible. Who comprises Blood Abscission, and how many of them are there? That may never be known.1 All that exists is their art. This too eschews identity beyond numbers: sophomore II following in inevitability debut I, and all tracks bearing only the numerals of their album position. We must listen to II exactly as it is, with only Blood Abscission’s solemn proclamation as potential guide: “United in pain, we step into the abyss – not as mere individuals, but as a collective force seeking meaning within the chaos, finding a voice in the silence between the stars.”
Though I discovered it in retrospect—the debut having been dropped via self-release with zero fanfare—II continues exactly as I began. Blistering, raw-adjacent atmospheric black metal, relentless beyond the occasional lapses into dreamy gaziness where the keyboards shine and feedback hums (“III,” “IV”), not unlike a synth-obsessed Alcest. Its intensity, the desperate, unintelligible screams of the vocalist, and the grand melodic themes see-sawing between melancholy beauty and eerie dissonance bring to mind Aara on one face (“I,” “V”), Decoherence the other (“II”). II feels like an exercise in pure catharsis, the repeated climaxes of ever-fiercer roars and ascending tremolos communicating only unfiltered emotion, and the contrastive stillness a cleansing indifference. With no identifiable words, and even the muffled samples dampened beyond comprehension, II’s features are solely confined to this ebb and flow, amplifying once more the facelessness and pure aesthetic centrality that Blood Abscission impose by not naming it, or themself. It is a musical black hole, both in atmosphere and sparseness of properties, and is appropriately powerful.
Unlike an actual black hole, II is something we can escape from, though Blood Abscission do a good job of holding you in place. At its most ardent peaks, when beauty pitches fearsomely into urgency, it is hard to ignore, let alone switch off (“II,” “V”). The moves from one state of being to another are smooth, regardless of their speed—whether neo-second-wave and assured to a vulnerable undulation between sorrowfulness and heartenedness (“I”), or gentle contentment to grieving resolution (“III”). “IV”‘s emanation out of the chiming whine of “III,” and procession into the torrent that opens “V,” is not just an obvious example of this compositional fluidity, but itself proves to be a thoroughly absorbing interlude that belies its length. II repeatedly invites introspection, and does so through its rawness that reaches beyond the way the vocals and instruments are mastered, a corollary of the necessary focus on the sweep of its melodies, interplay between airy keys and darker riffing, and the tides dictated by pleasingly crisp percussion. The echoing croon of an escaped tremolo, the escalation of a minor refrain into devastation, and the torture of a conclusive shriek—with the closing act of “V” standing as the album’s crowning glory in this regard—are notably affecting.
Yet II’s consistency in perdurance is a double-edged sword. While full immersion grants the listener an undoubtedly intense and emotional experience, less conscious enjoyment threatens to leave them a little cold, outside of standout apexes at least. Perhaps this is always a danger with atmo-black, particularly of this more unrestrained and unstructured variety. I can testify that after spending some time with it, its magnitude seems greater than it did initially, thanks to deeper appreciation of its nuances, but even the influence of II’s potency doesn’t eliminate flaws entirely. II could stand to be a shade shorter, to give every moment more impact; something not needed so much by its peaks, but from which some of its lingering passages would gain better standing as transitions of beneficial steadiness between outbursts.
With so much atmospheric and raw black metal out there that might as well be anonymous for all its uniformity and ironic placidity, Blood Abscission stand out not only with real anonymity, but music that speaks for itself. In form resisting memorability, in actuality quite impactful and resilient, II shows what the genre is capable of. Even if it lacks the concrete immediacy to solidify it into long-standing greatness, its noise is not meaningless, and its meaning is not lost, however imprecise it might seem.

Rating: Good
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Debemur Morti
Website: Bandcamp
Releases Worldwide: April 11th, 2025

Show 1 footnote
1. And as is stated quite forcefully in the promo material, “Blood Abscission is NOT available for interviews.” ↩
#2025 #30 #Aara #Alcest #AmbientBlackMetal #Apr25 #AtmosphericBlackMetal #BlackMetal #BloodAbscission #DebemurMortiProductions #Decoherence #II #RawBlackMetal #Review #Reviews
#aara #alcest #ambientblackmetal #apr25 #atmosphericblackmetal #blackmetal
Angry Metal Guy @[email protected] · 2025-04-04 · 15:12 UTC

Allegaeon – The Ossuary Lens Review
By Maddog
Allegaeon’s six albums have received tumultuous marks in these halls. After their fantastic 2010 debut Fragments of Form and Function broke the score counter, Allegaeon sank as low as a 2.0 for 2016’s Proponent for Sentience in the eyes of then-tadpole GardensTale. While their latest outing recovered to a more respectable score, Allegaeon’s techy brand of melodeath has polarized socialites and critics alike. The band excelled with their riffier onslaughts and soaring melodies, but fell for the forbidden fruit of proggy excess. The Ossuary Lens showcases a leaner, meaner Allegaeon. I won’t be listening to it in a decade, but it’s a worthy soundtrack for today.
Allegaeon have trimmed their bloat but not their ambitions. For the uninitiated, Allegaeon’s brand of death metal resembles a noodlier Arsis, with its melodicism matched only by its technicality. That said, Allegaeonites will recall that these Coloradans would rather cover Yes or Rush than classic death metal. Allegaeon’s career has sometimes descended into a vulgar display of prog, combining protracted tracks with a penchant for flamenco breaks. These proggy elements live on, as Allegaeon gallops from punchy riffs to melodic leads to clean jams and back again. However, The Ossuary Lens displays newfound restraint. At 45 minutes, this is the band’s shortest album by a full eight minutes. Allegaeon’s escapades no longer leave a salty aftertaste, and the band’s forays into other genres no longer feel like pleas for a yardstick. The Ossuary Lens preserves its identity without getting lost in its own reflection.
Accordingly, The Ossuary Lens hits across both its bigly riffs and its creative tangents. The album’s fierier cuts are a refreshing return to form, with “The Swarm” reviving Elements of the Infinite’s infectious riffcraft. As hoped, these sections still ooze technicality, as guitarists Greg Burgess and Michael Stancel dominate their fretboards even in their most explosive moments. Meanwhile, Allegaeon’s genre-bending experiments feel creative but not overwrought. Most notably, “Dark Matter Dynamics” pulls a First Fragment stunt of seamlessly transitioning between jubilant strumming (courtesy of Adrian Bellue) and formidable death metal melodies. Indeed, The Ossuary Lens hits hardest when these forces unite. For instance, “Carried by Delusion” voyages from serene melodies to Revocation worship to blackened tremolos to upbeat bass and guitar solos to downcast crunchy riffs, eviscerating both my heartstrings and my neck. The Ossuary Lens’ moderation goes a long way. Rather than clobbering the listener with decades-long Spanish guitar jams, The Ossuary Lens presents its creative side through measured four-minute tracks. Tech, prog, melody, and home sweet death metal unite into a potent concoction.
While each piece of The Ossuary Lens is impressive in isolation, the album sometimes loses my interest. One reason is its lack of climactic moments. During tracks like “Scythe” and “Wake Circling Above,” I zoned out and had to abuse the rewind button, because there weren’t enough valleys, buildups, and peaks to keep me engaged. Another reason is sequencing; while the five middle tracks from “Driftwood” through “Dark Matter Dynamics” shine, the bookends fall short. The most predictable reason is production. Despite aiming for creativity and dynamism in their songwriting, Allegaeon continues to brickwall their albums into tepid gruel. As a result, The Ossuary Lens often loses my focus despite its seemingly manageable length. Conversely, the album’s highlights show how it’s done. Most strikingly, “Driftwood” has colonized my brain with a soulful mix of melodeath and metalcore that recalls Venom Prison. With highs this high, it’s a shame that The Ossuary Lens often slips into uniformity.
Allegaeon is a relatively new band, but they inspire nostalgia. I vividly recall pimply nights with the addictive Fragments of Form and Function. I still think that “Accelerated Evolution” and “Genocide for Praise” are two of the greatest album closers of this millennium. And the iconic 2014 music video for “1.618” sealed Allegaeon’s place in my heart forever. Measured against Allegaeon’s first three albums, The Ossuary Lens falls short, hampered by its dearth of standout moments. Still, it isn’t a stinker. It still bangs; it still shreds; it still progs. Warts and all, it earns its keep.
Rating: Good
DR: 5 | Format Reviewed: 256 kbps mp3
Label: Metal Blade Records
Websites: allegaeon.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/Allegaeon
Releases Worldwide: April 4th, 2025

Iceberg
Allegaeon are something of a known quantity around here, having been nodded at by Steel, eviscerated by GardensTale, and patched up by Cherd. The Colorado crew helmed by guitarist Greg Burgess have amassed a legion of rabid followers (who are sure to raise a ruckus in the comment section) for their signature style of Gothenburg-meets-tech-death. I’ll admit to being a fan of 2016’s Proponent for Sentience, one of the first reviews I read on this site, but got lost amidst the dense material of Apoptosis and frankly didn’t even give Damnum a shot. Allegaeon’s latest LP, The Ossuary Lens, sees the return of original vocalist Ezra Haynes and a much-welcomed stripped-down runtime, two intriguing changes in my book. It’s been quite a while since I’ve been excited about an Allegaeon release, can The Ossuary Lens be the record to change that?
Allegaeon’s style of melo-tech-death needs little introduction here, but for those of you who haven’t been following the past decade’s worth of drama, I’ll provide the CliffsNotes. Sweeping, scalar guitar riffs courtesy of Burgess and Michael Stancel form the backbone of most tracks, and the dual guitars make for an indulgent offering of solos (“Driftwood,” “Wake Circling Above”). The drums here, while dripping with modern production sheen, are compelling and energetic without being overly technical, a sincere compliment for Jeff Saltzman. Allegaeon have never strayed from highlighting their bass players, and standout moments in “Chaos Theory” and “Carried by Delusion” show Brandon Michael has as much a command of melody as he does of relentless, galloping rhythms. Ezra Haynes, of Elements of the Infinite fame, comes roaring back to life on The Ossuary Lens, employing a gritty death roar alongside commendable clean vocals on “Driftwood” and “Wake Circling Above.” The performances on The Ossuary Lens are everything one would come to expect from a band nearly two decades into their career, and make for a wholly engaging listening experience.
Allegaeon albums tend to have similar issues holding them back, and the band have largely addressed them on The Ossuary Lens. First and foremost is the 45-minute runtime, a nearly 25% reduction in music from their last three records. The renewed focus on editing shines, with tracks that hit fast and get out of the way while still managing to be memorable (“The Swarm,” “Imperial”). This represents the first major improvement in The Ossuary Lens; Allegaeon have not only figured out that less is more, but they’ve also magnified the parts that work. Sing-along melodeath choruses lurk throughout the album (“Driftwood,” “Dies Irae”) but none so impactful as penultimate track “Wake Circling Above.” Clearly the best Insomnium track released this year, Allegaeon’s ode to all things Gothenburg is a monumental testament to what this band can do when they stop doing so much and let the music dictate the song’s course.
The hits don’t stop there. The Ossuary Lens takes a while to really get moving, with the first three tracks treading familiar territory. But then comes “Dies Irae,” a barnburner that incorporates the three-note musical motif for the Dies Irae text of the Requiem Mass, a nice music nerd Easter Egg that only enhances the ripping triplet-infused breakdown sitting in the song’s center. And Burgess’ requisite flamenco guitar, something sorely overused in Proponent for Sentience, is here condensed into the driving groove of “Dark Matter Dynamics,” a powerfully infectious rhythm ripped straight from a Rodrigo y Gabriela record, or the breath-before-the-plunge moments of the darkly harrowing “Carried by Delusion.” Whereas previous Allegaeon records were dense, academic affairs that required shoveling through noise and notes to discern, The Ossuary Lens presents a barebones masterclass on Allegaeon’s modus operandi.
This isn’t to say that The Ossuary Lens is infallible. Early tracks “Chaos Theory” and “Driftwood” are technically proficient, but fail to reach the emotional highs of the rest of their brethren. Final track “Scythe,” while holding some excellent verse grooves, feels underbaked after the astonishing “Wake Circling Above,” and its cropped ending leaves the album on more of a question mark than a statement. And there’s the lingering issue of the DR5 master and production, which, while not as obscene as earlier records, is still crushed and fatiguing. But overall, The Ossuary Lens represents a massively successful repositioning for the Coloradoans, making it one of my favorite spins of the year for its precision, refinement, and memorability. If Allegaeon continue on this trajectory, we may see their best work yet just over the horizon.

Rating: 3.5/5.0
#2025 #30 #35 #Allegaeon #AmericanMetal #Apr25 #Arsis #DeathMetal #FirstFragment #Insomnium #Melodeath #MelodicDeathMetal #MetalBlade #MetalBladeRecords #ProgressiveDeath #ProgressiveDeathMetal #ProgressiveTechnicalDeathMetal #Review #Reviews #Revocation #RodrigoYGabriela #Rush #TechnicalDeathMetal #TheOssuaryLens #VenomPrison #Yes

#allegaeon #americanmetal #apr25 #arsis #deathmetal #firstfragment
Zentrum polis @[email protected] · 2024-04-23 · 14:14 UTC

Spezialangebot des Filmmuseums Wien im Rahmen der #atpb24: 3 x Lectures für SchülerInnen der Sek II:
https://humanrights.at/aktionstage/tag/filmmuseum/ #kino #film #filmmuseum #wien #apr25 #apr26 #apr29 #Schule

#atpb24 #kino #film #filmmuseum #wien #apr25