#firesinthedistance — Public Fediverse posts

#firesinthedistance #hinayana saw them both in Detroit on September 2026. Both bands were awesome. I’m grateful they came.

#firesinthedistance - The Lock and the Key https://musiccloud.io/_KR870rD

Fires in the Distance have always been good, haven’t they. Three albums on the trot. Bangers, the lot of them.

#music

Record(s) o’ the Month – June 2026

As we race to catch up with modern times, we’ve finally entered the summer stage of 2026! June…
#NewsBeep #News #Music #2026 #CA #Canada #CircadianPromise #Entertainment #FiresintheDistance #Khemmis #Record(s)o'theMonth #RitualsofShame #warning
https://www.newsbeep.com/ca/919341/

Record(s) o’ the Month – June 2026

As we race to catch up with modern times, we’ve finally entered the summer stage of 2026! June…
#NewsBeep #News #US #USA #UnitedStates #UnitedStatesOfAmerica #Music #2026 #CircadianPromise #Entertainment #FiresintheDistance #Khemmis #Record(s)o'theMonth #RitualsofShame #warning
https://www.newsbeep.com/us/869617/

https://www.europesays.com/ie/718245/ Record(s) o’ the Month – June 2026 #2026 #CircadianPromise #Éire #Entertainment #FiresInTheDistance #IE #Ireland #Khemmis #Music #Record(s)O'TheMonth #RitualsOfShame #warning

To You, Author of My Fade by Fires in the Distance on Apple Music https://song.link/https://music.apple.com/us/album/to-you-author-of-my-fade/1886727001?i=1886727005
#FiresInTheDistance #Metal #Music #AppleMusic

For a band you’ve most likely not heard of before, Shabti sports a remarkably intriguing pedigree (at least for my tastes). You see, Shabti is comprised of members from Falls of Rauros, Obsidian Tongue, Fires in the Distance, and even live Panopticon performers. These aforementioned names will likely ignite the interest of fellow atmo-black lovers as they did to me. Instead, annihilate those puny expectations, for Shabti is actually an amalgamation of proggy, techy, blackened death, much to my surprise. Surprise, but not chagrin – the pre-release single “Rise of the Shabti” got me sufficiently excited, and I trust the weathered musicians of Shabti to deliver something great on the enigmatically titled Haze, Cacophony, and White Light.

Shabti wastes no time playing their hand, coming out the gates of “Ambrosia and Lambs Blood” sprinting at full speed. It’s immediately clear that Haze, Cacophony, and White Light leans eagerly into its prog aspects, often reminding me of Neuraxis in a way I genuinely struggle to justify. Riffs barrel on by, connected by endless, labyrinthine little guitar and drum fills. Shabti likes to teeter their music right on the edge of weird, with slippery compositions and a flirtatious attitude towards dissonance, though I’d say it never quite takes the full plunge. Furthermore, the album just sounds excellent; the performances are snappy all across the board, and the sound mixing is crisp and clear. I particularly enjoy the sound of the guitars; they have a swinging weight heard especially well in the riffs of “Rise of the Shabti.” By all measures, the sonic ingredients of a good album are here.

Sadly, it never quite comes together into a memorable, exciting album. The song structure is loose in a way that there’s never really a satisfying build or climax, and few riffs ever stand out in my memory for longer than a song’s duration. Outside of the noteworthy, pleasant gallop in the latter half of “Blood for a Blessing,” if you threw me anywhere between the opening “Ambrosia and Lambs Blood” and “Haze, Cacophony, and White Light,” I don’t think I could identify which song it was. The funny thing is that very little stands out as actually bad; it’s just that nothing ever quite coalesces. In a vacuum, I can appreciate the guitar work in “Ambrosia and Lambs Blood,” and I appreciate the harmonic play that closes the title track, but there ever remains little identifiable direction or momentum. Well, in that regard it’s worth mentioning the nearly 10-minute “A Weary Creation”; it’s notably more structured and loops back into its earlier ideas, but there’s not enough strong material to justify the runtime, and the song approaches being unpleasant.

Still, there are some exceptions. The penultimate “Sojourner” is pretty solid, with some stronger melodic focus, and the closer “Rise of the Shabti” is easily the album’s best. It employs refreshingly chunky riff-work without sacrificing the structural weirdness, and is always the song I’m most excited for. I’ll remind you that “Rise of the Shabti” is what got me so excited for the album in the first place, and I do wish Shabti leaned just a little more in that direction for their next album. The strong final stretch ensures the album never ends on a truly sour note, and to the album’s credit, Haze, Cacophony, and White Light clocks in at just around a clean 40 minutes.

Haze, Cacophony, and White Light is complex, undeniably so. But even as the winding path the album takes became clear across my usual slew of endless replays, the album refused to click. It’s eccentric enough to avoid actual boredom, but too aimless to inspire excitement. It’s clear that there’s a ton of solid ideas behind Shabti that work well enough in a vacuum, but just never quite seem to congeal together in the right way. Nevertheless, Shabti are no hacks, and if my words have made you curious, then I do encourage you to check it out at least.

Rating: 2.5/5.0
DR: 8 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps
Label: Contemn Light
Websites: facebook | bandcamp
Releases Worldwide: August 21st, 2026

#firesinthedistance
I just can’t stop listening to this album! I don’t make #AOTY lists but this one would be a strong contender for 1st place!
https://firesinthedistance.bandcamp.com/album/circadian-promise
#deathmetal #melodicdeathmetal

Recensioni ✍️

👤 Fires In The Distance 📈 34 👥 20K
🔗 Circadian Promise 8️⃣
📅 12-6-2026
🏠 2026 (Prosthetic)
#️⃣ Deathdoommetal Gothicmetal

Con i suoi elementi gotici e tardo-romantici, il death-doom metal della formazione [...]

a cura di Michele Corrado

#Ondarock #MusicianSky #MusicSky #Music

Circadian Promise - Album by F...

Fires in the Distance: Circadian Promise

J’avais découvert Fires in the Distance sur un album qui avait été un coup de cœur immédiat et ce n’est pas sans appréhension que j’attendais Circadian Promise.

#blackAtmosphérique #deathMetal #FiresInTheDistance #mélodeath #USA

https://wp.me/ppneF-bR0

I can't decide whether I prefer 'Air Not Meant for Us' or 'Circadian Promise'.

They both absolutely bang. #FiresInTheDistance #Music

By This Time Tomorrow - Fires in the Distance https://musiccloud.io/QHeWc

Anyone else enjoying the #AlanWatts sample in this track, the full piece is here: https://www.organism.earth/library/document/out-of-your-mind-12#ch2

#music #firesinthedistance

Holy forking shirt, this is good.

'Once the Silence Takes Your Place' - #FiresInTheDistance

https://musiccloud.io/Cudmq

#Music

For #SaturDoom:

#Khemmis: Khemmis

https://album.link/t/528863215

#DoomMetal

FFO #CryptSermon #FiresInTheDistance #Pallbearer

https://www.europesays.com/be-nl/81932/ Fires In The Distance – Circadian Promise #Amusement #BE #België #Belgium #CircadianPromise #DeathDoom #Entertainment #FiresInTheDistance #melodeath #MelodicDeathMetal #Music #Muziek #ProstheticRecords

FIRES IN THE DISTANCE (Estats Units) presenta nou àlbum: "Circadian Promise" #FiresInTheDistance #MelodicDoom #DeathMetal #Juny2026 #EstatsUnits #NouÀlbum #Metall #Metal #MúsicaMetal #MetalMusic

https://www.europesays.com/nl/236580/ Fires In The Distance – Circadian Promise #Amusement #CircadianPromise #death/doom #Dutch #Entertainment #FiresInTheDistance #melodeath #MelodicDeathMetal #Music #Muziek #Nederland #Nederlanden #Nederlands #Netherlands #NL #ProstheticRecords

Fires in the Distance – Circadian Promise Review

Not many bands can craft as characteristic an aura as Fires in the Distance. Their dreamy melodicism yet…
#NewsBeep #News #Music #2026 #4.5 #AmericanMetal #CA #Canada #CircadianPromise #DeathMetal #DoomMetal #Entertainment #FiresintheDistance #Jun26 #MelodicDeathMetal #progressivedeathmetal #ProstheticRecords #review #reviews
https://www.newsbeep.com/ca/726898/

https://www.europesays.com/uk/1015866/ Fires in the Distance – Circadian Promise Review #2026 #45 #AmericanMetal #CircadianPromise #DeathMetal #DoomMetal #Entertainment #FiresInTheDistance #Jun26 #MelodicDeathMetal #music #ProgressiveDeathMetal #ProstheticRecords #Review #Reviews #UK #UnitedKingdom

https://www.europesays.com/ie/526614/ Fires in the Distance – Circadian Promise Review #2026 #45 #AmericanMetal #CircadianPromise #DeathMetal #DoomMetal #Éire #Entertainment #FiresInTheDistance #IE #Ireland #Jun26 #MelodicDeathMetal #Music #ProgressiveDeathMetal #ProstheticRecords #Review #Reviews

Not many bands can craft as characteristic an aura as Fires in the Distance. Their dreamy melodicism yet grounded weight lend their music an instantly recognizable and powerfully uplifting tone. Debut Echoes from Deep November already shimmered with the promise of something special, and 2023 sophomore Air Not Meant for Us more than made good on this promise, gliding effortlessly into my top 5 for that year. At this point in a band’s career, one might start to fear a slip in quality—a complacent settling into an easy and familiar groove—where the magic fades a little. One might, but in my case, this was somewhat eclipsed by the glittering stars that filled my eyes when Circadian Promise appeared on the horizon. Returning to the paradigm of mental health, rendered through the imagery of flight and freedom, Fires in the Distance console even the most timorous of hearts and deliver once again.

Everything uniquely great about Fires in the Distance is back on full display in Circadian Promise, and more besides. The sparkling arias of keyboards gain strength on the backs of soaring lead guitars and the steadfast heft of bass and drum. Synths subtly decorate the soundscape with just a touch of drama. Dynamic, steady tempos propel you forward. But Fires in the Distance don’t rest in the surety of this admittedly winning formula. New vocalist Brendan Hayter1 uses his savage screams to inject a new intensity to the heaviness and amplifies already stirring passages with hearty cleans—first of their kind for the band. The keyboards also see a renaissance of sorts with extended moments in the spotlight (“Lightless Days of a Songless Bird,” “Once the Silence Takes Your Place”), and solos stretch further towards the epic (“By this Time Tomorrow”). This evolution remains entirely natural. Whatever fierceness seizes the percussion or harsh vocals, the music remains easily compelling and distinctively rousing. Similarly, the singing never pushes songs even close to the saccharine boundary; their emotionality is perfectly pitched.

Fires in the Distance set a high bar with their previous work, but somehow Circadian Promise clears it. The music demonstrates a mature exploration of tension and contrast, shifting slightly away from doom and back towards melodeath, playing with the duality of clean and harsh vocals, folding the fragile and the fierce into potent progressions. Songs might use an ardently sung bridge to allow a melancholic theme to provide tangible closure (“Of Radiance and Levitation,” “To You, the Author of my Fade”), or show vulnerability beside a heavier counterpart to the rhythm and melody (“Once the Silence…”). Just as much emotion comes from the ardent screams that ring over turbulent drums (“Once the Silence…”) or rise in tandem with tremolo-picked or swiftly arpeggio-ing riffs (“Lightless Days…,” “Agonal Dreaming”). Every refrain is just as deceptively simple, memorable, and lovely as ever, but with the increased dynamism, they shine still brighter. Layered transitions through synths and piano (“Lightless Days…,” “By This Time Tomorrow,” “Once the Silence…”) seamlessly weave movements together. Fluid, energetic drumming shapes the soundscape with bolstering fills and assertive rolls into steady, sweeping ascents (“Of Radiance…,” ), rocky climbs (“Once the Silence…” “Agonal Dreaming”), and endless onward glides (“By this Time Tomorrow”), metaphorically embodying their themes. As a result, they hit harder and stick longer.

Circadian Promise is also made more compelling by its structure. Almost the same length to the second as Air Not Meant for Us, it uses its time better, eschewing instrumental interludes and long intros and crafting long songs with assured builds (“Of Radiance…”, “Lightless Days…”), moving reprises (“To You,…” “Agonal Dreaming”), and thrillingly layered evolutions (“To You…,” “Once the Silence…”).2 “Lightless Days…” is possibly the only candidate for a trim, weakened slightly by its itineracy. Whilst being in many ways more dramatic and heavy than prior releases, it’s simultaneously more reflective thanks to a slight lilt in the tunes and openness in the cleans, and some fantastic keyboard-centred passages, integrated beautifully into the metal (“Of Radiance…,” “By this Time Tomorrow”). This heightened reflectiveness also shows up through Fires in the Distance’s substitution for pithy Christopher Hitchens with the rather more introspective Alan Watts (“By this Time Tomorrow”) in the role of sampled British intellectual.

To those who previously felt Fires in the Distance’s brand of melodeath too airy to be impactful, Circadian Promise may be the album that shows you the light. Bolstered and tempered with a more striking heaviness and passionate cleans, the characteristically stirring beauty of the melodies sings louder and warmer than before. Circadian Promise fully becomes its concept as its powerful pieces coalesce into a fortifying tonic you surely can’t resist, lifting your spirits, and Fire in the Distance themselves, up into the stratosphere.

Rating: Excellent
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Prosthetic Records
Websites: Bandcamp | Facebook
Releases Worldwide: June 12th, 2026

#2026 #45 #AmericanMetal #CircadianPromise #DeathMetal #DoomMetal #FiresInTheDistance #Jun26 #MelodicDeathMetal #ProgressiveDeathMetal #ProstheticRecords #Review #Reviews

You're sick and tired of bad news?
Well, here's some to brighten your mood: #FiresInTheDistance is about to drop a new album on June 12th.
That should definitely help!

#metal #newmusic

New post: Album Review: Fires In The Distance – Circadian Promise https://moshville.co.uk/reviews/album-review/2026/05/album-review-fires-in-the-distance-circadian-promise/ #FiresInTheDistance

Matt's MoshCast is back! This week with special guest Craig Breitsprecher from Fires In The Distance 🤘( there's some Fender bashing, too)

#metalpodcasts #metalpodcast #FiresInTheDistance #Fender #heavymetal #metalmusic #podcast

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZvVm5G-SYn8

FIRES IN THE DISTANCE (Estats Units) presenta nou single: "Of Radiance and Levitation" #FiresInTheDistance #MelodicDoom #DeathMetal #Abril2026 #EstatsUnits #NouSingle #Metall #Metal #MúsicaMetal #MetalMusic

For @DXMacGuffin's #ProgTuesday:

#AnAbstractIllusion: Emmett

https://song.link/qdhqhtmkdhmdq

#ProgressiveDeathMetal

FFO #FiresInTheDistance #Hath #Kardashev

For @DXMacGuffin's #ProgTuesday:

#AnAbstractIllusion: No Dreams Beyond Empty Horizons

https://song.link/28wpw2tzv9qhq

#AtmosphericMelodicProgressiveDeathMetal

FFO #FiresInTheDistance #Iapetus #Kardashev

Blind Equation – A Funeral in Purgatory Review

By Kenstrosity

When I reach for something blindly, I hope for the best. As it pertains to the acquisition of promo, I calculate my chances of enjoying whatever I select as little as possible. Impulse reigns supreme, instinct takes precedence, gut feelings have the final say. This process ultimately led me to Chicago, Illinois’ Blind Equation. Originally launched as a chiptune-heavy cybergrind project, mastermind and main songwriter James McHenry steadily integrated other influences that distinguish this material from that of the greater subset. With A Funeral in Purgatory, written in the midst of great anguish and struggle on McHenry’s side, Blind Equation create their heaviest, most brutal, and yet most vulnerable and earnest work to date.

Resembling acts like DEATHTRIPPA, Blind Equation’s current iteration diversifies its palette with elements of goth and emo, death and doom, synthwave, and melodic black metal. To these ears, those attributes recall everything from AFI, Fires in the Distance, Silhouette, Gunship, and Labyrinthus Stellarum. Depressive tones and desperate wails reminiscent of Ghost Bath or Acathexis also meld beautifully with a hopeful atmospheric counterpoint—a reflection of McHenry’s use of songwriting as a mechanism for catharsis and healing during his darkest moments during A Funeral in Purgatory’s development. Brutal outbursts reminiscent of Anaal Nathrakh or Igorrr, and the occasional deathcore gravity blast, provide an additional dynamic that brings immense metallic heft to an affair that, to my knowledge, doesn’t utilize a single guitar. Unified, these myriad characteristics coalesce into something stylistically unique, instrumentally fascinating, and emotionally compelling.

More importantly, A Funeral in Purgatory is an absolute joy to experience. With contrasting numbers as divergent as my personal favorites, the blisteringly fast and exuberant “Flashback (ft. Strawberry Hospital)” and beautiful death doom closer “Incomplete,” you might expect A Funeral in Purgatory to be disjointed and haphazard. But the opposite is true. Blind Equation’s masterful, meticulous detailing brings unity and adhesion to the record, such that when I hear the eviscerating brutality of “… in Purgatory” juxtaposed against the vibrant gallop of “Flashback,” or the goth-soaked “Nothing” against the metalcore-breakcore mashup “it feels like the end (ft. JOHNNASCUS),” it feels natural and invigorating. An increased presence of slower, more dramatic passages in “A Funeral… ” and “Relinquished Dreams” allows Blind Equation’s heart-wrenching roars and introspective tones to shine through as the brilliant light of higher-pitched synths and chips fade, enhancing what are already compelling songs by creating deeper valleys and taller peaks. Ultimately, this approach to songwriting permitted me very little opportunity to correctly predict what happened next, while still capturing my attention so completely that with each new song I was ready, almost desperate, for the next twist to whip me into another dimension.

However, not all dimensions are created equal, and there are a couple here that don’t quite reach the same echelon as Blind Equation’s best. First and foremost are the interludes, “⁺‧₊˚ ཐི⋆✟⋆ཋྀ ˚₊‧⁺” and “still.” Musically, they are pretty and offer plenty of emotion, but don’t add enough to the storytelling to feel essential to the overall experience. I could argue the former brings novelty to the split title tracks “A Funeral… ” and “… in Purgatory,” but the requisite connective tissue is flimsy all the same. In a similar manner, “mourn” is somewhat lackluster compared to its album mates. This could be an unfortunate circumstance brought about by its barebones instrumentation, which is a stark departure from everything presented over the previous seven tracks. It could also be that its core ideas feel a touch underdeveloped by comparison. Either way, it represents one of A Funeral in Purgatory’s minor weak points. While in no way a detractor on their own merit, Blind Equation’s AFI-esque clean vocals, which only feature in the first three tracks, would bring even greater cohesion to the whole if they featured more consistently throughout.

It goes without saying that I didn’t expect what Blind Equation delivered, nor did I expect to like it this much. At the same time, I really shouldn’t be surprised at all, considering nearly all of my favorite records this year have been wild and unorthodox. A Funeral in Purgatory represents another entry in that varied category, of which there is no doubt. But it’s also one of the most fun and engaging electronic music releases I’ve encountered this year. So if you don’t mind your metal chipped to oblivion, laced with ecstasy, dressed in all black, with a raven perched on its shoulder, then A Funeral in Purgatory might just be your poison.

Rating: Very Good!
DR: 8 | Format Reviewed: 256 kbps mp3
Label: Prosthetic Records
Websites: blindequation.bandcamp.com/album | facebook.com/blindequation
Releases Worldwide: July 18th, 2025

#2025 #35 #AFuneralInPurgatory #AFI #AmericanMetal #AnaalNathrakh #BlindEquation #Breakcore #Chiptune #Cybergrind #DeathMetal #DEATHTRIPPA #DoomMetal #DrumAndBass #ElectronicMetal #FiresInTheDistance #GothicMetal #Grind #Grindcore #Gunship #Igorrr #JOHNNASCUS #Jul25 #LabyrinthusStellarum #MelodicBlackMetal #Metalcore #ProstheticRecords #Review #Reviews #Silhouette #StrawberryHospital

Fans of #OminiumGatherum, #Belakor, #Wolfheart, #FiresInTheDistance and the like should definitely check out #Nephylim, hailing from the Netherlands. This is pretty good stuff, especially since they aren’t even signed yet. Completely unknown to me but they make it on my #AOTY25 contenders list. #nowplaying

https://song.link/y/npo_c9sJm8s

AMG’s Unsigned Band Rodeö: Nephylim – Circuition

By Dolphin Whisperer

“AMG’s Unsigned Band Rodeö” is a time-honored tradition to showcase the most underground of the underground—the unsigned and unpromoted. This collective review treatment continues to exist to unite our writers in boot or bolster of the bands who remind us that, for better or worse, the metal underground exists as an important part of the global metal scene. The Rodeö rides on.”

Oranjeboom, a low-frills lager, holds little love in its home country of the Netherlands, so much so that its production there was discontinued until only recently.1 Why does that matter? It really doesn’t, but it is a fun fact about the Netherlands and a beer synonymous with their lineage. Nephylim hails from the Netherlands too, and, with any luck, their brand of big scope, big sad melodeath will stake a claim that lands with bolder flavor. Over the past ten years, this five-some has cut an EP and a full-length through their own determination. And now, with this sophomore follow-up Circuition, Nephylim may just be hitting their stride. Or, at least, our Rodeö crew seems to think so. Crack open a cold one and sip on riffy sadness. – Dolphin Whisperer

Nephylim // Circuition [March 7th, 2025]

Steel Druhm: Sometimes when you press play on a Rodeö candidate, you wonder why they aren’t signed because they sound so polished and professional. Such is the case with Dutch melodeathsters, Nephylim, and their sophomore opus, Circulation. Taking cues from Ominium Gatherum, Be’Lakor, Enshine, and the more progressive works of Edge of Sanity, Nephylim voyage across various styles of melodeath but always keep things anchored firmly in the Wheelhouse of Steel. After a beautifully regal instrumental opener, Circulation heats up on “Travail Pt. 2 – Animus,” which is like a glowing distillation of Wolfheart and Be’lakor with a seriously epic vibe coursing through it. The guitars riff, trill, and shimmer with a Tuomos Saukkonen-esque flair as grand orchestrations amplify the sound to herculean proportions. It’s the beast of death metal with the beauty of melancholic music, and this style has a proven appeal. I love the majesty of “Grand Denial” and the hints of Dark Tranquillity woven throughout, and the title track bears traces of Dan Swanö’s Moontower and Tomi Joutsen-era Amorphis as it seamlessly melds heavy and sadboi moments. Unfortunately, not every cut hits with the same soul-searing slash of wintery pathos. “Amaranth” is a bit too generic and pedestrian, and though “Withered” does some things very well, the writing is a touch less compelling. Elsewhere, closer “Inner Paradigm” feels like something from the later eras of In Flames, not bad, but less impactful. At thirty-eight minutes, there are bits of bloat scattered around, but nothing that’s fatal if swallowed. There’s a lot to like about Circulation, and I’m left still wondering why Nephylim aren’t signed. With this much potential, they should be! 3.0/5.0

GardensTale: From two live shows, I already knew Nephylim were good. I could not have anticipated what a masterclass Circuition would turn out to be, though. Combining the maudlin symphonic details of Fires in the Distance with the melancholy hope and impeccable composition of Countless Skies is no easy feat, but the songwriting has taken a giant leap forward. Circuition is absolutely packed with beautiful melodies, addictive hooks and enticing cascades. The flow is downright brilliant, such that even after a dozen spins, I find myself glued to the speaker in anticipation of the next stanza, the next riff, the next solo. These are linked together with transitions that are set up and knocked down perfectly, helping every track rush past in spiraling eddies like white water rapids after heavy rain. “Circuition” yanks the heart-strings the hardest; follow-up “Withered” has a more basic structure, but the amazing harmonies and powerful solo make it a standout anyway. Cherry on the cake is the top-shelf production, with meticulous mastering and a balanced mix. The sparse clean vocals aren’t great, just okay, and a few tracks end a little more abruptly than I’d like, but these are small bumps on an engaging journey that begs to be spun again and again. 4.0/5.0

Kenstrosity: Dutch sadboi melodeath quintet Nephylim graced my Bandcamp feed a few months back. I was intrigued, but did not bite. At least, not until our Kermity GardensTale recced it for Rodeö duty, at which point I dove straight in. Embodying a wondrous merging between Countless Skies, Fires in the Distance, and a light touch of The Drowning, sophomore effort Circuition garnered instant adoration from this sponge. A rarer feat, Nephylim’s latest only deepened its hold on my heart, as the opening “Travail” suite enamored with epic soars of melody, crushing riffs that ground the piece in deathly gravity, and emotive roars that shake the roots underfoot. “Amaranth” doubles down on that palpable momentum, bringing forward a fun factor that belies Circuition’s introspective character. Beautiful synths and keys dot the landscape just above that metallic verve and swinging rhythm, evoking something inherently mystical while still operating within the bounds of the human spirit (“Circuition”). As the potent pull of songs like “Grand Denial,” “Withered,” and immense closer “Inner Paradigm” continually challenge my perception of what constitutes a highlight, I find myself universally immersed, committed, and compelled by Circuition. Experiencing this, as much as I pine for new material from those great acts that Nephylim remind me of, I know in my soul that Circuition is one of 2025’s foremost contenders. Great!

Maddog: When Fenrir finally closes the curtain on 2025, Nephylim’s Circuition will be one of my few fond memories of this disastrous year. This hidden melodeath gem triumphs by embracing simplicity without stagnation. No one would argue that Nephylim’s guitarists stretch the limits of human dexterity. And yet, as Circuition buried my ears in riffs upon riffs, it dragged me into its orbit. Blending the classic stylings of Dark Tranquillity with the modern touch of Æther Realm, Nephylim won me over through its irresistible energy. While I initially fell in love with merely a couple of its songs, Circuition’s consistency unveiled itself over time. Indeed, while the closer “Inner Paradigm” was initially my least favorite song, its Shadows of the Dying Sun riffs and its somber ending have made it a highlight. Despite its consistency, Circuition’s mood changes keep it fresh. The fantastic midsection of the album progresses from gargantuan riffs (“Grand Denial”) to tear-jerking Enshine melodies (“Circuition”) to explosive choruses (“Withered”). Circuition is textbook, but it’s both a thrilling spectacle and an emotive powerhouse. Every piece is essential, and every piece is distinctive. 4.0/5.0

Killjoy: The term “Nephilim” in the Hebrew Bible is often translated as “giants” in English. Accordingly, melodic death metal band Nephylim does everything big. Riffs? Big. Rumbling death roars? Big. Thunderous rhythm section? Big. Circuition feels like a highlight reel of the serious and somber side of melodeath, with each individual song bringing something unique to the table. “Travail Pt. II – Animus” embellishes the somber intensity of Insomnium with delicate piano keys reminiscent of Fires in the Distance and heaps of symphonic bombast. The suspenseful drum beats which introduce “Amaranth” organically build excitement by layering on bass and then guitar lines before releasing the pent-up energy with a furious snarl and fiery riffs. But there’s also a tender side to Nephylim; “Circuition” adopts a melancholic and folk-tinted mood laced with deep, beautiful croons, all of which I associate with Vorna. Circuition is considerably more ambitious than Nephylim’s debut, but they never let their ambitions spiral out of control. If anything, I’d like to see them continue to develop their symphonic side that they teased in the first two tracks. Although I find the last third of the record ever so slightly less engaging, I can endorse all thirty-eight minutes of Circuition as worthy of your time. 3.5/5.0

#2025 #AngryMetalGuySUnsignedBandRodeo #AngryMetalGuySUnsignedBandRodeo2025 #ÆtherRealm #BeLakor #Circuition #CountlessSkies #DarkTranquillity #DutchMetal #EdgeOfSanity #Enshine #FiresInTheDistance #InFlames #IndependentRelease #Insomnium #Mar25 #MelodicDeathMetal #Moontower #Nephylim #OmniumGatherum #ProgressiveDeathMetal #SelfRelease #TheDrowning #Wolfheart

Hades Rising – Chaos Review

By Killjoy

Hades Rising is a testament to the power of camaraderie. Originally formed in Greece by Bill Written as an atmospheric death metal project, he soon moved to Tromsø, Norway where he released a promising but unpolished self-titled album in 2017 and an EP As Frost Takes Over in 2018. Not long afterward, Juan Vazquez Garcia joined him on guitar and songwriting, while also helping to sustain morale amidst years of member turnover and no less than three rewrites of the material that now makes up Chaos. Their hard work and perseverance paid off, culminating in a finals appearance in Wacken Metal Battle Norway in 2023. And now, a year later, Chaos arrives with a plucky statement of intent to break into the symphonic death metal scene.

Hades Rising chose an unusual spot to set up camp in the burgeoning realm of symphonic-tinged metal. The plentiful orchestrations certainly help to build dramatic tension, however, they are used more for garnishment than substance. The result is something like Fleshgod Apocalypse with much of the bombast stripped out and replaced with the intimate melancholy of Fires in the Distance. This may sound paradoxical on paper, but Hades Rising generally pull it off well. The majority of Chaos settles comfortably in medium tempo with far fewer blast beats than one might expect from death metal. There are small forays into melodeath (“The Paradox”) and black metal (“The Voyage”) which add flavor without detracting from the overall consistency.

Chaos is at its strongest when there is a conscious effort to craft a deliberate tone. This is best exemplified by “One with the Murder,” a dabble with death-doom, where the slower, more deliberate pace favors the minimalist orchestral compositions. Where compositions tend to falter is when they attempt to prop up extended guitar chugging in the two opening tracks “Spiraling” and “The Obscurity of Life.” Thankfully, moments like these are rare as the record progresses. Most songs contain some form of instrumental break which, in a strange twist, is what I look forward to the most. They range from gentle tremolos (“The Obscurity of Life”) to intrepid guitar solos (“Chaos”), lending nuance to the rich emotional atmosphere.

Sadly, a few traits dull this attention to detail in the songwriting and make Chaos feel more homogeneous than it is. The first is the programmed drums. While it’s understandable why a small independent band would use it, their increasingly grandiose aspirations mean that they are outgrowing the drum machine.1 More problematic is the overreliance on Bill Written’s deep, rumbling death growls that seldom vary in pitch and are a bit too loud in the mix. He has a fantastic singing voice but only uses it in “The Voyage” and “Lay Your Head.” The latter in particular sees Hades Rising firing on all cylinders to close out the album, featuring double-tracked vocals and nifty bass and guitar solos, and it’s unfortunate that this level of variety didn’t permeate the material that came before. All of this makes the 49-minute runtime drag slightly and the weaker tracks “Only Ashes Left” and “As Darkness Fades” could have been excised to strengthen the entire package.

Much like Chaos’ album art, Hades Rising strikes me as an entity still deciding what exactly they want to be. If they want to continue pursuing the symphonic death course, they should double down on the orchestral facet and make it more prominent and dramatic. Or they could pivot to a death-doom direction more suited to the crushing atmosphere that’s present here. In any case, I believe the best is yet to come from these gentlemen as they continue to refine their already solid writing skills. Chaos won’t be threatening to topple many year-end lists at the eleventh hour, but neither does it deserve to be lost in the kerfuffle of the impending Listurnalia.

Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 8 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Self-Release
Website: hadesrising.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/hadesrising
Releases Worldwide: December 18th, 2024

#2024 #30 #AtmosphericDeathMetal #Chaos #DeathMetal #Dec24 #FiresInTheDistance #FleshgodApocalypse #HadesRising #InternationalMetal #NorwegianMetal #Review #Reviews #SelfRelease #SymphonicDeathMetal

This is SOOOO right up my alley and I’m not getting tired of spinning the whole record over and over again. #FiresInTheDistance came almost 1st on my #AOTY in 2023. https://song.link/y/tiliYiIV3FU

For #ThursDeath from two months ago:

#Immorium: Gone to Early Doors

https://song.link/pxbjpmt308zwc

#MelodicDeathMetal

FFO #CountlessSkies #DarknessEverywhere #FiresInTheDistance

Also for #ThursDeath:

#Atavistia: Unattained Creation

https://song.link/gttx2pghdjscr

#EpicMelodicSymphonicDeathMetal #MicrogenreingSucks

FFO #DemonicResurrection #EternalStorm #FiresInTheDistance

Another one for #ThursDeath:

#Atavistia: Dark Isolation

https://song.link/9hrphqbcrxgmt

#MelodicDeathMetal #SymphonicDeathMetal

FFO #CountlessSkies #FiresInTheDistance #SacredOutcry

AMG Turns 15: Janitorial Staff Speaks

By Carcharodon

15 years ago, on May 19, 2009, Angry Metal Guy spoke. For the very first time as AMG. And he had opinions: Very Important Opinions™. The post attracted relatively little attention at the time, but times change and, over the decade and a half since then, AMG Industries has grown into the blog you know today. Now with a staff of around 25 overrating overwriters (and an entirely non-suspicious graveyard for writers on permanent, all-expenses-paid sabbaticals), we have written more than 9,100 posts, comprising over seven million words. Over the site’s lifetime, we’ve had more than 107 million visits and now achieve well over a million hits each and every month. Through this, we’ve built up a fantastic community of readers drawn from every corner of the globe, whom we have (mostly) loved getting to know in the more than 360,000 comments posted on the site.

We have done this under the careful (if sternly authoritarian) stewardship of our eponymous leader Angry Metal Guy and his iron enforcer, Steel Druhm, while adhering to strict editorial policies and principles. We have done this by simply offering honest (and occasionally brutal) takes, and without running a single advert or taking a single cent from anyone. Ever. Mistakes have undoubtedly been made and we may be a laughing laughing stock in the eyes of music intellectuals, socialites and critics everywhere but we are incredibly proud of what AMG Industries represents. In fact, we believe it may be the best metal blog, with the best community of readers, on the internet.

Now join us as the people responsible for making AMG a reality reflect on what the site means to them and why they would willingly work for a blog that pays in the currency of deadlines, abuse, and hobo wine. Welcome to the 15th Birthdaynalia.

Thou Shalt Have No Other Blogs!

Thus Spoke

AMG and me

I probably have one of the least legit backstories of anyone writing here. Unlike many of you—readers and writers—I was not a long-time fan of the blog, discovering it only around a year or two before applying to join the staff. I was 20 before I really got into trve metal and completely abandoned metalcore. But now, I can hardly imagine a time when reviewing albums for AMG wasn’t a key part of my weekly routine (nor can I imagine a life without extreme metal, for that matter; funny how things can change so dramatically). As corny as it sounds, it’s the community I’ve found amongst this bunch of wrong’uns—all loveable misfits, nerds, and actually-big-softies-despite-seeming-tough the lot of us—that has made the biggest impact. I said as much in my year-end post, but I feel blessed to have such a great bunch of comrades to talk music, vent about life, and just share memes with. The excitement of being in what feels like a special little club of small repute in the metalsphere still hasn’t worn off, even if, when wearing my AMG Inc Staff Stash out and about, I know no-one will get the reference. They probably think, if anything, “Why is she wearing a t-shirt that says Angry Metal Guy? That’s dumb.” Oh, and yeah, I know I need to get a new avatar. Anyone wanna design one for me?

AMG gave to me …

Vorga // Striving Toward Oblivion – I’m so lucky I was reading AMG,1 because this one was weirdly under-mentioned elsewhere. I absolutely love Vorga—as Kenstrosity himself is well aware—but I probably wouldn’t really know who they were, were it not for his review of this album. It’s just fantastic. “Taken” remains an immovable feature on any cardio playlist I’ve made since its release. And the rest—”Starless Sky,” “Comet,” “Fool’s Paradise”—absolutely bops. Already knowing I loved black metal, finding a band in the genre whose music I quickly became obsessed with, and eagerly anticipated future releases from, was extra exciting, especially when paired with the opportunity to get early access to Beyond the Palest Star this year.

Déluge // Ægo Templo – When this dropped, Dear Hollow panned it as “a wearisome and exhausting listen.” Fortunately, my curiosity was piqued enough that I listened for myself, and I have to say, I thoroughly disagree with my fine, antlered friend. Ægo Templo is far from perfect, but my goodness did it resonate with me. Just after I had gone through a whole phase of discovering my appreciation for (coincidentally) exclusively French black and post-black artists (Alcest, Regarde les Hommes Tomber, Vous Autres, Celeste …) Ægo Templo found its way to me via a review on a site I had only just started visiting. While the band’s debut, Æther, is perhaps better conceived, this one somehow completely consumed me in a way the debut never has. The washing sounds of ocean waves, glorious, uplifting themes, and dour, scream-rent brutality hit me in all the right places. I revisit it regularly and I, for one, am very excited to see what comes next from the Frenchmen.

Amenra // Mass VI – I know I said I wasn’t reading the blog until a couple of years before my tenancy here, but I still came across the odd review here and there whilst browsing for new bands to listen to. Somewhere, I saw the name Amenra mentioned, and, taking to the internet, I was led to Dr Grier‘s TYMHM post on Mass VI. Thoroughly intrigued, I vividly remember pressing play on the embedded “Diaken” and how everything shifted as its eleven-minute runtime passed by. I had never heard vocals like that. Yes, I’d heard harsh vocals—barks, growls, gurgles, shrieks, you name it—but Colin van Eeckhout’s crippling, devastating screams of pure pain were something else. The album, endlessly bleak and incredibly beautiful, utterly tore me to pieces in a way few others have. And it led me to devour not only Amenra’s full series of Masses and other creations, but the rest of the Church of Ra Collective’s several discographies. “A Solitary Reign” is now one of my favorite songs. Ever. No matter what else they put out, Mass VI will probably always be my favorite Amenra album.

I wish I had written …

Ulcerate – Shrines of Paralysis Review. As my favorite album from one of my favorite bands, reviewing Shrines of Paralysis would have been a dream. However, since it dropped about five years before my n00b tenancy began, it could never have been. Luckily for me, I will not have to contend with Kronos for reviewing rights, because the writing here, as with all his articles, is stellar. Unconsciously or not, I find myself emulating its subtle poeticism and easy flow. When Cutting the Throat of God comes, I hope my words can do an Ulcerate album as much justice as this review did.

Maddog

AMG and me

By chance, AMG’s first year was also the year that my enjoyment of metal hit escape velocity. After stumbling upon a sketchy webpage with an embed of Morbid Angel’s “Where the Slime Live,” I fell incorrigibly in love. After a few months following my nose, I found myself in the metal blogosphere, where I’ve lived ever since.

But AMG wasn’t where I landed. My first chaperones were Heavy Blog is Heavy and No Clean Singing. Without them, I would never have found Gorod, The Ocean, The Odious, Theory in Practice, or Enshine; and what would I have then? I discovered AMG a few years later, and the thrill of communally excavating new music shaped my life.

Over time, my musical community has expanded and become less faceless. Part of the reason is AMG, which has provided a firehose of new releases and a community of lovable idiots. Part of it is luck, such as my co-workers who swear by Blood Incantation. Much of it amounts to small acts of musical kindness. Engaging with friends on music warms my heart; getting dragged to a sketchy London punk venue and bonding with an indie friend over Reverend Kristin Michael Hayter were highlights of my year. Every stranger who’s welcomed me at a show has made my world less desolate.

Music is amazing in isolation, but it’s even better as a bridge between hearts. I’m thankful for everyone who’s held my hand on my musical voyages, including every writer and commenter here. I hope I can return the favor.

AMG gave to me …

Trees of Eternity // Hour of the Nightingale – Steel’s 3.0 review of Hour of the Nightingale was heartfelt, eloquent, and dead wrong.2 All ten tracks brim with beauty and flawless songwriting. Trees of Eternity’s mammoth riffs and piercing bass contrast with elegiac strings and acoustic guitars, and both pack an emotional punch. Aleah Stanbridge’s vocal melodies complement both styles, with a rich timbre that tugs at my heartstrings. Hour of the Nightingale’s supple dance between extremity and somber beauty makes “My Requiem” and “Gallows Bird” all-time-great bookends. Hour of the Nightingale’s lyrics are the best I’ve ever heard, painting technicolor images of the prisons we cage ourselves in, and the powers and perils of human connection. Variously depicting a plea for emotional openness (“Condemned to Silence”), the paralyzing fear of alienating loved ones (“A Million Tears”), the isolating trials of self-image (“Broken Mirror”),3 and an uplifting reminder that darkness is transient (title track), like a best friend, this album has wallowed with me, encouraged me, and offered me concrete guidance. Without it, I’d have zero interest in doom metal. I wouldn’t express myself freely or hug my loved ones as often.4 But perhaps most importantly, I wouldn’t have Hour of the Nightingale.

Cult of Luna & Julie Christmas // Mariner – Sure, I’d heard of Cult of Luna; I just paid them no attention.5 After one too many misfires with ISIS, I’d given up on post-metal altogether.6 Old man Huck’s review of Mariner convinced me to give the genre another shot. Lulling listeners with pulsating drum beats and meditative melodies, Mariner features the most explosive climaxes of Cult of Luna’s career. Julie Christmas unleashes my favorite extreme vocal performance ever, with blood-curdling screams from the terrifying depths of her heart. Christmas’ rhythmic vocals and Cult of Luna’s style elevate each other to make Mariner a true collaboration. Their lethal combination culminates in the emotional behemoth “Cygnus,” where a ferocious musical buildup colludes with four vocal tracks to deliver one of the greatest album endings ever. Mariner reeled me in and never let go. I’ve been a post-metal convert and a follower of the cult of Cult of Luna ever since. More broadly, I’ve grown to appreciate any album that whisks me into another universe, even if its melodies aren’t ground-breaking. I’ve grown to love hearing a vocalist bare their heart, whether it sounds lovely or grating. None of this was true for me a decade ago. It all started with Mariner.

Obsequiae // Aria of Vernal Tombs – Aria of Vernal Tombs’ marriage of medieval harmonies and black metal riffs heralded a new direction for the genre and for me. Obsequiae’s soaring guitar leads and solos carry me away with their beauty. Tanner Anderson’s distinctive guitar lines bounce off each other playfully and join forces for miraculous climaxes. Armed with these harmonies, Obsequiae’s mysterious ability to transport me to an Arthurian countryside recalls Wishbone Ash’s classic Argus. Still, Aria doesn’t skimp on extremity. Black metal and evocative melodies coexist in strange harmony, while banging bass lines put the genre to shame. Obsequiae feels like America’s answer to Moonsorrow, adding an original twist to black metal without depriving it of its power. Aria helped me see black metal through a new lens and develop a soft spot for bands whose use of melody echoes Obsequiae (see Noltem and Inexorum), and artists who add a unique folk spin to black metal (see Véhémence). Obsequiae personnel overlaps also led me to Nechochwen, Ironflame, and Majesties. But there is only one Obsequiae. Aria is their peak.

I wish I had written …

LiveWire – Under Attack! [Things You Might Have Missed 2022]. Two years on, the thrill of Under Attack! has somehow heightened further. The killer tracks remain exhilarating, while my least favorite songs (“Conqueror” and “Lockjaw Deathroll”) have proved just as memorable as the others. The bonus tracks, which I’d previously thought deserved “only” a 4.5, now rank among my favorites, right through the First Fragment “Gula”-esque ending of “Demon’s Grip.” Kenstrosity‘s excellent write-up did justice to LiveWire; I’m merely jealous. Under Attack! is one of the greatest metal records ever, a Thundersteel for our generation (but somehow better). I wish it’d been my White Wizzard.

Itchymenace

AMG and me

I’ve always loved reading about music. At an early age, I’d pore over the liner notes to my parent’s Beatles records. As a teen, I collected Hit Parader, Metal Maniacs and Guitar World magazines. I hung on every word that Glenn Tipton, James Hetfield or Ozzy would say, and dreamed of being the one to someday write their stories. Reviews were a critical feature of these publications but magazines didn’t come with embeds. If the latest Dio or Scorpions record got a good write-up, you’d roll the dice, spend your money, and buy the album. On a good day, you’d coax your buddy into buying it and get a dubbed copy on cassette. Good reviews went a long way. For me, the opportunity to write for AMG was a chance to be a part of the medium that has brought me so much joy and steered me to so much good music over the years. Little did I know the hornet nest of opinions I was walking into.

AMG gave to me …

Iron Maiden // Seventh Son of a Seventh Son – For me, it’s not a single album review that means the most to me, it’s the complete Iron Maiden discography ranking. What a ride! Up until then, I had always held Number of the Beast as one of the greatest metal records of all time. Putting Seventh Son of a Seventh Son as number one challenged everything I believed in. But you know, after some tortuous soul-searching, I agreed. The argument was too good. This was the level of deep musical analysis that was missing from all the other metal blogs. And it was the most fun I had reading anything that year.

Rotpit // Let There Be Rot – Steel Druhm is a great writer. He sets the bar for all of us. I mean his opening line here goes for the scrotum and the funny bone all in one fell swoop. What follows is a deliciously amusing review that’s every bit as entertaining as the album it’s covering. I’m not huge death metal fan but Rotpit quickly ascended to the top of my favorites last year. It reminded me how fun music can be and how greatness transcends genre. It became an unwelcome running joke in our house that whenever someone suggested putting music on, I’d scream RooooooottttPiiiittttttt! Strangely, it never got picked. Their loss.

I wish I had written …

Cruentus – Fossilized Review. I remember reading this review at work and doing everything I could to not laugh out loud or draw the confused glares of my co-workers. It took a good five minutes to settle and I’m still not sure my pancreas has fully recovered. This was also an “aha” moment for an impressionable Itchymenace trying to figure out the secret sauce in the AMG whopper. Here, Doc Grier both honors and expands upon the AMG mythology as only he can. He’s immensely talented and funny. If only he had good taste.

I wish I could do over …

Virgin Steele – The Passion of Dionysus Review. I took so much shit for giving this album a 3.5. So, I’m here to say I was wrong. It should have been a 4.0. That’s right fuckers. Suck it hard. This is a great record with plenty of heart despite some production setbacks. Go ahead and come at me in the Slack channel or wherever you find me. My Virgin Steele is ready to taste blood.7

I wish more people had read …

Danava – Nothing but Nothing Review. The opening paragraph of this review is my best work. I love how well it flows and how metal it is. Plus, this album kicked ass and more people should listen to it. Hit that link, fanboy!

Iceberg

AMG and me

Truth be told, I don’t remember the first time I laid eyes on www.angrymetalguy.com. One of the first reviews I remember was GardensTale’s evisceration of Jordan Rudess’ solo album, an assessment I begrudgingly agreed with, regardless of my then full-on Dream Theater fanboy status. What I do recall is searching the internet of the early 2010s for any source of intelligent, measured criticism of music that didn’t reek of ad-revenue inflated cronyism. I imagine many of you, dear readers, have a similar story. My infatuation with—and eventual reliance on—AMG unfolded in anachronistic fits and starts: a Fleshgod review here (King), an Allegeaon pan there (Proponents of Sentience). Before I knew it, AMG had maneuvered itself into my daily routine. What used to feel like perusing a record store for new discoveries, became more like dropping in on old friends and asking how they were doing, albeit in a classically chatroom-lurker manner. I aligned with certain writers, certain commenters, and eagerly awaited TYMHM season to load me up with the year’s uncovered gems. Having spent so much of my life absorbing popular music due to my upbringing, and classical music due to my training, metal was a creative outlet I desperately needed, yet lacked the community with which to share it. I’d never have imagined being inducted into this hallowed crew of passionate curmudgeons, nor the long-sought camaraderie I’d find within.

AMG gave to me …

Brothers of Metal // Emblas Saga – Sometimes an album hits you just the right way, at just the right time to cement itself in the story of your life. Little did I know when I first fell in love with this baker’s dozen of Viking tomfoolery that a worldwide pandemic and a months-long lockdown with my in-laws was just around the corner. But Emblas Saga—so enthusiastically introduced to me by an effusive Holdeneye—became the soundtrack of my imprisonment. Power metal with mead and axes, the riffs stomped around, the big guy told stories, and Ylva Eriksson stole the show with so many ear-worm choruses that I was delirious halfway through the record. There isn’t a bad track throughout, and the opening salvo of “Powersnake”-“Hel”-“Chainbreaker” remains the undisputed champ for curtain-raising. Fun fact: my proudest moment of the Year of our Plague 2020 was getting my very devout Southern Baptist mother-in-law to refer to her vacuum-in-the-wall system as “the powersnake.” She still calls it that to this day. Praise be to Wotan!

Slow // VI – Dantalion – It’s 2019 and New York City’s cold was gnawing at my sanity. A lengthy commute and perpetual train delays had me at the mercy of a labyrinthine bus schedule. It’s 2 am and I’m staring down the barrel of a 90-minute journey. Armed only with a lackluster knowledge of funeral doom and the words of Muppet, I pressed play on VI – Dantalion. How unprepared I was for the tsunami that awaited me: the half-time and half-again destruction of the drums, the brash, hypnotic droning of the guitars, and the vocal roars unbound by something as useless as time. As both drummer and composer, I was mesmerized at tempo brandished so recklessly, how the performers worshiped at the altar of between-the-beat silence. But it was the climactic crescendo of “Incendiare,” the step-by-step tempo increase, the anguished strings building to a cathartic, racing release, that sold me on the beauty and agony of Dantalion. When I think of perfect funeral doom, this is the album I recall; Bell Witch be damned.

Mistur // In Memoriam – As much love as I have for the staffers here at AMG, I’m deeply grateful for the gems revealed to me by the commentariat. Doc Grier’s TYMHM for Mistur’s magnum opus predated my awareness of the blog; indeed, I was led to In Memoriam by a forgotten comment in an unrelated article many years later. I’m forever indebted to you, nameless commenter, because you led me to one of my favorite metal albums of all time: full stop, don’t pass go, don’t collect your filthy hand out money. Mistur’s brand of melo-black wields so many different sounds and styles it should end up like “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice.” But the glorious seven minutes of opener “Downfall” instantly prove that these Norwegians are much wiser than a mouse in a fancy hat. Harsh/clean vocal interplay, RIFFS, tasteful synths, RIFFS, a spiraling maelstrom of an ending, and RIFFS showcase a band operating at their most sublime. This band had no issue beating me in the skull with their magnificence. From open to close, this album reigns supreme; I will hold vigil until they return.

I wish I had written …

White Ward – Love Exchange Failure Review. This particular review—and it’s sequel—require little introduction. Interpreting White Ward’s slinky, cinematic record as a screenplay, and featuring an AMG cast of characters was a heartbreaking work of Kenstrositous genius. Not only did the Sponge slip a rule-flaunting format through the jaws of the editorial team, he did it with wordsmithery worthy of the ethos of Love Exchange Failure. Finding a way to spruce up the routine of this gig is tricky; finding a way to blow it up is masterful. When I think of my biggest shit-eating grin moments here, this review is foremost amongst them.

Mystikus Hugebeard

AMG and me

Writing for AMG feels like the validation of an identity I’ve been working towards all my life. I’ve been passionate about metal ever since my brother showed me that fateful anime music video for “10th Man Down” by Nightwish when I was 12. Over the last few years, as I’ve been navigating adulthood and life in the tumultuous American reality, that passion withered, and I’ve put some thought into why. I often think back to when I was the leader of the St. Olaf College Heavy Metal Club, and how happy I was. I’ve realized that my time there was so important to me because, well, it gave my passion a sense of purpose beyond just myself. Maybe all I was doing was trying to introduce people to bands that they would end up not listening to anyway, but that social aspect means so much to me.

Although I know that it’s incredibly cool and special to write for such a great music website like Angry Metal Guy, what matters most in my heart is that it’s allowed me to reclaim the part of myself that just loves sharing my music with like-minded people, and it’s given back to me the community that I’d taken for granted before. So, to the AMG leaders who let me in, to my peers who somehow stomach my ramblings about Subsignal, and to every one of you who reads my silly reviews and leaves a comment: from the bottom of my heart, thank you!

AMG gave to me …

Archspire // Bleed The Future – We all know how much this album rules, but it also holds some significance for me from the early days of my AMG journey. Kronos’ review of this album dropped three days before I received the email asking if I’d like to further embarrass myself in the n00b program. I was already planning on getting it at some point based on the excellent review and 4.5 score, but after the news, buying the album felt like a great way to celebrate. I vividly remember walking down a sunny Chicago street on my way to an auto repair shop while listening to this album, feeling like hands-down the coolest motherfucker alive. I was walking past people thinking, “they have no idea they’re walking past the soon-to-be AMG writer hotshot.” Honestly, I probably looked a little like Tobey Maguire from that one scene in Spider Man 3. You know the one. But I just couldn’t help it, I was excited! I couldn’t wait to get my grubby little hands on my first promo and show them what I could do, to inspire other people to buy an album like Kronos inspired me.

Altars of Grief // Iris – My favorite method of musical discovery has always been blindly stumbling around Bandcamp until I bonk my head on something special. It creates a unique relationship with the music where I feel “this is my album,” and this emotional attachment gives it a powerful longevity. I recall reading Ferrous Beuller’s review of Iris and essentially thinking “huh, cool” before ignoring it like an idiot. Fast forward several months to when I came across Iris on one of my Bandcamp walks, long after forgetting about Beuller’s review, and was blown away. A nagging voice in my head said “where have I heard this before,” whereupon I remembered the review and felt quite foolish. Iris is a sublime record of unparalleled emotional depth, and a prime example of why I should just listen to the goddamn tunes already when someone on AMG gives it a 4.5. I’m glad I could find Iris on my own and develop that unique connection to it, but I regret that my pigheadedness kept me from experiencing it for so long. To this day, it’s one of my favorite black metal records.

Fires In The Distance // Air Not Meant For Us – If you held a gun to my beard and forced me to choose my favorite band, I’d say Insomnium. Hearing Air Not Meant For Us for the first time made me feel that same melancholic bliss I felt the first time I ever listened to Insomnium. Several of my AMG peers recommended this one to me while I was trying to fill out last year’s Listurnalia. Thus Spoke did a fantastic job as always in her review of the album, but something Kenstrosity said to me really stood out: “It’s almost as if this album was tailor-made specifically for me.” Well, I feel it was tailor-made for me. It sounds like an extension of my soul. I think I’ve listened to, and sung to myself, the “I’ll never see daylight / But I’ve seen enough” stanza of “Harbingers” to the point of obsession. The staccato keyboards that strike with percussive force, the achingly beautiful guitar melodies, the sorrow-tinged hope buried deep in the album as a whole; Air Not Meant For Us takes a soul-wrenching longing that I might forever struggle to put into words and transforms it into music.

I wish I had written …

Sermon of Flames – I have seen the Light, and it was Repulsive Review. I love this review. It dropped while I was working on my casting call submission, and I was floored. Sure, It’s extremely well written and demonstrates an encyclopedic knowledge of how the band’s sound relates to other subgenres and artists. But most importantly to me, it’s a very human review in that it acknowledges and appreciates how the album’s flaws create a unique work of art. All of my colleagues are phenomenal writers, but, to this day, I use this review as an example of the quality that I hope to achieve with my own writing. Excellent work, my Dearest Hollow!

I wish I could do over …

Sgàile – Traverse the Bealach Review. Truthfully, I adore Traverse the Bealach, and because of that I can’t help but feel so frustrated by its flaws. After all, you want the things you love to be perfect. A 3.5 isn’t a low score by any means, but I knew in my heart it deserved higher and I’m ashamed to say I got way too hung up on the few sections I didn’t like. And honestly, with time and distance, I’ve realized that the bad parts aren’t even all that bad, which only further salts my wounds. Just call me Mystikus Contritebeard, because I underrated this one.

I wish more people had read …

Subsignal – A Poetry of Rain [Things You Might Have Missed 2023]. We all have that one band that we simply cannot shut the fuck up about. I’m already quite pleased with the positive reception Subsignal got in the comments but, at time of writing, the metrics tell me that this is my second-least-read piece, which is unacceptable! The degree to which I want people to enjoy this band the way I do borders on the unhinged, but it’s not my fault they’re just that good.

#2024 #AltarsOfGrief #Amenra #AMGTurns15 #Archspire #BlogPost #BlogPosts #BrothersOfMetal #Cruentus #CultOfLuna #Danava #Deluge #FiresInTheDistance #IronMaiden #JulieChristmas #LiveWire #Mistur #Obsequiae #Rotpit #SermonOfFlames #Sgaile #Slow #Subsignal #TreesOfEternity #Ulcerate #VirginSteele #Vorga #WhiteWard

Amorphis & Dark Tranquillity announce co-headlining North American Tour w/ Fires In The Distance:

#Amorphis #DarkTranquillity #FiresInTheDistance #NorthAmericanTour #TourAlert

https://metalinsider.net/touring/amorphis-dark-tranquillity-announce-co-headlining-north-american-tour-w-fires-in-the-distance

One List to Debase Them All: AngryMetal Guy.com’s Aggregated Top 20 of 2023

By El Cuervo

This aggregation exercise represents my favorite article of the year. I enjoy identifying and highlighting those chosen few records worthy of additional recognition. But most of all I enjoy the sense of power derived from early access to other writers’ list data without the obligations flowing from being an editor. To my satisfaction, this list represents a diverse mix compared with certain previous years. Much ground is covered, from myriad metal sub-genres (death, black, doom, prog) to myriad tones (energetic, strange, historical, sadboi). I enjoy the variety, even if I don’t the specific choices. That said, we’re not helping our own argument against accusations that we despise all power and folk metal – with just one album from both sub-genres in the top 20 and an abundance selected by just a couple of people below this.

The most critical observation is that, compared with 2022, there are ~20% fewer unique records and voting points attributable to the top 10 albums is ~10% higher. This indicates greater alignment this year, with fewer albums chosen and stronger communal favorites. No doubt this is attributable to our loss of individuality and gradual morphing into one awful hivemind.

In a last ditch effort to save my own reputation at the cost of my colleagues, I want to emphasize that I personally had a distinct deviation from this aggregated list. As orchestrator of this article with early access to the data, I did attempt to identify why it was that some of these albums apparently had an impact on everyone else. The only conclusion I can draw following these attempts is that my faceless colleagues seek the average. They should try harder to be deliberately contrary next year; I expect that they’ll maliciously comply by picking the same 20 albums 20 times just to spite me.

–El Cuervo

#20. Crypta // Shades of Sorrow – “While Crypta is still fetid, OSDM adherents, Shades of Sorrow also amps both the black and thrash influences, resulting in a compelling sophomore effort that packs a significant, unforgettable punch” (Felagund).

#19. Onheil // In Black Ashes – “In Black Ashes is melodic black/death/speed/thrash at its finest. Onheil’s mastery of melody and songwriting elevates In Black Ashes into the stratosphere. Every track is a winner, and Onheil strikes an impossible balance between enthralling riffs and emotional heft” (Maddog).

#18. Ascension // Under the Veil of Madness – “There’s not one song on here that isn’t currently stuck in my head. Its huge choruses, hooky verses, and lightning fast shreddery have probably bonded with my DNA by this point” (Kenstrosity).

#17. Somnuri // Desiderirum – “The addition of (Soundgarden-esque) throwback radio alt-rock into their roiling pot of hardcore and progressive sludge makes Desiderium these Brooklynites’ strongest outing to date. It’s rare that an album this aggressive and energetic goes down this smooth” (Cherd).

#16. Warcrab // The Howling Silence – “Warcrab boasts fighting spirit, sharp claws, and a crustacean shell that’s fitted for turret combat. They’re obviously game for a scrap, but–as Cherd pointed out in his review–the band doesn’t have much competition in their death-sludge niche” (Ferox).

#15. Tribunal // The Weight of Remembrance – “With heavy doses of classic Candlemass and moments that recall the grim haunts of Fvneral Fvkk, Weight of Remembrance does so many things exceptionally well. There’s nothing I would change or trim on Weight of Remembrance, and if anything, I wish it was a little longer. Doom perfection” (Steel Druhm).

#14. Panopticon // The Rime of Memory – “Panopticon—particularly on more recent records—seems to have a unique ability to tug on my heartstrings and to blend the most ferocious of black metal with the most serene and evocative Appalachian folk. The Rime of Memory more than matched my lofty hopes” (Thus Spoke).

#13. Godthrymm // Distortions – “With meaty riffs, soaring leads, a fantastic rhythm section, and keyboardist Catherine Glencross’ angelic voice, this classic-doom-meets-classic-Pallbearer configuration landed my top spot as soon as I finished listening to it for the first time” (Grymm).

#12. Saturnus // The Storm Within – “The opening tracks comprise the best one-two punch of the year, while the back half of the album feels like an unraveling and stripping down. The Storm Within is a magnificently monolithic and aptly dreary return to form from Saturnus” (Dear Hollow).

#11. Night Crowned // Tales – “The intense blasting and no-holds-barred shrieking always hold a melodic thread that makes it more than a wall of noise, whether it be from extra vocal layers, subtly interweaved symphonics, or a goddamn hurdy-gurdy that works way better than it should” (GardensTale).

#10. Vanishing Kids // Miracle of Death – [#1, #2, #8, #8, #9, #HM, #HM, #HM, #HM] – Miracle of Death earns the dubious honor of winning more list mentions than the six records ahead of it, but only reaches this tenth spot due to generally low rankings. Undeterred, Steel Druhm highlights the band’s unusual combination of sounds, describing a “strange witch’s brew of genres and styles that is unique and enchanting… It’s doom, it’s goth rock, it’s 70s acid rock all wrapped into one enigmatic, ethereal burrito.” Despite the allusion to hot food, Twelve instead reckons that the album “takes me to a cold place. It’s emotional, but it feels like numbness; it’s quiet, but leaves a huge impression… any time I’ve felt low throughout the year, Vanishing Kids has been there.” This sense of something beyond easy description is mirrored by Carcharodon, who argues that the band “have that very rare something, that je ne sais quoi…. to create something truly unique requires genuine craft and these guys have it in spades.” Check out metal’s innovators.

#9. Convocation // No Dawn for the Caliginous Night – [#1, #4, #6, #7, #8, #ish, #HM, #HM] – Serving arguably the heaviest slot on this list1, Convocation and No Dawn for the Caliginous Night offered a mighty force of doom in 2023. Dear Hollow illustrates the heavier qualities of the release (“No Dawn for the Caliginous Night channels mammoth death-doom and despondent funeral doom to accomplish a weight both viciously devastating and patiently atmospheric”) while Kenstrosity instead prefers the counter-weight of both sides of the sound (“[their] deeply affecting use of orchestration and clean vocals to light up my nervous system while the heft of [their] tectonic death doom strives to end my life”). Bands like this remind us of our humanity and our finite nature; few records could be pitched as “a towering celebration of death’s enormity, packaged in the heaviest and most shimmering of vessels” but Convocation does this as Cherd‘s AotY. Step back, breathe deeply, and simply listen. No Dawn for the Caliginous Night exists in these moments.

#8. Afterbirth // In But Not Of – [#1, #1, #2, #3] – Inspiring a deep love among its few accolytes, Afterbirth reached this list through just a few list-topping selections. In But Not Of offers brutal death metal that isn’t just smart compared with its own – often blunt – sub-genre, but that is smart compared with anything. “For a band that traffics in slammy, knuckle-dragging brutal death, In But Not Of carries with it an undeniable progressive, cerebral quality, which feels like a logical outgrowth from their previous effort” (Felagund). Indeed, Doom et Al finds its progressive qualities its most compelling, describing that “while the first half of brutal, spacy, wacky death metal is great, the second half, with its explorations into post-metal and prog is where real greatness happens”. Nuanced, layered music invites exploration, and even our resident death metal enthusiasts concur: “Afterbirth crams an abundance of riches into a brutal death metal album that twists and transmutes… I continue to find surprises almost every time I revisit In But Not Of” (Ferox). This album exemplifies the power of invention and intrigue.

#7. Sermon // Of Golden Verse – [#1, #2, #4, #4, #9] – Boasting AMG.com’s prog o’ the year award, Of Golden Verse by Sermon is the sole album here also picked by yours truly. I found that “Sermon’s undulating song-writing style results in music that ebbs from steely, tense atmospheres and flows to passionate, cathartic explosions. Dramatic, sure. But exciting.” Saunders, awarding his album o’ the year, favors the record’s singularity, given that “Sermon boasts a unique sound they can call their own, where dark, eerie and deadly serious vibes and almost melodramatic flair flows through towering, intelligent, and emotive prog metal epics.” But even more than its dynamic songs and novelty, GardensTale underlines the most beguiling quality of Of Golden Verse: “What attracts me the most is the sense of threat. Sermon looms a great dark ominous wall that swallows the background and casts everything in shade. For an album to hold its breath even while beating you down is exquisite.” Few records are so powerful.

#6. Xoth // Exogalactic – [#1, #3, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10, #ish] – The first of three techy, deathy albums in a row, Exogalactic by Xoth consolidates the band as a bona fide site favorite. “Xoth’s brand of technical blackened death-thrash is a sci-fi spectacle. Exogalactic’s futuristic riffs, twisting melodies, and narrative arcs make it feel like reptilian aliens are indeed enslaving humans as gladiators… Every time I listen to Exogalactic, I can’t help but grin” (Maddog). More than simple smiles, Dr. Wvrm never hides his arousal around riffs. Of Exogalactic, he describes it as “prostrate before that holiest of holy, The Riff. So of course, the end product [is] impeccable, incredible, impossibly fucking good.” AMG Himself delights in “the consistently best thrashy melodic death metal this world has heard since the early-90s” and continues that “Xoth has started to cement themselves as one of my favorite bands.” This entire website has flown from His opinions so take heed; buy Xoth now.

#5. Wormhole // Almost Human – [#2, #4, #5, #5, #5, #9, #ish, #HM] – It takes a special kind of slam to breach the AMG aggregated list but Wormhole is a special sort of band. Having banged his drum about Almost Human almost all year, Kenstrosity surprisingly failed to AotY this album. But in doing so he was highly complimentary, noting that “Almost Human confirms that with the right songwriting, slam can be thoughtful, intentional, intricate, and enriching. Thanks to a healthy infusion of tech by way of tricky, but subtle maneuvers rather than straight-up wanking speed, Wormhole’s whimsically brutal metal suddenly transforms into something polished, elevated, and immersive.” Emphasizing the record’s heavier qualities, the ever-eloquent Saunders describes the release as a “visceral, ridiculously heavy, sci-fi-themed tech-slam assault.” And while we rightly review albums in their entirety rather than song-by-song, Dolphin Whisperer “repeatedly binged those first two singles as if they were a whole album to themselves.” It’s hard to deny songs so heavy but so gripping.2

#4. Carnosus // Visions of Infinihility – [#1, #2, #4, #4, #5, #7, #ish] – Visions of Infinihility offered some of 2023’s meatiest death metal. Angry Metal Guy was emphatic in His summary, penning that “the term tour de force was coined to describe albums like Visions of Infinihility. Sometimes an album simply rules and your record o’ the year choice is uncomplicated. Carnosus’ sophomore album is such an album.” As if this statement was insufficient, I’ll rely on Cherd to describe the thing: “a tech-death barn burner… tight, vicious, and catchy, this record also features [one of the] best harsh vocal performance of the year.”3 Some people – including me – are nonplussed by tech death, but Ferox has us poor bastards covered too: “every one of the nine tracks on Visions of Infinihility stands up to heavy listening… It doesn’t matter if you’re wearing four thousand dollar headphones or a bullet belt. Visions of Infinihility should appeal to wonks, diehards, and metalheads all across the spectrum.” You heard the man.

#3. Sodomisery // Mazzaroth – [#1, #2, #2, #6, #8, #8, #8, #10, #HM] – Sporting 2023’s shitty band name o’ the year, Sodomisery pulled no punches with their new record called Mazzaroth. Dr A.N. Grier describes how “with Mazzaroth came a new approach, emphasizing the black, death, and melodeath with massive orchestration atmospheres.” Its size warranted comment from other writers too; Twelve highlights “the vocal performance, the orchestrations, the songwriting—everything on Mazzaroth is top-tier, larger-than-life, incredible black metal.” More than anything, great music orbits around great song-writing and nowhere is that more apparent than with Sodomisery. Winning his favorite record of the year, newbie Iceberg commends this aspect. “The 36 minutes of Mazzaroth are as lean and mean as you can get… In the age of endless bloat, Sodomisery sharpen their knives and kill all their babies Spartan-style, leaving only razor-sharp riffing and inescapable songwriting in their wake.” You heard it here first; these Swedes killed their babies in pursuit of The Riff.

#2. Fires in the Distance // Air Not Meant for Us – [#1, #3, #3, #4, #4, #5, #5, #7, #10] – Residing in the top half of 7 lists, Air Not Meant for Us represented the best of 2023’s death and doom metal. Grymm compares these Connecticutens to sadboi legends, articulating that “Fires in the Distance took what makes Insomnium and Omnium Gatherum and added their own unique embellishments to create a truly captivating album.” Thus Spoke highlights its “distinctive form of ethereal, key-accented melodeath/doom”, but favors most how it’s “elegantly composed, stirring, and effortlessly graceful.” She wasn’t the only person to bond with this record. Doom et Al agreed that there are clear influences but still bestowed his top prize: “It isn’t particularly original, but I don’t care. Art is about the connection it forges with the person engaging with it, and I feel every note of Air Not Meant for Us in my marrow. There’s a longing and a beauty here that I connected with immediately.” Who am I – and who are you – to deny his emotions?

#1. Wayfarer // American Gothic – [#1, #1, #2, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #6, #7, #7, #7] – With 12 main list picks, 7 top 5s and 2 AotYs, there was little doubt that Wayfarer would take the aggregated top spot for 2023. Carcharodon posits that while its predecessor may have been “close to fulfilling the promise of their Wild West black metal, American Gothic is the album where everything that Wayfarer has struggled to bring together for years finally clicked into place.” Why is this? Awarding his AotY, Sentynel attributes it to “utterly seamless” genre blending. “This is the best of bleak country painted with the instrumentation of black metal. Electric guitars pick up melody lines from banjos with a twang. Distorted slide guitars get that pedal steel feeling. There’s even a honky-tonk piano.” Lesser bands have gimmicks; Wayfarer’s central synthesis is essential. “Black metal should not go well with the Old West. Wayfarer crafted not only their best album to date, but also an absorbing, engrossing classic that begs to be absorbed in full with your complete, utmost attention” (Grymm). If you miss this, we’ll see you at dawn. With pistols.

#2023 #Afterbirth #AngryMetalGuySTop10Ish_ #Ascension #BlogPosts #Carnosus #Convocation #Crypta #FiresInTheDistance #Godthrymm #Lists #Listurnalia #NightCrowned #Onheil #Panopticon #Saturnus #Sermon #Sodomisery #Somnuri #Tribunal #VanishingKids #Warcrab #Wayfarer #Wormhole #Xoth

Not the same genre, but the #FiresInTheDistance album gives me the same vibe as #CaladanBrood.

https://caladanbrood.bandcamp.com/album/echoes-of-battle

#EpicBlackMetal #metal

Oh my! Everyone who had this in their #AOTY2023 list was absolutely correct. It's soooo pretty. :blobaww:

https://firesinthedistance.bandcamp.com/album/air-not-meant-for-us

#FiresInTheDistance #MelodicDeath #metal

Kenstrosity’s Top Ten(ish) of 2023

By Kenstrosity

Five years feels like an eternity in retrospect, and yet in real time it whizzed by in the blink of an eye. How I’ve managed to stick around this long without getting fired, sabbaticalized, decapitated, arrested for war crimes, and/or mulched is beyond me. Truth be told, I’m incredibly lucky to be a part of the AMG team. Even though it can be chaotic and stressful, this is one hobby that I don’t know how to live without anymore. I just love it too much to give it up, and I’m going to ride that wave for as long as I can. Like it or not, you goofy goobers are stuck with me, so get comfy!

2023 has been one helluva year for metal. It feels like I say that every year, because I like everything all the time, but I mean it. This year made my job curating this list a near impossible task. Agonizing over every placement, every adjustment, and every omission left me a mere desiccated spongelet, but that’s a great problem to have. It’s a good thing we have a crack team of writers to help make finalizing lists even fucking harder. They just won’t stop exposing me to countless awesome records that I may or may not have purposefully ignored for the sanctity of my existing lineup. But I guess I had that coming, didn’t I?

Anyway, I’d like to thank a few folks. Firstly, I’d like to thank Carcharodon for being an excellent list-buddy for the past three years. Our tastes might not align, but we always found some common ground and our disparate rankings often made for great discussion in the comments. I am going to miss that! I’d also like to thank AMG Himself and Steel Druhm for continuing to support me as I spearhead the Stuck in the Filter articles, and for upgrading the artwork and aesthetic of the piece to give it greater impact. I’d also like to extend my gratitude to them for approving my name change earlier this year, which was something I deemed necessary for personal reasons. Additionally, I wouldn’t be where I am without the continued support and friendship from an awesome team of excellent writers—too many to name individually now—whose prose routinely inspires me to progress and improve my own writing skills. You all rock! Lastly, Madam X and Sentynel deserve mad props for keeping this hunk of junk puttering along—Madam X for continuously updating and management of the promo sump; and Sentynel for his tireless maintenance and upkeep of the site and its various moving parts. This place owes both of you a perpetual debt!

Okay, enough babbling from me. Without further ado, please enjoy my Top Ten(ish) Records of 2023! YOMPS UP!

(ish) Carnosus // Visions of Infinihility – Before I start, you should know that the lines which separate my ishes and everything up to third place are practically nonexistent. Essentially, everything from here until my top three were worthy of a top five placement, but I just can’t fit twelve things into the last two remaining slots. Hence, Carnosus’ incredible Visions of Infinihility coming up at the rear. Arbitrary as this placement is, know that the sheer level of talent, awesome songwriting, and acrobatic performances make this ridiculously tight slab of tech death a blast, a joy, a revelation. It’s massively entertaining, memorable, infectious, and novel, all without even a shred of pretension. This is what metal is all about. Hammering, goofy, awe-inspiring fun. If you don’t like such things, then you should leave this place now, and read no further.

(ish)

#10. Outer Heaven // Infinite Psychic Depths – Scuzzy sci-fi death metal doesn’t get better than this. Outer Heaven already made waves with debut record Realms of Eternal Decay back in 2018, but I didn’t take notice until later on. Once I did, however, there was no going back, and Infinite Psychic Depth only enamored me further. Unintelligible lyrics tell a surprisingly intricate tale of horror and devastation, disease, psychosis, and conquest all through the lens of a sci-fi gamer nerd. With such creativity at play on a conceptual level, I’d forgive them if there wasn’t as much energy left to dedicate to songwriting. Not the case here. Outer Heaven’s songwriting chops are on full display and in full bloom, making Infinite Psychic Depths one of the best death metal records of the year.

#9. Xoth // Exogalactic – Originally, this wasn’t even going to make my HMs. But, at the eleventh hour, Xoth pushed a new master to replace the original one, and suddenly Exogalactic transformed. Clearly, the songwriting here wasn’t the problem, as its tunes will entice and excite your every fiber. Powerful melodies and immense technical chops work together with hook-laden and compelling melodies, riffs, and noodles to craft a formidable contender in the crowded world of tech death. While it was a crime that I didn’t include predecessor Interdimensional Invocations on my 2019 list proper, I won’t allow myself to commit the same offense this year. Exogalactic solidifies Xoth as one of the best, if not the best, melodic tech death bands out there.

#8. Omnerod // The Amensal Rise – I have a difficult time falling in love with anything carrying the “prog” as its primary genre tag. Omnerod missed the memo, because they penned one of the coolest progressive metal records I’ve ever heard. Boasting ample drama but filtering it through a horror lens and burdening it with oodles of death metal heft, The Amensal Rise is as enigmatic and gently terrifying as its artwork. Tenderness in its softer sections only leads to progressively more devastating metallic rampages that challenge my skeleton’s structural integrity, meanwhile the vocal talent bleeds with emotion so expressively that you can’t help but venture on. At a continental seventy minutes of brutal prog, The Amensal Rise is not for the faint of heart or for the impatient. However, if you do choose to dedicate time and focus to it, you might not come out alive.

#7. Fires in the Distance // Air Not Meant for Us – I am extremely upset that this album only made it to number seven on my rankings. Melodic, ethereal, and crushing in equal measure, Fires in the Distnance’s Air Not Meant for Us is quintessential Ken material. In fact, for most of the year, I reveled in how much this album felt like the product of a band that lived in my head rent-free and stole all of its trade secrets to make an album tailor-made to fit me like a wetsuit. Hooky riffs, excellent percussion, beautifully lush synths, and twinkling piano coalesce into one of the most gorgeous records I’ve heard in recent years. It’s immense sadness somehow enhances that beauty further and makes the record impossible to put down. If you missed it, you missed something special.

#6. Moonlight Sorcery // Horned Lord of the Thorned Castle – Every year, there seems to be at least one black metal album that burns the church barn down and leaves me to clean up the rubble. Despite the numerous times I’ve mentioned being picky about black metal, this phenomenon keeps occurring. This year, Moonlight Sorcery made the cut, being one of the most fun albums I’ve listened to out of the genre in forever. A powerful mix of melodic black metal rawness with symphonic power metal jubilance, Horned Lord of the Thorned Castle more than lives up to the potential hinted at in Moonlight Sorcery’s initial EPs. If this is the quality I should come to expect from this band, then this will not be the last time you see them on my Top Ten.

#5. Massen // Gentle Brutality – ENERGY SYSTEM. ENERGY SYSTEM. ENERGY SYSTEM. ENERGY SYSTEM, ENERGY SYSTEM, ENERGY SYSTEM. If this mantra ever leaves my brain, even for a moment, I might die of heartbreak. Easily the most potent opener of the year, “Energy System” launches what quickly becomes one of the coolest, most unexpected releases of 2023. Blending all manner of genres ranging from deathgrind to hardcore to folk metal, Massen’s Gentle Brutality promises an eclectic blunderbuss of extreme metal madness. With countless grooves, indelible hooks and just the right amount of bounce, Gentle Brutality grabs me, tosses me around like a toy, and leaves me giddy and wanting more by the end.

#4. Convocation // No Dawn for the Caliginous Night – You may not know this about me, but I have a very strict cutoff point for Top Ten consideration during Listurnalia, and that cutoff is Thanksgiving Day. Convocation dropped No Dawn for the Caliginous Night the day after Thanksgiving. Fuck you, Convocation. Fuck your deeply affecting use of orchestration and clean vocals to light up my nervous system while the heft of your tectonic death doom strives to end my life in the most merciless fashion. Fuck your desperate wails and ungodly roars. Fuck your immersive songwriting dynamics which worship lost, forlorn spirits. Most of all, fuck you for every new detail and embellishment I get to discover every time your siren call beckons me to wallow in sorrow once again. You’ve forced me to shift my rankings and to forsake my own restrictions. You will pay for this one day, Convocation. I swear it!

#3. Ascension // Under the Veil of Madness – Ascension made the world wait eleven fucking years for Under the Veil of Madness. Despite being an underground power metal act, anticipation for this follow-up exploded in the power metal community. I wasn’t a part of that hype then, but boy did I come around once I got to spinning this epic magnum opus. There’s not one song on here that isn’t currently stuck in my head. Its huge choruses, hooky verses, and lightning fast shreddery have probably bonded with my DNA by this point. I succumbed to the psychic, maniacal forces that emanate from this album so thickly they could drown me were I not so thirstily guzzling them. And with a climax like the title track, the theatrics of which test most metalheads’ patience as thoroughly as they thrill my senses, there was little doubt that Under the Veil of Madness would rank highly on my year and list. Lo and behold, here we are, at number three.

#2. Wormhole // Almost Human – I knew from the get-go that I would enjoy Wormhole’s latest. They have been at the forefront of my personal roster of techy slam bands to watch like a hawk. Of course, Wormhole validated my instincts, because Almost Human is a game-changer. A standout record in a field not renowned for innovation, Almost Human confirms that with the right songwriting, slam can be thoughtful, intentional, intricate, and enriching. Thanks to a healthy infusion of tech by way of tricky, but subtle maneuvers rather than straight-up wanking speed, Wormhole’s whimsically brutal metal suddenly transforms into something polished, elevated, and immersive. This is an album meant to be experienced with full focus and a curious spirit. With an open mind, whole universes open up before you as Almost Human transports you into regions unexplored. It is that adventurous character that defines Almost Human, and makes it one of the best records of the year.

#1. Nothingness // Supraliminal – Caveman death with a university degree. A Bachelor’s of Mad Science, to be exact. This is how I’ve come to appreciate Nothingness’ insane sophomore album, Supraliminal. Despite earning a meager “Mixed” score on this here blog, I knew that this massively accomplished record was special the moment it hit these ears. Twisted riffs, stomping rhythms, vicious freakouts, monstrous roars, and thoughtfully detailed compositions abound. Supraliminal checks all of my boxes and introduces new ones I never knew I wanted. Despite dropping way back in January—on my Mom’s birthday, no less—no other album this year came quite close enough to the throne to pluck Supraliminal’s crown off its head. With monumental bangers like “Horrendous Incantation,” “Catapulted into Hyperspace,” “Inviolate Viscera,” “Beacon of Loss,” and “Decimation Mechanism,” Nothingness’ gnarled constructs weave in and out of my consciousness like the ugliest of nightmares. Yet, every time I come back, my jaw drops in awe at how novel and meticulous each and every brutally injurious moment is, morphing what should be revolting into something of horrifying beauty. Truly, nothing was more grotesquely beautiful to me in 2023 than Nothingness.

Honorable Mentions:

Carnation // Cursed Mortality – One of the best Swedeath records of the year, and the best Carnation record yet!
Crypta // Shades of Sorrow – It’s been ages since I’ve enjoyed a thrashy death metal album as much as Shades of Sorrow. Don’t fucking miss it!
Frozen Dawn // The Decline of Enlightened Gods – Rollicking, rocking black metal with the vim and vigor to stand the test of time.
Omnivortex // Circulate – Were it not for Carnosus, Xoth, and Wormhole, this would be the best tech-death thing of the year.
Rotpit // Let There Be Rot – Absolute filth, and it’s delicious. Eat up!
Sulphur Aeon // Seven Crowns and Seven Seals – Even my least favorite album by my favorite band can do no wrong, and it’s been growing on me even more since I got it. IA, IA!
Tardigrade Inferno // Burn the Circus – Sometimes I just wanna be silly. Tardigrade Inferno supports this desire and fulfills it with aplomb.
Theocracy // Mosaic – As someone who is unreligious, I am perhaps not Theocracy’s core demographic. And yet, their tunes routinely earn them a full Kenuflection at the altar.
Twilight Force // At the Heart of Wintervale – This record makes me want to go out and tame a draGONE. Can’t ask for more than that!
Vanishing Kids // Miracle of Death – Mesmerizing, psychedelic doom with teeth. It will haunt you if you approach.

Non-Metal Albums o’ the Year:

Cam Girl // Untucked – Sex-celebrating, gender-affirming, fun-loving action that will keep you hard and raring to go all night long!
Gunship // Unicorn – Cyberpunk synthwave with my man Tim on the saxophone. This is the best genre in the world!
The Vagaband // Beautiful World – A gorgeous album that took me by surprise, but it was the right record at the right time. I’ll be spinning this for years to come.

Song o’ the Year: Mental Cruelty – “Zweilicht/Symphony of a Dying Star”

Disappointment o’ the Year: 殞煞 (Vengeful Spectre) // 殞煞 二 (Vengeful Spectre II) – This isn’t necessarily a bad album. It’s just not what I wanted from the band that blasted the ground into glass with their rabid self titled debut. Maybe next time!

#2023 #Ascension #BlogPost #CamGirl #Carnation #Carnosus #Convocation #Crypta #FiresInTheDistance #FrozenDawn #Gunship #KenstrositySTopTenIshOf2023 #Listurnalia #Massen #MoonlightSorcery #Nothingness #Omnerod #Omnivortex #OuterHeaven #Rotpit #SulphurAeon #TardigradeInferno #TheVagaband #Theocracy #TwilightForce #VanishingKids #Wormhole #Xoth #殞煞VengefulSpectre_

#TheMetalDogArticleList
#Loudwire
7 Best Death-Doom Albums of the Last 10 Years, by Fires In the Distance's Yegor Savonin
Let the doom consume you.

https://loudwire.com/best-death-doom-albums-last-10-years-fires-in-the-distance-yegor-savonin/

#DeathDoomMetal
#FiresInTheDistance
#YegorSavonin
#Last10Years
#BestDeathDoomAlbums
#MetalMusic
#Loudwire

Video Interview: Fires in the Distance

One of the perks of having my dark metal radio show on a Thursday night is that we get so much music sent to us both at Moshville Times and Moshville Radio and subsequently you discover so many quality underground bands. One of those bands were Connecticut based death/doom metal masters Fires in the Distance, who if you have bee

https://www.moshville.co.uk/interview/2023/04/video-interview-fires-in-the-distance/

#Interviews #FiresintheDistance

#TheMetalDogArticleList
#MetalInjection
FIRES IN THE DISTANCE Streams Perfectly Melo-Death New Single "Wisdom In The Falling Leaves"
Encompassing the cycle of life, death, and rebirth.

https://metalinjection.net/video/fires-in-the-distance-streams-perfectly-melo-death-new-single-wisdom-in-the-falling-leaves

#FiresInTheDistance #PerfectlyMeloDeath #NewSingleReleased #WisdomInFallingLeaves #MetalInjection #HeavyMusic

FIRES IN THE DISTANCE - HARBINGERS (OFFICIAL LYRIC VIDEO)

https://youtu.be/Wlmp31MczDU

#music #metal #melodicdoommetal #melodicdeathmetal #firesinthedistance #prosthetic