#mighty-music — Public Fediverse posts

Holy shit, I thought these dudes were gone forever! A guilty pleasure, Raunchy hasn’t released an album since I last reviewed them in my first year as an idiotic dumbass Angry Metal writer. But no one has heard from them in a long fucking time. When I first discovered their impressive 2008 release, Wasteland Discotheque, I was on a kick to explore the underground who’s who of Danish metal. During that time, I not only came across Raunchy but also Mercenary, Panzerchrist, and Dominus.1 Spread across so many varying musical styles, each band’s discog at the time was on regular rotation in the Grier household. While all but Dominus remain, only Raunchy continues to prove they can make their tried-and-true sound remain relevant.

With this year’s Prisoner, Raunchy remains the best of the bunch—the rest of these Danes reached their peak in the early aughts. But that depends on the ears of the beholder. Raunchy are the masters of one of the strangest combinations of genres, unapologetically mixing groove, melodic death, metalcore, and industrial rock/metal. They are also a rare breed for a band that’s been in existence for over thirty years: they have refused to surrender their core lineup (having replaced two members in their thirty-four years of existence), nor have they ever swayed from their style. Love it or hate it, Raunchy is one of the best of the style, and they are back to take you Prisoner.

Right away, you know Raunchy hasn’t lost a step since 2014’s Vices.Virtues.Visions.. “Frostbite” kicks off with an industrial introduction before the guitars take over the rhythm and punch it forward in a Mercenary way. It’s a safe song to begin the album because it has all of the band’s classic elements: ooo’s and awww’s, cleans and harshies, ferocity and melody, and some of the best choruses out there. The follow-up track, “Stranded,” follows in its predecessor’s shoes, delivering an Evergrey-esque mid-paced groove before alternating between calm verses and harsh pre-choruses. With each iteration, the chorus’s emotion and power grow stronger until the tension finally erupts at the end.

One of my favorite parts about the album is the flow. You might get a half-second after one song before the next begins, making it as fluid as possible. While Vices.Virtues.Visions. was emotionally heavy, some Prisoner’s tracks pack a hefty punch. “Revealing I” is a Fear Factory-infused blast attack that somehow balances each heavy riff with the absolute beauty of the chorus. While not as continuously ferocious, the back half of “Vanishing Act” fuses badassery with tripletty. Its chorus is probably the least memorable on the album, but it’s still very strong. It’s also impressive that this chorus is the “worst,” because each one is worth the time.

For example, the only good quality of the cringey, pop-synth, bitchy-emo “Darkest Self” is the chorus. And, goddamn, it’s a good one. But each time it restarts with its verse and pre-chorus pattern, I’m not sure I can make it through. “Masquerade” doesn’t have the same flaws, but it’s unique to the band, requiring a few listens to appreciate nuances. To conclude this journey of societal growth, missteps, and seclusion, the title track’s breathtaking beauty and hopefulness cap Prisoner perfectly. This new record is at the same level as Vices.Virtues.Visions. in quality and memorability. But what makes them equals is their perfect pairing: one to tear at your heartstrings and the other to empower you to get through it.

Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Mighty Music
Websites: raunchydk.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/ronniband
Releases Worldwide: August 14th, 2026

If these Danes had their way, the entrance to Valhalla would greet the deceased with the sounds of bagpipes, tin whistles, violins, and, of course, your standard heavy metal instruments. Vansind has been marrying Viking metal with folk instruments since 2019. While it took them four years to release their debut, Mørket, they released singles and an EP in trickles while showing off their stuff live. Now, 2026 sees them return with a vengeance on Hævnen. I mean that semantically rather than literally—hævnen is the Danish word for revenge, and Vansind seeks to explore “themes of revenge, betrayal, freedom, and sacrifice.”1 So put on your best Viking garb and pour yourself a heaping cup of mead as we check out what these Danes have to offer.

Take the melodic death metal of Amon Amarth and mix it with the energetic folk of Finntroll, and you’ve got a good base for Vansind. Despite the darker subject matter at hand, Hævnen is a much more upbeat sort of Viking metal than the likes of Bathory or Thyrfing—in fact, it’s much closer in style to symphonic power metal. Songs follow formulaic structures with catchy choruses and tons of hooks. Vansind has a little Coronatus in them, and their blend of beauty and beast style vocalists bears comparisons to Epica. J. Asgaard takes on the role of the beast, with death growls reminiscent of Amon Amarth’s Johann Hegg, and he allows enough melody to permeate his performance to create a compelling presence. Line Burglin, as Asgaard’s foil, has an uplifting, folky lilt and practically steals the show. Just listening to her part on the showstopping opener “Det Største Offer,” as she accompanies an inspired tin whistle, is pure bliss. Then on “Alvild,” while Asgaard’s growls portend darkness, Burglin’s catchy chorus transports you to a happier place. When Hævnen ends on the lower energy “Skæbnens Tunge Vej,” it’s thanks to her that the track doesn’t feel out of place.

Due to their adherence to unique folk instruments, Vansind has a distinct sound. And boy do they have hooks: guitar hooks, bagpipe hooks, tin whistle hooks, vocal hooks, right hooks, left—whoops! Wrong sport. The promo credits Rikke Klint Johansen with the bulk of the folk stuff, namely bagpipes, tin whistles, and keyboards. She does a commendable job of making those instruments some of the most memorable parts on Hævnen. The whistle in particular, plays a surprisingly prominent role. Along with the opening song, Johansen performs some catchy whistle parts on “Blodhævn” and “Det Sidste Nådeskys.” She’s also excellent on the bagpipes, with some great moments on “Alvild,” “I Yggdrasils Skygge,” and the finale.2 And, of course, the heavy metal parts are no slouch either. Danni Jelsgaard’s work on the kit provides a huge boost of energy that never wavers until the final tune. Kirk Backarach and Nikolaj Madsen both play some enjoyable melodic leads (“Det Største Offer,” “Blodhævn,” “Truslen Fra Dybet”) and a nice solo on “Alvild.” Instrumentally, there’s no weak link.

Though tons of fun, Hævnen lacks the edge and daring to really push it into great territory. One issue is Asgaard’s vocals. While overall an enjoyable performance, they feel too polished, monotonous, and lacking in power. Some extra volume and depth from his growls would have helped the tracks carry more weight, but either Asgaard or the mixing falls short. While the formulaic nature of the music serves to highlight the hooks, it also means Vansind plays things a little too safe. Some might also take issue with the song lengths, which mostly run at 5+ minutes. “Det Største Offer,” for example, is the longest at nine minutes, but I personally never felt bothered by this. When the hooks are as great as they are here, it’s tough to complain about repetitive formulas or songs running a little longer than usual.

Vansind have put out an incredibly fun piece of folk metal. “Det Største Offer” currently sits atop my song o’ the year list, and it’s going to be a tough one to top. While the rest of Hævnen doesn’t quite reach the lofty heights of that opener, there are plenty of other bangers throughout. This fun sophomore outing instills lots of hope for what Vansind can offer in the future. While the halls of Valhalla promise plenty of ecstasies for warriors slain in battle, Hævnen serves as an adequate substitute for the rest of us, especially alongside a generous helping of mead.

Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Mighty Music
Websites: Bandcamp | Facebook
Releases Worldwide: May 1st, 2026

Blazing Eternity – A Certain End of Everything [Things You Might Have Missed 2024]

By Steel Druhm

In a year where I excessively obsessed over low-IQ, unevolved death metal, a few special albums shook me from my brutish ape froth and made me appreciate beauty and melancholy. Counting Hours did it, and this little unsung gem from Denmark did it too. Blazing Eternity saw a pair of releases in the early aughts and then vanished into the ether. They reformed in 2024 and dropped an album very different from the alt-goth-rock heard on 2003s A World to Drown In. Instead, A Certain End of Everything follows in the exact footsteps of my much beloved Rapture, very early Katatonia, and Slumber, with bits of Insomnium and Enshine sprinkled over the frosted tear flakes. In the process, Blazing Eternity finds a sound sure to hit the sadboi heartstrings and bring you the gift of unhappiness just in time for the holidays.

Though hardly offering a new take on the style, these Danes know how to wring all the misery juice from it for maximum heartache. Opener “One Thousand Lights” is over 7 minutes but every second is steeped in such exquisite morositude that you’ll wish it was longer. It captures everything I loved about Rapture and currently love about Counting Hours and it’s in the running for my Song o’ the Year. The weeping, trilling leads, the harsh but downcast vocals, the forlorn noodling, it’s all so glorious! It reminds me of “A Tear From a Beast” from Autumnal’s 2014 opus and that’s very high praise. The title track is equally grand and sullen, doomy and full of icy emptiness. Depressing guitar work seeps grief into your bone marrow and there’s no joy in this void of despondency. The chorus will stick in your soul and form a lasting sorrow reservoir. Fun stuff, right?

One could argue the album is one-note and that note is relentlessly grey and depressive, but that’s true of anything in this genre. There are no weak songs and there are sufficient variations in tempo and vibrancy to prevent everything from devolving into a morass of malaise. “Your Mountains Will Drown Again” has a Goth rock vibe and calls to mind the more upbeat material from Lake of Tears. Closing movement “The Bells” also spikes the energy level just enough to wake up the fast-twitch muscles while submerging you in a frozen Finnish lake. Morten Lybecker is adept at crafting soul-killing leads and harmonies full of forlorn gloom and decorating them with pretty but hopeless trilling, making everything feel like it leads to a funeral. There are some truly beautiful moments captured here (I’m especially taken with the piece beginning at 4:31 in “The Bells”). Vocalist Peter Mesnickow delivers the majority of his lines in a harsh rasp quite like that of Henkka J. Villberg of Rapture which works perfectly with the material.

A Certain End of Everything is sadboi Goth metal done very well. I’ve been returning to it all year and it’s proving to be a great listen on cold, bleak winter days. Blaze of Eternity caught lightning in a frozen bottle here and you should get yourself some of these negative emotions. Only through enjoying of deep sadness can we attain true happiness.

Tracks to Check Out: “One Thousand Lights,” “A Certain End of Everything,” and “The Bells”

#2024 #ACertainEndOfEverything #BlazingEternity #CountingHours #DoomMetal #Enshine #GothicMetal #Insomnium #Katatonia #MightyMusic #Rapture #ThingsYouMightHaveMissed2024

Blitzkrieg – Blitzkrieg Review

By Steel Druhm

In the pantheon of influential NWoBHM acts, Blitzkrieg often get overlooked. Though present at the beginning along with Iron Maiden, Diamond Head, and Saxon, Blitzkrieg suffered lineup issues and broke up before releasing their debut album. Frontman Brian Ross went on to join Satan and Blitzkrieg didn’t get a full-length out until 1985, by which time the NWoBHM had crested and metal had moved on to thrashing and bashing. Their much-delayed debut, A Time of Changes is a classic (featuring their legendary calling card track which Metallica famously covered)1 and stands as a shining moment in NWoBHM history. The band’s had an uneven history ever since, falling victim to revolving lineups with Ross as the sole constant. As an unexpected bounty for NWoBHM aficionados, 2024 sees both Blitzkrieg and Satan releasing albums a week apart, both helmed by Brian Ross. Blitzkrieg opted to go with an eponymous title for their 10th album, suggesting the band feels this represents what they’re all about after 45 long years of existence. So what can you expect on Blitzkrieg? The classic sounds of the musical movement that birthed them with a few surprises included.

This is 100% early 80s music, with sharp riffs driving anthemic rock-based songcraft designed to snag the ear. Opener “You Won’t Take Me Alive” is a straight-up rocker with burly leads and Ross’ vintage vocals crafting an ode to living on the edge. It’s instantly likable and could have appeared on the debut (or any Saxon album). Better still is “The Spider” with its slick, pulsing riffage and the extra oomph Ross puts in his vocals. I’ve had this one on steady replay for a week and I don’t get tired of it. Ross and crew prove to be seasoned songwriters and cut after cut offer moments that stick to the roof of your brain. “If I Told You” is an anthem for conspiracy theorists with clever lyrics covering history’s mysteries, and “Vertigo” is a riff-first beast with clever and unusual vocal tricks from Ross.

Even the epic 8-plus minute closer “On Olympus High – Aphrodite’s Kiss” maintains that hooks-first hard rock writing even as it goes for grand storytelling of lost love and grief. The guitar work is beautiful and you don’t notice the protracted runtime much. “Above the Law” is another winner, with an extra dark vibe and tales of brutal vigilantism. The only cut that feels underwhelming is “The Night He Came Home,” which goes for an eerie, macabre vibe but falls a bit flat. At a concise 48 minutes, Blitzkrieg is the classic NWoBHM opus that goes for the throat and leaves before getting tiresome. Most songs sit in the 4-5 minute window and fly by, and the longer ones manage enough magic to keep you locked in. The production sounds like it came from the early 80s, with a warm, guitar-forward mix that leaves ample room for everyone else to shine.

As the only member left from the band’s early days, Brian Ross is the caretaker of the Blitzkrieg legacy. He obviously loves the band and he’s labored to keep it going for decades. It’s also clear he’s taken pains to make Blitzkrieg a love letter to the band’s history and sound. You get a nice sampling of their various periods, with tight, hard-rocking cuts and a few longer more epical pieces that remind of their The Mists of Avalon era. Ross does a fine job vocally, offering a more versatile, emotional performance than we hear from him on the Satan albums. His singing on “On Olympus High – Aphrodite’s Kiss” is touching and emotive and honestly, it surprised me with its depth. Along with Bruce Dickinson and Biff Byford, Ross is the voice of the NWoBHM and it’s amazing how good he still sounds. Brian’s son Alan Ross acquits himself very well too, delivering rousing riffs to punch the songs into your head while showcasing truly exceptional ability on the slower, softer moments. Metal is in this family’s DNA for sure.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from Blitzkrieg and had concerns it would be seriously overshadowed by the new Satan album dropping next Friday. I’m happy to report that this is one of the better releases in the Blitzkrieg discography and a fine addition to the band’s legacy. If you never bothered with Blitzkrieg before, this is a good place to start indeed. TLDR: Brian Ross is the fookin’ boss.

Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 9 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Mighty Music
Websites: facebook.com/blitzkrieguk | instagram.com/blitzkriegnwobhm
Releases Worldwide: September 6th, 2024

#2024 #35 #Blitzkrieg #DiamondHead #HeavyMetal #MightyMusic #NWOBHM #Review #Reviews #Satan #Sept25

Deception – Daenacteh Review

By Iceberg

It’s not often the promo sump yields death metal of the Norwegian variety. To this point I searched the site for reviews containing both “death” and “Norwegian” metal tags, and over the past twelve months I found a grand total of 4 articles matching the criteria. I nearly passed over Deception’s Daenacteh while hunting in the muck, but that bizarre cover and a shared member with Blood Red Throne (vocalist Sindre Wathne Johnsen) gave me pause. Closer inspection of the promo language promised a heavy influence of orchestral arrangements and “brutal, hard-hitting, technical music.” Add on to that a desert adventure concept, and you’re speaking the Berg’s language. Deciding on this promo was easy, but would my delve into the world of Deception yield a diamond in the rough, or another reason to leave the death metal to their southern brethren?

Daenacteh is a melodeath record at it’s core, but augmented with so many other elements it’s become it’s own unique monster. The orchestral accompaniments, which are both omnipresent and superbly executed, seem of the Italian neo-classical school of Septicflesh and Fleshgod, but MENA-tinged like Aeternam. The riffs—and there is a Dostoyevsky-sized amount here—sound like a less thrashy Blood Red Throne or a groovier Stortregn. There are shades of tech-death in the airtight performance of skinsman Einar Hasselberg Petersen, and proggy excursions in the longform tracks “Dhariyan” and “Daughters of the Desert,” but the band never fully explode into histrionics or wankery. This compositional restraint pays dividends, because Daenacteh comes off as a finely honed blade, razor-sharp in both riff and runtime, and indicative of a band operating at their highest level.

It’s remarkable how Deception are able to harness different iterations of metal and organically layer them into their compositions. Eschewing an instrumental introduction—which I would expect given the concept-driven nature of the album—“Sulphur Clouds” annihilates the silence with tremolos and crashing orchestral hits the moment you press play. One may think this a standard symphonic death record until the verse riff plunges into a knuckle-dragging chug worthy of Ashes of the Wake-era Lamb of God. This stylistic whiplash, which in lesser hands often seems clumsy or full of seams, always feels intentional throughout Daenacteh. From the plaintive piano opening of “Iblis’ Mistress,” breaking up the jab-hook of the opening tracks, to the downtempo crushing doom of the chorus on “Assailants” and the proggy off-kilter rhythms of “Be Headed On Your Way,” Deception have a question, answer and mic-drop for every turn-of-style they present. Even the eau-du-djent sprinkled over the end of “Iblis’ Mistress” feels correctly seated, adding a layer of groove and stank to an already standout track.

Not content with proving their ability to solder styles together, Deception work in a myriad of compositional forms as well. Normally I’d expect an adherence to a more standard verse-chorus format from a melodeath record, and while this is on display (“King of Salvation,” “Assailants”) it’s the exception and not the rule. “Dhariyan” packs a 7 minute wallop into the back end of the album with a form that’s so varied it feels through-composed, detouring through circling guitar solos and unexpected tempo/meter changes, including a nerve-racking extended dissonance propelled by Johnsen’s enveloping roar. Special acclamation is reserved for the vocalist and orchestral arranger; the symphonics are undoubtedly the fifth member of the band, cementing the MENA influence and lending greater dynamic shape to the music (“Sulphur Clouds,” “Dhariyan,” the coda of “Daughters of the Desert”). If I work very hard I can find some nitpicks with closer “Daughters of the Desert.” The song’s climactic build has a guitar solo shoehorned in it’s middle, and the transitions between sections show more seams than other tracks, but these are cosmetic blemishes at best. The longer I sat with Daenacteh the harder it was for me to find fault in their process or product, a rare experience for this reviewer.

Deception have—up to this moment—flown under the radar of this blog, an oversight I aim to rectify in the future. The Stavager quartet have crafted a meticulous and shape-shifting record, possessing ingenuity and workmanship alike. I have to give Daenacteh my full-throated recommendation for fans of melodeath, MENA-death, tech-death, hell, any kind of death; there’s something for you to like here. I look forward to returning to the sandswept world of Daenacteh often, and expect it duke it out for a spot on my year-end list.

Rating: 4.0/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Mighty Music | Target Group (Physical) | Bandcamp (Digital)
Websites: facebook.com | Bandcamp
Releases Worldwide: March 22, 2024

#2024 #40 #Aeternam #BloodRedThrone #Daenacteh #Deception #FleshgodApocalypse #Mar24 #MelodicDeathMetal #MightyMusic #NorwegianMetal #Review #Reviews #SepticFlesh #Stortregn #SymphonicDeathMetal #TechnicalDeathMetal

Manticora – Mycelium Review

By Eldritch Elitist

AMG’s Law of Diminishing Records is a generally reliable metric that a handful of bands continuously defy, and Denmark’s prog-power mainstays Manticora is one of them. It’s easy to see why; looking retrospectively at their nine prior albums, there is no entry where the band could be accused of failing to innovate or experiment in some respect, a decades-long discographic evolution culminating in the towering To Kill / To Live duology. I maintain that the second act of that duology is their best effort to date, and I lowered my expectations for Mycelium accordingly. I still expected a solid effort, of course, but to anticipate another hour-plus slab of career-best material seemed foolish. Turns out, I was right not to hype, but on the Manticora scale of quality, a moderate drop by no means indicates disappointment.

Mycelium finds Manticora at their best when leaning their full weight into new ventures. Its best songs are those that take the band through uncharted waters, be they symphonic black metal (“Demonday”), accessible prog rock a la Anubis Gate (“Mycelium”), or soaring, hymn-like choruses (“Golem Sapiens)”, all while staying true to the band’s Blind Guardian-meets-Nevermore foundation. There are still prime veins to mine from that bedrock as well, as evidenced by “Beast of the Fall,” a straight-up power thrasher of the type Manticora has not indulged in close to two decades. That song, and roughly half of Mycelium in total, feel fresh in a way that should simply not be attainable by a band entering their 28th year.

It’s that other half, then, that fails to live up to Manticora’s well-established highs. Tracks like “Necropolitans,” “Mementopolis” and “Dia De Los Muertos” (sung entirely in English) are all fine, yet lacking in the unexpected twists that define much of Mycelium, and bereft of memorable features besides. Manticora’s distinct sound still dominates these tracks, but with such boilerplate writing, their decades-old melodic and songwriting tactics feel self-cannibalizing. That said, “Angel of the Spring” is the only out-and-out dud, an anemic pseudo-ballad from a band previously known for writing killer slow jams (see: “Through the Eyes of the Killer – Filing Teeth”) featuring an uncredited operatic female vocalist whose inclusion feels like an afterthought. She’s mixed so as to sound distant and distorted, resulting in what feels like a rushed production job or possible A.I. implementation. In any case, this small vocal section is a microcosm of the album’s weakest links, lacking in the same level of care its best moments receive in spades.

The production woes don’t stop there, as Mycelium is one of the more notable victims of an overly flat master I’ve heard in some time. Outside of the occasional quiet moment, every component feels cramped, making for a claustrophobic listening experience. It’s a shame, as the towering instrumentals scream for maximum breathing room. The burly, technical guitar work is Manticora’s strongest suit as usual, but the ever-divisive vocalist Lars Larsen gives one of his best showings here, carrying tracks like the emotive “Mycelium” with uncharacteristic nuance. Curiously, the band has credited no drummer on this record, although the performances here are a dead ringer for the Angra-esque stylings of recently departed drummer Lawrence Dinamarca. Whether Manticora is using a session drummer or programmed drums on Mycelium, recreating Dinamarca’s dynamic playing style was a wise decision, as he singlehandedly elevated the band to a higher rhythmic class.

I’m realizing that I’ve primarily focused on Mycelium’s pitfalls in what should be a positive review, but its negatives feel stark coming off the heels of two 4.0-worthy records. This is still a largely enjoyable album, featuring one of the band’s best songs to date in its title track, and is effortlessly repayable thanks to its shockingly reserved forty-seven-minute runtime. The tracks where Manticora is seemingly going through the motions are quite enjoyable in their own right; they are just not indicative of the effort I have seen this band put forth time and time again. Ultimately, the band has earned a victory lap at this point, and Mycelium evokes just that: an opportunity to show off, where maximum effort is not necessarily mandatory at all times.

Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Mighty Music (Physical) | Target Group Official | Bandcamp (Digital)
Websites: manticora.dk | manticora.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/manticoraband
Releases Worldwide: January 26th, 2024

#2024 #30 #Angra #AnubisGate #BlindGuardian #DanishMetal #MightyMusic #Mycelium #Nevermore #ProgressivePowerMetal #Review #Reviews #ThrashMetal