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🤘 The Metal Dog 🤘<a href="https://mastodon.themetaldog.net/tags/TheMetalDogArticleList" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#TheMetalDogArticleList</a> <a href="https://mastodon.themetaldog.net/tags/Blabbermouth" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Blabbermouth</a> Australia's Classic Thrashers MORTAL SIN To Return To The Stage In 2026<a href="https://blabbermouth.net/news/australias-classic-thrashers-mortal-sin-to-return-to-the-stage-in-2026" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank">https://blabbermouth.net/news/australias-classic-thrashers-mortal-sin-to-return-to-the-stage-in-2026</a><a href="https://mastodon.themetaldog.net/tags/MortalSin" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#MortalSin</a> <a href="https://mastodon.themetaldog.net/tags/ThrashMetal" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#ThrashMetal</a> <a href="https://mastodon.themetaldog.net/tags/MayhemicDestruction" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#MayhemicDestruction</a> <a href="https://mastodon.themetaldog.net/tags/AnAbsenceOfFaith" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#AnAbsenceOfFaith</a> <a href="https://mastodon.themetaldog.net/tags/PsychologyOfDeath" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#PsychologyOfDeath</a> <a href="https://mastodon.themetaldog.net/tags/MatMaurer" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#MatMaurer</a> <a href="https://mastodon.themetaldog.net/tags/AustralianMetal" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#AustralianMetal</a> <a href="https://mastodon.themetaldog.net/tags/ThrashfestClassics" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#ThrashfestClassics</a> <a href="https://mastodon.themetaldog.net/tags/40YearsAnniversary" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#40YearsAnniversary</a> <a href="https://mastodon.themetaldog.net/tags/MetalComeback" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#MetalComeback</a>

🤘 The Metal Dog 🤘<a href="https://mastodon.themetaldog.net/tags/TheMetalDogArticleList" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#TheMetalDogArticleList</a> <a href="https://mastodon.themetaldog.net/tags/BraveWords" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#BraveWords</a>–WhereMusicLives MONOLIYTH – Brutal New Album, He Who Kills, Out In August<a href="https://bravewords.com/news/monoliyth-brutal-new-album-he-who-kills-out-in-august/" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank">https://bravewords.com/news/monoliyth-brutal-new-album-he-who-kills-out-in-august/</a><a href="https://mastodon.themetaldog.net/tags/Monoliyth" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Monoliyth</a> <a href="https://mastodon.themetaldog.net/tags/HeWhoKills" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#HeWhoKills</a> <a href="https://mastodon.themetaldog.net/tags/AustralianDeathMetal" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#AustralianDeathMetal</a> <a href="https://mastodon.themetaldog.net/tags/DeathMetal" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#DeathMetal</a> <a href="https://mastodon.themetaldog.net/tags/WormholeDeathRecords" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#WormholeDeathRecords</a> <a href="https://mastodon.themetaldog.net/tags/August2025" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#August2025</a> <a href="https://mastodon.themetaldog.net/tags/NewAlbum" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#NewAlbum</a> <a href="https://mastodon.themetaldog.net/tags/BrutalDeathMetal" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#BrutalDeathMetal</a> <a href="https://mastodon.themetaldog.net/tags/MetalAlbum" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#MetalAlbum</a> <a href="https://mastodon.themetaldog.net/tags/AustralianMetal" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#AustralianMetal</a>

🤘 The Metal Dog 🤘<a href="https://mastodon.themetaldog.net/tags/TheMetalDogArticleList" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#TheMetalDogArticleList</a> <a href="https://mastodon.themetaldog.net/tags/MetalInjection" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#MetalInjection</a> KARNIVOOL's Long-Awaited New Album Is Done, Being Mixed & Mastered Recording finally ended in May. KARNIVOOL's Long-Awaited New Album Is Done, Being Mixed & Mastered appeared first on Metal Injection.<a href="https://metalinjection.net/news/karnivools-long-awaited-new-album-is-done-being-mixed-mastered" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank">https://metalinjection.net/news/karnivools-long-awaited-new-album-is-done-being-mixed-mastered</a><a href="https://mastodon.themetaldog.net/tags/Karnivool" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Karnivool</a> <a href="https://mastodon.themetaldog.net/tags/NewAlbum" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#NewAlbum</a> <a href="https://mastodon.themetaldog.net/tags/MixingAndMastering" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#MixingAndMastering</a> <a href="https://mastodon.themetaldog.net/tags/MetalNews" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#MetalNews</a> <a href="https://mastodon.themetaldog.net/tags/ProgMetal" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#ProgMetal</a> <a href="https://mastodon.themetaldog.net/tags/AustralianMetal" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#AustralianMetal</a> <a href="https://mastodon.themetaldog.net/tags/AlbumRecording" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#AlbumRecording</a> <a href="https://mastodon.themetaldog.net/tags/MetalInjection" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#MetalInjection</a>

🤘 The Metal Dog 🤘<a href="https://mastodon.themetaldog.net/tags/TheMetalDogArticleList" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#TheMetalDogArticleList</a> <a href="https://mastodon.themetaldog.net/tags/MetalSucks" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#MetalSucks</a> King Parrot Announce a Huge North American Tour This Summer Dates start later this month. King Parrot Announce a Huge North American Tour This Summer .<a href="https://www.metalsucks.net/2025/07/14/king-parrot-announce-a-huge-north-american-tour-this-summer/" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank">https://www.metalsucks.net/2025/07/14/king-parrot-announce-a-huge-north-american-tour-this-summer/</a><a href="https://mastodon.themetaldog.net/tags/KingParrot" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#KingParrot</a> <a href="https://mastodon.themetaldog.net/tags/NorthAmericanTour" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#NorthAmericanTour</a> <a href="https://mastodon.themetaldog.net/tags/MetalTour" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#MetalTour</a> <a href="https://mastodon.themetaldog.net/tags/AustralianMetal" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#AustralianMetal</a> <a href="https://mastodon.themetaldog.net/tags/TourAnnouncement" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#TourAnnouncement</a> <a href="https://mastodon.themetaldog.net/tags/SummerTour" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#SummerTour</a> <a href="https://mastodon.themetaldog.net/tags/Pantera" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Pantera</a> <a href="https://mastodon.themetaldog.net/tags/MetalSucks" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#MetalSucks</a>

Angry Metal Guy<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/we-lost-the-sea-a-single-flower-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">We Lost the Sea – A Single Flower Review</a>By Dear HollowHow do you follow up an album born from tragedy? While the Sydney collective We Lost the Sea began as a mammoth post-metal band with standout releases like Crimea and The Quietest Place on Earth, renowned for uncompromising weight and tantalizing patience, the tragic death of vocalist Chris Torpey silenced them, taking its teeth in the process. Grief embodied its 2015 album, not devastating for the notes and tempos that commanded it, but rather what it symbolized. Comprised of instrumental elegies to failed acts of heroism and sacrifice, Departure Songs served as both a beautiful post-rock album with an intriguing theme and a knack for instrumental hooks, as well as an homage to Torpey.Because of this, 2019 follow-up Triumph & Disaster was doomed for disingenuousness, regardless of its quality. We Lost the Sea set out on its own path in a concept album devoted to apocalypse via climate disaster, employing many of the same tricks with more bite, but to an unfocused and inconsistent degree that landed its singles in EOY territory but its supporting cast as mediocre at best. Six years later, we’re graced with A Single Flower, an ode to revolution and defiance in its trademark groove and crescendo-laden patience. Much of it lands in Post-Rock 101, in line with the likes of Mono, God is an Astronaut, and Eluvium, with steadily building crescendos as the backbone while twinkly guitars guide the journey to crunchy metallic explosions, with some ugliness for contrast. While nowhere near the likes of its early discography, A Single Flower is a welcome improvement, as We Lost the Sea distances itself from its tragic past.If A Single Flower is Post-Rock 101, then opener “If They Had Hearts” is the syllabus. Nearly nine minutes of steadily building twinkling, with its ugly metallic hit at the end of it all being an easy highlight. But by and large, the cuts that rely on this formula run the risk of being a weaker version of “A Gallant Gentleman” from Departure Songs, (“Bloom (Murmurations at First Light)”), that their solid songwriting and gentle crescendos are derailed by excessive length’s meandering consequences. Otherwise, appearances of anachronistic instrumentals add a jolt of confusion, such as electronic beats (“Everything Here is Black and Blinding”) and industrial harshness (“A Dance With Death”). Then there’s the elephant in the room that closer “Blood Will Have Blood” is twenty-six minutes long, which is too long despite however rebellious and driving its almost punk-like rhythms suggest.Flowery textures are post-rock’s kryptonite, but tension between harmony eeriness is where it succeeds – and A Single Flower is no exception. While the textured plucking is a motif that courses through nearly every moment, riding the line between haunting and sanguine is a signature that elevates it. This taut dynamic gives the album a much more nuanced dynamic that recalls Godspeed You! Black Emperor, with its climactic and chaotic metal apexes recalling the collisions of agony and beauty that acts like Milanku or Audrey Fall (“A Dance With Death,” the conclusion of “Everything Here is Black and Blinding”). Terse drumming and textures of noise add to that thread of ugliness that adds contrast to the more crystalline movements, a constantly shifting palette (“Blood Will Have Blood”).We Lost the Sea has released an imperfect album that successfully distances itself from the shadow of its more iconic past. Incorporating more of a metal presence than Departure Songs while streamlining the effort beyond the inconsistent Triumph & Disaster, A Single Flower manages to balance meditation and urgency neatly. It has its moments of post-rock paper-thin crescendo-core, and there are choices within that end up being head scratchers – and I would be remiss to neglect the album’s dummy long hour and twenty runtime – but We Lost the Sea finally feels like who they wanted to be beyond tragedy and its aftermath. Thus, A Single Flower owes its staying power more to what it represents than the instruments its contributors jam on. It suggests a good trajectory – and sometimes that’s all you need. Rating: 2.5/5.0 DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3 Label: <a href="https://www.birdsrobe.com/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Bird’s Robe Records</a> Websites: <a href="http://welostthesea.bandcamp.com" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">welostthesea.bandcamp.com</a> | <a href="http://welostthesea.com" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">welostthesea.com</a> | <a href="http://facebook.com/welostthesea" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">facebook.com/welostthesea</a> Releases Worldwide: July 4th, 2025<a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/2-5/" target="_blank">#25</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/2025/" target="_blank">#2025</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/a-single-flower/" target="_blank">#ASingleFlower</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/audrey-fall/" target="_blank">#AudreyFall</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/australian-metal/" target="_blank">#AustralianMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/birds-robe-records/" target="_blank">#BirdSRobeRecords</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/eluvium/" target="_blank">#Eluvium</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/god-is-an-astronaut/" target="_blank">#GodIsAnAstronaut</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/godspeed-you-black-emperor/" target="_blank">#GodspeedYouBlackEmperor</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/jul25/" target="_blank">#Jul25</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/milanku/" target="_blank">#Milanku</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/mono/" target="_blank">#Mono</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/post-rock/" target="_blank">#PostRock</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/post-metal/" target="_blank">#PostMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/review/" target="_blank">#Review</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/reviews/" target="_blank">#Reviews</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/we-lost-the-sea/" target="_blank">#WeLostTheSea</a>

Angry Metal Guy<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/darkyra-life-force-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Darkyra – Life Force Review</a>By ClarkKentSometimes life takes you to unexpected places. Gina Bafile, who dubbed herself Darkyra Black and founded the band Darkyra, saw her dreams become reality with the release of two albums in 2014 and 2015. Her band started touring in her hometown of Australia shortly thereafter, and apparently, her shows were popular enough to make plans to take them to Europe. Unfortunately, life took a turn for Bafile. In 2016, she was diagnosed with breast cancer and had to take an indefinite break from her music. Now, nearly 10 years later, Bafile is back at it with the release of her third Darkyra album, Life Force. It’s amazing what modern medicine and the human spirit can accomplish. Through perseverance, Bafile survived a cancer scare, and again through perseverance, she has rekindled her dream and put forth an ambitious record. That in itself is a worthy success story.The most succinct way to describe the genre of Life Force is standard rock-and-roll with some extra frills. Like many hard rock songs, Darkyra hooks you early with some nice melodies, but then switches to standard rock riffs as rhythm to accompany Bafile’s voice. Synths add some extra personality: on “One Foot in the Grave,” they provide an eerie, gothic atmosphere, while on “Leap Before You Die,” they perform some nice solos. The piano also plays an important role, providing the main source of instrumentation on “Tomorrow Without You” and serving a supporting role on other tracks like “Quiet the Mind.” Pop/rock songs like these live and die by the chorus, and Life Force has some catchy ones. Most tunes follow the traditional pop structure of repeating the chorus once or twice, but a few instead build up to a big chorus in the finale.Spend enough time with Life Force and you’ll find that there is plenty to appreciate. Surprisingly, the biggest standout is the bassist, Lucio Manca. On songs like “Life Force” and “Quiet the Mind,” his bass absolutely slaps. He steals the show with his grooves, and I wish he had a more prominent role. I know a certain <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/quadvium-tetradom-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">bass-loving</a> Dolphin who would salivate to hear Manca play, and thanks to the crisp production values, his bass clearly stands out. While there are several songs that stand above the pack, such as “Quiet the Mind,” which has a killer chorus, “Celebrity Smile” is the one that I wish Darkyra had used as a model for the rest. <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/darkyra-life-force-review/#fn-217938-1" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">1</a> It’s the only true symphonic track on Life Force, and when those string instruments and choral chants accompany Bafile’s voice on the chorus, I can’t help but imagine how great this album could have been had Darkyra done more of this.Life Force unfortunately, suffers from some inconsistencies. Bafile has a strong voice, but at times the songs put too much pressure on her larynx. For example, when she reaches for a higher register on the chorus of “All in Good Time,” her voice strains and grows pitchy. Darkyra also opts for some odd vocal choices, such as a sassy-talk section (“All in Good Time”), some Darth Vader-like whispers (“Quiet the Mind”), and a moment where I confused her for a nasally Gwen Stefani (“Tomorrow Without You”). These moments aren’t the only weaknesses, though. For one, the guitars are pretty bland, often disappearing into the background. Some of the lyrics are questionable as well, such as when Bafile redundantly sings, “You’ve gotta leap before you die / Leap while you’re alive.” Probably the biggest offender is the penultimate tune, “Tested the Water,” which feels completely phoned in and out of tune.What Bafile has done with Life Force–create an ambitious work of art after life threw a wrench her way–is an inspiration. No matter what I write in these paragraphs, that in itself is a success. And the album is pretty enjoyable. Yes, it has its warts and blemishes, like any record, but I still find myself giddily singing aloud “You’ve gotta leap before you die” and swaying to the violins of “Celebrity Smile” as they replay in my head. I hope next time around, Bafile plays to Darkyra’s strengths more consistently. Bafile and her team have good instincts for creating musical arrangements with strings, piano, and that bass. I look forward to hearing what she does next. Rating: 2.5/5.0 DR: 9 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3 Label: <a href="https://www.battlegod-productions.com/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Battlegod Productions</a> Websites: <a href="https://www.darkyramusic.com/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">darkyra.com</a> | <a href="https://darkyrablack.bandcamp.com/album/life-force" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">darkyrablack.bandcamp.com</a> Releases Worldwide: June 13th, 2025<a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/2-5/" target="_blank">#25</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/2025/" target="_blank">#2025</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/australian-metal/" target="_blank">#AustralianMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/battlegod-productions/" target="_blank">#BattlegodProductions</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/darkyra/" target="_blank">#Darkyra</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/gothic-metal/" target="_blank">#GothicMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/gwen-stefani/" target="_blank">#GwenStefani</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/hard-rock/" target="_blank">#HardRock</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/jun25/" target="_blank">#Jun25</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/life-force/" target="_blank">#LifeForce</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/productions/" target="_blank">#Productions</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/review/" target="_blank">#Review</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/reviews/" target="_blank">#Reviews</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/symphonic-metal/" target="_blank">#SymphonicMetal</a>

Angry Metal Guy<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/stuck-in-the-filter-march-2025s-angry-misses/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Stuck in the Filter: March 2025’s Angry Misses</a>By KenstrositySpring is in the air, and with it comes… an insane number of cicadas! Yes, that’s right, Brood XIV spawned this year and is currently overwhelming my staff as they trudge through embuggened ducts to clear out the Filter of semi-precious metal. I bet it’s fucking loud in there……. eh I’m sure they are all fine. Just fine. Anyway, enjoy the spoils of our toils! Kenstrosity’s Gloopy Grubber Acid Age // Perilous Compulsion [February 28th, 2025 – Self Released]Belfast’s wacky thrash conglomerate Acid Age came out of absolutely nowhere back in March, unleashing their fourth LP Perilous Compulsion and equipping it with one helluva van-worthy cover. This is some funky, bluesy, quasi-psychedelic thrash metal that pulls no punches. Riffs abound, bonkers songwriting pervades, immense groove agitates. From the onset, “Bikini Island” establishes Perilous Compulsion as a no-nonsense, balls-out affair which reminds me heavily of <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/voivod-synchro-anarchy-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Voivod</a> and a simplified <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/flummox-southern-progress-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Flummox</a> informed by Atheist’s progressive proclivities, and expanded by a touch of Pink Floyd’s nebulous jams. Of course, thrash remains Acid Age’s hero flavor, as choice cuts “State Your Business,” “Revenge for Sale,” and closing one-two punch “Rotten Tooth” and “Hamster Wheel” clearly demonstrate. While their fearless exploration of style and structure maintains a sky-high level of interest, it also introduces a couple of challenges. Firstly, this material can feel a bit disjointed at first, but focused spins reward the listener greatly as all of Perilous Compulsion’s moving parts start to mesh and move in unison. Secondly, Acid Age throws a spotlight on a few brilliant inclusions that, over time, I wish were more often utilized—namely, the delightfully bluesy harmonica solos on “Rotten Tooth.” Regardless, Acid Age put themselves on my map with Perilous Compulsion. I recommend you put them on yours, too! Owlswald’s Desiccated Discoveries<a href="https://verbian.bandcamp.com/album/casarder" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Verbian</a> // Casarder [March 21st, 2025 – Lost Future Records]It’s unjust that Portuguese rockers Verbian—who have been producing quality post-rock since 2019’s Jaez—haven’t received the attention they deserve. Fusing elements of post-rock with metal, psychedelic, and stoner, Casarder is Verbian’s third full-length and the first with new drummer Guilherme Gonçalves. Taking the sounds and inspirations of 2020’s Irrupção and enriching it with new permutations and modulations, Casarder’s largely instrumental character rides punchy riffs and roiling grooves—à la <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/russian-circles-blood-year-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Russian Circles</a> and <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/elder-omens-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Elder</a>—to transmit its thought-provoking legitimacy. Dystopian and surreal séances, via echoing Korg synthscapes (“Pausa Entre Dias,” “Vozes da Ilha”) and celestial harmonies, permeate Casarder’s forty-three-minute runtime, translating Madalena Pinto’s striking Aeon Flux-esque cover art with precision. Ominous horn sections and crusty recurrent vocals (“Marcha do Vulto,” “Depois de Toda a Mudança”) by guitarist Vasco Reis and bassist Alexandre Silva underscore Verbian’s individuality in a crowded post-rock domain. Gonçalves’s drumming—with his intricate and enchanting hard rock and samba rhythms (“Nada Muda,” “Fruta Caída do Mar”)—adds a new dimension to Verbian’s sound, assuring my attention never falters. The group describes Casarder as communicating the “…insecurities of artistic expression and personal exposure when it comes to fearing being judged for something that is somewhat outside of what is done in each artist’s niche.” Indeed, Casarder reveals Verbian is unafraid to forge their own path, and the results are gripping.<a href="https://symbioticgrowth.bandcamp.com/album/beyond-the-sleepless-aether-3" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Symbiotic Growth</a> // Beyond the Sleepless Aether [March 28th, 2025 – Self Released]Beyond the Sleepless Aether, the sophomore effort by Ontario, Canada’s Symbiotic Growth, immediately caught my attention with its dreamy-looking cover. Building upon their 2020 self-titled debut, the Canadian trio hones epic and long-form progressive death metal soundscapes, narrating a quest for meaning across alternate realities in mostly lengthy, yet rewarding, tracks that blend technicality, atmosphere, and melody. The group frequently employs dynamic shifts, moving between raging brutality and serene shoegaze beauty (“Arid Trials and Barren Sands,” “The Sleepless Void”). This is achieved through complex and vengeful passages alongside atmospheric synth lines and softer piano interludes (“Sires of Boundless Sunset,” “Of Painted Skies and Dancing Lights”), cultivating an air of wonder, mystery, and ethereality that permeates much of Symbiotic Growth’s material. “The Architect of Annihilation” echoes the style of <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/ne-obliviscaris-exul-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Ne Obliviscaris</a> with its blend of clean harmonies and harsh growls meshed with tremolo-picked arpeggiations and catchy hooks (the guitar solo even features a violin-like quality). “Lost in Fractured Reveries” evokes <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/in-mourning-the-bleeding-veil-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">In Mourning</a> with its parallel synth and guitar lines giving way to devastating grooves that make it impossible not to headbang. Although some fine-tuning remains—the clean vocals could use some more weight and tracks like “Of Painted Skies and Dancing Lights” and “The Architect of Annihilation” overstay their welcome at times—Beyond the Sleepless Aether shows Symbiotic Growth’s burgeoning talent and signals the group is one to watch in progressive death metal. Dear Hollow’s Drudgery Sludgery Hoist <a href="https://spiritbox.com/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Spiritbox</a> // <a href="https://spiritboxofficial.bandcamp.com/album/tsunami-sea" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Tsunami Sea</a> [March 7th, 2025 – <a href="https://palechord.com/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Pale Chord Records</a> | <a href="https://riserecords.com/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Rise Records</a>]From humble beginnings in a more artsy-fartsy djent post-<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/iwrestledabearonce-hail-mary-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Iwrestledabearonce</a> world to becoming the darlings of Octane Radio, Spiritbox has seen quite the ascent. While it’s easy to look at their work and scoff at its radio-friendliness, sophomore full-length Tsunami Sea shows Courtney LaPlante and company sticking to their guns. Simultaneously more obscure and more radio-friendly in its selection of tracks, expect its signature blend of colossal riffs and ethereal melodies guided by LaPlante’s siren-then-sea serpent dichotomy of furious roars and haunting cleans. Yes, Spiritbox helms its attack with the radio singles (“Perfect Soul,”<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/stuck-in-the-filter-march-2025s-angry-misses/#fn-216699-1" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">1</a> “Crystal Roses”) in layered soaring choruses and touches of hip-hop undergirded by fierce grooves, but the meat of Tsunami Sea finds the flexibility and patience in the skull-crushing brutality (“Soft Spine,” “No Loss, No Love”) and its more exploratory songwriting that amps layers of the ethereal and the hellish with catchy riffs and vocals alike (“Fata Morgana,” “A Haven of Two Faces”). It’s far from perfect, and its tendency towards radio will be divisive, but it shows Spiritbox firing on all cylinders.<a href="https://www.facebook.com/unfleshing/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Unfleshing</a> // <a href="https://unfleshing.bandcamp.com/album/violent-reason" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Violent Reason </a>[March 28th, 2025 – Self Released]I am always tickled pink by blackened crust. It takes the crusty violence and propensity for filth and adds black metal’s signature sinister nature. Unfleshing is a young, unsigned blackened crust band from St. Louis, and with debut Violent Reason, you can expect a traditional punk-infused beatdown with a battered guitar tone and sinister vocals. However, more than many, the quartet offers a beatdown that feels as atmospheric as it is pummeling. Don’t get me wrong, you get your skull caved in like the poor guy on the cover with minute-long crust beatdowns (“Body Bag,” “From the Gutter”) and full-length smackdowns (“Knife in the Dark,” “Final Breath”), both styles complete with scathing grooves, squalid feedback, climactic solos and punishing blastbeats, atop a blackened roar dripping with hate. But amid the full-throttle assault, Unfleshing utilizes ominous black metal chord progressions and unsettling plucking to add a more dynamic feature to Violent Reason (“Cathedral Rust,” “One With the Mud”). The album never overstays, and while traditional, it’s a hell of a start for Unfleshing.<a href="https://www.facebook.com/ghostsmokerband/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Ghostsmoker</a> // <a href="https://ghostsmokerau.bandcamp.com/album/inertia-cult-2" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Inertia Cult</a> [March 21st, 2025 – <a href="https://www.artascatharsis.com/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Art as Catharsis Records</a>]Ghostsmoker seems like the perfect stoner metal band name, but aside from the swampy guitar tone, there’s something much sinister lurking. Proffering a caustic blackened doom/sludge not unlike <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/thou-umbilical-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Thou</a>, Wormphlegm, and Sea Bastard, the Melbourne group quartet devotes a crisp forty-two minutes to sprawling doom weighted by a crushing guitar tone that rivals <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/morast-fentanyl-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Morast</a>‘s latest, and shrieked vocals straight from the latest church burning. Beyond what’s expected from this particular breed of devastation, Ghostsmoker infuses an evocative patience reminiscent of post-metal’s more sludgy offerings like <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/neurosis-fires-within-fires-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Neurosis</a> or <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/pelican-nighttime-stories-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Pelican</a>, lending a certain atmosphere and mood of dread and wilderness depicted on its cover. From the outright chugging attacks of churning aggression (“Elogium,” “Haven”) to the more experimental and thoughtful pieces (“Bodies to Shore,” instrumental closer “The Death of Solitude”), Inertia Cult largely feels like a journey through uncharted forests, with voices whispering from the trees. Ghostsmoker is something special.  GardensTale’s Paralyzed Spine<a href="https://www.facebook.com/spiineofficial/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Spiine</a> // <a href="https://spiine.bandcamp.com/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Tetraptych</a> [March 27th, 2025 – Self Released]Is it still a supergroup release when half the lineup are session musicians? Spiine is made up of Sesca Scaarba (<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/virgin-black-requiem-pianissimo-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Virgin Black</a>) and Xen (ex-<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/ne-obliviscaris-exul-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Ne Obliviscaris</a>), but on debut Tetraptych they are joined by guests Waltteri Väyrynen (<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/opeth-the-last-will-and-testament-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Opeth</a>) and Lena Abé (<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/my-dying-bride-a-mortal-binding-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">My Dying Bride</a>). Usually, so much talent put into the same room does not yield great results. Tetraptych is one hell of an exception. A monstrous slab of crawling heaviness, Spiine lurches with abject despair through the mires of deathly funeral doom. Though I usually eschew this genre, my attention remains rapt through a variety of variations. The songwriting keeps the 4 tracks progressing, slow and steady builds, and the promise of momentary tempo changes working a two-pronged structural plan to buoy the majestic yet miserable riffs. “Oubliiette” is the best example here, going from galloping death-doom to Georgian choirs to a fantastic bridge where all the instrumentation hits only on the roared syllables. Xen’s unholy bellows flatten any objections I may have had, managing both thunder and deepest woe in the same notes. The subtle orchestration and occasional choir arrangements finish the package with regal grandeur, and the lush and warm production is the cherry on top. If you feel like drowning your sorrows with an hour of colossal doom, this is the album for you. Saunders’ Stenched Staples<a href="https://www.facebook.com/adelegions" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Ade</a> // Supplicium [March 14th, 2025 – <a href="https://timetokillrecords.com/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Time to Kill Records</a>]Sometimes unjustly pigeonholed as the Roman-inspired version of <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/nile-the-underworld-awaits-us-all-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Nile</a>, the hugely underrated Ade have punched out a solid career of quality death metal releases since emerging roughly fifteen years ago, charting their own path. Albums like 2013’s ripping Spartacus and 2019’s solid <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/ade-rise-of-the-empire-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Rise of the Empire</a> represent a tidy snapshot of the band’s career. Fifth album Supplicium, their first LP in six years, marks a low-key, welcome return. Exotic instrumentation and attention to history and storytelling are alive and well in the Ade camp, as is their penchant for punishing, unrelenting death, featuring a deftly curated mix of bombast, brutality, technical spark, and epic atmospheres. Edoardo Di Santo (<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/hideous-divinity-unextinct-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Hideous Divinity</a>) joins a largely refreshed line-up, including a new bassist and second guitarist since their last album. Line-up changes aside, familiar Ade tools of harrowing ancient Roman tales and modern death destruction remain as consistently solid as always. Top-notch riffs, intricate arrangements, fluid tempo shifts, and explosive drumming highlight songs that frequently flex their flair for drama-fueled atmospheres, hellfire blasts, and burly grooves. The immense, multi-faceted “Burnt Before Gods,” exotic melodies and raw savagery of “Ad Beastias!,” spitfire intensity of “Vinum,” and epically charged throes of “From Fault to Disfigurement” highlight more solid returns from Ade.<a href="https://www.facebook.com/mastersofreality/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Masters of Reality</a> // The Archer [March 28th, 2025 – <a href="https://www.mascotlabelgroup.com/?srsltid=AfmBOor1Z3MS8cJ2oI199MdBMgESCzFb1oMoZWGDYXElqcs3lMW-YBmF" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Artone Label Group/Mascot Records</a>]Underappreciated desert rock pioneers and quirky stalwarts Masters of Reality returned from recording oblivion some fifteen-plus years since they last unleashed an LP. Led by the legendary Chris Goss and his collaborative counterparts across a career that first kicked off in the late ’80s, Masters of Reality return sounding inspired, wisened, and a little more chilled. Re-tinkering their familiar but ever-shifting sound, Masters of Reality incorporate woozy, bluesy laidback vibes featuring their oddball songwriting traits through a sedate, intriguing collection of new songs. The Archer showcases Masters of Reality’s longevity as seasoned, skilled songwriters, regardless of the shifting rock modes they explore. While perhaps lacking some of the energetic spark and earworm hooks of albums like Sunrise on the Sufferbus and <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/into-the-obscure-masters-of-reality-deep-in-the-hole/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Deep in the Hole</a>, The Archer still marks a fine return outing. Goss’ signature voice is in fine form, and the bluesy, psych-drenched guitars, cushy basslines, ’60s and ’70s influences, and spacey vibes create a comforting haze. The delightfully dreamy, trippy “Chicken Little,” laidback hooks and old school charms of “I Had a Dream,” lively, quirky grooves of “Mr Tap n’ Go,” and moody, melancholic balladry of “Powder Man” highlight another diverse, strange brew from the veteran act. Tyme’s Unheard Annunciations<a href="https://www.instagram.com/doomsday.ca/?hl=en" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Doomsday</a> // Never Known Peace [March 28th, 2025 – Creator-Destructor Records]March’s filter means spring is here, mostly, which is when I start searching for bands to populate my annual edition of Tyme’s Mowing Metal. There’s nothing I enjoy more than cracking a cold beer, sliding my headphones over my ears, and hopping on the mower to complete one of summer’s—at least for me—most enjoyable chores. A band that will feature prominently this summer is Oakland, California’s crossover thrash quintet Doomsday, and their Creator-Destructor Records debut album, Never Known Peace. Doomsday lays down a ton of mindless fun in the vein of other crossover greats like <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/enforced-war-remains-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Enforced</a> and <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/power-trip-nightmare-logic-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Power Trip</a>. There are riffs aplenty on this deliciously executed hardcore-tinged thrashtastic platter full of snarly, spiteful, Jamey Jasta-esque vocals, trademark gang shouts, and, oh, did I mention the riffs? Yeah, cuz there’s a butt-ton of ’em. Leads and solos are melodic (“Death is Here,” “Eternal Tombs”). Within its beefily warm mix, the chug-a-lug breakdowns run rampant across Never Known Peace‘s thirty-one minutes (seriously, there’s one in every track), leaving nary a tune that won’t have you at least bobbing your head and, at most, causing your neck a very nasty case of whipthrash. I’m going to be listening to Never Known Peace ALOT this summer, on and off my mower, and while I don’t care that the lawn lines in my yard will be a little wavier this year than others, I’ll chalk it up to the beer and the head banging Doomsday‘s Never Known Peace instills. <a href="https://www.facebook.com/rancidcadaver" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Rancid Cadaver</a> // Mortality Denied [March 21st, 2025 – Self Released]Another filter, another fetid fragment of foulness; this month, it’s up-and-coming deathstarts Rancid Cadaver and their independently released debut album Mortality Denied. Adam Burke’s excellent cover art caught my eye during a quick dip into the Bandcamp pool and had me pushing play. A thick slab of murderous meat ripe with fatty veins of <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/coffin-mulch-spectral-intercession-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Coffin Mulch</a> and <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/morbific-bloom-of-the-abnormal-flesh-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Morbific</a> running through it, Mortality Denied overflows with tons of bestial vocals, crushing drums, barbaric bass, and squealing solos, all ensorcelled within the majesty of Rancid Cadaver‘s miasmic riff-gurgitations (“Slurping the Cerebral Slime,” “Mass of Gore,” and “Drained of Brains”). Fists will pump, and faces will stank during the <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/fulci-duck-face-killings-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Fulci</a>-friendly “Zombified,” a pulverizing slow-death chug fest with an intro that landed me right back on the shores of Dr. Menard’s island of the undead.<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/stuck-in-the-filter-march-2025s-angry-misses/#fn-216699-2" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">2</a> This quartet of Glaswegians has plopped down a death metal debut that ages like wine, getting better and better with consecutive spins. Surprisingly, Rancid Cadaver is unsigned, but I’m confident that status should change before we see a sophomore effort, and you can bet I’ll be there when that happens. Dolphin Whisperer’s Unsophisticated SlappersCrossed // <a href="https://zegemabeachrecords.bandcamp.com/album/realismo-ausente" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Realismo Ausente </a>[March 21st, 2025 – <a href="https://zegemabeachrecords.bandcamp.com/music" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Zegema Beach Records</a>]Timing means everything in groove. I know that some people say that they have a hard time finding that kind of bob and sway in extreme music. But with an act like Spain’s Crossed, whose every carved word and every skronked guitar noise follows an insatiable punky stride, groove lies in every moment of third full-length Realismo Ausente. Whether it’s on the classic beat of D (“Vaciar Un Corazón,” “Cuerpo Distorsionado”), the twanging drone of a screaming bend (“Monotonía de la lluvia en la Ventana”), or the Celtic Frost-ed hammer of a chord crush (“Catedral”), a calculated, urgent, and intoxicating cadence colors the grayscale attitude throughout. But just because Crossed can find a groove in any twisted mathy rhythm—early <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/converge-the-dusk-in-us-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Converge</a> and <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/dillinger-escape-plan-dissociation-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Dillinger Escape Plan</a> come to mind on quick cuts like “Cerrojo” and “Sentirse Solo”—doesn’t mean that their panic chord-loaded crescendos and close-outs can’t rip your head clean off in banging ecstasy. Easy listening and blackened hardcore can’t go hand-in-hand, but Crossed does their very best to make unintelligible, scathing screeches and ceiling-scraping feedback hissing palatable against crunchy punk builds and throbbing, warm bass grumbles. Likewise, Realismo Ausente stabs into a dejected body tales of loathing, fear, self-rejection, and defeated existence—nothing smiles in its urgent and apathetic crevices. But despite the lack of light at the end of the tunnel of Crossed’s horror-touched vision of impassioned hardcore, an analog warmth and human spirit trapped inside a writhing and pleading throat reveal a presence that’s still fighting. It’s the fight that counts. If you didn’t join the fight <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/stuck-in-the-filter-aprils-angry-misses/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">last time</a>, now’s as good a time as any.Nothing // <a href="https://nothingmetal.bandcamp.com/album/the-self-repair-manifesto" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">The Self Repair Manifesto</a> [March 26th, 2025 – Self Released]If you noticed a tree zombie heading steaming through its trepanned opening, then you too found the same initial draw I had to The Self Repair Manifesto. Nothing complex often can draw us to the things we desire, yet in Nothing’s particular attack of relentless, groove-based death metal, many nooks of additional interest exist. The Self Repair Manifesto’s tribal rhythm-stirred “Initiation,” in its bouncy play, does little to set up the double-kick pummel and snarling refrains that lurk in this brutal, Australian soundscape. The simple chiming cymbal-fluttering bass call-and-response of “Subterfuge,” the throat singing summoning of “The Shroud,” the immediate onslaught of “Abrogation”—all in under 30 minutes, an infectious and progressive experience unfolds. And never fear, living by the motto “no clean singing,”<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/stuck-in-the-filter-march-2025s-angry-misses/#fn-216699-3" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">3</a> Nothing has no intention of traveling the wandering and crooning path of an Opeth or <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/in-vain-solemn-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">In Vain</a>. Rather, Nothing finds a hypnotic rhythmic presence both in fanciful kit play that stirs a foot shuffle and high-tempo stick abuse that urges bodies on bodies in the pit (“Subterfuge,” “The Shroud”), much in the same way you might hear in early <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/decapitated-anticult-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Decapitated</a> or <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/hate-eternal-upon-desolate-sands-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Hate Eternal</a> works. With flair of their own, though, and a mic near the mouth vessel of each member (yes, even the drummer!) to maintain a layered harsh intensity, Nothing serves a potent blend of death metal that is as jam-able as it is gym-able. Whether you seek gains or progressive enrichment, Nothing is the answer. Steel Druhm’s Massive Aggressive<a href="https://www.instagram.com/impurityofficial/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Impurity</a> // <a href="https://hammerheart.bandcamp.com/album/the-eternal-sleep" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">The Eternal Sleep</a> [ March 7th, 2025 – <a href="https://www.hammerheart.com/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Hammerheart Records</a>]Impurity’s lust for all things Left Hand Path is not the least bit Clandestine, and on their full-length debut, The Eternal Sleep, they attempt to craft their own ode to the rabid HM-2 worship of the early 90s Swedeath sound. No new elements are shoehorned in aside from vaguely blackened ones, and there’s not the slightest effort to push the boundaries of the admittedly limited Swedeath sound. The Eternal Sleep sounds like the album that could have come between Entombed’s timeless debut and the Clandestine follow-up, and that’s not a bad place to be. It’s heavy, brutish, buzzing death metal with an OSDM edge, and it hits like a runaway 18-wheeler full of concrete and titanium rebar. One only needs to weather the shitstorm of opener “Denial of Clarity” to realize this is the deep water of the niche genre. It’s extremely heavy, face-melting death with more fuzz and buzz than your brain can process. Other cuts feel like a direct lift from Left Hand Path and/or Clandestine (“Tribute to Creation,”) and fetid Dismember tidbits creep in during “Pilgrimage to Utumno,” and these feel like olde friends showing up unexpectedly at the hometown watering hole. Swedeath is all about those ragged, jagged riffs, and they’re delivered in abundance over The Eternal Sleep, and despite the intrinsic lack of originality, Impurity pump enough steroids and Cialis into the genre archetypes to make the material endearing and engaging. Yes, you’ve heard this shit before. Now hear it again, chumbo!<a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/acid-age/" target="_blank">#AcidAge</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/ade/" target="_blank">#Ade</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/american-metal/" target="_blank">#AmericanMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/art-as-catharsis-records/" target="_blank">#ArtAsCatharsisRecords</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/artone-label-group/" target="_blank">#ArtoneLabelGroup</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/atheist/" target="_blank">#Atheist</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" 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Jake in the desertFor this week's <a href="https://c.im/tags/GrindayFriday" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#GrindayFriday</a>, something I've been listening to a lot this week - 'Gatekeepers' by Adelaide, Australia's METH LEPPARD. Strangely, this album is slated to come out in July (maybe the physical?) but the whole thing is up on Bandcamp, and I didn't wanna wait til July to talk about it. This is fast, dynamic, has great death metal style breakdowns & guitar/drum coolness-- an excellent (brief!) listen all the way through. <a href="https://methleppard666.bandcamp.com/album/gatekeepers" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank">https://methleppard666.bandcamp.com/album/gatekeepers</a><a href="https://c.im/tags/metal" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#metal</a> <a href="https://c.im/tags/grind" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#grind</a> <a href="https://c.im/tags/grindcore" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#grindcore</a> <a href="https://c.im/tags/Australia" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Australia</a> <a href="https://c.im/tags/AustralianMetal" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#AustralianMetal</a> <a href="https://c.im/tags/AustralianGrind" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#AustralianGrind</a> <a href="https://c.im/tags/MethLeppard" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#MethLeppard</a> <a href="https://c.im/tags/AustralianBands" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#AustralianBands</a> <a href="https://c.im/tags/2025Records" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#2025Records</a> <a href="https://c.im/tags/2025Albums" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#2025Albums</a> <a href="https://metalhead.club/@vanessawynn" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">@vanessawynn</a> <a href="https://metalhead.club/@wendigo" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">@wendigo</a> <a href="https://metalhead.club/@HailsandAles" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">@HailsandAles</a>

Angry Metal Guy<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/cave-sermon-fragile-wings-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Cave Sermon – Fragile Wings Review</a>By Thus SpokeFor the second year in a row, I was blindsided by a silent Cave Sermon drop. At least it didn’t take me 11 months to catch up this time.<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/cave-sermon-fragile-wings-review/#fn-215773-1" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">1</a> Album number three, Fragile Wings, sees Charlie Parks returning as a solo act, but now handling vocals on top of everything else. This latter is a welcome development, given how well the previous record proved vocals complement and enhance the unique musical style. After <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/cave-sermon-divine-laughter-things-you-might-have-missed-2024/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Divine Laughter</a> blew my socks off and nonchalantly pushed its way to the top half of my 2024 year-end list, a follow-up so soon filled me with a mixture of excitement and trepidation. Surely he couldn’t do it again? But, of course, he has.Fragile Wings is instantly recognisable as Cave Sermon, but rather than simply being Divine Laughter part two—not that I would have complained about that—it is tonally quite different. Different, but with the same dreamlike longing at its core. Whereas its predecessor felt nihilistic and angry, Fragile Wings is a little more vulnerable, a little sadder, and more wistful. This shines through the now more prominent melodies, which feel playful and exuberant, in the beguiling way that characterises Cave Sermon’s sound. Fluid layers of liquid strums, riffs that vibrate alternately with urgency and mirth (“Hopeless Magic,” “”Moloch”), and tremolos that burr and hum as much as they warble like songbirds up and down scales (“Three-Headed Moth,” “Ancient to Someone”). The untamed tempos that lead tracks through a series of stomps, sways, charges, and thoughtful pauses are more mischievous than before, in a way that makes explicit the spirited defiance that bubbled within Divine Laughter. Parks’ vocals work just as well as Miguel Méndez’s did, if not better, against this vibrant backdrop, and there’s an additional weight given to the already strange and touching lyrics because their author is now delivering them himself.Fragile Wings is stirring and vivacious, and somehow outdoes Divine Laughter in its sparkling dynamism and bright unusualness. After arresting with odd, colourful arrangements, Cave Sermon looks wryly over at the listener and says, “watch this,” as some effervescent lead comes frolicking in (“Moloch,” “Three-Headed Moth”), or an already satisfying groove switches to a new dance with a flick and a crash (“Hopeless Magic,” “Ancient for Someone”); you can’t help but smile back. The very way guitars are distorted, and the atmosphere surrounding their notes and the here-skittish, there-assertive percussion, is…different. And this is all charming because it’s not self-indulgent; not weird and challenging and complicated, but refreshing, like a splash of cool water to the face on a hot day. All the more so given how Cave Sermon makes it look easy, creating a soundscape that seems simpler than it is, managing to presage and reprise melodies and rhythms in a way I can only describe as “very cool.” Interwoven strands of ethereal ambience—warm strums and purring high notes (“Arrows and Clay,” “Sunless Morning”)—violent sludgy riffs and a tripping, resonant drumbeat (“Moloch,” “Ancient for Someone”); symphonies of burbling tremolo and synths (“Hopeless Magic,” “Ancient for Someone”); and the delicate assuredness of wavering melodies, each are so carefully placed, but weightless, as though carried by some spirited wind that breezes through each track.In this organic, careless novelty and expression, Fragile Wings continues what Divine Laughter established, but does it better. Not only is it more poignant, it flows with a more tangible through-line, and even cleverer rhythmic interplay. There is no track-length ambient noise here; this tendency is relegated to the faded conversation that closes “Arrows and Clay,” and the birdsong scattered over the serene first act of “Sunless Morning.” The difference is that these are not divorced from the music, but part of it, contributing to its sense of nostalgia, and sombre reflectiveness. A harsher version of me would still argue that the first half of “Sunless Morning” is a bit too slow of a build, but another would gesture fanatically at the song’s second act, with its quaking bass refrain and heartfelt tremolo descent melody that might actually be the best on the album, before it enters another wild dance I won’t spoil. Cave Sermon has refined their ability to transition between energies and styles whilst keeping the tone consistent. So seamless is the integration that it no longer feels like multiple genres are in play, but like a new one entirely.Fragile Wings confirms what I had secretly hoped, that Divine Laughter was not just lightning in a bottle. If anything, it only raises the bar. Cave Sermon create music that is some magical combination of emotionally stirring, endlessly engrossing, and completely unique. There is simply no other artist in metal making music like them.<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/cave-sermon-fragile-wings-review/#fn-215773-2" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">2</a> You have to hear this. Rating: Excellent<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/cave-sermon-fragile-wings-review/#fn-215773-3" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">3</a> DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3 Label: Self-Release Website: <a href="https://cavesermon.bandcamp.com/album/fragile-wings" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Bandcamp</a> Releases Worldwide: April 16th, 2025<a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/2025/" target="_blank">#2025</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/45/" target="_blank">#45</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/apr25/" target="_blank">#Apr25</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/australian-metal/" target="_blank">#AustralianMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/black-metal/" target="_blank">#BlackMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/cave-sermon/" target="_blank">#CaveSermon</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/death-metal/" target="_blank">#DeathMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/experimental-metal/" target="_blank">#ExperimentalMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/fragile-wings/" target="_blank">#FragileWings</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/post-metal/" target="_blank">#PostMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/review/" target="_blank">#Review</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/reviews/" target="_blank">#Reviews</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/self-released/" target="_blank">#SelfReleased</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/sludge/" target="_blank">#Sludge</a>

Angry Metal Guy<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/valhalore-beyond-the-stars-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Valhalore – Beyond the Stars Review</a>By TwelveValhalore is a great name for a band. Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s a little goofy—but look, you get it instantly. “Valhalla?” Folk metal. “Lore?” Symphonic/power metal. Put them together and you get that exact album cover. Beyond the Stars is Valhalore’s sophomore release, following a seven-year silence from their debut. It’s a long time to cook up something cool, and I’m an easy mark for this kind of music, but Valhalore are treading a well-worn path in their fusion of styles. The question is certainly not what kind of music you’ll find on Beyond the Stars, but how well it is executed and what will set these Australians apart from their many contemporaries.The answer to the question, of course, is wind instruments. Valhalore do indeed play a blend of symphonic, folk, and power metal that treads easily into melodic death metal; the three guitarists (Anthony Willis, Lucas Fisher, and Joseph Dipisa-Fiorenza on bass) bring on the power, the riffs, and the leads; there are roars and clean singing (Fisher and Lachlan Neate), and Morgan Cox’s drumming keeps exactly the right pace for the adventurous spirit of the album. All of that is standard, but Sophie Christensen is what sets Beyond the Stars apart, her contribution of wind instruments present throughout. These flutes and pipes soften the music somewhat, offering a powerful counter to what is otherwise a fast-paced, heavy folk metal album. Combine this with cello and mandolin from Neate and you get an album that deftly balances strong power metal with organic, authentic folk tunes.Authenticity really is the key here. Beyond the Stars bears some resemblance to Time II (Wintersun) in its pace and seeming influence from Japan in the wind section, but avoiding samples allows Valhalore to breathe more easily. From there, it’s all about balance. “Within the Fire” is a great song with strong riffs, a huge build, and an awesome chorus, and the same can be said for “A Walk Among the Stars.” Valhalore is a little given to the standard idea of balancing growling verses with catchy, clean-sung choruses, but what the heck—it’s standard for a reason, and they execute it well. On the softer side, “Wayfinder” demonstrates more clearly than any other song the power of authenticity. For much of the song, the mandolin, cello, and wind instruments are all the support the singing needs. It’s frankly gorgeous, and demonstrates the breadth of talent in performance and songwriting Valhalore are working with, not to mention the emotion, without which the whole thing would fall apart.To some extent, Beyond the Stars suffers from having too much of a good thing. A little repetition in a strong formula is hardly bad, but I find the journey stalls a touch in the middle. After the stunner that is “Wayfinder,” neither “Horizon” nor “The World Between” land for me; both feel like lesser versions of the trio that opens the album. In the case of “Horizon,” I can’t help but feel the guitars would be stronger leads for the song’s aggressive pace, and I just don’t care much for the chorus in “The World Between.” With so much formula seemingly at work, it is perhaps unsurprising that the full forty-eight minutes is not fully engaging. For more evidence of this idea, see “Heart of the Sea,” the song that shatters this feeling—and the one most unlike the others. Part of that is the guest spot from Anny Murphy (Cellar Darling, ex-Eluveitie), but much of it is simply the great writing, catchy vocal lines, and sense of something different. It’s almost progressive in its writing, and it feels wistful and strong, again with the emotional vibrancy of Valhalore coming up to shine.Beyond the Stars is a very fun album. To some extent, it is predictable—you’re not in for any serious surprises, but rather for an exciting style of metal written and performed very well. It’s a little familiar and a lot fun, and you can hear that Valhalore are seasoned musicians who love what they do. For my part, I feel right at home here, and it seems they do too. Hopefully, we won’t have to wait so long for the next instalment—I would love more of this music in my life. Rating: 3.0/5.0 DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3 Label: <a href="http://www.roar.gr/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Roar Rock of Angels Records</a> Websites: <a href="http://valhalore.bandcamp.com" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">valhalore.bandcamp.com</a> | <a href="http://facebook.com/valhalore" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">facebook.com/valhalore</a> Releases Worldwide: April 11th, 2025<a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/2025/" target="_blank">#2025</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/30/" target="_blank">#30</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/apr25/" target="_blank">#Apr25</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/australian-metal/" target="_blank">#AustralianMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/beyond-the-stars/" target="_blank">#BeyondTheStars</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/cellar-darling/" target="_blank">#CellarDarling</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/eluveitie/" target="_blank">#Eluveitie</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/folk-metal/" target="_blank">#FolkMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/melodic-death-metal/" target="_blank">#MelodicDeathMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/review/" target="_blank">#Review</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/reviews/" target="_blank">#Reviews</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/roar-rock-of-angels-records/" target="_blank">#RoarRockOfAngelsRecords</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/symphonic-metal/" target="_blank">#SymphonicMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/valhalore/" target="_blank">#Valhalore</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/wintersun/" target="_blank">#Wintersun</a>

Angry Metal Guy<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/stuck-in-the-filter-november-and-december-2024s-angry-misses/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Stuck in the Filter: November and December 2024’s Angry Misses</a>By KenstrositySeeing as how it’s already almost February, you must be wondering why we’re still talking about shit from 2024. Not that I have to explain myself to you, but I didn’t give my minions grueling tasks just so that I could not take the glory for their labors. That wouldn’t embody this blog’s continual aspiration of being terrible capitalists! And so, we press on, searching and rescuing worthy—but not too worthy—pledges for the barbaric, Hunger Games-esque event that is Stuck in the Filter.BEHOLD! Gaze upon these late-year candidates with the appropriate levels of awe, ye ov little consequence! Kenstrosity’s Wintry Wonders <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Caelestra86" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Caelestra</a> // Bastion [December 13th, 2024 – Self Release]Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. For this sponge, I know something is beautiful when it ensnares me into otherworldly environments unlike those which mirrors terrestrial mundanity. UK post-metal one-man act Caelestra specializes in such ethereal worlds, with debut record Black Widow Nebula catching my attention under its blazing miasma of <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/countless-skies-glow-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Countless Skies</a> lushness, <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/astronoid-radiant-bloom-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Astronoid</a>al optimism, and <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/dreadnought-the-endless-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Dreadnought</a>-esque compositional vibrancy. Follow-up Bastion treads much the same path, but with an added emphasis on cathartic spells of intensity reminiscent of current <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/irreversible-mechanism-immersion-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Irreversible Mechanism</a> (“Finisterre”), <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/kardashev-liminal-rite-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Kardashev</a> (“Soteria”), or <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/devin-townsend-lightwork-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Devin Townsend</a> (“The Hollow Altar”). Balancing these potentially disparate references, mastermind Frank Harper’s compositions flow with an uncanny smoothness without falling into a pit of homogeny. Bastion thereby represents a varied and textured affair built upon compelling guitar leads, unexpected riffs, multifaceted vocal techniques, and athletic percussive movements (“Finisterre,” “Lightbringer,” “The Hollow Altar”). Choosing the long form as Caelestra’s primary vehicle for this musical journey only deepens the experience, as each act offers a wide spectrum of moods, a rich tapestry of characters, and a lush layering of story to enrich any listener’s journey through Bastion (“Lightbringer,” “Eos”). Yet, the whole coheres tightly into a memorable and accessible forty-eight-minute span, easily replayable and effortlessly enjoyable. That, more than anything, makes Bastion a neat little triumph worth checking out.<a href="https://www.facebook.com/pg/EarthboundMusicUK" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Earthbound</a> // Chronos [November 26th, 2024 – Self Release]I have the honor of claiming this find all to my own—something that hasn’t occurred as often this past year as it has in those preceding. Bristol’s Earthbound offer a particular brand of melodic death metal that I want to love more often than I actually do, but they checked all my boxes here. Occupying a space somewhere between <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/amorphis-halo-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Amorphis</a>, Countless Skies, and <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/dark-tranquillity-endtime-signals-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Dark Tranquillity</a>, Earthbound’s style is simultaneously effervescent, introspective, and crushing on debut record Chronos. Boasting chunky riffs, soaring leads, classic melodeath rhythms, and buttery-smooth baritone vocals, Chronos throws blow after blow for forty-nine minutes of high-engagement material. Looking at standout tracks “A Conversation with God,” “The Architect,” “Cloudburst,” “Aperture,” and “Transmission,” Earthbound’s compelling songwriting tactics and knack for a killer hook recall underappreciated gems by modern contemporaries <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/rifftera-across-the-acheron-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Rifftera</a> and <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/svavelvinter-morkrets-tid-things-you-might-have-missed-2018/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Svavelvinter</a>. Some of their most accessible moments almost, but not quite, veer into pop-levels of accessibility, further accentuating Earthbound’s infectious energy (“Change,” “Flight,” “Transmission,” “Chasing the Wind”). This works marvelously in Earthbound’s favor, not only making Chronos a joy to listen to in its own right but also impressing me with how polished and professional the band is with only one full-length under the belt. Don’t let this one fall through the cracks!<a href="https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61555378127543" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Flaahgra</a> // Plant Based Anatomy [November 15th, 2024 – Self Release]WWWWOOOOOORRRRRRMMMHHHHHHOOO… wait, what? Oh, no, this is Flaahgra. But, the riffs sound like my beloved <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/wormhole-almost-human-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Wormhole</a>! What’s going on? Oh, well this explains it. Sanil Kumar of Wormhole fame is responsible for Plant Based Anatomy’s guitar work. Rounded out by Tim “Toothhead” Lodge (bass), Chris Kulak (drums), and Anthony Michelli (vocals), this Baltimore quartet concoct a fast-paced, riff-burdened blunderbuss of gurgling vegan slam meatier than the fattest flank this side of Texas. It may be based around plants (and Metroid), but there are enough muscular grooves, neat lead work, and boisterous percussive rhythms here to keep even the most ravenous death fiend stuffed to the stamen (“Blood Flower,” “Toxic Green Fluid,” “Solar Recharge,” “Plant Based Anatomy”). Oversaturated with killer hooks, Plant Based Anatomy feels every bit as headbangable as this group’s pedigree indicates, but their application is delightfully straightforward, allowing Sanil’s standard-setting slams to shine brightest (“Plant Based Anatomy,” “Garden Cascade,” “Venom Weed Atrocity”). At a lean twenty-five minutes, Plant Based Anatomy rips through my system as efficiently as any grease-laden, overstuffed fast-food chimichanga, leaving just as vivid an impression in its wake. If there was ever a quick and easily digestible example of what differentiates really good slam from two-buck upchuck, Plant Based Anatomy is it. FFFLLAAAAHHHHGGGRRRAAAA! Tyme’s Time Turners<a href="https://www.facebook.com/solarwimp/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Solar Wimp</a> // Trails of Light [November 15th, 2024 – Self Release]The richly dense knowledge and tastes of the commentariat here at AMG are a marvel. And despite the long hours of hard work the staff put in writing and keeping Redis at bay, not to mention the gut-wrenching task of pumping the n00b sump pit every Friday<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/stuck-in-the-filter-november-and-december-2024s-angry-misses/#fn-209724-1" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">1</a> we continue to scour tons of promo to bring you the best and the rest of all things metal(ish). Invariably, some things trickle up from our most precious readers that deserve more attention than a few rando comments and respects. Such is the case with L.A.’s Solar Wimp. It was during my <del>most recent stint in</del><a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/stuck-in-the-filter-november-and-december-2024s-angry-misses/#fn-209724-2" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">2</a> continued n00bdom that I scoped one of our commenters pimping the Wimp‘s who released, sadly to me now, their last album, Trails of Light, in November. As my ears absorbed the immediately quirky dissonance of the opener, “Entwined with Glass,” I was reminded of how blown away I was upon hearing Jute Gyte for the first time, this more due to my un-expectations than anything else. What followed was a journey I happily embarked on through fields of saxophonic freedom (“Strand and Tether”) and forests of long-form avant-garde brilliance (“Shimmer”). The black(ish) metal vocals and tech-jazz guitar histrionics of Jeremy Kerner, combined with Justin Brown’s bassinations and Mark Kimbrell’s drums, imbue so much passion into the music on Trails of Light, it has me guessing Solar Wimp may have very well saved their best for last. While I’m sure you’re ready to move on from 2024, I’d encourage you to dip back into last year’s well for a bit and give Solar Wimp’s Trails of Light a listen or five. Thus Spoke’s Fallen Fragments<a href="https://www.facebook.com/yothiriaofficial/?locale=en_GB" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Yoth Iria</a> // Blazing Inferno [November 8th, 2024 – <a href="http://www.edgedcircleproductions.com/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Edged Circle Productions</a>]Yoth Iria’s sophomore Blazing Inferno arrived with little fanfare, which is a shame because they’re very good at what they do. Their brand of Hellenic black metal even <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/yoth-iria-as-the-flame-withers-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">charmed a 3.5</a> out of GardensTale with their 2021 debut As the Flame Withers. The new album very much picks up where its predecessor left off, in musical content as well as the fact that Yoth Iria clearly have a thing for giant demonic figures dwarfing human civilization. In a refreshingly to-the-point format, the group<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/stuck-in-the-filter-november-and-december-2024s-angry-misses/#fn-209724-3" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">3</a> serve up some solid, groovy Satanic triumphalism that belies the relatively diminutive breadth of the songs that contain it. With thundering drums (“In the Tongue of Birds,” “We Call Upon the Elements”), spirited guitar leads (“But Fear Not,” “Mornings of the One Thousand Golds”), and a collection of classic growls, ominous whispers, and cleans, Yoth Iria craft engaging and very enjoyable compositions. Tracks manage to hold atmosphere and presence without detracting from the dopamine-producing tremolo twists and wails of drawn-out melody (title track, “Rites of Blood and Ice,” “Mornings…”) that draw it all together. This is black metal that makes you feel good about allying with the light-bringer. Not in any highbrow way, of course, just with great riffs, the right amount of tension and nuance, and convincingly massive compositions that steer away from the overwrought and cringe-inducing. It’s just plain good.<a href="https://www.facebook.com/Verdant.Realm.Botanist/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Botanist</a> // <a href="https://verdant-realm-botanist.bandcamp.com/album/vii-beast-of-arpocalyx" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">VII: Beast of Arpocalyx</a> [December 6th, 2024 – Self-Release]Though recorded all the way back in 2016, the music of Beast of Arpocalyx has not seen the light until now. The seventh installment in the esoteric, botanical saga, VII: Beast of Arpocalyx focuses on plants with mythological animal associations. In comparison to last May’s Paleobotany, this is the solo work of founder Otrebor yet the heart of Botanist’s music has never been compromised. The distinctive tones of hammered dulcimer, make the black metal ring—literally and metaphorically—with playful mysticism when they engage in chirruping and cheerful refrains (“Wolfsbane,” “The Barnacle Tree”) and a weird eeriness when they stray into the dissonant (“The Vegetable Lamb of Tartary,” “Floral Onyx Chiroptera”). Nothing is substantially different here, but Botanist’s style is an enjoyably quirky one that I, at least, am always happy to indulge in. In many ways, this is not far removed from raw black metal, with the prominent chimes of (not always tuneful) melodicism wrapping snarls and rasps in an iridescent veil that makes the psychedelic turns from whimsical peace to urgent and barbed blastbeat aggression (“The Vegetable Lamb of Tartary,” “The Paw of Anigozanthos”) very compelling, pleasant even. Yeah, it’s kind of weird to hear chorals or synths under blackened rasps and clanging drums, while a dulcimer warbles along. But when the weirdness nonetheless succeeds in developing an atmosphere and inducing a desire to garner a similarly obsessive knowledge of flora, I can’t really complain. Killjoy’s Atmospheric Attractions<a href="https://www.facebook.com/p/Nishaiar-100067774879707/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Nishaiar</a> // Enat Meret [December 5, 2024 – Self-Release]2024 may technically be over, but there were a few releases in December that keep dragging my attention back to last year. First up is Nishaiar from Gondar, Ethiopia, whose sound resides at the unlikely intersection of traditional Ethiopian music, post-black metal, and Enya-style New Age. Coming off an arduous release schedule that yielded an EP and 5 full-lengths in only 4 years, Nishaiar took some extra time to recharge since Nahaxar in 2021. The results are readily apparent–Enat Meret features some of the punchiest material the band has written to date. “Yemelek” combines folk instruments, vibrant male chanting, and rending screams. An important element that elevates Enat Meret is the addition of a full-time female vocalist, whose moniker also happens to be Enat Meret. Her voice ranges from ethereal (“Idil”) to wistful (“Enat Midir”) to commanding (“Beheke”). There is some bloat—intro track “Semayawi” repeats itself for too long and “Awedal” through “Alem” leans too hard into atmosphere to be suitable for active listening. Even so, this is an album unlike any other you’re likely to hear anytime soon.<a href="https://www.facebook.com/@atravetosus/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Atra Vetosus</a> // Undying Splendour [December 20, 2024 – <a href="https://www.immortalfrostproductions.com/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Immortal Frost Productions</a>]Next up is Atra Vetosus, who came to me by way of rec-master TomazP. Undying Splendour is a captivating work of atmospheric black metal that tempers the wanderlust of Skyforest with the melodic trem-picked fury of <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/mare-cognitum-solar-paroxysm-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Mare Cognitum</a>. It’s stuffed with triumphant, uplifting guitar melodies that contrast compellingly with mournful, anguished shouts and screams. Like a flowing stream, the graceful orchestrations smooth out any rough edges in their path, pairing exceptionally well with the rhythm section in the intro of “Forsaking Dreaded Paths.” The brawny bass lines throughout the album add satisfying oomph and the drumming is constantly engaging with lots of fleeting tempo shifts (“This Fallow Heart”) and expansive tom rolls (“Elysian Echoes”). Atra Vetosus have perfected the difficult art of long-form atmoblack—all the proper songs on Undying Splendour are between 7 and 11 minutes long and, crucially, feel purposeful without meandering. Though atmoblack is often maligned, I’ll happily get behind Atra Vetosus as one of the new standard bearers of the genre at its very best.Skagos // Chariot Sun Blazing [December 21, 2024 – Self-Release]They say that good things come to those who wait. Skagos makes an excellent case for this expression with Chariot Sun Blazing, an appropriate title given the tremendous glow-up that the atmospheric black metal group underwent since releasing Anarchic in 2013. While their woodsy black metal has always maintained similarities with the likes of <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/wolves-in-the-throne-room-primordial-arcana-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Wolves in the Throne Room</a> (who are also based in Olympia, Washington), this time around the music is infused with a real live string quartet and a two-horn section<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/stuck-in-the-filter-november-and-december-2024s-angry-misses/#fn-209724-4" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">4</a>. The effects of this additional instrumentation run way more than skin deep; Chariot Sun Blazing feels and flows like an actual symphony. For instance, the combination of the Wagner tuba with guitar plucking in the beginning of “Which in Turn Meet the Sea” evoke a misty morning which gradually warms up with guitar and string crescendos to thaw the leftover frost. The compositions are introspective and intimate, which is refreshing when compared with the usual grandiosity and bombast of symphonic music (metal or otherwise). While there’s nothing wrong with the raspy vocals, this is a rare instance when I would be completely okay if this were an instrumental album. This is an experience absolutely not to be missed. Dolphin Whisperer’s Late-Blooming Bustles <a href="https://www.facebook.com/alarumofficial" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Alarum</a> // Recontinue [November 8th, 2024 – Self Release]So many bands in the progressive and technical lanes forget to have fun. Not long, unheralded Australian prog/thrash/jazz fusion-heads Alarum, though. Truth be told, I had forgotten this band existed sometime before their 2011 release Natural Causes all up until about September of 2024 when I caught wind of this new release, Recontinue. Their oddball, heavily <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/yer-metal-is-olde-cynic-focus/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Cynic</a>-inspired 2004 opus Eventuality… had stood the test of time in my archives plenty for its wild fusion antics woven into a riff-tricky, bass-poppin’ technical platform. And here, twenty years later, little has changed at Alarum’s foundation. A few things have shifted for the better, though, namely Alarum finding a more balanced resonance in production brightness and clarity, which helps highlight the flirtatious bass play of tracks like “The Visitor” and “Footprints” come to life. Additionally, this crisp and cutting mix allows the joyous neoclassical shredding escapades to carve a blazing path toward textures and alien warbles with a Holdsworth-ian charm (“Zero Nine Thirty,” “Awaken by Fire”). But, most importantly, Alarum continues to bring an ever-shuffling thrash energy similar to early Martyr works (“Imperative,” “Unheard Words,” “Into Existing”) while continuing to remember to toss in off-the-wall detours, like the funk-wah intro of “A Lifelong Question” or the bossa nova outro of “The Visitor.” Recontinue, as a late-career release from a continual dark horse from the land down under remains a consistent joy for the ears. If you’ve never heard Alarum to this point, and you’ve always wished that a jazzy, Cynic-inspired band would come around with a more metal attitude than the current trajectory of their inspirations, get Recontinue in your ears as soon as possible. And if, like me, you’ve fallen of the righteous path, know that time can correct all sorts of silly mistakes.<a href="https://www.instagram.com/gorging_shade" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Gorging Shade</a> // Inversions [November 11th, 2024 – Self Release]With a sound that is as otherwordly and looming as it is terrestrial and bass-loaded, Gorging Shade has taken a vigorous and shaking progressive death metal form. The proficiency with which every performer weaves disparate melodic lines through echoing, ghastly samples and chaotic, witchy background chatter does not come entirely as a surprise, as the entire roster consists of the members of instrumental progressive act Canvas Solaris. Mood, atmosphere and a bellowing howl, though, separate this incarnation of Georgia’s finest. But the eerie space that Inversions inhabits too has manifested as a collective of talents on display with another offshoot from this act, the dark industrial Plague Pslams (composed of bassist Gael Pirlot and drummer Hunter Ginn, who also currently plays with Agalloch). As an experience layered between the history of sounds these tech wizards have created, Inversions lands dense and challenging. At its core, a rhythmic stomp propels each of its tracks alongside percussive riffs that echo the constant motion of Cynic, the blackened scrawl of <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/retro-spective-review-emperor-nightside-eclipse/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Emperor</a>, and the melancholy triumph of <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/ulcerate-cutting-the-throat-of-god-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Ulcerate</a> swells. But in a package uniquely Gorging Shade, a world emerges from each carefully constructed narrative. Sometimes energy rushes forth (“Disease of Feeling, Germed”). At others, noises creaking and crawling lay teasing grounds for careful exploration (“Ordeal of the Bitter Water,” “A Concession of Our City to Modernity”). Whatever the mode of attack, Gorging Shade delivers in a classic and meticulous wall of sound—perhaps a touch too volume-loaded on occasion—that hits first in waves of melodic intrigue, second in aftershocks of plotted and studied efforts. Its later in the year released may have kept Inversions’ treasures more hidden than I would have liked. The beauty of music, of course, is that we may sit with it as little or as long as we wish to parse its tireless arrangement.<a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/2024/" target="_blank">#2024</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/agalloch/" target="_blank">#Agalloch</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/alarum/" target="_blank">#Alarum</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/american-metal/" target="_blank">#AmericanMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/amorphis/" target="_blank">#Amorphis</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/astronoid/" target="_blank">#Astronoid</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" 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Angry Metal Guy<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/stuck-in-the-filter-october-2024s-angry-misses/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Stuck in the Filter: October 2024’s Angry Misses</a>By KenstrosityNever fear, the blog’s penchant for <del>deep lateness</del> punctuality persists! It is likely the new year already by the time you see this post, but we’re taking a step back. Way back, into October. I was deep in the shit then, and therefore couldn’t do anything blog-related. And yet, my minions, those very laborers for whom I provide absolutely no compensation whatsoever, toiled dutifully in the metallic dinge that is our Filter. Unforgiving though those environs undoubtedly are, they scraped and scoured until, at long last, small shards of precious ore glimmered to the surface.These glimmers are the same which you witness before you. Some are big, some are small. Some are short, some are tall. But all are worthy. Behold! Kenstrosity’s Belated Bombardments <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Cosmic-Putrefaction-331030417723505/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Cosmic Putrefaction</a> // Emerald Fires atop the Farewell Mountains [October 4th, 2024 – <a href="http://www.profoundlorerecords.com/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Profound Lore Records</a>]I was originally slated to take over reviewing duties for Cosmic Putrefaction this year, as Thus Spoke had a prior commitment and needed a buddy to step in. Unfortunately, I was rendered useless by a force of nature for a while, so I had to let go of several items of interest. But I couldn’t let 2024 go by without saying something! Entitled Emeral Fires atop the Farewell Mountains, Cosmic Putrefaction’s fourth represents one of the smoothest, most ethereal interpretations of weird, dissonant death metal. The classic Cosmic Putrefaction riffsets under an auroric sky remain, as evidenced by ripping examples “[Entering the Vortex Temporum] – Pre-mortem Phosphenes” and “Swirling Madness, Supernal Ordeal,” but there lurks within a monstrous technical death metal creature who rabidly chases the atmospheric spirits of olde (“I Should Great the Inexorable Darkness,” “Eudaemonist Withdrawal”). While in lesser hands these distinct aesthetics would undoubtedly clash on a dissonant platform such as this, Cosmic Putrefaction’s particular application of sound and style coalesces in devastating beauty and relentless purpose (“Hallways Engraved in Aether,” “Emerald Fires atop the Farewell Mountains”). Were it not for some instances wherein, for the first time ever, Cosmic Putrefaction threatens to self-plagiarize their own material (“Eudaemonist Withdrawal”), I would likely consider Emerald Fires atop the Farewell Mountains for year-end list status.<a href="https://www.facebook.com/feralswe/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Feral</a> // To Usurp the Thrones [October 18th, 2024 – <a href="https://tometal.com/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Transcending Obscurity Records</a>]Another one of my charges that I unfortunately had to put down against my will, Swedish death metal fiends Feral’s fourth salvo To Usurp the Thrones deserves a spotlight here. Where <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/feral-flesh-of-funerals-eternal-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Flesh for Funerals Eternal</a> impressed me as my introduction to the band and, arguably, my introduction to modern buzzsaw Swedeath, To Usurp the Thrones impresses me as a singularly vicious record in the style. Faster, meaner, more varied, and longer than its predecessor, Thrones offers the punk-tinged, thrashy death riffs you know and love, with bluesy touches reminiscent of Entombed’s Wolverine Blues adding a bit of drunken swagger to the affair (“Vile Malediction,” “Phantoms of Iniquity,” “Into the Ashes of History”). Absolute rippers like “To Drain the World of Light,” “Deformed Mentality,” “Decimated,” and “Soaked in Blood” live up to the band’s moniker, rabid and relentless in their assault. In many ways, Thrones evokes the same bloodsoaked sense of fun that Helslave’s <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/helslave-from-the-sulphur-depths-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">From the Sulphur Depths</a> conjured, but it’s angrier, more unhinged (“Spirits Without Rest,” “Stripped of Flesh”). Consequently, Thrones stands out as one of the more fun records of its ilk to come out this year. Don’t miss it!<a href="https://www.facebook.com/sunworshipband" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Sun Worship</a> // Upon the Hills of Divination [October 31st, 2024 – <a href="https://vendettarecs.wordpress.com/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Vendetta Records</a>]Back in 2020, our dear Roquentin offered some damn fine words of praise for Germany’s Sun Worship and their third blackened blade, <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/sun-worship-emanations-of-desolation-things-you-might-have-missed-2019/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Emanations of Desolation</a>. It’s been six years since that record dropped, and Upon the Hills of Divination picks up right where Emanations left off. That is to say, absolutely slimy, post-metal-tinged riffs bolstered by dense layers of warm tremolos and mid-frequency roars. Opener “Within the Machine” offers a concrete encapsulation of what to expect: bits and pieces of <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/hulder-verses-in-oath-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Hulder</a>, <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/gaerea-coma-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Gaerea</a>, and <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/vorga-beyond-the-palest-star-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Vorga</a> melding together into a compelling concoction of hypnotic black metal. Using the long form to their utmost advantage, Sun Worship craft immersive soundscapes liable to scald the flesh just as quickly as they seduce the senses, leaving me as a brainwashed minion doing a twisted mystic’s bidding unconditionally (“Serpent Nebula,” “Covenant”). Yet, there roils a sense of urgency in these songs, despite many of them occupying a mid-paced cadence, which unveils a bleeding heart willingly wrenched from Sun Worship’s body (“Fractal Entity,” the title track, and “Stormbringer”). This is what sets it apart from its contemporaries, and what makes it worthy of mention. Why it’s gotten so little attention escapes me. It is with the intent of rectifying that condition that I pen this woefully insufficient segment. Dolphin Whisperer’s Duty Free Rifftrocity<a href="https://www.facebook.com/extortednz/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Extorted</a> // <a href="https://extorted.bandcamp.com/album/cognitive-dissonance" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Cognitive Dissonance</a> [October 16th, 2024 – Self Release]You don’t need to read this review to know that the Kiwis of Extorted plays pit-whipping death/thrash. Though not adorned with other obvious symbols, like Vietnam War paraphernalia or crushed beer cans, the Ed Repka-penned brain-ripped head figure screams “no thoughts only riff” all the same. With snares set to pow and crashes set to kshhh, Cognitive Dissonance finds low resistance to accelerating early Death-indebted refrains. Vocalist Joel Clark even plays as a dead ringer for pre-Human Schuldiner or Van Drunen (<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/asphyx-necroceros-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Asphyx</a>, ex-<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/pestilence-exitivm-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Pestilence</a>) as the torture in many lines grows (on “Infected” and “Ghastly Creatures” in particular). And in a continued tour of Van Drunen-associated sounds, Extorted’s ability to find a push-and-pull cadence that twists the fury of thrash with the cutting drag of death hits that hard-to-nail early Pestilence pocket with studied flair (“Deception,” “Limits of Reality”). Though a considerable amount of the Extorted identity rests in ideas borrowed and reinterpreted, a modern tonal canvas gives Cognitive Dissonance’s rhythms a punchy and balanced low-end weight that doesn’t always present itself in the world of old. Couple that with hooks that reach far beyond the limits of pure homage (“Transformation of Dreams,” “Violence”), and it’s easy to plow through the thirty minutes of tasteful harmonies, bending solos, and spit-stained lamentations that Extorted offers with their powerful debut.<a href="https://brii.bandcamp.com/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Bríi</a> // Camaradagem Póstuma [October 11th, 2024 – Self Release] With Camaradagem Póstuma we enter the hazy, folky world of Caio Lemos’ unique vision of what experimental electronic music can be colored by the underpinnings of atmospheric black metal and jazz fusion. Using terraced melodies like baroque music of old and distant breakbeats like the <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/bong-ra-meditations-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Bong-Ra</a> of recent yesteryears, Brazil’s Bríi represents one man’s highly specific melding that rarely occurs in this space. The guitar lines that do exist play out as textural, slow-developing passages. On tracks “Aparecidos” and “Baile Fantasma” this looping and hypnotic pattern shuffle resembles ambient Pat Metheny or <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/yer-prog-is-olde-king-crimson-in-the-court-of-the-crimson-king/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">King Crimson</a> colors, the kind where finding the end of nylon pluck into a weaving, high-frequency synth patch feels not impossible but unnecessary. And on the more metallic side of things, Lemos cranks programmed blasts that carry his tortured, panning, and shrouded wails as a guide for the melodic evolution of each track, much in the same way a warping bass line would in a progressive house track. But maintaining the tempo of classic drum and bass, Camaradagem Póstuma wisps away in its atmosphere, coming back to a driving rhythm either via pummeling double kick or glitching break. Despite the hard, danceable pulse that tracks “Enlutados” and “Entre Mundos” boast, Bríi does not feel built for the kvlt klvbs of this world, leaning on a gated, lo-fi aesthetic that makes for an ideal drift away on closed cans, much like the equally idiosyncratic <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/amgs-unsigned-band-rodeo-wist-strange-balance/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Wist album</a> from earlier this year. And similarly, Camaradagem Póstuma sits in an outsider world of enjoyment. But if any of this sounds like your jam, prepare to get addicted to Bríi. Thus Spoke’s Rotten Remnants<a href="http://www.facebook.com/livloesband" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Livløs</a> // The Crescent King [October 4th, 2024 – Noctum Productions]Livløs are one of those bands that deserves far more recognition than they receive. With LP three, The Crescent King, they might finally see it. Their punchy intriguing infusion of Swedish and US melodic death metal—though the band themselves hail from Denmark—has a pleasing melancholia and satisfying bite. Here in particular, there’s more than a passing resemblance to <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/hath-all-that-was-promised-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Hath</a>, to <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/cognizance-malignant-dominion-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Cognizance</a>, and to <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/in-mourning-the-bleeding-veil-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">In Mourning</a>. Stomping grooves (“Maelstrom,” “Usurpers”) slide in between blitzes of tripping gallops, and electrifying fretwork (“Orbit Weaver,” “Scourge of the Stars”). Mournful, compelling melodies woven into this technical tapestry—some highlights being the title track, “Harvest,” and “Endless Majesty”—turn already good melodeath into great melodeath; melodeath that’s majestic and powerful, without ever feeling overblown. With its relentless, groovy dynamism, the crisp, spacious production seals the deal for total immersion. If this is your first time hearing about Livløs, you’re in for a treat.<a href="https://www.facebook.com/sordideband" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Sordide</a> // Ainsi finit le jour [October 25th, 2024 – <a href="https://lesacteursdelombre.net/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Les Acteurs de l’Ombre Productions</a>]And So Ends the Day, whilst another begins where I rediscover Sordide. I know not how I forgot their existence despite the impression that 2021’s Les Idées Blanches made upon me, yet all I could recall was the disturbingly simple, <a href="https://sordide.bandcamp.com/album/les-id-es-blanches-2" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">melty art.</a><a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/stuck-in-the-filter-october-2024s-angry-misses/#fn-207332-1" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">1</a> Ainsi Finit le Jour arrives with a hefty dose (53 minutes no less) of punky, dissonant black metal that’s even rawer and more pissed-off than their usual fare. “Des feux plus forts,” “La poesie du caniveau,” and the title track stand out as the most vicious, near-first-wave cuts the trio have ever laid down, with manic, group wails, and chaotic, jangling percussion. But as is so often the case with Sordide, perhaps the truest brutality comes in the slower discordant crawls of “Sous Vivre,” “Tout est a la mort,” and the particularly unsettling “La beauté du desastre,” whose creeping, half-tuneful teasing and turns to eerie spaciousness get right under your skin. It is arguably a little too long for its own good, given its intensity, but its impressiveness does mean that, this time, Sordide won’t be forgotten. Dear Hollow’s Droll Hashals <a href="https://www.facebook.com/annihilistmetal/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Annihilist </a>// Reform [October 18th, 2024 – Self Release]What Melbourne’s Annihilist does with flamboyant flare and reckless abandon is blur the lines of its core stylistic choices. One moment it’s chugging away like a deathcore band, the next it’s dripping away with a groove metal swagger, ope, now it’s on its way to Hot Topic. All we know is that all its members attack with a chameleonic intensity and otherworldly technicality that’s hard to pin down. An insane level of technicality is the thread that courses throughout the entirety of this debut, recalling Within the Ruins or <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/the-human-abstract-digital-veil-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">The Human Abstract</a> in its stuttering rhythms and flailing arpeggios. From catchy leads and punishing rhythms (“The Upsend,” “Guillotine”), bouncy breakdowns, clean choruses, and wild gang vocals (“Blood”), djenty guitar seizures (“Virus,” “Better Off”) to full-on groove (“N.M.E.,” “The Host”), the likes of <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/lamb-of-god-lamb-of-god-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Lamb of God</a>, early <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/architects-the-here-and-now-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Architects</a>, Born of Osiris, and <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/children-of-bodom-hexed-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Children of Bodom </a>are conjured. Lyrics of hardcore punk’s signature anarchy and societal distrust collide with an instrumental palette of melodeath and the more technical kin of metalcore and deathcore, groove metal, and hardcore. As such, the album is complicated, episodic, and unpredictable, with only its wild technicality connecting its fragmented bits – keeping Reform from achieving the greatness that the band is so capable of. As it stands, though, Annihilist offers an insanely fun, everchanging, and unhinged roller coaster of -core proportions – a roller -corester, if you will. Under Alekhines Gun<a href="https://www.facebook.com/TheurgyBDM/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Theurgy</a> // Emanations of Unconscious Luminescence [October 17th, 2024 – <a href="https://newstandardelite.bandcamp.com/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">New Standard Elite</a>]In a year where slam and brutal death have already had an atypically high-quality output, international outfit Theurgy have come with an RKO out of nowhere to shatter whatever remains of your cerebral cortex. Channeling the flamboyancy of old Analepsy with the snare abuse and neanderthalic glee of Epicardiectomy, Emanations of Unconscious Luminescence wastes no time severing vertebrae and reducing eardrums to paste. Don’t mistake this for a brainless, caveman assault, however. Peppered between the hammiest of hammers are tech flourishes pulled straight from Dingir era <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/rings-saturn-lugal-ki-en-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Rings of Saturn</a>, adding an unexpected technical edge to the blunt force trauma. The production manages to pair these two disparaging elements with lethal efficiency. Is it the techiest slam album, or the wettest, greasiest tech album? Did I mention there’s a super moldy cover of <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/devourment-obscene-majesty-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Devourment</a>‘s “Molesting the Decapitated”? It slots right into the albums flow without feeling like a tacked-on bonus track, highlighting Theurgy’s commitment to the homicidal odes of brutality. Throw in a vocal performance that makes Angel Ochoa (Abominable Putridity) sound like Anders Fridén (<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/in-flames-foregone-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">In </a><a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/in-flames-foregone-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Flames</a>), and you’re left with one last lethal assault to round out the year. Dive in and give your luminescence something to cry about. GardensTale’s Great Glacier<a href="https://www.facebook.com/GhostsofGlaciers/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Ghosts of Glaciers</a> // Eternal [October 25th, 2024 – <a href="https://translationloss.com/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Translation Loss Records</a>]Ghosts of Glaciers’s last release, The Greatest Burden, was a masterclass of post-metal flow and has become a mainstay in my instrumental metal collection since <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/ghosts-of-glaciers-the-greatest-burden-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">my review</a> in 2019. Dropping in tandem with several other high-profile releases, though, I could not give its follow-up the kind of attention it deserves. And make no mistake, it absolutely deserves that attention. The opening duo, “The Vast Expanse” and “Sunken Chamber,” measure up fully to The Greatest Burden, though it takes a few spins for that to become clear. Both use repetitive patterns more than before, but closer listens reveal how subtle variations and evolution of each cycle build gradual tension, so the release becomes all the more satisfying. I’m a little more ambivalent on the back half of Eternal, though. “Leviathan” packs a bigger punch than more of the band’s material, it lacks the swirling and sweeping currents that pull me under and demand full and uninterrupted plays every time. Closer “Regeneratio Aeterna” is a pretty but rather demure piece that lasts a bit longer than it should have. But despite these reservations, the great material outstrips the merely good, and Eternal is a worthwhile addition to any instrumental metal collection.<a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/abominable-putridity/" target="_blank">#AbominablePutridity</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/ainsi-finit-le-jour/" target="_blank">#AinsiFinitLeJour</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/american-metal/" target="_blank">#AmericanMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/analepsy/" target="_blank">#Analepsy</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/annihilist/" target="_blank">#Annihilist</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" 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u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/thrash-metal/" target="_blank">#ThrashMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/to-usurp-the-thrones/" target="_blank">#ToUsurpTheThrones</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/transcending-obscurity-records/" target="_blank">#TranscendingObscurityRecords</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/translation-loss-records/" target="_blank">#TranslationLossRecords</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/upon-the-hills-of-divination/" target="_blank">#UponTheHillsOfDivination</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/vendetta-records/" target="_blank">#VendettaRecords</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag 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Jake in the desertIf you're into metal of the brutal death variety, another amazing Australian band (and one of my favorites), DRIPPED, have a new EP out from a few days ago called 'Utopia of Euphoric Envisionment'. Dripped had an LP on my list of 20 favorite records from 2023. They're metal contenders, and this EP is far too short, for me. 😂 I'll always love Dripped.<a href="https://dripped.bandcamp.com/album/utopia-of-euphoric-envisionment" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank">https://dripped.bandcamp.com/album/utopia-of-euphoric-envisionment</a><a href="https://c.im/tags/metal" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#metal</a> <a href="https://c.im/tags/BrutalDeathMetal" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#BrutalDeathMetal</a> <a href="https://c.im/tags/Dripped" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Dripped</a> <a href="https://c.im/tags/Australia" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Australia</a> <a href="https://c.im/tags/AustralianBands" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#AustralianBands</a> <a href="https://c.im/tags/AustralianMetal" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#AustralianMetal</a> <a href="https://c.im/tags/AussieBands" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#AussieBands</a> <a href="https://c.im/tags/AussieMetal" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#AussieMetal</a> <a href="https://c.im/tags/indie" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#indie</a> <a href="https://c.im/tags/IndieMusic" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#IndieMusic</a> <a href="https://c.im/tags/IndieMetal" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#IndieMetal</a>

Angry Metal Guy<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/cave-sermon-divine-laughter-things-you-might-have-missed-2024/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Cave Sermon – Divine Laughter [Things You Might Have Missed 2024]</a>By Thus SpokeWhen I finally heard Divine Laughter, it was closer to January 2025 than it was January this year, when Cave Sermon released it. This temporal technicality turned out to be trivial because its brilliance was immediately obvious. Divine Laughter traverses death, black, sludge, post, ambient, and more, exploring further, and committing harder to mania—as I later discovered—than debut Memory Spear, which I also devoured eagerly. There is primarily just one person behind Cave Sermon, Aussie musician Charlie Park, and until now, the project was instrumental. Miguel Méndez’ vocals—with an impressively versatile, unhinged, and savage performance—are a perfect accompaniment to what appears to be Cave Sermon’s signature abstract and interpretive compositional style, channeling a kind of musical stream of consciousness that must be experienced to be understood.To say that Divine Laughter is affecting would be criminal understatement. The lyrics alone are touching in a sense totally devoid of sentimentality, reflecting a singularly modern capitalist loneliness, a hatred of human apathy, and a guilt in one’s complicity. But it is the truly magnificent way in which Parks tells (and Méndez narrates) this story musically which makes it so arresting. It feels, at its core, refreshingly and exhilaratingly organic; vibrant and smart and true. Reprises feel like the returning edges of a persistent thought, percussion is as often a tech-death texture as a sludgy battering ram (“Crystallised”), or a vague tap in a noisy void (“Birds and Machines in Brunswick,” “Divine Laughter”); barks pitch upwards into howls in sudden gasps of the realization of some depressing, mundane, and fearful reality (“Liquid Gold”). Quieter moments of almost folky naïveté brush up against acerbic sludginess, alien synth, and the pseudo-chaotically mixed nuts and bolts of razor-sharp death and black metal with a facile deftness I’ve not heard outside of Vicotnik’s work.<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/cave-sermon-divine-laughter-things-you-might-have-missed-2024/#fn-208435-1" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">1</a>With so few words, how can I convey Divine Laughter’s mania? Comparisons feel stale. The through lines, like paint in abstract art,<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/cave-sermon-divine-laughter-things-you-might-have-missed-2024/#fn-208435-2" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">2</a> play with and subvert the expected course of a given genre’s template. Energetic black(ened death)<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/cave-sermon-divine-laughter-things-you-might-have-missed-2024/#fn-208435-3" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">3</a> (“Beyond Recognition,” “The Paint of An Invader”) comes as a thrillingly uneven rain of vitriol. Angular, dissonant extremity tumbles into echoing industrialism, or dizzy ambience (“Beyond Recognition,” “Divine Laughter”); sludgy death remains off-kilter and wild, while charging prog-death rhythms stumble suddenly, (“Crystallised”) and spiraling solos precipitate turns to gazey post (“Liquid Gold”), and every other influence on display. Though there’s a rawness and frightfulness about the relentless transformations of guitar, vocals, and tempo, the use of synths and atmosphere, they remain surprisingly alluring thanks to the powerful emotions bubbling up in subtle resurgences of themes. A lot of this has to do with Méndez’ incredible vocal performance, another lot are these tangled, gorgeous compositions. There are so many of these beautiful, cathartic rises of yearning, urgent melody, and many of them come with the unforeseen force of involuntary emotional reaction (“Beyond Recognition,” “Liquid Gold,” “The Paint of An Invader”), though multiple listens show their edges were presaged.The only potential stumbling block for Divine Laughter I can concede, is the noisy, sample-spliced “Birds and Machines in Brunswick.” Transitioning into the rather terrifying opening to “Divine Laughter” with its almost Portal-esque bellows, its five minutes stick out perhaps a little too much from the rest. It’s clear that this is an experiment, taking place in a transition period for Cave Sermon. Given the excellence of everything else about Divine Laughter, it is very easy to forgive this trifle. I can truly say that no album—at least in recent years—has so instantaneously affected me, smashing down the doors of my musical perception, and settling deep in my soul. Cave Sermon may have received shockingly little recognition so far,<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/cave-sermon-divine-laughter-things-you-might-have-missed-2024/#fn-208435-4" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">4</a> but they will no doubt soon be a name on the lips of many in whatever strange sphere of metal we find ourselves in.Tracks to Check Out: Every one except “Birds and Machines in Brunswick” is mandatory listening.<a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/2024/" target="_blank">#2024</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/australian-metal/" target="_blank">#AustralianMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/black-metal/" target="_blank">#BlackMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/blackened-death/" target="_blank">#BlackenedDeath</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/cave-sermon/" target="_blank">#CaveSermon</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/death-metal/" target="_blank">#DeathMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/divine-laughter/" target="_blank">#DivineLaughter</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/experimental-metal/" target="_blank">#ExperimentalMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/post-metal/" target="_blank">#PostMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/self-releases/" target="_blank">#SelfReleases</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/sludge/" target="_blank">#Sludge</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/things-you-might-have-missed/" target="_blank">#ThingsYouMightHaveMissed</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/things-you-might-have-missed-2024/" target="_blank">#ThingsYouMightHaveMissed2024</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/tymhm/" target="_blank">#TYMHM</a>

Angry Metal Guy<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/convulsing-perdurance-things-you-might-have-missed-2024/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Convulsing – Perdurance [Things You Might Have Missed 2024]</a>By Dear HollowIf you’re not familiar with Australia’s Convulsing, you’ve likely been exposed to mastermind Brendan Sloan’s impact on underground extreme metal. Alongside serving as bassist/vocalist of Altars (beginning with 2022’s <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/altars-ascetic-reflection-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Ascetic Reflection</a>), guitarist of cinematic post-rock act Dumbsaint, and one-man show behind dissonant death/black distortionist Convulsing, he has contributed in some way or another to acts like Greytomb, Cosmic Putrefaction, Defacement, Gonemage, and Nightmarer. Convulsing remains his flagship project, and after two excellent LP’s Errata (2016) and Grievous (2018) of consecutively higher praise and a fantastic split with Siberian Hell Sounds, we are finally met with a gem of dissonant death metal after a six-year absence, an iconic record and monolithic sound steeped in nuance and imbued with dynamics, contrast, and texture: Perdurance.What makes Perdurance such a resounding and enduring success is its ability to attack with intensity and dissonance that outdoes the best of its genre-mates. Warped rhythms are graced with staggered riffs and blazing percussion, as Convulsing explores every nook and twist of a rhythm and melody until its inevitable conclusion is happened upon in tragic and fatal fashion. Dissonant leads are the guide of Perdurance, providing scenic vistas to punishingly heavy riffs while reminding listeners of the inevitable doom that awaits. Like this year’s Ulcerate, the devastation is beautifully nuanced and dynamics are secured, giving a sense of freedom, sentience, and lushness amid the relentless darkness and discordance. Tempo-abusing, blastbeat-wielding, and heavy as mountains, the more immediate offerings (“Pentarch,” “Flayed,” “Shattered Temples”) offer this weight in pulverizing chuggy progressions, with a lurking monstrosity and humanity beneath its processions somehow more mammoth than its ten-ton riffs.Beginning with “Inner Oceans,” we are graced with Convulsing’s massive sense of crescendos and atmospherics. A slow burn guided by the leads, the riffs are explored more subtly and incrementally – leading to a sense of immense claustrophobia and suffocation. Beginning delicately and organically, the tracks warp and shift while constantly growing in size and intensity, leading to what feels like cave walls closing in. The organicity suggests a warmth unexpected in this breed of death metal, as lush progressions morph to menacing tones seamlessly (“Endurance”), while devastation and grandiosity are the killing blow for natural growths and crescendos (“Inner Oceans”). The episodic nature of closer “Endurance” is aptly climactic and cinematic, its different three-minute portions threaded together with lush and yearning progressions slightly twisted to uncanny valley’s version of the heartfelt, amplified by brief passages of clean vocals and punkish beats.Perdurance shows that Sloan remains at the top of his game – Convulsing cements itself as one of the best offerings of underground extreme metal and death metal in general. The second you think you’ve heard a progression or passage before, Sloan distorts it with the precision of a mathematician and the ambition of a madman. It never neglects punishment or overstays its welcome, and every twist and turn feels beautifully executed and stunningly methodical. Even the cleanly sung bonus track Porcupine Tree cover “A Smart Kid” feels at home following “Endurance.” Reflected in its evergreen title, Perdurance represents an immortal statement in dissonant death metal and extreme metal in general: ceaselessly brutal, meticulously crafted, and indubitably iconic.Tracks to Check Out:<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/convulsing-perdurance-things-you-might-have-missed-2024/#fn-207387-1" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">1</a> “Flayed,” “Inner Oceans,” “Endurance”<a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/2024/" target="_blank">#2024</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/altars/" target="_blank">#Altars</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/australian-metal/" target="_blank">#AustralianMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/blackened-death-metal/" target="_blank">#BlackenedDeathMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/convulsing/" target="_blank">#Convulsing</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/cosmic-putrefaction/" target="_blank">#CosmicPutrefaction</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/death-metal/" target="_blank">#DeathMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/defacement/" target="_blank">#Defacement</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/dissonant-death-metal/" target="_blank">#DissonantDeathMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/gonemage/" target="_blank">#Gonemage</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/greytomb/" target="_blank">#Greytomb</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/nightmarer/" target="_blank">#Nightmarer</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/perdurance/" target="_blank">#Perdurance</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/porcupine-tree/" target="_blank">#PorcupineTree</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/progressive-death-metal/" target="_blank">#ProgressiveDeathMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/self-release/" target="_blank">#SelfRelease</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/siberian-hell-sounds/" target="_blank">#SiberianHellSounds</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/things-you-might-have-missed/" target="_blank">#ThingsYouMightHaveMissed</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/things-you-might-have-missed-2024/" target="_blank">#ThingsYouMightHaveMissed2024</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/tymhm/" target="_blank">#TYMHM</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/ulcerate/" target="_blank">#Ulcerate</a>

Angry Metal Guy<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/to-the-grave-everyones-a-murderer-things-you-might-have-missed-2024/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">To the Grave – Everyone’s A Murderer [Things You Might Have Missed 2024]</a>By Thus SpokeTo the Grave are not fucking around anymore; not that they ever really were. Lyrically, musically, and visually,<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/to-the-grave-everyones-a-murderer-things-you-might-have-missed-2024/#fn-207485-1" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">1</a> Everyone’s A Murderer is the Sydney outfit’s most brutal, no-holds-barred audial assault to date. Vocalist Dane Evans states that the intention was to be the voice of activists in the fight for animal liberation; “There’s no words, no lyrics and no music that can describe the violence or bring back the lives stolen by human hands so this is for them.” Everyone’s A Murderer isn’t angry, it’s apoplectic. So brimming with bile and blood you can practically taste it in every neck-snapping groove and juddering, pong-snare breakdown.If you thought you had To the Grave pegged after Director’s Cuts, you’d be wrong. “Dead Wrong,” in fact, as that monster of a closer itself epitomizes. Most of the melodies have faded; gone are the more metalcore-influenced sung choruses, and much of the modern-sounding deathcore polish has evaporated. This more stripped-back approach works wonders for the record’s brutality, in message and medium. Fast riffs are meaner and slow ones uglier, with jerky squeals chucked in a rhythmic, thrilling angles. Vocals are more frequently on the low end of a growl, and when they dip back into a whispered (“TerrorMilitary”) or squealed style (“Vegan Day of Violence”) they’re the vilest and most vicious they’ve been. The drums are blessed with a gloriously thick, clanging tone that culminates in some lethal charges (“Set Yourself on Fire (In Public)”) and primal headbanging moments (“DxE or Die,”<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/to-the-grave-everyones-a-murderer-things-you-might-have-missed-2024/#fn-207485-2" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">2</a> “Eight Four One Six,” “Dead Wrong”). This is everything To the Grave need to hammer their point home and use the remaining nails to pin your ears back and make you listen.Deathcore has historically had a reputation for misplaced macho swagger, and To the Grave, here as ever, turn this on its head, jabbing a finger at the ordinary people supporting inherently violent industries, to which the theatrical guts, gore, and vengeance of To the Grave’s music can hardly hold a candle.<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/to-the-grave-everyones-a-murderer-things-you-might-have-missed-2024/#fn-207485-3" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">3</a> Not only sporting some of the best track titles this year—”Set Yourself on Fire (In Public),” “Vegan Day of Violence,” come on—these songs are effortlessly invigorating and expertly executed.<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/to-the-grave-everyones-a-murderer-things-you-might-have-missed-2024/#fn-207485-4" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">4</a> The way lyrics are delivered to the bang of beatdown percussion, and grit of ten-tonne riffs, is incredibly satisfying, whether gutturally drawled (“Dead Wrong”), venomously spat (“A Body for a Body”) or on one guest feature, belted out in song (“Eight Four One Six”). To the Grave have not lost their propensity for groove, and the rougher, rawer sound only makes these rhythms chunkier, more murderous, and much, much catchier—see “DxE or Die,” “Burn Your Local Butcher,” and “Dead Wrong” in particular. And it’s not all ignorant stomping either. Mixed into the massacre is technicality that makes for some truly gnarly moments of rabid flailing and aggression (“Set Yourself on Fire (In Public),” “Vegan Day of Violence,” “Made in Aus”).While mainly a perfection of pitilessness, Everyone’s A Murderer grants the listener a little mercy. Instrumental “Gaschamber P.T.” divides the album into two with an ominous ambience that grows uplifting as it closes with an empowering message. The crushing grisliness of “Eight Four One Six”<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/to-the-grave-everyones-a-murderer-things-you-might-have-missed-2024/#fn-207485-5" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">5</a> is split open by the guest cleans from Sophie Wilcher,<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/to-the-grave-everyones-a-murderer-things-you-might-have-missed-2024/#fn-207485-6" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">6</a> culminating in a gritty, but sort of beautiful duet that again, amplifies the voices of the activists and the reason To the Grave are doing this at all.The Venn diagram of vegans and deathcore enthusiasts may be small, so I understand if not everyone can share my joy. But if you occupy either side, even tangentially, you’d be a fool to miss this. Actually, fuck that; just listen to it anyway. With this blaring in your headphones, watch if you don’t march up to your nearest farm and set every captive animal free.Tracks to Check Out: ”Set Yourself on Fire (In Public),” “A Body for a Body,” “Made in Aus,” “Dead Wrong”<a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/australian-metal/" target="_blank">#AustralianMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/deathcore/" target="_blank">#Deathcore</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/everyones-a-murderer/" target="_blank">#EveryoneSAMurderer</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/hardcore/" target="_blank">#Hardcore</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/metalcore/" target="_blank">#Metalcore</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/things-you-might-have-missed/" target="_blank">#ThingsYouMightHaveMissed</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/things-you-might-have-missed-2024/" target="_blank">#ThingsYouMightHaveMissed2024</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/to-the-grave/" target="_blank">#ToTheGrave</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/tymhm/" target="_blank">#TYMHM</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/unique-leader-records/" target="_blank">#UniqueLeaderRecords</a>

Angry Metal Guy<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/sarcophagum-the-grand-arc-of-madness/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Sarcophagum – The Grand Arc of Madness</a>By Alekhines GunSide projects are a staple in all genres of music, and metal is no exception. Some projects are used to explore new ideas that would be out of place in a musician’s main outfit (Spectral Voice), with others to express themselves in a more individualized setting (Corpsegrinder). But what if members of a band decided they could do the same thing as their old and current outfit, but better? Enter Sarcophagum. Created by current and past members of Golgothan Remains, this Sydney Australia studio project wasted no time crafting a debut EP in 2022 and released a stand-alone single just last year. Now, they stand poised to deliver their first full-length, The Grand Arc of Madness. Does this side project deserve to leave the shadow of its predecessors? Sarcophagum play a brand of treble-heavy death metal which focuses on overwhelming the listener with hypnotic heft rather than brute force. While the previously <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/golgothan-remains-adorned-in-ruin-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">reviewed</a> Golgothan Remains outings channel a brand of Ulcerate by way of caveman intensity and bludgeoning, Sarcophagum distinguish themselves by toning down the raw attack into something more akin to the engorged tonal clusters of Suffering Hour. Throw in just a hint of Gorguts skronk for ugly atmosphere, and you have a sound that teeters from the enchanting to the repugnant. This slightly cleaner presentation allows the band to alternate between straightforward tension-laced chug fests in “Ritual Pillars Burn” to atmospheric, sustained progressions in “Vermiform.” Across four songs and 34 minutes, The Grand Arc of Madness attempts to concoct a menacing atmosphere where moments of stark beauty are set apart by the discomfort of jarring time signature shifts and melodies collapsing into clashing, overlapping heaps of noise. The man who makes this all work is the drummer and star of the album, Robin. His drumming style is Sarcophagum’s secret sauce, using a mastery of cymbal-only fills, well-timed double bass drills, and the ability to pull back or fill the empty space. This couples nicely with axe-men Matt and Adam’s use of repetition and looping riffs, allowing a constant yin and yang of sound. “Feudal Futures” exemplifies this formula, with Robin going berserk over his kit when the guitars are at their emptiest, and switching to the most basic of beats when the melodies cut loose. With prolonged tremolos ebbing into self-titled era Krallice melodies one minute and collapsing into piercing, distortion-laced feedback the next, The Grand Arc of Madness is an album of perpetual contrast. The only two blemishes on The Grand Arc of Madness go hand in hand with one another: too much repetition and too much cleanliness. Closing title track “The Grand Arc of Madness” clocks in at a gargantuan 15 minutes, with no less than three separate spots which sound like great endings, only to have the band launch into yet another needlessly extended groove. All four songs suffer from this crutch, with haunting, enjoyable riffs that continue to carousel the listener around while Robin does his best to keep things interesting and fresh. This wouldn’t be so bad, except that Sarcophagum chose to polish away the dirt and grit of their grimier EP in favor of a production so clean that it lays the droning nature of the longer passages bare. Acts like Paysage D’hiver and Ulcerate have shown that repetition can make for a powerful atmosphere, but the tones must serve to help that atmosphere, rather than expose the bare bones of the songwriting. In the end, the album limps rather than strides to a finish, with no amount of drum heroics able to distract from the overly saccharine tones and deja-vu nature of the riffs as a whole. I can’t recommend Sarcophagum as superior to its entity of origin, but there is certainly promise here. When The Grand Arc of Madness is firing on all cylinders, it’s a treat to listen to, making disso-death as approachable as it can be without losing the genre’s sense of tension and fright. Tightening up the songwriting and bringing back some of the muck of their earlier releases will go far in helping them hone a sound that stands apart from their mother band. Still, if you’re already counting down the years until the follow-up to Cutting the Throat of God, you would do well to give this a spin and keep an eye out for growth from a promising studio act. Rating: 2.5/5.0 DR: 8 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3 Label: <a href="https://nuclearwinterrecords.com/shop/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">nuclearwinterrecords.com/shop</a> Websites: <a href="https://sarcophagum.bandcamp.com/album/the-grand-arc-of-madness" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">sarcophagum.bandcamp.com</a> | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/sarcophagumband/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">facebook.com/sarcophagumband</a> Releases Worldwide: December 6th, 2024<a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/2-5/" target="_blank">#25</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/2024/" target="_blank">#2024</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/australian-metal/" target="_blank">#AustralianMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/death-metal/" target="_blank">#DeathMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/dec06/" target="_blank">#Dec06</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/dissonant-death-metal/" target="_blank">#DissonantDeathMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/golgothan-remains/" target="_blank">#GolgothanRemains</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/gorguts/" target="_blank">#Gorguts</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/krallice/" target="_blank">#Krallice</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/nuclear-winter-records/" target="_blank">#NuclearWinterRecords</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/paysage-dhiver/" target="_blank">#PaysageDHiver</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/review/" target="_blank">#Review</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/reviews/" target="_blank">#Reviews</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/sarcophagum/" target="_blank">#Sarcophagum</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/suffering-hour/" target="_blank">#SufferingHour</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/the-grand-arc-of-madness/" target="_blank">#TheGrandArcOfMadness</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/ulcerate/" target="_blank">#Ulcerate</a>

Angry Metal Guy<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/gutless-high-impact-violence-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Gutless – High Impact Violence Review</a>By SaundersIn a banner year for death metal of especially brutal, dissonant and challenging varieties, as we close in on the end of another action-packed year for metal, it’s time to return to the simpler joys of the death metal genre. Enter rising Australian upstarts Gutless. Following their 2018 demo release, the quartet finally unleashes their debut LP, High Impact Violence. Gutless make it clear from the outset they are wired into the old school framework of ’90s-flavored death, pulling no punches. While indebted to the classic American death metal eras of the early to mid ’90s, Gutless feature their own twisted, muffled charms and modern interpretations to smash out an album of solid substance and plenty of ballsy attitude, neck-snapping riffs, and tidy chops. But as end-of-year burnout kicks in and list season begins to take shape, do these Melbourne lads have what it takes to make a significant splash in the death metal cesspool of 2024?Not being familiar with the underground history and previous short-form releases by Gutless, I dug out their well-received Mass Extinction EP from 2018 in preparation for the High Impact Violence to follow. It was a particularly nasty, feral slab of old school goodness, hinting at their potential. High Impact Violence features a more refined, polished update of their earlier material, yet retains a nasty, no-frills underground edge, including nods to the classic Floridian scene, and early Suffocation, Cannibal Corpse and Dying Fetus. Straight off the bat, when dissecting the Gutless DNA threaded into their formula, their strong affiliation with ’90s death metal shines through. Rather than hone into one particular influence, Gutless sculpt their own robust sound, built upon blunt force aesthetics, favoring brutish, tautly wound assaults, thuggish riffs and curb stomping beatdowns.Amidst the aggressive, take-no-prisoners songwriting, Gutless boast the riffs, bludgeoning, tightly executed musicianship, and upgraded retro flair with an endearing charm that is easy to like. So, while initially, the overall package seemed to blaze by without leaving much of a lasting impression, repeat listens have treated the album kindly. This becomes all the more palatable considering the lean twenty-six-minute runtime. “Bashed and Hemorrhaging” does what any lean, mean death metal album should do, feasting on fast, aggressive rhythms, rabid vocals, and sick, pit-ready groove sections. The belligerent, no-frills assault continues to batter senses and hammer skulls across the album’s efficient duration. Gutless leverage the rough and tumble riffs and chunky mid-paced surges with tasteful soloing and blastier explosions (“Scalpel Obsession”), deft thrash and slam-infused dynamic twists (“Galvanized”), and old school grind, pummel and melodic flair (“Carved into Existence”). Certain tracks, such as those named, stand out from the pack, but it’s all solid, if sometimes unremarkable fare.High Impact Violence succeeds more often than it falls flat or fails to impose itself on the listener. Yet despite its strengths and solid qualities, the album is not without some issues. Each song offers cool moments; however, a handful of tracks fail to carve deeper impressions in the memory bank once the frenetic attack subsides. More song-by-song individuality and further development of their songwriting skills will hopefully yield stronger results next time around. Allan Stacey and Tom Caldwell skillfully wage war on their instruments, cherry-picking from their influential touchstones with an energetic mix of old school death riffs, clubbing grooves, and occasional melodic flourishes and nifty solos. Drummer Ollie Ballantyne bludgeons his kit with reckless abandon, employing a busy, aggressive, groovy style without relying heavily on excessive blasting or one-dimensional rhythms. Joe Steele isn’t left behind, his meaty low-end given moments to shine. Caldwell’s motor-mouthed, muffled growls are serviceably performed, though a little more variety and unhinged edge of the early vocal eruptions would have added a welcome layer of grimy menace.Overall, Gutless exhibit a fine example of their long-gestating efforts in finally unleashing their debut LP to the underground masses. And although the final package does not quite deliver a knockout punch, High Impact Violence remains a polished debut and hopefully a springboard to greater things in store for the band’s future endeavors. Perhaps splicing the album’s accomplished riffcraft, refinement and addictive sense of groove, with the nastier, rawer aesthetics of their early work could produce a more potent platform for this beast to grow. Rating: 3.0/5.0 DR: 8 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3 Label: <a href="https://www.darkdescentrecords.com/shop/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Dark Descent Records</a> Websites: <a href="https://gutlessmelbourne.bandcamp.com/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">gutlessmelbourne.bandcamp.com</a> | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/gutlessmelbourne/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">facebook.com/gutlessmelbourne</a> Releases Worldwide: November 22nd, 2024<a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/2024/" target="_blank">#2024</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/30/" target="_blank">#30</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/australian-metal/" target="_blank">#AustralianMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/cannibal-corpse/" target="_blank">#CannibalCorpse</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/dark-descent-records/" target="_blank">#DarkDescentRecords</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/death-metal/" target="_blank">#DeathMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/dying-fetus/" target="_blank">#DyingFetus</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/gutless/" target="_blank">#Gutless</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/high-impact-violence/" target="_blank">#HighImpactViolence</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/old-school-death-metal/" target="_blank">#OldSchoolDeathMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/review/" target="_blank">#Review</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/reviews/" target="_blank">#Reviews</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/suffocation/" target="_blank">#Suffocation</a>

Jake in the desertYet another bonus <a href="https://c.im/tags/ThursDeath" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#ThursDeath</a> for this week. This is a fairly new one for me. I'm not sure how I missed the 'Foul Examination of Putrified Remains' EP by Australia's DECREPITORUM from last year, but I certainly have listened to a lot of it this year. That gross cover art! This is a rotten, fantastic EP. <a href="https://decrepitorum.bandcamp.com/album/foul-examination-of-putrefied-remains" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank">https://decrepitorum.bandcamp.com/album/foul-examination-of-putrefied-remains</a><a href="https://c.im/tags/metal" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#metal</a> <a href="https://c.im/tags/DeathMetal" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#DeathMetal</a> <a href="https://c.im/tags/OSDM" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#OSDM</a> <a href="https://c.im/tags/Australia" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Australia</a> <a href="https://c.im/tags/AustralianMetal" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#AustralianMetal</a> <a href="https://c.im/tags/AustralianBands" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#AustralianBands</a> <a href="https://c.im/tags/Decrepitorum" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Decrepitorum</a> <a href="https://metalhead.club/@wendigo" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">@wendigo</a> <a href="https://metalhead.club/@HailsandAles" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">@HailsandAles</a> <a href="https://metalhead.club/@Kitty" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">@Kitty</a> <a href="https://metalhead.club/@umrk" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">@umrk</a> <a href="https://metalhead.club/@BlackenedGreen" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">@BlackenedGreen</a>

Angry Metal Guy<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tyrannic-tyrannic-desolation-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Tyrannic – Tyrannic Desolation Review</a>By Mark Z.No matter how far today’s bands push the envelope, no matter how weird or experimental or innovative modern music becomes, there will always be bands who look around and simply say: “Fuck that, give me Celtic Frost.” Australia’s Tyrannic is one such band. The trio’s founding member, vocalist, and drummer “R.,” has <a href="https://www.nocleansinging.com/2019/12/27/an-ncs-interview-tyrannic/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">readily admitted</a> that Tom G. Warrior’s brainchild is their biggest influence, though the band’s music isn’t just another carbon copy of Morbid Tales. For the past decade, the group seems to have steadily been gaining attention in the underground due not just to their consistent “cemetery photoshoot” album art, but also their strange combination of black and doom metal. The band seemed to really start turning heads with their second album, 2021’s Mortuus Decadence, which I enjoyed for its sinister atmosphere and epic climaxes. With third album Tyrannic Desolation, the group has largely opted to stick to the same burial grounds as before, but are they able to continue unearthing interesting material?Yes and no. At first listen, Tyrannic Desolation sounds like the lo-fi extreme metal of Throneum with a bit of Tyrannic’s own special sauce mixed in. Many of these eight songs fill a decent amount of their runtimes with tight, creaky guitar lines that are propelled by clattering, off-kilter drums and vocals that run the gamut from rancid rasps to fervent war shouts to anguished hollers. Perhaps most interesting, however, are the deep operatic vocals that wail just out of the foreground during the doomier segments. The album’s opening duo, “Prophetic Eyes of Glass” and the title track, both slow down after their faster first halves to deliver such operatic singing between eerie, immense, and twisting guitar lines that sound like Candlemass gone black metal.The approach works well enough at first, but by the time “Impaled before Your Mirror of Fate” hits halfway through the record’s runtime, the “fast first half and doomy second half” songwriting formula begins to lose its footing. Fortunately, the album’s second half adds diversity via ideas that are doomier, gloomier, and weirder. “Dance on Graves Chained to the Labyrinth” is perhaps the most interesting track here,<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tyrannic-tyrannic-desolation-review/#fn-206366-1" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">1</a> as the song creates a strange and ominous mood with its squealing, Mithras-style soloing and bold decision to have the entire band play with no drumming for almost all of the track’s five-and-a-half minute runtime. Later songs like “Incubus Incarnate” and the closer, “Morbid Sanctum,” really drive home the doom, with both songs featuring deathly and morose guitar lines that would sound perfectly fitting at a funeral.Tyrannic Desolation contains compelling moments, but I can’t say the record as a whole blows me away. While I appreciate how naturally Tyrannic transitions between styles, the album seems content to merely twist and contort itself rather than offer any true hooks or standout riffs. Thus, even while things change in ways that should be compelling, the overall experience ends up just feeling inconsequential. Songs like “Only Death Can Speak My Name” and “Stillbirth in Still Life” are perhaps the least interesting of the bunch, with the former featuring odd, sour notes and the latter being little more than a long, anguished death crawl that doesn’t offer enough to stand out from its brethren. Fortunately, the dry and raw production is a good fit for what the band is going for, with the unpolished guitars and in-your-face sound somehow working together to create a surprisingly strong atmosphere. The drum performance also keeps everything fluid while possessing a natural, unassuming quality that I find endearing.Tyrannic has a cool vibe, and I always appreciate bands that use a retro sound and aesthetic without regurgitating things we’ve heard a million times before. In this way, the band reminds me of what modern Darkthrone is doing, and Tyrannic’s ultimate level of quality here is about as mixed as Fenriz and company’s albums have been for the last two decades. For those interested in the odder and more foreboding edges of extreme metal, Tyrannic Desolation offers forty-eight minutes that might be worth your while. For me? While I can appreciate the band’s interesting style and ghastly atmosphere, I can’t say for certain I’ll be joining them on their next jaunt through the cemetery. Rating: 2.5/5.0 DR: 8 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s CBR MP3 Label: <a href="https://ironbonehead.de/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Iron Bonehead Productions</a> Website: <a href="https://tyrannic.bandcamp.com/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">tyrannic.bandcamp.com</a> Releases Worldwide: November 22nd, 2024<a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/2-5/" target="_blank">#25</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/2024/" target="_blank">#2024</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/australian-metal/" target="_blank">#AustralianMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/black-metal/" target="_blank">#BlackMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/candlemass/" target="_blank">#Candlemass</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/celtic-frost/" target="_blank">#CelticFrost</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/darkthrone/" target="_blank">#Darkthrone</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/doom-metal/" target="_blank">#DoomMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/iron-bonehead-productions/" target="_blank">#IronBoneheadProductions</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/mithras/" target="_blank">#Mithras</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/nov24/" target="_blank">#Nov24</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/review/" target="_blank">#Review</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/reviews/" target="_blank">#Reviews</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/throneum/" target="_blank">#Throneum</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/tyrannic/" target="_blank">#Tyrannic</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/tyrannic-desolation/" target="_blank">#TyrannicDesolation</a>

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