Bon Appétit Dec. 22, 2014

Spectres
by Bast

Alright, viewers. Today we are going to cook something a little different. You remember the Pate de canard en croute? Well this is going to be even more complicated than that. Get your ingredients ready, because dishing out a proper Bast Spectres takes a lot of them. Serves: Hundreds of hungry m...

Infectious Dec. 15, 2014

Lost Forever // Lost Together
by Architects

Emocore. Emo-metalcore. Post hardcore. Whatever you want to call it, it's not well liked in the metal community. Diehards regard it similarly to the layer of congealing fat that is to be scooped off and discarded from an otherwise tasty dish. Some hate the "whiny" or "nasally" vocals, others the oft...

It Will Make You Feel Dirty Dec. 5, 2014

Death Mask
by Lord Mantis

Grimy as hell. Thats the best phrase to describe this album. It just feels dirty and sick and dying. And its pretty awesome for it. If you take some of the slower, more droning Gorgoroth tracks from the 2000s and put them in a blender with Mastodon and Triptykon, youll come close to the sound here. ...

Line-up Change? Pshaw! Dec. 2, 2014

Dawn of the 5th Era
by Mors Principium Est

Part of me wanted to not like this album. I listen to so much music that my backlog of CD’s to buy is costing hundreds of dollars. The prospect of at least one band I like falling on their face and blowing it sadly gives me some relief. Darkest Hour saved me money on future releases…maybe someone...

Drown in Ashes Nov. 21, 2014

Monotheist
by Celtic Frost

Dreary, gloomy, doom. That about sums it up. This album is not a cry for help; it is genuinely going to kill itself. Slow, trudging distorted guitar chords, lots of grimy chug, flawless double bass. The production is done so well it’s like sitting in a dark cave listening to the band live. There are...

The Pinnacle So Far Nov. 10, 2014

Liberation = Termination
by Mors Principium Est

A lot of people will point to The Unborn as this band’s finest hour, but I disagree. While that album is excellent and a huge step up from the somewhat lukewarm, imitative Inhumanity; Liberation is the mastery of all previous elements. The biggest complaint many seem to have is the increased use ...

Suspenseful Oct. 21, 2014

The Satanist
by Behemoth

This is one of the most difficult albums for me to review. Everything about it is stellar to me, but I can’t quite put my finger exactly on the elements that make it so great. I encourage you to spend more time listening to the album rather than trying to glean the quality from my bungling words her...

Hope to See You in Hell Oct. 19, 2014

Tibi et Igni
by Vader

Holy hell. This is one of the best albums of the year, and in my top three Vader releases along with Litany and De Profundis. What makes it even better is that each of those albums has its own flavor: Litany for increased death elements, DP for thrash, and now Tibi Et Igni for its epic scope. 201...

Haters move along, this is a Masterpeice Oct. 17, 2014

Titan
by Septicflesh

I am tempted to leave this review blank. Words cannot express how good this album is. But I will try. Say what you will about Dimmu Borgir, but as far as nailing the symphonic metal genre down, you have to admit that few do it so well. But Septic Flesh, with Titan and the also excellent The Great...

Moonsorrow Meets Yes Oct. 10, 2014

Kivenkantaja
by Moonsorrow

Let’s get the obvious out of the way: this album is epic. The jump in style from the previous album here is distinct from the first moments. I will be making some comparisons, but to call one better than the other is unfair. Consider trying to compare Rush’s “Moving Pictures” to “2112,” or The Who’s...

Burzum, now on SNES Oct. 1, 2014

Utter Contempt for Life
by Cold Crypt

I’ll admit, Utter Contempt for Life caught me off guard. It’s not explicitly all that original, but the various lo-fi elements come together so well. I could go on a long description of all of the different band influences pulled together to make this Frankensein, but I will leave that to the season...

Symphonic deathcore from Chile Oct. 1, 2014

Felony EP
by Scorched By The Flaming Goat

Even as a slightly older metal fan, I don’t get the hate for deathcore. Is it the shorter hair? The way they dress like emo kids? The younger fanbase? Musically, I have no problem with it. In fact, I find myself listening to Suicide Silence and Whitechapel right along with my Meshuggah, Slayer, and ...

"Earth, man...What a s@#$hole." Aug. 3, 2014

Assorted Armament
by IXXI

When I listen to black metal, I tend to group it into categories based on the second-wave forerunners. You have the blackened thrash of Immortal, the ambient drone of Burzum, the progressive Enslaved, symphonic Emperor, and the more rock-oriented Mayhem. I would place IXXI's Assorted Armament in the...

Doom Metal Melting Pot Aug. 1, 2014

The End
by Poisoned by Life

Reviewing acts that are “underground” or on smaller labels can be difficult. I want to give a depiction of the band’s overall talent, but that can also result in scores strangely equal or higher compared to their major label peers. It’s a conundrum, but I have chosen here to rate the band more in li...
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