Our This Week in Metal post collects our thoughts on music released in or around this week in the music world. We cover mostly metal, but we consider other genres to allow our writers poseur flexibility. Follow us on Instagram too!
Metalligator's Chomping Commentaries
Fast forward 12 years and Ministry have put out five albums after their supposed death, digging deeper and deeper into the shit. Before Relapse you were always in on the joke, but now, Ministry are content to be the joke instead. Masses beware: this hopium might leave you high on disappointment.
Nowadays, when the progressive descriptor is added to melodic death metal, this means that the songs are longer without any good reason. You would be hard pressed to find a modern melodic death metal band that is creative or that looks outside its own box. Second Shooter are a band that look back instead. Are they shooting for the stars, or looking back in fury?
Cosmo's Chaotic Curveball
Wasting no time with an intro piece, this album kicks off with "Bluelight Sonata", which does a good job showcasing what Apogean does correctly: hooky, catchy riffs. Unlike their contemporaries in the tech death scene, this band focuses more on writing riffs than writing wanksterpieces. But is that enough to get a high score from the eggplant bat?
Inksterium's Iridescent Impression
Enter Ponte del Diavolo (Italian for Devil’s Bridge), a band that has been steadily releasing EPs since 2020 and have now ventured into the realm of their first LP. Inksterium jumped into this with no expectation and emerged from the experience utterly perplexed. This is a nation of people who seem to possess a unique grasp of religion, moody atmosphere, and the art of seamlessly blending these into music. We promise the toll is worth it.
Anti-Peat's Perplexing Position
At this point, Ihsahn needs little introduction. His work first with Emperor and then as a solo act has established him as one of black metal’s luminaries. His blackened and avant-garde approach to metal on IHSAHN straddles emotions. It's by turns bombastic, melancholic, tense and angry—an excellent example of why Ihsahn is such a big deal.
