Cradle of Filth – The Screaming of the Valkyries Review

The Screaming of the Valkyries is a well-executed blast of catchy, escapist bombast that stands up to multiple listens. In particular, Anti-Peat can’t help but think how after many reviews complaining about overambitious writing and poor structure, Cradle of Filth’s songwriting drags his attention back time after time. The thing is while he’s a sucker for catchy, escapist bombast. Have you figured out what escapist bombast means to you yet, dear reader? You might just need to to get down with the CoF.

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Heathen Heretic – Whispers From The Abyss Review

Subconsciously, I wanted to see whether this was a band that shoved together elements that sounded cool without thought, or whether there was a more deliberate philosophy at work. The other part of hitting play on Whispers from the Abyss is that Heathen Heretic are touted as playing blackened melodic death metal, and as the resident melodeath hating melodeath lover, I can’t help myself from searching for a whisper of something good in that abyss.

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Aitheer – The Serpent Review

Many a reviewer will tell you that music PR is good mainly for laughs or danger warnings, but I find it a useful guide to a band’s intentions. You see, where most PR releases cite influential and benchmark bands, Aitheer’s mentions none and instead throws around words like cinematic and theatric. And just like that, I have a way to frame The Serpent.

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