The band lost a lot when Frank Mullen decided to pursue being an actor, gifting the world his performance as the Manhattan Mutilator in James Balsamo’s Sexy Time. Mullen was an icon, much more than any of the other members could be. Yet, Mullen isn’t the most unique sounding vocalist in 2023 and it makes sense that the vocal performance of current vocalist Ricky Myers is noticeably different. Definitely not asphyxiated.
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Autopsy – Ashes, Organs, Blood and Crypts Review
Autopsy have a new album and it is time for The Goat to, yet again, praise the band for doing the things he would criticize other acts for. Autopsy sticks to what they know, but with Ashes, Organs, Blood and Crypts coming out barely a year after their last, should The Goat be concerned? Well there are guts in his teeth…
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Warcrab – The Howling Silence Review
The Howling Silence is definitely very easy to listen to. The material grooves and very little about it is inoffensive. Safe to say, this Warcrab will not leave you shell-shocked.
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Dungeon Wolf – The White Elf Review
I fail to believe that someone could have made an album like this and still be willing to release it, but incompetence goes a long way. The music may be as questionable as the mullet but rest assured, the sharpness of the sword will lure you in.
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Wayfarer – American Gothic Review
Atmosphere in Wayfarer’s world is a consequence of understanding the history of the genres they decided to meld, rather than relying on samples or insisting on flavor where there is none, like so many Black Metal artists tend to do. Take a sip of American Gothic.
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Cirith Ungol – Dark Parade Review
The Dark Parade has the ideal kind of throwback production. The album feels organic, warm but natural. The worst tendencies of retro producers – too much reverb and artificially roughing up the production – are mostly eschewed. RAISE YOUR SWORD!
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Baring Teeth – The Path Narrows Review
Baring Teeth aren’t the most trope-oriented troupe for the most part, so the challenge in reviewing The Path Narrows lies elsewhere – if this is an above average or even good example of Dissonant Death Metal, why does our Goat not find himself particularly enjoying it? Size matters.
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Stortregn – Finitude Review
Stortregn produced my favorite record of 2021. Impermanence stands as what most Tech Death, and even fewer Melodic Death, Metal bands could not achieve—a Progressive album without using any of the tropes of the genre, forming instead full songs of smaller themes and motifs. I couldn’t tell you what the album was about—the cover art displaying Girardi’s patented space-bunghole lost all meaning years ago—but I surely felt it, on an emotional and intellectual level alike. Drink deeply of death metal and cosmic anus.
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Seraphic Entombment – Sickness Particles Gleam Review
Even when Seraphic Entombment can´t break out of their own framework within a song, there is some slight variation and mood shift. Particularly the two shorter songs breathe some life into the album in how they seem faster and more riff oriented. Maybe some additional CPR is required.
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Crypts of the Unknown: Bound and Gagged – Fornicate the Gutted
