Some albums grab you by the throat from the first note and refuse to let go until the very end. From the very first moments of Ecstatic Death Reign, Finnish death metal band Ashen Tomb unleash a massive sound that demands attention. And this Bear was ready to study it from the comfort of his forest den.
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Fellowship – The Skies Above Eternity Review
Fellowship’s The Saberlight Chronicles carried the flag high for those hoping to sing and gallop not with challenge but with a smile. And though I’m not typically one to fall for such gallivanting, their underlying talents give me hope in a way that their music does not. But with The Skies Above Eternity boasting both a trimmed runtime and darker narrative promise, can it turn my worm to weenie in its glory?
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Gaerea – Coma Review
At this point, Gaerea have become a band with expectations. And yet, somehow, Coma is my first Gaerea album, my first listen to what this Portuguese black metal powerhouse and their cathartic take on the genre has to offer.
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Defeated Sanity – Chronicles of Lunacy Review
Scuttlegoat just knew Chronicles of Lunacy would be good, and it led him to almost being resigned to it — “I was not excited or looking forward to it, I simply accepted that it would be good”. Oh, the drum performance! Beating some sense into your liking…
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Opeth – The Last Will and Testament Review
Make Åkerfeldt growl again” (#MÅGA). This is the premise on which The Goat Review makes its firmest political stance.
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Gigan – Anomalous Abstractigate Infinitessimus Review
Gigan have crafted one hell of a technical death metal album, with an extra emphasis on technical riff craft and song composition, rather than a flurry of notes flung the listener’s way in a masturbatory ode to self-excess. More brain, less bludgeon.
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Iniquitous Savagery – Edifice of Vicissitudes Review
“The vibes are right” is not a sufficient review. Unless Scuttlegoat has his way and proves indeed that with enough words, “The vibes are right” is a sufficient review. Come found out if this slab of brutal death metal hits that sweet spot.
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Carnosus – Wormtales Review
In the spirit of broadening my horizons I decided to dip my toes into melodeath waters. While I am not a huge fan of the genre, there are some standout albums I like. Unfortunately, Bobo found out the melo waters were a lot less worm than expected the hard way.
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Ploughshare – Second Wound Review
Albums sometimes communicate things to Scuttlegoat before he has even heard them. Sometimes this is done via the promo blurb telling him to be wary. Other times, a combination of album cover, album and track titles will tell him what to expect. While more casual metal listeners often sneer about anything that pushes beyond the 5 minute mark, to Scuttlegoat colossal song lengths might also communicate to seasoned metal listeners like himself that the album at hand is advanced listening or at least making an attempt at being a more profound, distinguished work.
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Crypts of the Unknown: Khonsu – The Xun Protectorate
