Hoplites is a one-man Chinese black metal/hardcore band that emerged out of nowhere and proceeded to release three full lengths over the course of 2023. I thought each release was slightly better than the last, but none of them really had memorable moments, instead feeling like an aimless jam session each time that threw elements at the wall to see what stuck. Where does that leave the new album? Find out in this review…
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Sovereign – Altered Realities Review
I am not normally a thrash fan. Usually, I think of it as nothing more than a wild government conspiracy theory, but when a thrash album manages to get me to take off the tinfoil hat, it’s real special. Have Sovereign actually managed to alter Cosmo’s thrash perception?
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Caligula’s Horse – Charcoal Grace Review
For Caligula’s Horse, Charcoal Grace is a return to the kind of songwriting that attempts to develop a lot over their runtime of extended-length songs. This band is very adept at their vocal hooks, so it’s no surprise that they lean into the vocals for this newest album. This is NOT a horse of a different color. But it is prog!
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Massa Nera & Quiet Fear – Quatro Vientos // Cinco Soles Review
Are you impatient when it comes to finding new albums at the start of a new year? To be fair, we haven’t gotten particularly far into 2024—but out of everything that has passed through my ears so far, post-hardcore release Quatro Vientos // Cinco Soles has come the closest to scratching that new-music-itch. Quatro comezóns // Cinco rascadors.
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Unsouling – Vampiric Spiritual Drain Review
Unsouling describe their personal style as broadly death metal, but they are eager to highlight influences from darkwave and gothic music. Frankly, they might be right about their influences, but in cases like these, the promo blurb also sets expectations. So just how well do Unsouling practice what they preach?
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The Oldest House – A Worm Through Time
The promo sheet states that the sole creator of this EP, A.M. (what’s in a name?), conceived the music as one long piece that is supposed to be like a “huge wall of static that is creeping slowly towards you.” Fortunately for Metalligator, he did not do a good job of that. Wait, or did he? Guess you have to read to find out.
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Junta – Junta Review
Junta prefer to use their music as a weapon of mass education, thus aligning with an aim beyond conventional entertainment. Their journey is not just about the music they release; it’s a deliberate exploration into the intersection of raw energy, political consciousness, and a commitment to a deeper purpose. No drone shit—BARE KNUCKLE PUNK!!
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Narzissus – Akt III: Erlösung Review
Metalligator had no clue what to expect when looking at the odd album cover for Akt III: Erlösung. Some kind of raw black metal produced into harsh noise? Austrian one-man act Narzissus turns out to be a neighbor of that genre: melodic black metal, but not any kind of meloblack. Anti-Nazi meloblack. Yeah, that’s right. Fuck Nazis, no disclaimer here!
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Cognizance – Phantazein Review
For us mere mortals, finding something to like in the realms of tech can be like finding a riff in a harsh noise album. Will Cognizance be music to Metalligator’s ears?
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