Manasseh, a new dark ambient/folk project spearheaded by Patrick Brown (Herxheim, ex-Howls of Ebb), seeks to be a meditative piece that portrays a soundscape of someone digging down to paradise on their debut record Tunneling to Paradiso. But will this tunnel lead to auditory bliss or despondency?
Read moreSecond Shooter – Fury Made Flesh Review
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?
Read moreApogean – Cyberstrictive Review
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?
Read moreCyberaktif – eNdgame Review
Sophomore Cyberaktif album eNdgame arrives with a ton of history resting on its shoulders, with some of its songs beginning life as a Skinny Puppy album that never saw release. Industrial history lesson from Metalligator to get this weekend started!
Read moreJunta – 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!!
Read moreCognizance – 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?
Read moreSulfuric Hatred – Sulfuric Hatred Review
Formed last year by Undeath vocalist Alexander Jones and Liam McMahon, Sulfuric Hatred try to establish a sense of identity in the swamp of other War Metal bands by adding dash of stompy Hardcore to their potent concoction. This most extreme sect of Black/Death Metal is one of the most tricky to navigate due to an obscenely large amount of far-right leaning or otherwise disclaimer-worthy bands. Luckily, Sulfuric Hatred is not one of these. We reserve the disclaimers for the black metal bands.
Read moreSublation – On the Advancement of Decay Review
The guitar solos in “Born Out of a Whim” and “Like a Fire That Consumes All Before It” are very fun and inject an extra bit of “oomph” into the songs that would be devoid of substance without them. On the advancement of OOMPH!
Read moreSOL – Promethean Sessions Review
The album oscillates between droney soundscapes that come across as somewhat improvised, and more focused gothic-leaning classic Doom. I am not aware of the methodology of improvisation used here, whether there were rules or guidelines, but the droney sections of the album are pleasant and even provide a sense of mental relief. But is this all enough to set Goat’s charts ablaze?
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