As metal subgenre hybrids go, mixing up black and death metal is one of the most natural and challenging pairings out there. It’s natural in that musicians gravitate towards taking the more extreme genres and blurring the boundaries between them to try and push things further, but therein lies the challenge too. If you do too little, you don’t stand out in a crowded field; do too much and it just becomes over-dense and loses its edge. Anti-Peat might just be telling you to edge into the kraken’s butthole with Skaphos though. Dive in!
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Marrowomb – Phiesnomie Review
Phisenomie is a collection of tracks that roughly deal in the same kind of sound as Vredehammer — blackened death metal focused on furious riffs that trade blows across the songs. Where Marrowomb manage to stand out is in some odd rhythms and use of dissonant chords that is a clear heritage from its creators time in Polyptych. As it stand, tough, our Gator may have a few bones to pick with its dedication to the mighty riff.
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Sleep Paralysis – Sleep Paralysis Review
If that amazing album cover doesn’t freak you out then I don’t know what to tell you. I always find it amazing when visual art and the theme of an album gel together well, and so I was hoping that Sleep Paralysis would be a powerful statement on its theme, matching that image. A bird in the hand is better than two in the forest. Spiders tho…?
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Last Call at the Goat Press 2024, Part 3
Metalligator sat at his desk stumped, staring at the slowly falling snow outside the office window. “I was sure I had him this time”—a mutter escaped as he tossed aside his “Spiderman” album…
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This Week In Metal, 2024 Week 46
Another week, another round of metal reviews in the bag. Words are tough, so we assembled the highlights. And if you want to read the latest reviews for the new offerings from Eldingar, Black Curse, Ploughshare, Veilburner, and Carnosus, you can do that too!
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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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Veilburner – The Duality of Decapitation and Wisdom Review
The number seven often holds special significance in western culture; a significance that goes beyond intra-number cannibalism. Artists have at times tried to transport this mystique to musical composition. As standard Western musical scales already hold seven individual notes, many artists seem to have tried their hand at incorporating the number seven into their rhythmic framework. But has anyone ever tried cutting off its head?
Read moreThis Week In Metal, 2024 Week 45
Another week, another round of metal reviews in the bag. Words are tough, so we assembled the highlights. And if you want to read the latest reviews for the new offerings from The Black Dahlia Murder, Iotunn, Swallow the Sun, Ephialtes, and Morticide, you can do that too! Melodeath for all!
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Morticide – Death Cannot Hold Those with Purpose… Review
The call of fresh blood persists, and a new voice from beyond the mortal veil has risen to cast judgement on that which whelms neither of the over or under variety. But can the untested figure out how one kills death?
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Crypts of the Unknown: Bound and Gagged – Fornicate the Gutted
