Subconsciously, I wanted to see whether this was a band that shoved together elements that sounded cool without thought, or whether there was a more deliberate philosophy at work. The other part of hitting play on Whispers from the Abyss is that Heathen Heretic are touted as playing blackened melodic death metal, and as the resident melodeath hating melodeath lover, I can’t help myself from searching for a whisper of something good in that abyss.
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Dissocia – To Lift the Veil Review
How a genre that is built on experimentation and outside the box songwriting ends up sounding all the same and using the same tricks just baffles me. But once in a while, an act shows up and makes me pay attention because of their knack for individual expression. Did Dissocia just look at the handbook and throw it out the window?
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The Halo Effect – March of the Unheard Review
Stretching beyond melodeath’s greatest works is a long tail of releases that are banal, toothless, or some combination thereof. In theory, The Halo Effect’s roster of In Flames alumni fronted by Dark Tranquillity’s Mikael Stanne is great news for people hoping for more gems. But if you can hear their riffs from a mile away, how can their march be so silent?
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Last Call at the Goat Press 2024, Part 2
Finally! I got the pictures of Spiderman!!!!!!
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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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This 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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Ephialtes – Melas Oneiros Review
Most of us started something new during the Covid pandemic. Polish scene veteran Quazarre (Devilish Impressions, Asgaard, Crionics) started another band and called it Ephialtes after the Ancient Greek word for nightmare. He then doubled down on it by calling the debut album Melas Oneiros, which means black dream, or nightmare. It’s not everyday someone is so considerate as to make their thematic inspirations so clear.
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Iotunn – Kinship Review
Access All Worlds, Iotunn’s first full-length release, took the Gator’s top spot back in 2021. While in hindsight, he may choose different these days, Aldará’s vocals are in part the anchor that makes Access All Worlds remarkable to the Gator, as the music leaves a lot of room for him to insert melodrama and meaning to the often grand sounding riffs. But will Kinship remain in kissing favor with our favorite reptilian?
Read moreThis Week In Metal, 2024 Week 42
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 Whores., Typhonian, Blood Incantation, and Dawnwalker, you can do that too!
Read moreUnlock the Krypts
Crypts of the Unknown: Khonsu – The Xun Protectorate
