Stortregn produced my favorite record of 2021. Impermanence stands as what most Tech Death, and even fewer Melodic Death, Metal bands could not achieve—a Progressive album without using any of the tropes of the genre, forming instead full songs of smaller themes and motifs. I couldn’t tell you what the album was about—the cover art displaying Girardi’s patented space-bunghole lost all meaning years ago—but I surely felt it, on an emotional and intellectual level alike. Drink deeply of death metal and cosmic anus.
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This Week in Metal, 2023 Week 37
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 Tomb Mold, Altarage, Bekor Qilish, Feral, Crawl, Ôros Kaù, and Undergang, you can do that too!
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Bekor Qilish – The Flesh Of A New God Review
The songs on The Flesh of a New God cycle through ideas like Blackened Death Metal à la Veilburner coupled with desperately hopeful synths that evoke Angelo Badalamenti, Jazz Fusion bits that recall their label mates Sarmat and Afterbirth-like left-field digressions into uplifting melodies. Voidhanger knows how to pick ’em this year. Now if just Billie Eilish would answer their call for a Bekor Qilish feat Billie Eilish collab…
Read moreThis Week in Metal, 2023 Week 34
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 Deitus, Horrendous, Tongues, The Night Eternal, Mizmor, or 夢遊病者, you can do that too!
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Tongues – Formløse Stjerner Review
Tongues hits many taste centers with uncanny precision. From salty waves of Doom riffs echoing on the back half to spicy Death Metal outbursts to the sour and dramatic tremolo riffs of Black Metal… Tongues has licks. Taste the black metal.
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Horrendous – Ontological Mysterium Review
Rather than being a clear evolution, Ontological Mysterium comes off as a gross mutation. The album cover preemptively states this as the three skinless faces of Horrendous’ logo have merged into something altogether darker. Red is the new black.
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Serpent of Old – Ensemble Under the Dark Sun Review
Transcending Obscurity certainly knows how to sign and release quality Black Metal. This year alone has seen high tier stuff from Decipher and Burial Hordes. Now, Serpent of Old looks to join that pantheon. A brand new band from Turkey, their debut album Ensemble Under the Dark Sun promises long form excellence, if the promo sheet is to be believed. These sheets can be deceiving, though. Does this snake slither its way to success or does it end up eating its tail instead?
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S.U.P – OCTA Review
OCTA is an odd mix of cleanly sung choruses and industrial metal riffs. Occasionally a doom metal riff or death metal moment will barge into the songs to great effect. A tale of estranged family?
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The Anchoret – It All Began With Loneliness Review
The Anchoret squanders their potential for enjoyment by sounding both too much like Opeth and not enough like Opeth. It is baffling to Croque that a lot of the bands that form to make Progressive music decide on taking on an established sound of how this genre “should” sound like—like Opeth that is! Opeth!
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Crypts of the Unknown: Animosity – Animal
