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UK<a href="https://www.europesays.com/uk/7106/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank">https://www.europesays.com/uk/7106/</a> AMG’s Unsigned Band Rodeö: Nephylim – Circuition #2025 <a href="https://pubeurope.com/tags/AngryMetalGuy" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#AngryMetalGuy</a>'sUnsignedBandRodeo <a href="https://pubeurope.com/tags/AngryMetalGuy" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#AngryMetalGuy</a>’sUnsignedBandRodeo2025 <a href="https://pubeurope.com/tags/%C3%86therRealm" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#ÆtherRealm</a> <a href="https://pubeurope.com/tags/Be" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Be</a>'lakor <a href="https://pubeurope.com/tags/Circuition" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Circuition</a> <a href="https://pubeurope.com/tags/CountlessSkies" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#CountlessSkies</a> <a href="https://pubeurope.com/tags/DarkTranquillity" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#DarkTranquillity</a> <a href="https://pubeurope.com/tags/DutchMetal" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#DutchMetal</a> <a href="https://pubeurope.com/tags/EdgeOfSanity" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#EdgeOfSanity</a> <a href="https://pubeurope.com/tags/Enshine" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Enshine</a> <a href="https://pubeurope.com/tags/Entertainment" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Entertainment</a> <a href="https://pubeurope.com/tags/FiresInTheDistance" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#FiresInTheDistance</a> <a href="https://pubeurope.com/tags/InFlames" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#InFlames</a> <a href="https://pubeurope.com/tags/IndependentRelease" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#IndependentRelease</a> <a href="https://pubeurope.com/tags/Insomnium" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Insomnium</a> <a href="https://pubeurope.com/tags/Mar25" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Mar25</a> <a href="https://pubeurope.com/tags/MelodicDeathMetal" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#MelodicDeathMetal</a> <a href="https://pubeurope.com/tags/Moontower" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Moontower</a> <a href="https://pubeurope.com/tags/music" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#music</a> <a href="https://pubeurope.com/tags/Nephylim" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Nephylim</a> <a href="https://pubeurope.com/tags/OmniumGatherum" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#OmniumGatherum</a> <a href="https://pubeurope.com/tags/ProgressiveDeathMetal" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#ProgressiveDeathMetal</a> <a href="https://pubeurope.com/tags/SelfRelease" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#SelfRelease</a> <a href="https://pubeurope.com/tags/TheDrowning" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#TheDrowning</a> <a href="https://pubeurope.com/tags/UK" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#UK</a> <a href="https://pubeurope.com/tags/UnitedKingdom" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#UnitedKingdom</a> <a href="https://pubeurope.com/tags/Wolfheart" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Wolfheart</a>

Angry Metal Guy<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/amgs-unsigned-band-rodeo-nephylim-circuition/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">AMG’s Unsigned Band Rodeö: Nephylim – Circuition</a>By Dolphin Whisperer“AMG’s Unsigned Band Rodeö” is a time-honored tradition to showcase the most underground of the underground—the unsigned and unpromoted. This collective review treatment continues to exist to unite our writers in boot or bolster of the bands who remind us that, for better or worse, the metal underground exists as an important part of the global metal scene. The Rodeö rides on.”Oranjeboom, a low-frills lager, holds little love in its home country of the Netherlands, so much so that its production there was discontinued until only recently.<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/amgs-unsigned-band-rodeo-nephylim-circuition/#fn-214756-1" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">1</a> Why does that matter? It really doesn’t, but it is a fun fact about the Netherlands and a beer synonymous with their lineage. Nephylim hails from the Netherlands too, and, with any luck, their brand of big scope, big sad melodeath will stake a claim that lands with bolder flavor. Over the past ten years, this five-some has cut an EP and a full-length through their own determination. And now, with this sophomore follow-up Circuition, Nephylim may just be hitting their stride. Or, at least, our Rodeö crew seems to think so. Crack open a cold one and sip on riffy sadness. – Dolphin Whisperer<a href="https://nephylim.nl/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Nephylim</a> // <a href="https://nephylimnl.bandcamp.com/album/circuition" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Circuition</a> [March 7th, 2025] Steel Druhm: Sometimes when you press play on a Rodeö candidate, you wonder why they aren’t signed because they sound so polished and professional. Such is the case with Dutch melodeathsters, Nephylim, and their sophomore opus, Circulation. Taking cues from Ominium Gatherum, Be’Lakor, Enshine, and the more progressive works of Edge of Sanity, Nephylim voyage across various styles of melodeath but always keep things anchored firmly in the Wheelhouse of Steel. After a beautifully regal instrumental opener, Circulation heats up on “Travail Pt. 2 – Animus,” which is like a glowing distillation of Wolfheart and Be’lakor with a seriously epic vibe coursing through it. The guitars riff, trill, and shimmer with a Tuomos Saukkonen-esque flair as grand orchestrations amplify the sound to herculean proportions. It’s the beast of death metal with the beauty of melancholic music, and this style has a proven appeal. I love the majesty of “Grand Denial” and the hints of Dark Tranquillity woven throughout, and the title track bears traces of Dan Swanö’s Moontower and Tomi Joutsen-era Amorphis as it seamlessly melds heavy and sadboi moments. Unfortunately, not every cut hits with the same soul-searing slash of wintery pathos. “Amaranth” is a bit too generic and pedestrian, and though “Withered” does some things very well, the writing is a touch less compelling. Elsewhere, closer “Inner Paradigm” feels like something from the later eras of In Flames, not bad, but less impactful. At thirty-eight minutes, there are bits of bloat scattered around, but nothing that’s fatal if swallowed. There’s a lot to like about Circulation, and I’m left still wondering why Nephylim aren’t signed. With this much potential, they should be! 3.0/5.0GardensTale: From two live shows, I already knew Nephylim were good. I could not have anticipated what a masterclass Circuition would turn out to be, though. Combining the maudlin symphonic details of Fires in the Distance with the melancholy hope and impeccable composition of Countless Skies is no easy feat, but the songwriting has taken a giant leap forward. Circuition is absolutely packed with beautiful melodies, addictive hooks and enticing cascades. The flow is downright brilliant, such that even after a dozen spins, I find myself glued to the speaker in anticipation of the next stanza, the next riff, the next solo. These are linked together with transitions that are set up and knocked down perfectly, helping every track rush past in spiraling eddies like white water rapids after heavy rain. “Circuition” yanks the heart-strings the hardest; follow-up “Withered” has a more basic structure, but the amazing harmonies and powerful solo make it a standout anyway. Cherry on the cake is the top-shelf production, with meticulous mastering and a balanced mix. The sparse clean vocals aren’t great, just okay, and a few tracks end a little more abruptly than I’d like, but these are small bumps on an engaging journey that begs to be spun again and again. 4.0/5.0Kenstrosity: Dutch sadboi melodeath quintet Nephylim graced my Bandcamp feed a few months back. I was intrigued, but did not bite. At least, not until our Kermity GardensTale recced it for Rodeö duty, at which point I dove straight in. Embodying a wondrous merging between <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/countless-skies-glow-review/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Countless Skies</a>, <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/fires-in-the-distance-air-not-meant-for-us-review/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Fires in the Distance</a>, and a light touch of <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/the-drowning-the-radiant-dark-review-and-album-premiere/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Drowning</a>, sophomore effort Circuition garnered instant adoration from this sponge. A rarer feat, Nephylim’s latest only deepened its hold on my heart, as the opening “Travail” suite enamored with epic soars of melody, crushing riffs that ground the piece in deathly gravity, and emotive roars that shake the roots underfoot. “Amaranth” doubles down on that palpable momentum, bringing forward a fun factor that belies Circuition’s introspective character. Beautiful synths and keys dot the landscape just above that metallic verve and swinging rhythm, evoking something inherently mystical while still operating within the bounds of the human spirit (“Circuition”). As the potent pull of songs like “Grand Denial,” “Withered,” and immense closer “Inner Paradigm” continually challenge my perception of what constitutes a highlight, I find myself universally immersed, committed, and compelled by Circuition. Experiencing this, as much as I pine for new material from those great acts that Nephylim remind me of, I know in my soul that Circuition is one of 2025’s foremost contenders. Great!Maddog: When Fenrir finally closes the curtain on 2025, Nephylim’s Circuition will be one of my few fond memories of this disastrous year. This hidden melodeath gem triumphs by embracing simplicity without stagnation. No one would argue that Nephylim’s guitarists stretch the limits of human dexterity. And yet, as Circuition buried my ears in riffs upon riffs, it dragged me into its orbit. Blending the classic stylings of Dark Tranquillity with the modern touch of Æther Realm, Nephylim won me over through its irresistible energy. While I initially fell in love with merely a couple of its songs, Circuition’s consistency unveiled itself over time. Indeed, while the closer “Inner Paradigm” was initially my least favorite song, its Shadows of the Dying Sun riffs and its somber ending have made it a highlight. Despite its consistency, Circuition’s mood changes keep it fresh. The fantastic midsection of the album progresses from gargantuan riffs (“Grand Denial”) to tear-jerking Enshine melodies (“Circuition”) to explosive choruses (“Withered”). Circuition is textbook, but it’s both a thrilling spectacle and an emotive powerhouse. Every piece is essential, and every piece is distinctive. 4.0/5.0Killjoy: The term “Nephilim” in the Hebrew Bible is often translated as “giants” in English. Accordingly, melodic death metal band Nephylim does everything big. Riffs? Big. Rumbling death roars? Big. Thunderous rhythm section? Big. Circuition feels like a highlight reel of the serious and somber side of melodeath, with each individual song bringing something unique to the table. “Travail Pt. II – Animus” embellishes the somber intensity of Insomnium with delicate piano keys reminiscent of Fires in the Distance and heaps of symphonic bombast. The suspenseful drum beats which introduce “Amaranth” organically build excitement by layering on bass and then guitar lines before releasing the pent-up energy with a furious snarl and fiery riffs. But there’s also a tender side to Nephylim; “Circuition” adopts a melancholic and folk-tinted mood laced with deep, beautiful croons, all of which I associate with Vorna. Circuition is considerably more ambitious than Nephylim’s debut, but they never let their ambitions spiral out of control. If anything, I’d like to see them continue to develop their symphonic side that they teased in the first two tracks. Although I find the last third of the record ever so slightly less engaging, I can endorse all thirty-eight minutes of Circuition as worthy of your time. 3.5/5.0<a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/2025/" target="_blank">#2025</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/angry-metal-guys-unsigned-band-rodeo/" target="_blank">#AngryMetalGuySUnsignedBandRodeo</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/angry-metal-guys-unsigned-band-rodeo-2025/" target="_blank">#AngryMetalGuySUnsignedBandRodeo2025</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/aether-realm/" target="_blank">#ÆtherRealm</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/belakor/" target="_blank">#BeLakor</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/circuition/" target="_blank">#Circuition</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/countless-skies/" target="_blank">#CountlessSkies</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/dark-tranquillity/" target="_blank">#DarkTranquillity</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/dutch-metal/" target="_blank">#DutchMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/edge-of-sanity/" target="_blank">#EdgeOfSanity</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/enshine/" target="_blank">#Enshine</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/fires-in-the-distance/" target="_blank">#FiresInTheDistance</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/in-flames/" target="_blank">#InFlames</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/independent-release/" target="_blank">#IndependentRelease</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/insomnium/" target="_blank">#Insomnium</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/mar25/" target="_blank">#Mar25</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/melodic-death-metal/" target="_blank">#MelodicDeathMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/moontower/" target="_blank">#Moontower</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/nephylim/" target="_blank">#Nephylim</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/omnium-gatherum/" target="_blank">#OmniumGatherum</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/progressive-death-metal/" target="_blank">#ProgressiveDeathMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/self-release/" target="_blank">#SelfRelease</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/the-drowning/" target="_blank">#TheDrowning</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/wolfheart/" target="_blank">#Wolfheart</a>

Angry Metal Guy<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/deafheaven-lonely-people-with-power-review/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Deafheaven – Lonely People with Power Review</a>By Doom_et_AlYou never forget your first love. The sense of wonder and excitement, a world you had only heard and read about, opening up to you like a flower on a Summer’s day. Deafheaven was my first (in a metal sense). The combination of furious black meal, searing post metal, and fuzzy shoegaze, mixed with a dollop of genuine longing, totally rewired my brain. Which means that if you’re looking for a coldly analytical review of a band’s sixth album, you should probably go elsewhere. Deafheaven is part of my DNA, and a new album will always be a big deal, even if we’ve drifted apart over the years. You see, while I’ve enjoyed the band’s output since the wondrous Sunbather, it’s been clear that Deafheaven and I have been moving in different directions. And this was confirmed with <a href="http://angrymetalguy.com/deafheaven-infinite-granite-review/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Infinite Granite</a>. I respected the band’s bravery in trying something new; I just didn’t like the result much. Shiny, pretty post-rock is nothing to be ashamed of. But the Deafheaven I loved were all about embracing the fury of black metal to highlight their emotional beats. Without that tension, Infinite Granite felt weightless. And my relationship with Deafheaven almost went from “It’s complicated” to “Splitsville”…… Except, there was “Mombasa,” the final song on Infinite Granite. Specifically, the final 3 minutes of “Mombasa.” Deafheaven broke the shackles, George Clarke’s shrieks roared forth, and within was a reminder of what the band was capable of. Was that denouement a farewell to a style they were abandoning, or a promise that they had not forgotten their roots? Lonely People with Power answers, and boy does it answer.After a brief intro, the band kicks off with “Magnolia,” which is one of the meaner cuts of Deafheaven’s oeuvre, and completely devoid of the shininess of anything on Infinite Granite, including the clean vocals. On first listen, I wondered if this was a repudiation of that album; an abandonment of that sound and an acknowledgement that “mistakes were made.” But as “Heathen” hits its chorus, you realize Lonely People with Power is a lot more interesting than that. You see, the post-rock sounds of Infinite Granite have not been abandoned; they’ve just been folded into Deafheaven’s existing aesthetic. Which means that not only is Lonely People with Power their most complete and harmonious record to date, but it also retroactively improves Infinite Granite.Although Deafheaven have always been comfortable with what they are not – i.e., a “trve kvlt” black metal band, it has sometimes felt that they were less comfortable with what they are. After the stunning Sunbather, the band oscillated between “mean” (New Bermuda), “pretty” (Ordinary Corrupt Human Love), and “post rock” (Infinite Granite). Lonely People with Power somehow finds a way to incorporate all these elements in a cohesive, stunning whole. Its gnarly tracks (“Magnolia,” “Revelator”) are gnarly, it’s pretty tracks (“Heathen,” “Winona”) are downright gorgeous, and the hybrids (“The Garden Route”, “The Marvelous Orange Tree”) feel natural and complementary. What ties all of these together is the emotional core that Deafheaven bring. Among contemporaries, perhaps only Gaerea are anywhere near them in terms of the ability to achieve that ecstatic, cathartic release this music thrives on. Lonely People with Power is brimming with pain and longing and wonder and fury. For the first time, the band has the musical language to convey all of these and then some.Performances across the board are top-notch. Dan Tracy’s exceptional drumming brings power and force to the harder tracks, and wisely cuts back during the gentler moments. George Clarke’s howls and shrieks have never been the strongest attribute of the band, but he brings a unique intensity and connection that anyone who has attended one of their live shows will attest to. But the real star of the show is lead guitarist Kerry McCoy. McCoy has battled his own demons and writer’s block to create these furious, gorgeous, compelling gems. His guitar soars and dives, and he is able to find beauty in even the ugliest, more twisted compositions.Sunbather, for all the ridiculous accusations of being “hipster metal,” had that thing. That thing that is impossible to define but is sprinkled liberally on all the best albums. There’s a reason Sunbather remains iconic. It is too early to say whether Lonely People with Power is a match for that masterpiece, but it has that thing, too. It is Deafheaven’s most mature and complete work to date; a synthesis of everything that has come before without being derivative or overly reliant. It plays to the band’s strengths, and wears its unironic heart on its sleeve. If Deafheaven aren’t your vibe, this won’t change your mind – it is, above all, a defiantly Deafheaven album through and through. For everyone else, this is an essential and timeless collection of tracks. It reminds us of the power of metal music to connect and move. But it also fucking reminds us that Deafheaven are not just back; they never left. Rating: 4.5/5.0 DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3 Label: <a href="http://www.elektra.com/roadrunnerrecords" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Roadrunner Records</a> Website: <a href="http://deafheaven.com" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">deafheaven.com</a> Releases Worldwide: March 28th, 2025<a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/2025/" target="_blank">#2025</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/45/" target="_blank">#45</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/american-metal/" target="_blank">#AmericanMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/black-metal/" target="_blank">#BlackMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/blackgaze/" target="_blank">#Blackgaze</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/deafheaven/" target="_blank">#Deafheaven</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/mar25/" target="_blank">#Mar25</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/review/" target="_blank">#Review</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/reviews/" target="_blank">#Reviews</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/roadrunner-records/" target="_blank">#RoadrunnerRecords</a>

Angry Metal Guy<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/manntra-titans-review/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Manntra – Titans Review</a>By TwelveIt’s appalling to me that nearly six years have passed since I last reviewed Manntra. The passage of time is a horrifying thing, but there it is, in print: <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/manntra-okya-review/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Manntra – Oyka! Review By Twelve on July 29, 2019</a>. On the other hand, the passage of time is what inspires a good chunk of folk metal in the first place, and Oyka! was a fun folk metal album. Between then and now, Manntra released another three full-lengths that weren’t reviewed here (some other stuff happened too), which puts me a bit out of date for their recent activities. Nevertheless, I was excited to see the Croatians reappear in our Promo Pit for Titans, their eighth full-length (and first with Napalm Records), as I did enjoy Oyka! and am never opposed to the emergence of cheer. So how have the last six years been for Manntra, and how does Titans hold up to their rapidly growing discography?Three missed releases or no, Manntra’s sound is instantly recognizable: a heavy, energetic metal base, a light dusting from folky instruments, and the unmistakable vocals of Marko Matijević Sekul. It’s a sound I can best describe as “pretty much” folk metal—it’s got the right lyrical themes; the acoustic guitars from Dorian Pavlović, the mandolin from Zlatko Štefančić, and pipes from Sekul; and it’s all kinds of energetic. However, there is one foot resting in the door of traditional, even industrial heavy metal. Sekul plays synths, while Andrea Kert and Zoltan Lečei refuse to be left out on drums and bass, respectively. But it’s Sekul’s voice that most significantly defines Manntra’s sound (vocalists, am I right?); his rasps, shouts, and chants toe the line between heavy and folk metal in a fascinating way—he has a charisma to his approach that’s hard to define, harder to replicate, and contributes heavily to Titans’s identity.If the above sounded appealing to you, there is plenty more where it came from—Titans is heavy, fun, and folky. Manntra excel at big choruses that get caught in the brain, such as the superbly folky “Riders in the Dawn,” the intense, almost panicked “Higher,” and the symphonic-metal-esque “Teuta.” Across Titans, Štefančić’s mandolin is used to excellent effect, especially in “Unholy Water (Voda)” and the Miracle of Sound cover “Skal.” At times, Manntra step away from the folk influence, such as on the title track and “My Sandman,” which opens with poppy synths and makes much more effort to be heavy than catchy. Since Titans, not unlike previous Manntra work, is a fairly vocals-dominated album, this kind of variance goes a long way towards keeping things interesting across its full runtime.The main drawback I can find with Titans is that Manntra seem to operate significantly better, for my ears at least, as a folk metal band than as a heavy metal one. Everything about them, from the lyrics to the instruments to the performances, aligns so well with folk. “Skal” is an absolute delight because Manntra can lean so far into the joyous anthem to drinking culture, while “Nav” is utterly elevated by the use of pipes. By contrast, “My Sandman” doesn’t work nearly as well; it is neither catchy nor particularly moving. Similarly, the two “Forgotten” tracks are solid, good works of heavy metal, but feel out of place at the close of an album that does lean folkier. I know I just listed the variety as a strength above—it is, but this particular approach leaves Titans feeling a touch uneven.Titans is a fun album, and shows that Manntra really haven’t missed a step. Its highs are awesome, and it’s given me a lot of repeat listening material since I started spinning it. If it’s inconsistent in whether it is “good” or “very good,” it is very consistent in being an enjoyable listen and a good time… which I think is what Manntra was going for. I do recommend giving Titans a spin or two if you’re at all folk-inclined. As for me, I’ll be keeping a much more careful eye out for the next one, and so hopefully do this again soon. Rating: 3.0/5.0 DR: 8 | Format Reviewed: Stream Label: <a href="https://napalmrecords.com/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Napalm Records</a> Websites: <a href="http://manntra.bandcamp.com" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">manntra.bandcamp.com</a> | <a href="http://manntra.hr" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">manntra.hr</a> | <a href="http://facebook.com/ManntraOfficial" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">facebook.com/ManntraOfficial</a> Releases Worldwide: March 14th, 2025<a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/2025/" target="_blank">#2025</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/30/" target="_blank">#30</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/croatian-metal/" target="_blank">#CroatianMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/folk-metal/" target="_blank">#FolkMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/manntra/" target="_blank">#Manntra</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/mar25/" target="_blank">#Mar25</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/miracle-of-sound/" target="_blank">#MiracleOfSound</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/napalm-records/" target="_blank">#NapalmRecords</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/review/" target="_blank">#Review</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/reviews/" target="_blank">#Reviews</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/titans/" target="_blank">#Titans</a>

Angry Metal Guy<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/nydvind-telluria-review/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Nydvind – Telluria Review</a>By El CuervoThere are many heavy metal bands in the world. Intense genre stratification led to lots of musical hopefuls attempting to carve their own path. Despite their best efforts, it’s incredibly rare for a band to do something that hasn’t been done before. Citing a journey through the “raw energy of black metal,” “profound melancholy of doom,” and “organic vitality of folk,” France’s Nydvind are making another such attempt with their fourth album entitled Telluria. This unusual medley and a 20-year history ensured that I didn’t instinctively reject the one sheet’s notion that the group may be pioneering; there aren’t many bands operating in this genre that split 3 sounds. Is Telluria as distinctive as its genre promises?The Nydvind style isn’t a part of the same scene as the likes of Agalloch, but they capture the earthen feel that such bands exalt. “Dance of the Ages” uses flitting, clean guitar lines and occasional chants to conjure a folksy effect, tied into acoustic guitar passages designed to evoke delicacy. This contrasts with the record’s opening heavy passages that blend trilling blackened guitars with deathly, guttural growls. Likewise, “Heart of the Woods II” opens robustly, with a doomy lick delivered via a shredding tone. The remainder of Telluria sometimes winds and sometimes stomps its way through passages that principally progress through a fusion of black, doom, and death metal. Despite its variety, the core of the music has a feel that won’t be totally unfamiliar to fans of Paradise Lost, but observed through a decidedly blacker lens.When you first start with Telluria, the multitude of influences in the pot and frequent musical shifts make things interesting. But it’s definitely more ‘interesting’ than ‘exciting.’ Although there’s a lot to listen to when paying close attention, my overall emotional response is an unfazed one. The majority of the album is merely okay. This is undoubtedly compounded by the music switching between varied sounds in an uneventful way. “Heart of the Woods II” proceeds through its doomy opening and a blackened second passage then back again, but each transition simply ceases the prior music and commences the next. There are very few moments of sophistication or drama to signal change to the listener. The over-arching fusion of doom / black / death/folk influences sounds harmonious on first listen, but it’s not nearly as stimulating as it should be.I find my initial interest thoroughly waned by Telluria’s back half. Ultimately, the inability to generate a visceral emotional response (even a negative one) consigns it to the sizeable heap of forgettable music I’ll not bother returning to. The shuffling, directionless song-writing contributes to my dispirited response. I find the doomy mid-pace passages the dullest of Nydvind’s sounds, and these passages sometimes stretch out over minutes at a time. The songs average 8 minutes, and only one runs for fewer than 7, with another exceeding 10. Only “Into the Pantheon of Absynthia” reaches a climax that’s reasonably satisfying, as it escalates with a crescendo that gets heavier over time. The remainder of the songs don’t justify their duration.The only complete exception to the commentary I’ve provided above is the title track. Pretty much all the best passages on Telluria are locked within these 9 minutes. From the crunchy, blackened verse with piercing shrieked vocals to the layered leads that harmonize then counter-point, it did what no other track could by demanding my attention. It then proceeded to hold it by featuring the album’s best solo and one of its heaviest passages after its mid-point. And just before that heaviness becomes tiring, the ensuing quietness offers a welcome contrast. “Telluria” still fails to stitch together its varied passages in a subtle or engaging way, but separately they’re best throughout.Despite the more exceptional moments that form the strongest Nydvind material, the vast majority of Telluria leaves me cold. Beyond those moments, it’s difficult for me to highlight any particular riff or melody as standouts; much bleed together into a grey sludge, even with the diverse influences. There’s the potential for a thought-provoking synthesis of styles here. But while the quintessential 2.0 commits the sin of disappointing its listener, Telluria commits the sin of leaving very little mark at all. Rating: 2.0/5.0 DR: 11 | Format Reviewed: v2 MP3 Label: <a href="https://www.malpermesita.com/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Malpermesita Records</a> Website: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Nydvind" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">facebook.com/nydvind</a> Releases Worldwide: March 21st, 2025<a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/20/" target="_blank">#20</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/2025/" target="_blank">#2025</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/agalloch/" target="_blank">#Agalloch</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/black-metal/" target="_blank">#BlackMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/doom-metal/" target="_blank">#DoomMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/folk-metal/" target="_blank">#FolkMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/french-metal/" target="_blank">#FrenchMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/malpermesita-records/" target="_blank">#MalpermesitaRecords</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/mar25/" target="_blank">#Mar25</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/nydvind/" target="_blank">#Nydvind</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/paradise-lost/" target="_blank">#ParadiseLost</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/review/" target="_blank">#Review</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/reviews/" target="_blank">#Reviews</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/telluria/" target="_blank">#Telluria</a>

Angry Metal Guy<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/crawling-chaos-wyrd-review/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Crawling Chaos – Wyrd Review</a>By TwelveEven before I’d seen the gorgeous cover art over there, Crawling Chaos had me marked. The Italian group’s third full-length release, Wyrd, is written around a theme that discusses prominent women in European folklore, mythologies, and history, and is “full of literary quotes and easter eggs, offering subtle nods to the most curious among the listeners.” Honestly, I was sold before I even noted the genre tag, but death metal and I are no strangers to one another either. So at first glance, Wyrd seems like my perfect match, but I’ve been writing here for years now, and I’ve been misled by cover art and thematic promise before. How will this one hold up?What’s interesting about Wyrd is that a more apt description of the music is melodic death metal, but the phrase works better as a literal description than a genre tag. Wyrd is a death metal album that has melody, but doesn’t quite match what you could call “melodeath.” It is a heavy album, with no noticeable use of keys and uncompromising death metal overtures, similar to how Crescent approach their music. Guitarists Andrea Velli and Manuel Guerrieri put in some serious work here, swapping brilliantly between a veritable storm of riffs in songs like “Witch-Hunt” and eerie ambience in ones like “Necromancer.” Mind, don’t let that distinction fool you—death metal is absolutely the focus here, as Guerrieri’s roars and Edoardo Velli’s manic drumming make clear. Across Wyrd’s thirty-eight-minute runtime, Crawling Chaos make the most of their thematic source material by launching an all-out assault on the listener in a comparatively pleasing way, with nods to groups like Death, Gojira, and Nile apparent throughout.Most of the hallmarks of death metal are present for Wyrd, but it’s the moments of melody that really give Crawling Chaos a distinct identity. William Leardini’s bass is wonderful in its griminess, and most songs are concise, speedy, and brutal, but the apparent care for memorability goes a long way too. “Veiled in Secrets” is the clearest example, a mid-paced (this is a relative descriptor) song with a beautiful, almost haunting melody that rings throughout, evocative of the desert the song describes. Similarly, the guitar leads in “To the Furies” are mighty, blending skill and style in a way that makes the song into a journey, exciting and memorable at once. Wyrd is an album of two worlds, firmly rooted in its thematic and stylistic choices, giving it the feel of a complete album, and a well-thought-out one.I enjoy the melodic moments much more than the more brutal ones on Wyrd, which does make it feel like something of a lopsided listen at times. As I’ve said, crawling chaos can do wonders for both sides of the descriptor. Some songs lean heavier on melody and others heavier on heaviness, and that’s fine. Still, when a song like “Nomen Omen” opens with a slow, haunting melody, with genuine build-up, and then erupts into the same style of death metal that’s been so persistent across Wyrd, it feels almost like a let-down (despite, in this instance, a genuinely stunning vocal performance from Guerrieri). “Nails of Fate” does something similar with an acoustic guitar—a stirring intro that is never realized in the way you expect it to, despite the song itself being very strong. For me, the way Wyrd is structured creates a noticeable rift between the melodic and heavier choices in each song, making the full listen less cohesive than it might have otherwise been.Wyrd is a fun listen regardless of how you like your death metal, because it is well-written, well-performed, and hits hard. Still, writing the above makes me wonder if I’m not quite the right audience for Crawling Chaos, if only because I have this bias for the melodic side of melodic death metal. And yet, I have to recommend it, which means you may like it a good deal more than I have. And I have enjoyed it—it’s heavy, it sounds great, and it includes literary and historic references. Realistically, I was always going to enjoy this one. Rating: 3.0/5.0 DR: 8 | Format Reviewed: 128 kbps mp3 Label: <a href="https://timetokillrecords.com/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Time to Kill Records</a> Websites: <a href="http://crawlingchaos-ttk.bandcamp.com" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">crawlingchaos-ttk.bandcamp.com</a> | <a href="http://facebook.com/crawlingchaosit" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">facebook.com/crawlingchaosit</a> Releases Worldwide: March 28th, 2025<a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/2025/" target="_blank">#2025</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/30/" target="_blank">#30</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/crawling-chaos/" target="_blank">#CrawlingChaos</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/crescent/" target="_blank">#Crescent</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/death/" target="_blank">#Death</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/death-metal/" target="_blank">#DeathMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/gojira/" target="_blank">#Gojira</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/italian-metal/" target="_blank">#ItalianMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/mar25/" target="_blank">#Mar25</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/melodic-death-metal/" target="_blank">#MelodicDeathMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/nile/" target="_blank">#Nile</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/review/" target="_blank">#Review</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/reviews/" target="_blank">#Reviews</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/time-to-kill-records/" target="_blank">#TimeToKillRecords</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/wyrd/" target="_blank">#Wyrd</a>

Angry Metal Guy<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/an-evening-with-knives-end-of-time-review/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">An Evening With Knives – End of Time Review</a>By GardensTaleAt the start of the year, I pledged to pick as many promos as I could from those sent to us directly through the contact form, as a way to lift up the smallest of underground acts. But as this week is rather barren, I got to have my choice from the remainder, the label-backed colossi who have all their tedious marketing hubbub taken care of. One band name jumped out at me: An Evening With Knives. A name I’ve seen on plenty a concert bill around here, usually in a supporting capacity. Lo and behold, the lads are local, or rather, they were formed in the next city over. It’s always nice to see geographical peers making waves. But it appears that dear Dear Hollow did not hold the last Evening’s record too dear. Has the trio improved since Sense of Gravity, or is End of Time the end of its 15 minutes of fame?The review for Sense of Gravity complained of unbalanced songwriting with too many sudden turns, but no such problem arises on End of Time. The songwriting is concise and approachable, shirking most of the languid post-metal trappings for a style more akin to Baroness with early parts leaning punk-hardcore and later leaning fuzzy doom with a progressive slant. It suits An Evening With Knives rather well. The lead guitars braid sinewy hooks atop the heavy twang of the rhythm section, and excel at the emotive solos that dot the running time (“End of Time” and closer “S21” are the best examples). The bass has a pulsing melodic flair, the drums are sharp and energetic. Within this scope, the band carves out a lot of wiggle room, shifting gradually from concise cannon blasts to more long-winded material. It makes for an even-handed album that weighs depth with digestibility.But my issue with An Evening With Knives is the vocals. Their technical application is not bad, per se; overall it’s middle of the road, somewhat versatile with passable core-style screams yet some pitch problems when skewing cleaner (most noticeable on “End of Time”). However, technique is only one side of vocals; emotional pull and projection are at least as important, and that aspect is largely shot by how strained the vocals sound. When belting, strain is expected; here, though, it’s a constant, even on smaller and quieter passages. Especially in the front half, this results in a likely unintended faux-aggression, even machismo, that completely falls flat. “All They Need” unironically and repeatedly uses ‘That’s how you do it’ with a cringe-inducing swagger, and “Death” doesn’t fare much better. It’s akin to overacting and it undermines the earnestness of the music, to the detriment of the whole package.But as End of Time goes on and the compositions shift from concise to expansive, the vocal problem becomes less and less pronounced. “Voices” combines panicked wailing guitars and intelligent tempo changes with a more genuine anxious performance on the mic. “The Mistake” packs a fuzzy main riff that sounds like it was borrowed from King Buffalo, and through the patient build-up of the proggy “S21” we even get a few more subdued stanzas that dodge the worst of strain city central. Furthermore, the production is solid. Though the mix is a tad vocal-centric, I love the placement of the bass, and the guitar sound has a lovely buzzing edge that supports both the riffs and the solos quite nicely.End of Time is not the easiest to score. An Evening With Knives is clearly getting better at identifying the strengths and weaknesses of their line-up, and the songwriting is tight without fully sacrificing a dynamic and exploratory aspect that keeps each song lively and interesting. But the exception seems to be the vocals, and it’s a damn shame how it prevents me from enjoying the front half of the album as much as I’d like. As a result, End of Time is an interesting but heavily backloaded album that holds itself back from becoming something greater. If you like this sort of style, though, give it a spin anyways, because that back half is teasing a diamond in the rough. Rating: 3.0/5.0 DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3 Label: <a href="https://www.argonautarecords.com/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Argonauta Records</a> Websites: <a href="http://aneveningwithknives.bandcamp.com" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">aneveningwithknives.bandcamp.com</a> | <a href="http://aneveningwithknives.com" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">aneveningwithknives.com</a> | <a href="http://facebook.com/aneveningwithknives" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">facebook.com/aneveningwithknives</a> Releases Worldwide: March 14th, 2025<a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/2025/" target="_blank">#2025</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/30/" target="_blank">#30</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/an-evening-with-knives/" target="_blank">#AnEveningWithKnives</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/argonauta-records/" target="_blank">#ArgonautaRecords</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/baroness/" target="_blank">#Baroness</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/dutch-metal/" target="_blank">#DutchMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/end-of-time/" target="_blank">#EndOfTime</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/king-buffalo/" target="_blank">#KingBuffalo</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/mar25/" target="_blank">#Mar25</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/progressive-metal/" target="_blank">#ProgressiveMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/review/" target="_blank">#Review</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/reviews/" target="_blank">#Reviews</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/sludge/" target="_blank">#Sludge</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/stoner-metal/" target="_blank">#StonerMetal</a>

Angry Metal Guy<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/arch-enemy-blood-dynasty-review/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Arch Enemy – Blood Dynasty Review</a>By Dolphin WhispererIncepted as an offshoot of Carcassian lineage, early breakout albums <a href="https://archenemyofficial.bandcamp.com/album/wages-of-sin" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Wages of Sin</a> (2001) and Doomsday Machine (2005) spread like wildfire in the emerging world of digital accessibility. In particular, clips from the 2006 DVD <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMGpcjzb67Q" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Live Apocalypse</a>, popped around early YouTube further quenching the thirst for the powerful live performances that the once ravenous act possessed—at least that’s my memory of how the melodeath-leaning Swedes came to be a global powerhouse. Arch Enemy’s current incarnation does not lack stage-ready talent, of course—professionals thrive on the tour. The still vicious Alissa White-Gluz (ex-The Agonist) and youthful shredder Joey Concepcion (ex-Armageddon,<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/arch-enemy-blood-dynasty-review/#fn-213878-1" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">1</a> ex-The Absence) round out the strength of time-tested veterans. But with the hunger of success so satiated, what left does Arch Enemy have to fuel their 12th album, Blood Dynasty?Succeeding primarily on the flash of sticky songs and not engrossing albums, Arch Enemy has little reason to play anything more than a bit of what their fans want and a bit of what they want. In this sense, founding guitarist and primary songwriting contributor Michael Amott feeds off of his second guitarist for energy. While Nevermore shredder Jeff Loomis<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/arch-enemy-blood-dynasty-review/#fn-213878-2" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">2</a> is far from a slouch on the fretboard, his histrionic contributions seemed to follow Arch Enemy down a path of slower builds, chunkier riff platforms, and moodier atmospheres that didn’t always gel with the typically brighter appeal that cemented their lofty status. Particularly on 2022’s preceding Deceivers, the pace had grown so slow that getting to any of blistering guitar heroism—whether from Amott or Loomis—felt like a chore.In fresh character Concepcion’s ’80s tinged trades with Amott bring a lot to the Blood Dynasty table, with Arch Enemy breezing through certain tracks with the fanciful flair of guitar pyrotechnics. Early cut “Dream Stealer” brings with it a Judas Priest-indebted whammy-to-meltdown solo tirade that highlights the axeslingers’ chemistry well. And later cuts “Don’t Look Down” and “Blood Dynasty” lead with the synth-boosted, mid-paced power/melodeath fist-pump that you’d hear in a galloping Kalmah or late era Dark Tranquillity piece. Truthfully, though, Blood Dynasty’s biggest hit, in its soulful and faithful cover of olde French heavy metal act Blaspheme’s “Vivre Libre,” comes when Arch Enemy, quite literally, is not trying to be Arch Enemy at all, White-Gluz eschewing any harsh vocal stylings for a gruff and joyful croon. But this kind of fun feels right in a late career album—quick hitters loaded with light-hearted riffage and falsetto wails (“A Million Suns,” “Paper Tiger,” respectively)—and a full load of it could have spelled well for Arch Enemy decriers.However, true to the typical Arch Enemy experience, a number of songs still exist in the too familiar or too uneventful realm that weigh down the whole of Blood Dynasty. There’s an irony to the theme of “March of the Miscreants,” a festival-ready machination—complete with a bridge ready for “Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey” call and response—about how the underdog can’t be sold and can’t be bought, an ethos that doesn’t sit well while listening to one of the largest metal bands in the world. And between that conundrum, the alternative rock anthemics of “Illuminate the Path,” and the only slightly deathened power metal romps that close the journey (“The Pendulum,” “Liars & Thieves”), Blood Dynasty trips over its most cohesive and swaggering elements to pump out tunes that feel rollicking enough to appeal to fans of modern acts like Unleash the Archers or Frozen Crown without letting harsh vocal moments steer them too far astray. White-Gluz has a diverse and practiced voice that ensures that none of these detours ever sound unpleasant, but the frequent urge to skip these painted-with-broad-strokes cuts persists.Arch Enemy has nothing to prove at this stage. Blood Dynasty holds a higher than expected percentage of fun-inducing tracks that should serve plenty for long-time fans—high bombast, easy-to-digest, chorus-loaded, melodic death(ish) metal. At its most offensive, Arch Enemy simply delivers repeatable words and over horns-up riffs that act as heavy metal placeholders, recognizable as aggressive noise but built to blend in. For those just dipping their toes into the world of amplified abandon, this less extreme endeavor may even be preferable, a shareable, attainable badge of honor. But if your coworker recommends you Blood Dynasty, you can likely blow their mind with <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/30/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">something better</a>.<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/arch-enemy-blood-dynasty-review/#fn-213878-3" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">3</a> Rating: 2.5/5.0 DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3 Label: <a href="https://www.centurymedia.com/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Century Media</a> | <a href="https://centurymedia.bandcamp.com/music" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Bandcamp</a> Websites: <a href="http://archenemy.band" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">archenemy.band</a> | <a href="http://archenemyofficial.bandcamp.com/music" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">archenemyofficial.bandcamp.com</a> Releases Worldwide: March 28th, 2025<a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/2-5/" target="_blank">#25</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/2025/" target="_blank">#2025</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/arch-enemy/" target="_blank">#ArchEnemy</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/blaspheme/" target="_blank">#Blaspheme</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/blood-dynasty/" target="_blank">#BloodDynasty</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/century-media-records/" target="_blank">#CenturyMediaRecords</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/dark-tranquillity/" target="_blank">#DarkTranquillity</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/heavy-metal/" target="_blank">#HeavyMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/judas-priest/" target="_blank">#JudasPriest</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/kalmah/" target="_blank">#Kalmah</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/mar25/" target="_blank">#Mar25</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/melodic-death-metal/" target="_blank">#MelodicDeathMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/review/" target="_blank">#Review</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/reviews/" target="_blank">#Reviews</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/swedish-metal/" target="_blank">#SwedishMetal</a>

Angry Metal Guy<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/paths-to-deliverance-ten-review/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Paths to Deliverance – Ten Review</a>By Thus SpokeMetal has long taken inspiration from the realms of horror, mysticism, and the occult. Paths to Deliverance adopt ideas from all three. Debut Ten, structured roughly around the bardo—the liminal experience leading from the point of death through to reincarnation—also borrows imagery and storytelling from “Edgar Allan Poe, Lovecraft, Clive Barker, Graham Masterton, and Stephen King, as well as […] Dante.” You would be justified in assuming this is a solo project, given its eclectic and lengthy blurb, but this is only partially true as progenitor A.S.A has recruited artists to fill every position other than his own vocal and bass duties.<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/paths-to-deliverance-ten-review/#fn-213759-1" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">1</a> It is, of course, black metal—if the concept, the fact that it’s a solo project, and artwork weren’t a clue. Yet here again, Paths to Deliverance claim difference and particular fearfulness. Not trve or raw, but truly frightening, and deeply personal, if the promo material is to be believed.Ten is a lengthy tale and like any story, has its ups and downs. However, these fluctuations cannot be attributed only to the concept that supposedly drives the music. Surrounding the peaks of ardour and vivacious, vitriolic riffdom is an odd nebulousness that drains the force from otherwise solid songs. This sense, which only builds over the runtime, contributes to the album’s lack of cohesive flow, and how it may yet contain greatness. Running through Ten is a powerful current of feeling, expressed primarily through a mournful, melodic black metal that sounds a lot like Gaerea in everything from the extended mini-catharses of rushing drums and urgent tremolos, to the very guitar tones and the way the howls and riffs echo brightly in the background (“Resonances,” “Alone in the Dark,” “Delirium,” “The Storm”). Right alongside this is a more belligerent blackened death, less concerned with atmosphere than with evoking the spirit of spiteful independence that eschews the vulnerability of that other, more melancholic style (“Solitude,” “The Calm Before the Storm”). And then there’s the vague integration of a raucous group-vocal attitude (“Delirium,” “Here Lies…”) and classical guitar (“Reveries,” “The Storm”). These approaches are not inherently contradictory, and allow Paths to Deliverance to demonstrate worthy aptitude for stirring and exhilarating black(end) metal. As components of Ten, however their integration can lead to a tonally mixed bag.Paths to Deliverance tease with moments of greatness, but squander their potential through messy execution and incoherent compositional choices. The trend begins instantly, as the mournful drama built so perfectly in opener “Ab Initio,” is hastily discarded in the jump to upbeat “Resonances,” vindicating anyone who’s ever argued the pointlessness of intros; but it’s worse, because “Ab Initio” is over three minutes long. Across Ten, we must witness Paths to Deliverance dampen the power of combined chilling atmospheres and thrilling riffs by burying them in what feels like filler that meanders (“Solitude,” “Alone in the Dark”) or pushing them to the final passage of a song, or indeed the album (“The Storm,” “Redemption”). There is an overabundance of directionless, restless addition—a new riff, a tempo change, a key change (“The Calm Before the Storm”)<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/paths-to-deliverance-ten-review/#fn-213759-2" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">2</a>, layered clean and growled vocals (“Solitude”), a vaguely pop-punk chorus (“Here Lies…”), horns (“Delirium”), chorals (“Redemption”). And as soon as that beautiful refrain develops, and those awesome drum fills propel the song into a blaze, and it seems like Ten might really be brilliant, the magic disappears as Paths to Deliverance show they’re more interested in shoving a different idea in your face (“Resonances,” “”Delirium”), or pulling the tremolos away in favour of about two minutes of completely disconnected acoustic plucking (“Reveries”).It thus becomes difficult for Ten to be anything other than an awkwardly scattershot and unfocused listening experience. Each element is well-crafted, and there are passages of powerful and powerfully sinister meloblack strewn across Ten. The issue is that they are strewn, and not carefully placed. Why, for instance is “The Storm,” very possibly the best song, relegated almost to the very end, when the listener has long since lost patience for Paths to Deliverance’s self-indulgent tonal indecision. The drumming is consistently tight and excellently performed, but it can’t make up for what lacks in the songs it provides a skeleton for. Whilst things are manageable in the album’s early stages, the interminability of less interesting sections, and the restlessness with which Paths to Deliverance add and subtract ingredients only gets worse over its span.Ten falls short of the promises that Paths to Deliverance made of it. Not because it is incompetent, but because it lacks focus. It’s only with hindsight that the red flag of the long and varied list of inspirations becomes obvious. The runtime and these inconsistency issues point to an inability to edit, which the blurb reflects. This doesn’t negate those numerous snippets that could, in isolation, appear on a great black metal album. It only makes them harder to appreciate without separation from the rest.Rating: Mixed DR: 8 | Format Reviewed: 256 kb/s mp3 Label: <a href="https://www.malpermesita.com/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Malpermesita Records</a> Websites: <a href="https://pathstodeliverance.bandcamp.com/album/ten" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Bandcamp</a> | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pathstodeliverance/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Facebook</a> Releases Worldwide: March 28th, 2025 <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/2-5/" target="_blank">#25</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/2025/" target="_blank">#2025</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/black-metal/" target="_blank">#BlackMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/french-metal/" target="_blank">#FrenchMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/gaerea/" target="_blank">#Gaerea</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/malpermesita-records/" target="_blank">#MalpermesitaRecords</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/mar25/" target="_blank">#Mar25</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/melodic-black-metal/" target="_blank">#MelodicBlackMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/paths-to-deliverance/" target="_blank">#PathsToDeliverance</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/review/" target="_blank">#Review</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/reviews/" target="_blank">#Reviews</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/ten/" target="_blank">#Ten</a>

Angry Metal Guy<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/serpent-rider-the-ichor-of-chimaera-review/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Serpent Rider – The Ichor Of Chimaera Review</a>By Steel DruhmSteel never gets his fill of old-timey, sword-swinging trve metal. It’s one of the few genres that pulls me away from the rot pit these days, and a break from the reek of putrefaction is always nice. Enter The Ichor Of Chimaera, the debut from Los Angeles-based trvesters Serpent Rider, featuring Brandon Corsair of Houkago Grind Time and Draghkar. Their goal is a convincingly throwback sound and an epic vibe, taking pages from Manilla Road, Brocas Helm, DoomSword, and newer acts like Smoulder. With ample musical chops and solid appreciation for the sounds of past glories, can Serpent Rider tame the snakes of inexperience and triumph over the other trve hordes stalking the wastelands?Things open in a deceptively low-key way on “Steel is the Answer.” The title would lead one to expect pounding war drums, martial marching, and much chest-thumping bravado, but instead, you’re met by the smooth and decidedly mellow vocals of R. Villar, who operates in a sedate, hypnotic space despite spinning tales of steel conquest and retribution. The supporting music is fully retro, with 80s-centric proto-metal riffs and flashes of glory-seeking harmonies. This creates a bit of a disconnect, but it isn’t bad at all. The war hammers rattle more forcefully on “Radiant,” where the might of trve metal reveals itself, even if the vocals never rise to match the fervor. The album grows stronger as it goes along, with the victorious, valorous (and somewhat liturgical) “Matri Deorum” charging into that sweet spot between Cirith Ungol, Manowar, and DoomSword, and I want to hoist a banner in its honor. This is the stuff that brings Steel to the fightspace.Other moments of entertaining throwback barbarian fury include “Tyrant’s March,” which is what I expected more of based on the genre and promo language. This is more like all thunderous war galloping and ravaging, and I’m here for it. Closer “In Spring” changes things up with bouncy NWoBHM riffs that eventually merge into blackened terms and frantic blastbeats. This is an ingredient they should have mixed throughout the entire Manocake for added thrills and kills. There are a few stumbles on the way to Helm’s Deep, however. The title track is a decent enough 5-minute song stretched on the Rack of Elongation to an unwieldy 7-plus minutes, and it gets tiresome before it retreats. “The Hero’s Spirit” suffers a different fate, opting for a quasi-Goth doom sound that recalls Within Temptation, but doesn’t quite come together. At a crisp 36:11 minutes, most of The Ichor of Chimaera goes down pretty easily like ice-cold Night Train. The production is warm and appropriately retro, with a certain Cirith Ungol-esque clang and clomp I appreciate.Though a vocalist can often be the guiding force for a trve metal act, in the case of Serpent Rider, it’s the fretboard acumen of Paul Gelbach and Brandon Corsair that fills the sails and cracks the whips. They run through a variety of old time influences along the way, like Cirith Ungol, Helstar, and Manilla Road, and they know exactly the sound and vibe they want to invoke. They’re adept at creating 80s-centric soundscapes and bring a goodly amount of heat to the forge. R Villar is an interesting frontwoman. Her smooth, laconic delivery is pleasant but feels out of place on songs that sound like they were made for battle and heroics, and the music cries out for more passion and invective. Her laid back approach works better on the slower, doomy cuts like the title track, but I still want MOAR oomph from her. She seems unwilling to take things into a more forceful gear, even on the aggressive cuts like “Radiant” and “In Spring.” This makes me long for Tower’s Sarabeth Linden to show up and roar against the dying of the light.Serpent Rider exist inside the trve wheelhouse of Steel, and I enjoy what they do on The Ichor Of Chimaera. I just wish they brought more swords to the slaughter and fewer Gothic sleepytime lullabies. There’s plenty to like here, and a few keepers to honor in the Playlists of Titans. They just need to dial the trveness up a few more notches if you hope to curry favor with the Lords of Metal on Mount Crom. Hoard the damn swords, people. HOARD THEM! Rating: 3.0/5.0 DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3 Label: <a href="https://www.noremorse.gr/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">No Remorse</a> Websites: <a href="https://serpentrider.bandcamp.com/album/the-ichor-of-chimaera" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">serpentrider.bandcamp.com</a> | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/SerpentRiderBand" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">facebook.com/serpentriderband</a> | <a href="https://www.instagram.com/serpentriderofficial/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">instagram.com/serpentriderofficial</a> Releases Worldwide: March 28th, 2025<a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/2025/" target="_blank">#2025</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/30/" target="_blank">#30</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/american-metal/" target="_blank">#AmericanMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/cirith-ungol/" target="_blank">#CirithUngol</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/doom-metal/" target="_blank">#DoomMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/heavy-metal/" target="_blank">#HeavyMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/houkago-grind-time/" target="_blank">#HoukagoGrindTime</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/manilla-road/" target="_blank">#ManillaRoad</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/mar25/" target="_blank">#Mar25</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/no-remorse-records/" target="_blank">#NoRemorseRecords</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/review/" target="_blank">#Review</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/reviews/" target="_blank">#Reviews</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/serpent-rider/" target="_blank">#SerpentRider</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/smoulder/" target="_blank">#Smoulder</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/the-ichor-of-chimaera/" target="_blank">#TheIchorOfChimaera</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/true-metal/" target="_blank">#TrueMetal</a>

Angry Metal Guy<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/euphrosyne-morus-review/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Euphrosyne – Morus Review</a>By IcebergDeath is an omnipresent theme in metal, and art in general, but the subject matter is especially poignant when approached by survivors of its trauma. Post-black quartet Euphrosyne tackle the loss of a loved one, in this case songwriter Alex Despotidis’ mother, on their debut LP, Morus. Post-black seems an appropriate style for the Greeks, with a focus on atmosphere, melody, and stillness to balance black metal fury. While the lyrics are credited to frontwoman Efi Eva, all the music was composed by Despotidis, an unenviable but hopefully cathartic duty for someone who just lost a parent. Observing the grieving process always feels a bit intrusive, and Morus reveals itself to be an intensely personal collection of songs. Nevertheless, the motionless death shroud on Morus’ cover invites the listener into a journey of pain, death, and that which remains.Euphrosyne isn’t content to paint themselves into a post-black corner. Efi Eva is a convincing, multi-faceted vocalist, and her chameleon-like vocal performance drives the different moods of Morus. Her clean soprano, not unlike Evanescence’s Amy Lee, guides the acoustic sections, featuring reverb-drenched piano melodies and simple, plucked guitar lines (“Morus,” “Valley of White”), while also unleashing impressive hardcore shouts (“Asphodel”) and black metal roars (“Lilac Ward”). Despotidis’ lead guitar acts as a counterpoint, his soaring melodies anchoring instrumental sections (“Funeral Rites,” “Mitera”). Euphrosyne’s rhythm section is dependable, deploying predictable blasting alongside less predictable odd time signatures and filtered grooves akin to Mer de Noms-era A Perfect Circle (“Valley of White,” “Eulogy”). At its heart, Morus is a narrative album, and Euphrosyne wisely employ different sounds and styles to shape the story as its told.Euphrosyne excel at painting the tale of death with their music. From the pivotal moment of “July 21st” where Eva takes her ethereal clean tone and warps it into a furious snarl, the listener sits sidecar to Despotidis’ grieving process. The frustrated proselytizing of “Eulogy,” the spiraling guitar riff closing “Funeral Rites” (perhaps signifying the lowering of a casket), and the wailing guitar melody of “Mitera” that segues into “Asphodel” feels more at home in the theater than the recording studio. Spoken word, all in the band’s native Greek, humanizes the performance and reinforces the narrative concept (“Morus,” “Mitera”). While the production shows its limits in the black metal riffage, Euphrosyne know how to use silence and space when it counts, particularly at the edges of their songs (“Morus,” “Funeral Rites”). Morus is also edited well, running at a well-rounded 43 minutes with not much fat to trim. The slimmer run time allows the listener to fully appreciate the story on their first pass, and then discover layering and thematic through-lines on repeats.Euphrosyne drip creativity with their more adventurous sections, but they seem to move to the tried and true side of melodic metal elsewhere. Eva’s performance is solid throughout, but the constant reliance on a clean vocal chorus becomes rote by the end of the album. The black metal passages of the album, while serving their role as a pressure valve for the music’s pent-up emotion, feel by-the-numbers and more like a bridge between the more exciting, less heavy moments. Production is handled by Psychon of Septicflesh fame, and while the mixing/mastering job lends the quieter parts of Morus breathing room, the crushed DR5 rips any sense of dynamic from the black metal blasting and trilling, an industry-standard approach that takes away from Euphrosyne’s unique take on the genre. Its difficult to pinpoint specific songs that work better than others since they all contain aspects of the “post and the black,” but it’s easy to see after a couple weeks of focused listens that Euphrosyne shine in the empty spaces when they’re less restricted to a post-black label.Despite these gripes, Morus is a deeply affecting album, one that moved me more the longer I left it to marinate. I don’t know that singular pain of losing a parent, but I know the pain of losing someone very close to me, and Despotidis’ memoir has brushed that scar tissue. Though this score may seem to describe a somewhat middling listening experience, I highly recommend this album for fans of dark, weighty music that tells a story. I think with some fine-tuning, Euphrosyne have quite the mark to make in the post-black world. Until their next effort, I’ll keep Morus in my back pocket for the grey days when I need to commiserate with another wounded soul. Rating: 3.0/5.0 DR: 5 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3 Label: <a href="https://blacklionrecords.bandcamp.com/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Black Lion Records</a> Websites: <a href="http://euphrosyneblacklion.bandcamp.com/album/morus" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Bandcamp</a> | <a href="http://facebook.com/euphrosyneproject" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Facebook</a> Releases Worldwide: March 21st, 2025<a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/2025/" target="_blank">#2025</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/30/" target="_blank">#30</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/a-perfect-circle/" target="_blank">#APerfectCircle</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/black-lion-records/" target="_blank">#BlackLionRecords</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/black-metal/" target="_blank">#BlackMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/euphrosyne/" target="_blank">#Euphrosyne</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/evanescence/" target="_blank">#Evanescence</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/gothic-metal/" target="_blank">#GothicMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/greek-metal/" target="_blank">#GreekMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/mar25/" target="_blank">#Mar25</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/melodic-metal/" target="_blank">#MelodicMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/morus/" target="_blank">#Morus</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/post-metal/" target="_blank">#PostMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/review/" target="_blank">#Review</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/reviews/" target="_blank">#Reviews</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/septicflesh/" target="_blank">#SepticFlesh</a>

Angry Metal Guy<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/fleshspoil-the-beginning-of-the-end-review/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Fleshspoil – The Beginning of the End Review</a>By TymeTroy, New York’s Fleshspoil, may be new to the NYC metal scene,<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/fleshspoil-the-beginning-of-the-end-review/#fn-213519-1" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">1</a> but its constituent members certainly are not. Vocalist and guitarist Jeff Andrews (The Final Sleep, Armor Column) and drummer Mike Van Dyne (The Final Sleep, ex-<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/arsis-visitant-review/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Arsis</a>) have joined forces with Bay Area bassist Dan Saltzman (Illucinus) to wade into the crowded waters of the blackened death metal pool with their self-released debut album, The Beginning of the End. I wondered what Fleshspoil had in store, mainly what Andrews and Van Dyne, given their pedigree, would do to set themselves apart in a genre rife with stiff competition. Would this trio assemble and make The Empire City proud with The Beginning of the End, or, as their moniker might suggest, would they just plain stink?Fleshspoil tosses progressive atmospherics, dashes of doom, darts of dissonance, and even some metalcore peppercorns into its death metal pot. With as much elusive consistency as The Final Sleep‘s <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/the-final-sleep-vessels-of-grief-review/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Vessels of Grief</a>, Andrews and Van Dyne have crafted another, albeit deathlier, sonic buffet. Representing a winding path of genres, The Beginning of the End sees crushing, Immolation-esque death metal mix with atmospheric lap-steel guitar and drum interludes (“Bleed Through This Life”) and softer, near post-metal riffs merge into Bleeding Through-like metalcore replete with shimmery clean choruses before ceding direction to a dissonantly black end (“Skies Turn to Graves”). Andrews’ ten tons of riffage serve the material well, and trading his mostly clean vocal delivery ala The Final Sleep for deathlier growls, shouts, and shrieks is a point in Fleshspoil‘s favor. Saltzman’s reserved bass work, a departure from the brutal death slams of his day job, combined with Van Dyne’s expert drumming, has no problem corralling all of The Beginning of the End‘s competing directions. Fleshspoil certainly isn’t afraid to stretch the boundaries of what’s possible, and when it works, it’s good, but it doesn’t always work.Fleshspoil is at its best when weaving the apocalypse of their death metal with dissonance, melodicism, and progressive atmospheres. These elements are alive and well in the aforementioned “Bleed Through This Life,” which also contains some chaotic solo work courtesy of Kyle Chapman (Aethereus).<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/fleshspoil-the-beginning-of-the-end-review/#fn-213519-2" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">2</a> Further success lies in the disso-chords and quirky time signatures of eponymous track “Fleshspoil,” which wanders into some atmospheric guitar and bass noodling, then trundles into a Paul Westerberg alt-rock passage that could have landed on the soundtrack to Singles. All this before ending with some mid-paced death metal riffs, screamed vocals, and marching order snares. Add the growls, shrieks, and Halford-esque cleans over the majestic doom-blackened deathliness of charred and chugging riffs on “A Frail Demise,” and The Beginning of the End finds Fleshspoil fine-tuned to decimate. If it were all within these veins, things would fare better.I’m a fan of Fleshspoil‘s willingness to experiment, but not all results hit the mark. Time is not a factor as The Beginning of the End clocks in at a trim and tidy thirty-seven minutes. Overwrought transitions and wasted time hurt Fleshspoil the most. I found the pendulum-swinging transitions of “Skies Turn to Graves” too jarring, rendering the song more a distraction than a complementary piece of the whole. Throw in the under-developed, three-plus minute “Walking Dead” and the momentum-crushing boringness of album closer “Born Into Despair,” an alt-rock snoozer that fades in on some guitar-lite strumming and bass work and sustains shimmering guitars under shouts and clean vocals before mercifully fading out again with twenty seconds of vinyl scratches and pops. With this song, Fleshspoil completely took me out of the mood set by “A Frail Demise” and had me yawning rather than reaching for the play button again. Fleshspoil‘s debut, The Beginning of the End, represents a promising entry into the NYC metal pantheon. Andrews’, Van Dyne’s, and Saltzman’s metal credentials are unquestioned. Fleshspoil has a lot of great ideas and the ability to execute its vision, as half of The Beginning of the End suggests. Leaving its softer sides for other projects and flexing its stronger, more progressive melodic death metal muscle should see Fleshspoil do good, even great things in the future. I will be waiting and watching to see what comes next. Rating: 2.5/5.0 DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320kbps mp3 Label: Self-Released Websites: <a href="https://fleshspoilofficial.bandcamp.com/album/the-beginning-of-the-end" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">fleshspoilofficial.bandcamp.com</a> | <a href="https://www.instagram.com/fleshspoil/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">instagram.com/fleshspoil</a> Releases Worldwide: March 28th, 2025<a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/2-5/" target="_blank">#25</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/2025/" target="_blank">#2025</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/american-metal/" target="_blank">#AmericanMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/arsis/" target="_blank">#Arsis</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/black-metal/" target="_blank">#BlackMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/bleeding-through/" target="_blank">#BleedingThrough</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/death-metal/" target="_blank">#DeathMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/fleshspoil/" target="_blank">#Fleshspoil</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/immolation/" target="_blank">#Immolation</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/mar25/" target="_blank">#Mar25</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/melodic-death-metal/" target="_blank">#MelodicDeathMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/review/" target="_blank">#Review</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/self-releases/" target="_blank">#SelfReleases</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/the-beginning-of-the-end/" target="_blank">#TheBeginningOfTheEnd</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/the-final-sleep/" target="_blank">#TheFinalSleep</a>

Angry Metal Guy<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/urn-demon-steel-review/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Urn – Demon Steel Review</a>By Mark Z.As a U.S. government employee, I’ve spent way too much time lately thinking about RIFs and not enough time thinking about riffs. Fortunately, Finland’s Urn is here to change that. Helmed by vocalist, bassist, and former guitarist Jarno Hämäläinen (a.k.a. “Sulphur”), this black/thrash troupe raised hell throughout the 2000s via albums like 666 Megatons and Dawn of the Devastation, both of which blasted with reckless abandon and hit with all the subtlety of a hand grenade. After years of silence following 2008’s Soul Destroyers, the group returned with a revamped lineup and more melodic sound on 2017’s <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/urn-burning-review/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Burning</a>, resulting in a rousing collection of blackened thrash anthems that was bogged down a bit by songwriting that often felt too cut-and-paste. With 2019’s <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/urn-iron-will-of-power-review/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Iron Will of Power</a>, another revamped lineup helped Sulphur better combine the group’s newfound melodic tendencies and more raucous sensibilities, making for a career-high that sounded like the forgotten little brother of Deströyer 666. On their sixth album, Demon Steel, Urn returns after six years to continue down that same path, mixing the black/thrash of yore with melodies even a folk metal fan could enjoy. But have they taken things too far?FUKK NO! Rather, Demon Steel is one of those rare late-career albums that shows an extreme band maturing into something more complex, interesting, and catchy, all while still remaining vicious enough to satisfy those poser-crushers in our midst. The basic sound here largely remains the same: frantic and rushing guitars combined with fast and pummeling drums, tossed together with snarled vocals and a sense of epic fury. The soaring melodies that often appeared in the choruses of Iron Will remain; yet here, the addition of a second guitarist has allowed Urn to craft compositions that are more intricate than ever. Early highlight “Are You Friends With Your Demons” proves that it needs neither a question mark nor a decent title to succeed, commanding attention with the layered guitars of its chorus and the supreme melody that appears after that refrain’s second and third iteration.And fortunately, plenty of the other nine tracks are just as strong. “Heir of Tyrants,” “Burning Blood’s Curse,” and “Ruthless Paranoia” offer perhaps the best example of Urn’s heightened maturity, as each song combines fierce riffing worthy of Aura Noir with sugary lead guitars that could have appeared on a Children of Bodom album. Turning the throttle further into overdrive, “Iron Star” and “Turbulence of Misanthropy” charge forward on bouts of galloping, heavy-as-fuck riffs that sound like Iron Maiden dipped in molten steel, with the latter even offering some melodic black metal moments that recall Dissection. Even the album’s introduction, “Retribution of the Dead,” is a winner, creating an effective buildup with immense chords, pounding drums, and snarls of “Rise!”Overall, there’s little to complain about here. In addition to delivering plenty of swirling solos, returning guitarist “Axeleratörr” works alongside new axeman “Pestilent Slaughter” to absolutely stuff these 44 minutes with great ideas, resulting in a record that probably contains more unique leads and riffs than the band’s first two albums combined. Sulphur once again sounds venomous and commanding, though perhaps a bit more croaky and aged than before. That doesn’t stop him from pushing himself, however, by embellishing songs like “Wings of Inferno” and “Heir of Tyrants” with powerful clean wails that make things feel extra mighty. The only real downside is that, with every track trying to be a big epic fist-raiser, things get a tad tiresome eventually. The closer, “Predator of Spiritforms,” feels a bit overshadowed by its predecessors, and while the mid-paced stomp of “Wings of Inferno” offers a bit of late-album variety, I’d still love to have just one straight-ahead rager in the second half. Fortunately, the production is great, with a clear, balanced, and powerful sound that emphasizes the crystalline leads while giving the riffs plenty of bite.It’s been exciting to watch Urn grow from a pretty basic black/thrash band to one of the few older groups left in the style still producing worthwhile music. While I’ll always love the hammering and explosive sound of their early stuff, Demon Steel shows the band crafting songs that are more exciting, memorable, and well-written than anything they’ve done before. The result is a truly fantastic release that’s sure to please everyone from diehard Desaster fans to casual blogreaders just looking for some good fukkin music to distract themselves from all the bullshit out there today. Push play, crank that volume, and BANG YOUR FUKKIN HEADS! Rating: 4.0/5.0 DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3 Label: <a href="https://www.osmoseproductions.com/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Osmose Productions</a> | <a href="https://osmoseproductions.bandcamp.com/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Bandcamp</a> Websites: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Urnofficial/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">facebook.com/urnofficial</a> | <a href="https://www.instagram.com/urnmetal/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">instagram.com/urnmetal</a> Releases Worldwide: March 28th, 2025<a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/2025/" target="_blank">#2025</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/40/" target="_blank">#40</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/aura-noir/" target="_blank">#AuraNoir</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/black-metal/" target="_blank">#BlackMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/children-of-bodom/" target="_blank">#ChildrenOfBodom</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/demon-steel/" target="_blank">#DemonSteel</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/desaster/" target="_blank">#Desaster</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/destroyer-666/" target="_blank">#Destroyer666</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/dissection/" target="_blank">#Dissection</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/finnish-metal/" target="_blank">#FinnishMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/iron-maiden/" target="_blank">#IronMaiden</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/mar25/" target="_blank">#Mar25</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/osmose-productions/" target="_blank">#OsmoseProductions</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/review/" target="_blank">#Review</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/reviews/" target="_blank">#Reviews</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/thrash-metal/" target="_blank">#ThrashMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/urn/" target="_blank">#Urn</a>

Angry Metal Guy<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/sonus-mortis-synapse-the-hivemind-review/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Sonus Mortis – Synapse the Hivemind Review</a>By GrymmEver since I was awoken by the editorial staff here <a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1232580/Knock_on_the_Coffin_Lid/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">rap-tap-tapping on my coffin lid</a> earlier this year, I’ve been 3 for 3 in terms of albums by one-person bands. Completing the hat trick this time around is Sonus Mortis, a prolific death/doom act navigated by one Kevin Byrne, who was originally the bassist for Irish upstarts Valediction before splitting off on his own. His eighth album in 12 years,<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/sonus-mortis-synapse-the-hivemind-review/#fn-214290-1" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">1</a> Synapse the Hivemind sees Byrne tackling personal privacy in a world that’s continuously being overrun by A.I. and the all-seeing eye of the camera. But what interested me was that, despite the output, I’d never heard of Sonus Mortis before, or his claims that Byrne’s band is a mix of death/doom with symphonic black metal elements. So what does that even sound like, both on a musical and conceptual level?Melodeath. It sounds like melodeath. Mind you, that’s not a bad thing at all, especially considering that it sounds a great deal like Andy Gillion-era Mors Principium Est in many ways, right down to the incredible guitar and keyboard leads that Byrne lays down throughout the album. His screams also recall Matt Moss of the dormant-but-much-missed Slugdge, hissing about drones (“Eyes in the Sky”) and the modern working wage (the title track) with venomous intent. Byrne’s got the musical chops to carry his vision to fruition, raging against literal machines and reigniting the passion to win one’s humanity back against technological oligarchies and the need for systemic control.I just wish the same could be said for the songwriting. One of the complaints I have against modern melodeath rests in the fact that if you’ve heard one song on an average melodeath album, you’ve pretty much heard the whole damn thing. Sadly, it applies here, as Synapse suffers from the songs almost using identical tempos, motifs, and patterns from each other. Listening to the whole album in one sitting just feels like a well-practiced and impressively-performed blur of leads and atmosphere, making it hard to differentiate from one song to the next without making a lasting impact. Due to this familiarity and extreme deja vu, 50% of the album’s problems exist here.The other 50% rests in Byrne’s singing voice, which can best be described as an acquired taste. His screams and growls are on-point, and get the blood pumping just right. His cleans, however, do not fit the music at all, either trying for James Hetfield-esque melodrama, complete with Hetfield’s “YEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAH!!!” inflections that pull me out of the game entirely (opener “Biomechanical Horrors”), or aiming to dethrone Mikael Stanne’s haunting croons but whiffing it (the title track and “The Perfect Host”)<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/sonus-mortis-synapse-the-hivemind-review/#fn-214290-2" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">2</a> they act as a stark reminder that if you can’t perform a certain way, you can always seek help from the outside. There’s no shame in doing so.One final bit of advice, and I experienced this personally all-too-recently: the grind mindset. I respect the hustle, I really do. Eight albums in twelve years sounds impressive (and it is), but the factory-like churning of albums causes a negative impact on your art. Slow it down a bit, take time away from what you’re working on (if you can manage), and let your piece breathe a bit. Assess what can be added. What can be taken away? What can be improved upon? Because all these things will benefit not only your music, but you personally. Because while Synapse the Hivemind has some cool ideas and amazing musicianship trapped behind okayish songwriting, I know Byrne and Sonus Mortis are capable of much, much more. Rating: 2.5/5.0 DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 192 kbps mp3 Label: Unsigned/Independent Websites: <a href="https://sonusmortis.bandcamp.com/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Bandcamp</a> | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/sonusmortisband" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Facebook</a> Releases Worldwide: March 27th, 2025<a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/2-5/" target="_blank">#25</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/2025/" target="_blank">#2025</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/independent-unsigned/" target="_blank">#IndependentUnsigned</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/irish-metal/" target="_blank">#IrishMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/mar25/" target="_blank">#Mar25</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/melodic-death-metal/" target="_blank">#MelodicDeathMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/mors-principium-est/" target="_blank">#MorsPrincipiumEst</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/review/" target="_blank">#Review</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/reviews/" target="_blank">#Reviews</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/slugdge/" target="_blank">#Slugdge</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/sonus-mortis/" target="_blank">#SonusMortis</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/synapse-the-hivemind/" target="_blank">#SynapseTheHivemind</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/valediction/" target="_blank">#Valediction</a>

Angry Metal Guy<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/teitanblood-from-the-visceral-abyss-review/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Teitanblood – From the Visceral Abyss Review</a>By Alekhines GunTeitanblood is more kvlt than you. I mean, how many other bands can say their logo was sported on artwork for a Darkthrone album? Since slithering out of nothingness in 2003, one full-length after another have solidified their reputation as one of the prominent peddlers of darkness. Are they bestial death metal? Deathened black metal? Melodic war metal? They don’t care, and don’t care what you call them; they are only here to remind you that in the end, only death is real. With an average release gap of five years, they have arrived after an unprecedented six from previous album The Baneful Choir, with nary a split or demo between releases. Such time tenderizing their newest aural offering has not gone to waste, as this album is from abyssal depths indeed.From the Visceral Abyss offers up a production for which “claustrophobic” doesn’t begin to do it justice. An eldritch paradox of sound, the entirety of the album exists to savage you with razor-sharp riffs which seem to crawl from the ectosplasmic ocean of density and aural obfuscation. The vocals of NSK emerge with reverb-soaked into their pores, transcending “merely” cavernous echoes into wretchedly human tones that fill the air around the listener with menace. The ever-violent drumming of J brings the customary sixteenth-note-styled battering, but also finds pockets to fill during the more ambient, threatening moments of relative calm. “Sepulchral Carrion God” shows this stylistic blending in all its horror, ranging from militant bass drum lashings to creative, engaging cymbal-based beats and on-a-dime time signature shifts. The DR, while not exactly awe-inspiring, allows for the clarity of each instrument to complement and go to war with each other simultaneously, rendering the music a seething, perpetually scathing cauldron of sound.Teitanblood have stated that their approach to songcraft is to “seek the point where death and black metal are not differenced.” Churning, all-out blasting assaults ebb and flow into crushing riffs and back with indecipherable, mercurial transitions. Guitar leads shift between borderline atonal fret-tapping freneticism (“From the Visceral Abuse”) to almost melodic, weeping melodies (“Strangling Visions”), with passages always ready to collapse into the next hazy attack. Some blasts focus on snare abuse, some in double time fills; still others find drums pairing back for guitarist Javi Bastard to violate the listener with weeping whammy bar abuse before sliding into more devastating runs. What would be a bland, uniform tone of violence in the hands of a lesser band is transformed into its own diverse, engaging creature where speed never gives way to homogenization, and repetition is never confused for power.Still, even the ethereal realm is subjected to the might of the riff, and From the Visceral Abyss is no exception. The handful of slower moments allows for some rare tidings of moshable might with groove to rock the shadows themselves. “And Darkness was All” is the most Death-centric song, with a main riff worthy of crushing skulls bookending the blast furnace raging to be found within. Slow half-time chugging comes as a welcome reprieve and lets J show off his rhythmic skills. Additionally, the entirety of the album is meant to be heard as one continuous flow, with atmospherics, ambience, and sounds reminiscent of Spektrs Near Death Experience linking one song to the next before ending on a damned choir of an orchestral note. This is not an album for listener comfort, channeling borderline war-metal straightforwardness into atmospheres that exist to give you plenty of time to breathe, but absolutely never to rest.Teitanblood are the sound of the void staring back into you. A two-tone palette of hazy blasts into a menacing groove should be inherently limited by nature, and yet the abyss continues. Each release explores new pockets of pitch black in the most abandoned of unholy caverns, and From the Visceral Abyss is no exception. This is not an album to consume or enjoy, but to be swallowed up by and surrender to. A singular body of work with riffs for days and horrors for decades, no minute is wasted and no tone gives in to the light. Such a deeply committed portrayal of writhing darkness will be too much for some ears, but those who have drank from the seven chalices will find themselves gleefully at home in this abyss among the baneful choir, with only death for company. Rating: 4.0/5/0 DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 256 kbps mp3 Label: <a href="https://www.noevdia.com/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Norma Evangelium Diaboli</a> Website: <a href="https://teitanblood.bandcamp.com/album/from-the-visceral-abyss" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Album Bandcamp</a> Releases Worldwide: March 28, 2025<a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/40/" target="_blank">#40</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/black-metal/" target="_blank">#BlackMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/darkthrone/" target="_blank">#Darkthrone</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/death-metal/" target="_blank">#DeathMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/from-the-visceral-abyss/" target="_blank">#FromTheVisceralAbyss</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/mar25/" target="_blank">#Mar25</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/norma-evangelium-diaboli/" target="_blank">#NormaEvangeliumDiaboli</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/review/" target="_blank">#Review</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/reviews/" target="_blank">#Reviews</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/spanish-metal/" target="_blank">#SpanishMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/spektr/" target="_blank">#Spektr</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/teitanblood/" target="_blank">#Teitanblood</a>

Angry Metal Guy<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/savage-master-dark-dangerous-review/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Savage Master – Dark & Dangerous Review</a>By KenstrosityI had the pleasure of catching Savage Master live during January’s Heavy Mountain Music Festival. Eight straight hours of killer music, with no duds across the entire bill, played a key role in rekindling my lust for live music after the hurricane tried—and failed—to wash away my spirit. For their part, the Kentucky occult/heavy metal quintet were one of the best acts of the night, brimming with classic crowd-rousing energy and sparkling stage chemistry. However, their reputation for <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/savage-master-myth-magic-steel-review/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">varied</a> <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/savage-master-whips-chains-review/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">reception</a> by our Ape ov Steel on this blog precedes them. Can they recover some devilish grace with upcoming fifth record, Dark & Dangerous?Citing such reference points as <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/cirith-ungol-dark-parade-review/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Cirith Ungol</a>, Bitch, and even <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/saxon-hell-fire-and-damnation-review/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Saxon</a>, not much about Savage Master’s BDSM-based, Satan-seducing approach to heavy metal changed since With Whips and Chains and Myths, Magic & Steel. Guitar and vocal forward, Dark & Dangerous doubles down on catchy riffs, shreddy solos, infectious verses, and sticky choruses delivered with the same occult swagger I love about acts like <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/stuck-in-the-filter-march-2024s-angry-misses/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Saturday Night Satan</a> and <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/avatarium-between-you-god-the-devil-and-the-dead-review/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Avatarium</a>‘s bouncier material. Challenging the status quo of heavy metal at large isn’t on Savage Master’s agenda, but rollicking tracks like “The Edge of Evil” suck you into a hellish party vibe that doesn’t want to let you go until it has your body and soul for itself for all eternity. In other words, Dark & Dangerous is oodles of fun, and it gives the impression that Savage Master has as much, if not more, fun than you.Despite Stacey Savage’s sultry, powerhouse delivery, it is Julian Fried’s and Larry Myer’s dueling axe antics that lock the devil’s seal on Dark & Dangerous. Much to my great joy, their shimmery leads and emphatic solos on record match the sensually charged aura they exuded on stage. Standout tracks in the middle of these tight 38 minutes, “The Edge of Evil,” “Devil’s Child,” and later highlight “When the Twilight Meets the Dawn” showcase their enthusiastic fretwork best. In these, bright and ebullient melodies twist their forked tongues against the scalding flesh of heated solos and trotting riffs such that my attention never wavers from such carnal debauchery. Yet, Savage’s venomous wails and full-bodied belts still ring out with clarity, solidifying her role as the troupe’s merciless dominatrix (“The Edge of Evil,” “Never Ending Fire,” “I Never Wanna Fall in Love”). Adam Neal’s bass guitar offers fun bounce to that low-end counterpoint that juggles rhythmic duties with drummer John W. Littlejohn’s youthful gallops on the kit, maintaining ample momentum to keep Dark & Dangerous from losing any steam (“Never Ending Fire,” “When the Twilight Meets the Dawn”).While it is evident that Savage Master clearly have a ton of fun writing and playing this well-worn variety of heavy metal, as many individual cuts on Dark & Dangerous fade out of memory as those which brand the gray matter for all time. Where bar-crawling rockers “Devil Rock” and “I Never Wanna Fall in Love” maximize the sweet and sticky hooks of 80s hair and glam, solidifying their eternal presence in my mind, other cuts like “Warrior’s Call,” “Black Rider,” and “Screams from the Cellar” fail to make any impression at all. These tracks follow a similar formula as stronger options like “The Edge of Evil,” but distinguishing characteristics or cleverly packaged writing come at a steep premium, squandering any chance of being remembered. Overblown ballad closer “Cold Hearted Death” attempts a slower and more somber number, but it, too, falls flat outside of its powerhouse chorus and satisfying final-third solo.Perhaps most damning of all, at the core, Dark & Dangerous is an extremely simple, by-the-numbers affair. As fun as this record can be in the moment, it’s hard to argue that it competes well against standout contemporaries like <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tower-let-there-be-dark-review/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Tower</a> or Saturday Night Satan in this competitive field. Several cuts off Dark & Dangerous are a shoo-in for any quality heavy metal playlist, but as an album, it’s but another point in the pentagram. Still, Savage Master’s fifth is worth a spin or two for a good time. And if you ever get the chance to see them live, don’t miss! Rating: Mixed DR: 8 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3 Label: <a href="https://shadowkingdomrecords.com/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Shadow Kingdom Records</a> Websites: <a href="http://savagemasterofficial.bandcamp.com" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">savagemasterofficial.bandcamp.com</a> | <a href="http://facebook.com/savagemasterofficial" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">facebook.com/savagemasterofficial</a> Releases Worldwide: March 28th, 2025<a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/2-5/" target="_blank">#25</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/2025/" target="_blank">#2025</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/american-metal/" target="_blank">#AmericanMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/avatarium/" target="_blank">#Avatarium</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/bitch/" target="_blank">#Bitch</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/cirith-ungol/" target="_blank">#CirithUngol</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/dark-dangerous/" target="_blank">#DarkDangerous</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/heavy-metal/" target="_blank">#HeavyMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/mar25/" target="_blank">#Mar25</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/occult-metal/" target="_blank">#OccultMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/review/" target="_blank">#Review</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/reviews/" target="_blank">#Reviews</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/saturday-night-satan/" target="_blank">#SaturdayNightSatan</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/savage-master/" target="_blank">#SavageMaster</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/saxon/" target="_blank">#Saxon</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/shadow-kingdom-records/" target="_blank">#ShadowKingdomRecords</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/tower/" target="_blank">#Tower</a>

Angry Metal Guy<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/kazea-i-ancestral-review/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Kazea – I. Ancestral Review</a>By IcebergKazea hail from Sweden, home of the Björiff and the chainsaw song of the HM2. But on their debut album, I. Ancestral, the Gothenburg trio promise to blend “the power of post-rock, the haunting melodies of neo-folk, and the crushing weight of sludge.” If the mere mention of sludge hasn’t sent you screaming from the room, good, because you’re in for a treat today. I dealt with posty sludge from labelmates <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/besra-transitions-review/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Besra</a> in my n00b days, but throwing neo-folk into the mix puts an unusual spin on the situation. While both styles revel in their simplicity of content, the open soundscapes of folk could provide much-needed contrast against sludge’s distorted chugging. Or it could devolve into a mishmash of styles that don’t share any common language. Whatever the musical case, there’s no denying the gorgeous poetry of Frederico Garcia Lorca in opener “With A Knife:” “Green, how I want you green. Green wind. Green branches. The ship out on the sea. The horse on the mountain.” Color me intrigued.Kazea choose to separate and highlight, rather than amalgamate, their stylistic influences, a gamble that pays off more often than not. Dusky acoustic guitars reminiscent of Gustavo Santaolalla or A Romance With Violence-era Wayfarer lead the folk-inspired sections, evoking untamed, pagan wilderness (“With A Knife,” “A Strange Burial”). The sludge, which forms the backbone of Kazea’s sound, is more Melvins than Mastodon, and a lot of American Scrap-era Huntsmen, with fuzzy guitars and stomping drum patterns (“Whispering Hand,” “Wailing Blood”). Jonas Mattsson’s vocals may be a bit controversial here, with their Billy Corgan-esque nasal quality, but the more I listened to I. Ancestral the more Mattsson’s performance stuck with me. I hear shades of Layne Staley in his scrawling delivery, and while I wasn’t always able to discern the lyrics, his dynamic croon forms the beating heart of the album’s post-metal tunes (“Trenches,” “Seamlessly Woven”).For a band handing in their debut record, Kazea slither and wind their way around 37 minutes with the hallmarks of seasoned songwriters. An air of storytelling pervades the album, with memorable spoken word fragments (“A Little Knife,” “A Strange Burial”) and ambient soundscapes (“The North Passage,” “Seamlessly Woven”) delivering post-metal’s cinematics within a sludge framework. Post-metal swells and crashes à la This Will Destroy You and Isis are found on “Trenches” and “Seamlessly Woven,” and while these are unsurprisingly the longest tracks on the record they handle their duration well, with the latter providing one of the strongest, heart-wrenching choruses I’ve heard all year long. Even “Whispering Hand,” which is something akin to pop sludge, is a radio-ready anthem full of earworms that evokes the better moments of Them Crooked Vultures.I. Ancestral is a promising opening for Kazea’s proposed musical series, and its flaws are few and far between. Daniel Olsson’s drums are powerful, and the groove laid down in “The North Passage” marches in mammoth lockstep with Rasmus Lindbolm’s bass, but the minimalist tribal kick/toms/snare pattern begins to feel a bit overused the longer one listens to the record. “Pale City Skin” and “Wailing Blood” both start strongly but spin their riff wheels a touch too long, giving in to the tendency of both sludge and post-metal to utilize repetition for content. And while a master by Cult of Luna’s Magnus Lindberg is roomy and darkly colorful, the vocal mix does get buried in the busier sections of the album, which is a shame because these constitute some of the best music I. Ancestral has to offer (“Trenches,” “Seamlessly Woven”). But the overall impression of Kazea’s debut beats its blemishes, presenting a stark and unique voice formed from disparate influences.“…with a knife. With a little knife that just fits into the palm.” The chilling denouement of “With A Knife” has stuck with me as I’ve ruminated over I. Ancestral. It neatly encapsulates the album, weaving shadowy, wooded energy into an unlikely combination of post-metal and sludge. The album is smartly edited and easy to pore over multiple times, with repeat listens revealing some standout moments: “Whispering Hand” is a shamelessly fun sludge anthem, and “Seamlessly Woven” is the most emotionally packed closer I’ve heard since The Drowning’s “Blood Marks My Grave.” I think Kazea have knocked it out of the park with this debut, and are on the verge of coalescing their sound into something truly remarkable. Don’t sleep on these guys. Rating: 3.5/5.0 DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3 Label: <a href="http://www.suiciderecords.se/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Suicide Records</a> Website: <a href="http://kazea.bandcamp.com/album/i-ancestral" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Bandcamp</a> Releases Worldwide: March 21st, 2025<a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/2025/" target="_blank">#2025</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/35/" target="_blank">#35</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/gustavo-santaolalla/" target="_blank">#GustavoSantaolalla</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/hunstmen/" target="_blank">#Hunstmen</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/i-ancestral/" target="_blank">#IAncestral</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/isis/" target="_blank">#Isis</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/kazea/" target="_blank">#Kazea</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/mar25/" target="_blank">#Mar25</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/melvins/" target="_blank">#Melvins</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/neo-folk/" target="_blank">#NeoFolk</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/post-metal/" target="_blank">#PostMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/review/" target="_blank">#Review</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/reviews/" target="_blank">#Reviews</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/sludge/" target="_blank">#Sludge</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/suicide-records/" target="_blank">#SuicideRecords</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/swedish-metal/" target="_blank">#SwedishMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/them-crooked-vultures/" target="_blank">#ThemCrookedVultures</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/this-will-destroy-you/" target="_blank">#ThisWillDestroyYou</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/wayfarer/" target="_blank">#Wayfarer</a>

Angry Metal Guy<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tiktaalika-gods-of-pangaea-review/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Tiktaalika – Gods of Pangaea Review</a>By sentynelI must admit, after being really impressed last time, my initial reaction here was “oof.” The last was pretty, subtle, layered with hidden details, and referential yet retaining its own originality. This is much more immediate, heavily retro, and honestly, kinda ugly. I am of course talking about the album art. Compare the <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/gardenstales-top-tenish-album-art-of-2022/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">award-winning cover</a> of Charlie Griffiths’ previous album <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/charlie-griffiths-tiktaalika-review/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Tiktaalika</a> to the art on the newly rebranded Tiktaalika’s Gods of Pangaea. Album art is nothing if not an advertisement of the musical contents, so what does a cover from an 80s thrash band with some detailing referencing the previous record’s theming portend?If you said “Gods of Pangaea will sound like an 80s thrash band with some light prog stylings from the previous record,” congratulations to both you and the artist<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tiktaalika-gods-of-pangaea-review/#fn-214023-1" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">1</a>. This is explicitly an homage to the melodic end of 80s thrash and proto-thrash. The sound is exemplified by Peace Sells-era Megadeth, with some proggy influences a la Mercyful Fate. The riffs go chugga chugga twiddly twiddly and then there’s an even twiddlier guitar solo. The vocals, from a selection of talented guest vocalists, span melodic cleans, shouty thrash vocals, and some harsher styles.<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tiktaalika-gods-of-pangaea-review/#fn-214023-2" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">2</a> If you like that sort of thing, it’s done very well here and this album is for you. Griffiths is clearly having fun and it shows.If you want to stand out from all the other retro bands, and the historical catalogs of all the bands you’re actually referencing, you need some sort of differentiating factor. Fellow purveyors of retro-styled tripe The Night Flight Orchestra have got away with it for so many albums through a mixture of exuberance, stellar songwriting, and developing an identity despite the references. On Gods of Pangaea, the mixture of vocalists works against Tiktaalika, making it difficult to claim any sort of identity. The result feels like a collection of covers of 80s B-sides nobody quite remembers. And while the songs are good, they’re not quite that good. In particular, the guitars dissolve into a primordial soup of thrash genre conventions. It colors so consistently within the lines it’s hard to pick standout riffs or even identify the songs from the guitar parts. The exception is highlight “The Forbidden Zone,” with a slower tempo and more of a driving, insistent feel to the riffs.I mentioned last time that Griffiths is a really good vocal writer/director, and that’s still true here… to a point. The thrash influences have led to some of the singers (particularly Daniël de Jongh) aping Dave Mustaine’s style (“Tyrannicide”, “Give Up the Ghost”), and, look, I like Megadeth, but not for the vocals. When it’s good, though (“The Forbidden Zone,” “Mesozoic Mantras,” both with Vladimir Lalić), there are some excellent choruses. “Fault Lines” (with Rody Walker) is an odd example where, though his mixed and harsh vocals are technically very good, the majority of the song falls a bit flat… but the “suddenly I stand on hallowed ground, and I am waiting for the divine”<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tiktaalika-gods-of-pangaea-review/#fn-214023-3" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">3</a> chorus is by far the catchiest thing on the entire album.Gods of Pangaea successfully does what it sets out to do. It sounds like Megadeth. The songs are good, and occasionally great. There are intensely catchy choruses. It sounds like the band are having fun. It’s an enjoyable listen; I just find it very hard to get excited about something so nakedly backward-looking. The thrash genre conventions in the guitar writing leave me unable to pick any favorite guitar moments, and that’s not a great look for a guitarist’s side project. It’s not rethrash in its most cliched form – there’s more melody and songcraft here than that – but it’s far closer than I’d like. Rating: Mixed DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3 Label: <a href="https://www.insideoutmusic.com" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Inside Out Music</a> Websites: <a href="http://insideoutmusic.bandcamp.com/album/gods-of-pangaea-24-bit-hd-audio" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">insideoutmusic.bandcamp.com</a> | <a href="http://facebook.com/charlie.griffiths.guitarist" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">facebook.com/charlie.griffiths.guitarist</a> Releases Worldwide: March 14th, 2025<a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/2-5/" target="_blank">#25</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/2025/" target="_blank">#2025</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/british-metal/" target="_blank">#BritishMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/charlie-griffiths/" target="_blank">#CharlieGriffiths</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/gods-of-pangaea/" target="_blank">#GodsOfPangaea</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/insideout-music/" target="_blank">#InsideOutMusic</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/mar25/" target="_blank">#Mar25</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/megadeth/" target="_blank">#Megadeth</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/mercyful-fate/" target="_blank">#MercyfulFate</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/progressive-metal/" target="_blank">#ProgressiveMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/review/" target="_blank">#Review</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/reviews/" target="_blank">#Reviews</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/thrash-metal/" target="_blank">#ThrashMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/tiktaalika/" target="_blank">#Tiktaalika</a>

Angry Metal Guy<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/la-torture-des-tenebres-episode-vii-revenge-of-unfailing-valor-review/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">La Torture des Ténèbres – Episode VII – Revenge of Unfailing Valor Review</a>By Dear HollowLa Torture des Ténèbres, in spite of the sadistic propensity for aural flaying, offers a unique voice in black metal. A one-woman show with an aesthetic evoking dystopian urban shimmer, decopunk, classic science fiction, and the space age, it conjures images of glittering mile-high cities built on the backs of the impoverished, brave women overcoming the adversity of the stars, the sneaking static cutting through a dictator’s commands through the radio, the jazzy bombasts of the elite’s decadent galas – and the loneliness of it all. There is no overselling just how noisy and jarring this act’s sound is on the ears, but lone mastermind JK has concocted a trademark stew that makes it stand out in nearly every way. Episode VII arrives a mere five months after its predecessor, expressing a fusion of its aesthetics.Episode VII – Revenge of Unfailing Valor deals in a sound that retains La Torture des Ténèbres’ signature style, the vicious rawness and lonely melodic tremolo leads while fusing its two aesthetic influences. 2016 began with the formidably raw and ambient spacefaring canon of Choirs of Emptiness and Acadian Nights,<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/la-torture-des-tenebres-episode-vii-revenge-of-unfailing-valor-review/#fn-213887-1" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">1</a> but was reinterpreted by the more dystopian Civilization is the Tomb of Our Noble Gods, which set the tone for the following releases up to <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/la-torture-des-tenebres-v-the-lost-colony-of-altar-vista-things-you-might-have-missed-2024/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">last year’s</a> V and The Lost Colony of Altar Vista. In this way, Episode VII – Revenge of Unfailing Valor blends these two themes, dystopian civilizations set amongst the stars, its vast colonies and glorious cities plagued by inequality, sexism, and the hive mind’s whims.La Torture des Ténèbres lives up to Revenge of Unfailing Valor’s description (“VOLITIONAL EXPLOITATION // SMOULDERING HIVES”) by channeling its trademark melodic template and ambient sensibilities into a fuller sound that amps violence while hinting at a tragic heart beneath machinelike mania. Its trademark is intact: the rawness and utter saturation of rawness is ubiquitous, as even its more placid moments of lonely melodies are scathing. However, one distinction is melodic motifs that tie the album into one cohesive whole: an ascending jazzy synth run (“Vast Black Claws Drag Her Back to Space,” “Metropolitan Warfare,” “Out of All the Years We’ve Come…”) and sanguine synth melodies (“The Second Piscean Abyss,” “Angels”). As always, this is communicated through the ebb and flow of three prongs of scathing second-wave blasting/tremolo/shrieking, lonely tremolo, and distorted vintage samples. This arsenal and dynamic are as intriguing as they are jarring, samples and melodies inviting comparisons to classic science fiction (“Vast Black Claws…,” “The Second Piscean Abyss”) and the roarin’ twenties worship of decopunk (“Breathe in the Fucking Sawdust and Die,” “Yes But Can a Camp Girl Do This”). The first act in particular utilizes a bombast of violent second-wave rawness in contrast with an over-the-top sample presence. A grandiosity pervades in a way that recalls predecessor V, but La Torture des Ténèbres‘ fuller sound adds to the assault – tinnitus is guaranteed.The second half of Episode VII finds La Torture des Ténèbres taking risks – the samples are fewer, the melodies are far more tragic and empty, and there is rest to be found. The brutal mid-album climax in “The Second Piscean Abyss” allows for reinterpretation for “Metropolitan Warfare” and beyond, trademark and motifs carrying across in emptier and more tragic melodies and moments (i.e. the release of all sound but tinny tremolo and blastbeats in “Traditions” and total collapses into noise in “Out of All the Years…”). This reinforces the need for bulletproof songwriting rather than reliance on samples and jarring movements to do the heavy lifting, and JK is up to the task. “Angels” is placed perfectly, its minimalist, distorted, and aptly angelic sample providing rest for the weary ears – for the first time in La Torture des Ténèbres’ career.La Torture des Ténèbres will not sway any naysayers of raw black or blackened noise. In fact, many will point to their ringing ears or pinched nerves<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/la-torture-des-tenebres-episode-vii-revenge-of-unfailing-valor-review/#fn-213887-2" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">2</a> and say “See??” after Episode VII concludes with the noise fadeout of “Out of All the Years…”. Those who are willing to endure will find treasures aplenty, an opus of hyper-atmospheric, excessively noisy, and endlessly tragic melodies and motifs. Episode VII – Revenge of Unfailing Valor sweeps you away to a universe yet to be explored; but even in the dead vacuum of space or within mankind’s hive-mind colonies, you can’t escape your humanity. Rating: 4.0/5.0 DR: 4 | Format Reviewed: PCM Label: Self-Released Website: <a href="http://latorturedestenebres.bandcamp.com" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">latorturedestenebres.bandcamp.com</a> Releases Worldwide: March 7th, 2025<a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/2025/" target="_blank">#2025</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/40/" target="_blank">#40</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/ambient-black-metal/" target="_blank">#AmbientBlackMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/ambient-noise/" target="_blank">#AmbientNoise</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/atmospheric-black-metal/" target="_blank">#AtmosphericBlackMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/canadian-metal/" target="_blank">#CanadianMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/chaosophia/" target="_blank">#Chaosophia</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/episode-vii-revenge-of-unfailing-valor/" target="_blank">#EpisodeVIIRevengeOfUnfailingValor</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/la-torture-des-tenebres/" target="_blank">#LaTortureDesTénèbres</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/mar25/" target="_blank">#Mar25</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/noise/" target="_blank">#Noise</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/raw-black-metal/" target="_blank">#RawBlackMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/review/" target="_blank">#Review</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/reviews/" target="_blank">#Reviews</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/self-released/" target="_blank">#SelfReleased</a>

Angry Metal Guy<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/aran-angmar-ordo-diabolicum-review/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Aran Angmar – Ordo Diabolicum Review</a>By Alekhines GunThe first time I gave Ordo Diabolicum, the third album from international outfit Aran Angmar, a full listen, I was in the car, ruing an upcoming 12-hour day at work. The sun beat down with mockery, telling me I should be at the beach. The skyline shimmered in radiant beauty, while the birds sang songs about how every day was a day off when you’re unemployed. Suddenly, the absolute bejeebus was scared out of me as an ambulance went screaming by, sirens blasting and throttle abused to such a melodic cacophony that I watched in atypical enthrallment as it careened between the traffic ahead and disappeared behind the second star to the right. Glancing down, I noticed the name of the song escorting the ambulance towards its destination: “Chariots of Death.” I can’t say how much that experience colored my perception of the album, but I can say is this: Aran Angmar delivered an absolute tooth-and-claw-covered beast of a record that is not to be missed.The Ordo of Diabolicum is immediacy. Across eight tracks, Aran Angmar unleash more hooks than a fisherman’s erotica, with melodic runs, choruses, and catchiness to flay eardrums and boil blood. Eschewing the more tinny, underproduced sound of second wave in favor of a much more immediate, thicccboi Hellenic sound, every cut hits with fist-pumping flair. Using the riff game of older Uada with the vocal stylings of a much more death-inclined band, Aran Angmar offers up an album that, serious artwork aside, sounds far less inclined to the darkness and more bent towards sacrifice and courage. Moments ranging from the vaguely pirate metal crowd calling bop in “Hêlēl ben-Šaḥar”<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/aran-angmar-ordo-diabolicum-review/#fn-213807-1" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">1</a> to the enticingly heavy carrion splattering chug fest of the title track “Ordo Diabolicum” usher listeners from one slab of glory to another, each delivered with flair and flourish.Enhancing Ordo Diabolicum is a heavy bent towards Mediterranean and Nordic instrumentation and texture. Surprisingly, this doesn’t come off as a cheap gimmick, but instead lends the choruses and hooks their own flavor. Kickoff track “Dungeons of the Damned” rocks a clean vocal wail of a line<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/aran-angmar-ordo-diabolicum-review/#fn-213807-2" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">2</a> which has no right to be as infectious as it is, lifting an already mighty chorus to new heights. “Aeon Ablaze” tinkers with Nile-style interludes by way of modern Mystifier ritualistic chants. “Primordial Fire” boasts a host of guest instruments<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/aran-angmar-ordo-diabolicum-review/#fn-213807-3" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">3</a> which transitions into a bounce reminiscent of Labyrinthus Stellarum doing a folk metal cover. This commitment to diverse instrumentation beyond a mere contrivance for an easy tune pays massive dividends and keeps track after track refreshing and engaging.All of this would be for naught if the album sounded wack. Mercifully, Aran Angmar avoid such a pitfall, with each performance on Ordo Diabolicum sounding crisp and sharp. The vocals of Lord Abagor are nasty, opting for an unusually guttural approach with a double-tracked higher shriek, channeling the swagger of Amon Amarth (particularly in closing song “Vae Victis”) with the menace of Immolation. Guitar lines from Mahees are piercing and rapturous, with clean tones erupting from hazy blasted trems. Leads are gorgeous and triumphant, with harmonized melodies in “Chariots of Fire” and a beautiful solo in “Hêlēl ben-Šaḥar” standing tall among a litany of sing-along worthy licks and highlights. Alessandro Cupi’s drums are well placed; while never doing anything out of the ordinary, they come with thunder and thunk, adding heft and weight without ever overpowering the music on display.We’ve arrived at the concluding paragraph, and I suddenly realize I’ve yet to heap scorn on much of anything. I suppose if I squint a bit, some of the atmospheric interludes don’t need to be as long as they are. The intro to “Crown of the Gods” sounds like a bit of an anticlimax compared to the rest of the album’s attention-gathering intros. And yet, I’m not sure I truly believe such ideas. Every time I’ve spun this album I’ve been left with a big dorky grin on my face, invisible oranges clutched firmly in bent palms, utterly and inarguably smitten. Aran Angmar have unleashed an album that has been an absolute joy to listen to, and a first contender for my end-of-year list. Get in on the Ordo while you can. Rating: 4.0/5.0 DR: 5 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3 Label: <a href="https://www.soulsellerrecords.com/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Soulseller Records</a> Websites: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/aranangmar" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">facebook.com/aranangmar</a> | <a href="https://soulsellerrecords.bandcamp.com/album/ordo-diabolicum" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Bandcamp</a> Releases Worldwide: March 21st, 2025<a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/2025/" target="_blank">#2025</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/40/" target="_blank">#40</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/amon-amarth/" target="_blank">#AmonAmarth</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/aran-angmar/" target="_blank">#AranAngmar</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/black-metal/" target="_blank">#BlackMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/immolation/" target="_blank">#Immolation</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/international-metal/" target="_blank">#InternationalMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/labrinthus-stellarum/" target="_blank">#LabrinthusStellarum</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/mar25/" target="_blank">#Mar25</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/mystifier/" target="_blank">#Mystifier</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/nile/" target="_blank">#Nile</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/ordo-diabolicum/" target="_blank">#OrdoDiabolicum</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/review/" target="_blank">#Review</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/reviews/" target="_blank">#Reviews</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/soulseller-records/" target="_blank">#SoulsellerRecords</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/uada/" target="_blank">#Uada</a>

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