Mind over Metal

Review : IMMOLITH — “StormDragon”

Longo@MindOverMetal.org (MetalMattLongo) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 16:26:43 +0000

Rating: 4/5 … 'StormDragon' has a strange balance of traditional black metal production quality and inventive melodic modernity, utilizing both progressive harmony and a few heavy metal hooks.

Review : ALCEST — “Les Voyages De L’Âme”

Longo@MindOverMetal.org (MetalMattLongo) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 16:29:44 +0000

Rating: 4.5/5 … "…[M]ore of what you would expect from Alcest: that droning shoegaze place caught between joy and melancholy. The vocals are wondrous and mellow. You might think the drums would fall to the background like they do with a lot of post-black metal, but they're way up there, produced well, and dynamically engaging." ~Breath of Mozym

Interview : Neige (ALCEST)

Longo@MindOverMetal.org (MetalMattLongo) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 08:51:19 +0000

Neige is the mind behind Alcest—a French band birthed in black metal, but whose wings have broadened beyond its fledgeling origins. Read about the personal vessel that is Alcest, how significant is nostalgia through his creation, and the development of 'Les Voyages de l'Âme'.

Limerick Review : LAMB OF GOD – ‘Resolution’

Longo@MindOverMetal.org (MetalMattLongo) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 20:52:33 +0000

Rating: 3/5 … Mind over Metal Limerick 37

Review : NIGHTWISH – “Imaginaerum”

Longo@MindOverMetal.org (MetalMattLongo) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 19:29:09 +0000

Rating: 3.5/5 … Hooks hold fast, melodies are memorable, and Nightwish is learning how to transform into this new band they aspire to be. A gradual metamorphosis for sure, this feels like an awkward phase that would have benefitted from editing.

Review : NEPHELIUM – “Coils of Entropy”

Longo@MindOverMetal.org (MetalMattLongo) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 00:31:25 +0000

Rating: 3.5/5 … While Nephelium should ultimately devise a more unique attack with creative weaponry, this is still a deadly first strike.

Mastodon and Red Fang at Sentrum Scene in Oslo, Norway

Longo@MindOverMetal.org (MetalMattLongo) — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 20:16:45 +0000

When I found out that the mighty Mastodon was set to do a club gig in Oslo, I lept into action immediately and got hold of a ticket. I've never had the pleasure of seeing the band in a smaller venue as they've preferred bigger gigs when they've visited these shores; festivals like Roskilde, Hove, Norwegian Wood, and support slots on tours like Unholy Alliance.

What Stays on MetalMattLongo’s iPod

Longo@MindOverMetal.org (MetalMattLongo) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 22:22:17 +0000

As Metal Director/DJ at WRUV, plus owner of this website, I get sent a metric shit ton of new music every year. I was once able to house my entire MP3 collection on a 160 GB iPod Classic, but as the inevitable digital shift progressed, my virtual library grew exponentially.

THE DEVIL’S BLOOD Interview with SL in Which Satan is Not Discussed

Longo@MindOverMetal.org (MetalMattLongo) — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 04:13:31 +0000

Yeah, that's a bald-faced lie… but everything else in this interview is wicked sincere. Through harrowing tribulation and self-discovery, Selim feels his work now serves a higher purpose. Read about this evolution, the doctrines of Satanism that interest him, what it means to express himself through music, and true feelings about egocentrism and occult rock poseurs.

On ‘Post-’, ‘Djent’, and Genre

Longo@MindOverMetal.org (MetalMattLongo) — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 20:12:58 +0000

So Cole and Brad got my gears turning, but then I remembered—as annoying as the mushrooming chthonic categories and subterranean subgenres can be, they're often necessary.

Cole Dougherty’s Top 10 of 2011 (+2 Bonus Reviews)

Longo@MindOverMetal.org (MetalMattLongo) — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 07:47:53 +0000

Cole not only hits us with his Top 10, but also includes reviews of All Pigs Must Die 'God is War' and Textures 'Dualism'.

Willie Strausser’s Top 10 of 2011

Longo@MindOverMetal.org (MetalMattLongo) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 18:18:05 +0000

Willie's rundown actually has a few great titles we never fully reviewed, plus a little PS with honorable mentions and non-Metal favorites.

Breath Of Mozym’s Top 5 Black Metal Albums of 2011

Longo@MindOverMetal.org (MetalMattLongo) — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 07:16:14 +0000

The Breath of Mozym utters his infernal list for the tenebrous masses.