Two Guys Metal Reviews

Roger That - Flashback Fever

2024-11-10T16:01:00.002-05:00

This is a fun one. Roger That's new album, Flashback Fever is a hard rocking album full of attitude. With big guitars, punchy songwriting and some big fat riffs, it's hard not to enjoy what Roger That bring to the table here. Clearly enamored with their influences, Roger That seamlessly drift from musically referencing everything from Bob Dylan to Thin Lizzy by way of James Brown. I'm not sure if I ever understood the phrase 'With gusto' before listening to this record, because if nothing else, Roger That has a LOT of gusto.

The melange is tried and true, and Roger That deliver on this classic mix with aplomb. It's funny, heavy and bizarrely addictive. Song topics range from pants to sex museums with a little bit of everything in between. This is by no means a comedy record, but Flashback Fever is certainly a record that will make you feel good. Roger That get the swagger that rock and roll needs to have, and while it may be over the top at times, it makes the record that much more delightful.

The guitar playing on this record particularly strikes me as special. The tasteful melodic lines cut nicely between vocal passages. The punchy riffing and arpeggiated rhythms draws you into a unique soundworld that is wholly their own. It makes the whole record feel like classic rock, even if some of the production roots the record firmly in 2024. Roger That are a blast to really get stuck in with, if you're looking for a rock band who understand the magic of the seventies without completely aping the decade, this is for you. And after all, how many rock songs are about pants?

Get the album!

https://teepeerecords.com/collections/frontpage/products/roger-that-flashback-fever-lp-yellow-vinyl-out-10-25-24

Aara - Eiger

2024-11-06T09:36:00.005-05:00

Aara are an interesting band emerging from Switzerland. Their brand of crippling black metal is wonderfully bleak, unapologetic and leans into some of the darkest visions of the genre. Their new record, Eiger is executed with aplomb. It's a record that understands the core of the genre, which blazes forward consistently and which seems to effortlessly understand some of the darkest and most potent visions that this genre can conjure up. It's hard not to be enamored with the vision they present here - in many ways a very familiar one for black metallers across the globe.

But it's not just the tremolo picking and blast beats that allow this Markus Stock produced masterpiece to shine. Aara is a remarkable record for how it shows the evolution and development of the band over the last 6 records. Averaging a record a year since 2018, Aara continue to tell dark stories and unveil bitter visions. It's hard not to lose yourself in the darkness of these visions and the elegance of the execution. This is black metal done with aplomb, haunting, gnarled and teeth gnashing precision. Let yourself get lost in the gorgeous production and well rounded songwriting when this thing drops next month.

Pre-order the album!

https://aara.bandcamp.com/music

Zombina And The Skeletones - The Call Of Zombina

2024-10-24T10:51:00.003-04:00

I don't write nearly enough about horror punk on this blog even though it is a truly great and storied genre. Which is why I was so stoked when I got the promo for the new album from Zombina And The Skeletones, The Call Of Zombina. This is a record that perfectly encapsulates so much of the fun of the genre. This is a record that seems to consistently go above and beyond. It's a record that is fun, creepy and a little bit over the top. The best part is though you can hear exactly how much fun the band members are having as they play. It's all we have grown to love about Zombina And the Skeletones over the years distilled into a cutting new album.

There is a wonderful and persistent charisma to the music of Zombina And The Skeletones. The songs sit nicely in the 80s horror punk idiom, never trying to be extreme or alienating. Instead this record is the perfect soundtrack to your next Halloween party. These songs are spooky and delivered with verve. Anthemic and delivered with a ghoulish smile, The Call Of Zombina is a record that will delight for spin after spin. The musical performances are tight too - overshadowing some of the stripped back production. This isn't a fancy album, but rather one that is a blast and which nicely calls back to the very DIY roots of the genre.

Let yourself get lost in Zombina And The Skeletones haunted mansion. The ringing organs, punchy guitars and addictive vocals will keep your Halloween party going through the night. If you were looking for a scarily good time this spooky season then The Call Of Zombina is the perfect album for you. Get lost in the magic. The band has found a way to build on one of the most legendary catalogs in horror punk and this latest offering only moves the needle forward.

Pre-order the album:

https://zombinaandtheskeletones.bandcamp.com/

Old Forest - Graveside

2024-10-23T09:07:00.003-04:00

Old Forest have become one of the UK's longest running black metal projects. 26 years and eight albums into their career they are still delivering some of their best material to date. This new record Graveside is some of their best work to date. It's a record that embraces the more rough and ready old school magic of the early 90s black metal scene and which doesn't worry about perfectly produced offerings. Instead there is a sense here that the band is trying to get back to the youthful core of the genre, with songs that are burgeoning with life and new possibility. This record sees the band executing at a whole new level and thrilling with a vision that is triumphantly atavistic.

This is the best sort of tribute to the old days of the genre. The group clearly draws from acts like Emperor and Enslaved in order to create something that is deeply engaging and anthemic, that feels like it could have come out in 1992. Old Forest haven't gotten lost in the modern trappings of the genre, instead they have gone back, dug deeper and tried to unveil a layer of madness that few of the bands peers can really lean into. This is a record that perfectly nails the old school side of the genre and it's hard not to be enamored with the larger than life war cries, melodic guitars and buzzing guitars.

Pre-order your copy:

https://soulsellerrecords.bandcamp.com/album/graveside

Destruktor - Indomitable

2024-10-17T17:17:00.001-04:00

Destruktor are one of Australia's longest running underground metal projects. The bands output is understated to say the least, with only 3 albums across a nearly thirty year career. Yet for those of us who are dedicated to the scene, each record, compilation, demo or split from the band is like a rare treasure. Indomitable is no different, this is muscular, exciting and triumphantly executed blackened death metal that speaks to the talents that Destruktor have honed over their many years of black metal bitterness and unadulterated misery.

This is a deeply personal record, digging into the concept of death and forcing us to stare it in the face. There is something strangely thrilling about such a personal record and Indomitable forces us to come to terms with our mortality again and again. Indomitable is a terrifying and strange offering, one leaning heavily on blast beats and tremolo picked guitars to unveil layers of chaos and misery. This isn't a record for the faint of heart, but if blackened death metal is your thing - then this is going to drag you deep into the abyss.

Pre-order the album!

https://shop-hellsheadbangers.com/item.asp?PID=124257

Living Gate - Suffer As One

2024-10-16T07:31:00.003-04:00

This is a crusher. When I first found out about Living Gate I was stoked. It's a death metal band featuring members of Yob, Amenra, Oathbreaker and Wiegedood. For a certain type of fan this is an extremely big deal. I am that type of fan. Suffer As One is an impressive and gnarled release. This is an incredibly tight death metal album very much in the vein of stuff like Gorguts. It's technical, tightly written and endlessly exciting. These aren't songs for the faint of heart but rather those of us who really want to dig into punishingly pointed death metal insanity.

Suffer As One is a dense release. It's a record without a wasted note, and yet within there is a maelstrom of sound, every note getting more and more crippling and unforgiving. This is what death metal is done right, where it's twisted, high powered and decidedly underground. It's incredibly satisfying to have a record that feels so intensely introverted and uncompromising. Unlike most supergroups this project isn't worried about winking back at the band members main projects. It's about creating art that is bitter, unrelenting and determined to rip your goddamn face off. Angular, muscular and simply unapologetic, Suffer As One is exactly the sort of grime you love.

Living Gate have crafted something demented here and it's hard not to be enamored with what they have granted us. This is death metal that goes for the throat and drinks your blood. It's death metal that isn't afraid to show the world exactly how twisted this music can be when done right. It's death metal that leaves you begging for more. I desperately hope this isn't a one off project but rather one that leans into the abyss that the members have created, something tells me there is so much delectable darkness to come.

Pre-order the album!

https://livinggate.bandcamp.com/album/suffer-as-one

Gorgon - For Those Who Stay

2024-10-15T11:08:00.002-04:00

Unrelenting and unrepentant - such has been the magic of Gorgon for over thirty years. This band is one of the core French black metal acts and their upcoming album, For Those Who Stay is some of their most acerbic work to date. It's hard not to be thrilled by the devastating churn and unrelenting, bizarrely macabre charm of this new album. Wrapping up a trilogy of albums that started with 2019's The Veil Of Darkness, Gorgon find a way to consistently melt your face off for the 11 bloodthirsty tracks that have come to define this album.

For Those Who Stay charms because of its outright stench of evil. Songs like "Despicable Beggars" are blasting paeans to suffering. The tremolo picked firestorm and unrelenting assault that the band brings to the table across For Those Who Stay is delectable and speaks to a group who have a deeper understanding of the genre. It's the kind of understanding that only comes after you've been doing this for a third of a century. Suffice it to say - 7 albums into their career, Gorgon remain great. This is black metal done with a deeper, thrilling understanding of the genre and it's hard to pull yourself away from the devastating and blasphemous vision that Gorgon bring.

Pre-order the album!

http://bit.ly/gorgon-shop

Bloodmoon Eclipse - For I Am Your Death

2024-10-13T12:23:00.002-04:00

One of the things that I find really interesting about Norwegian black metal is how even with a relatively minimalist format bands have found ways to make the early 90's sound their own for over 30 years now. Such is the magic of Bloodmoon Eclipse, whose new record, For I Am Your Death is a tremolo picked journey through a blizzard. This is black metal done right, with vision, aplomb and a desire to make you suffer. It's easy to get lost in the monolithic wall of sound that Bloodmoon Eclipse bring to the table on For I Am Your Death and to be enamored with the bleak vision they portray for us.

Monochromatic and uncompromising, Bloodmoon Eclipse is firmly rooted in the influence of bands like Darkthrone and Gorgoroth. While For I Am Your Death is not reinventing the steel by any stretch of the imagination, what they are doing is presenting cripplingly powerful and delectable black metal devastation. The blazing attack of the band is addictive and their dedication to the old ways immeasurable. It's hard not to be charmed by the unrelenting assault that Bloodmoon Eclipse bring to the table and I for one am eager to delve into future releases.

Pre-order the album!

https://www.purity-through-fire.com/

Mugger - Luck Forever

2024-10-11T09:55:00.001-04:00

It's interesting to se the current wave of hardcore where there is little, if no understanding of classic punk from an era well before blast beats and break downs. So it's refreshing to hear a band who really get that and bring it to the fore without coming off as burnt out old guys. The end result is Mugger, whose new album Luck Forever is blasting, abrasive and a ton of fun to sink your teeth into. This is punk rock done right, with a deep understanding of the genre and a sneer on the faces of everyone executing on it... and it rules.

Luck Forever impresses because of the pointed nature of the sound. From the first track Mugger establish exactly who they are and what they sound like and then they stun you time and time again with some of the most impressive executions on vintage punk and hardcore sounds that I have heard in a good long while. Mugger understand the inherent magic of the genre and it's hard not to be charmed by the crushing speed punk sorcery that they bring to the table. With washed out vocals and massive waves of distortion threatening to overwhelm everything else, Luck Forever showcases a band who are wholly their own, exciting and unrelenting.

Grab a copy of the album today!

https://quietpanic.net/collections/mugger

The Mist From The Mountains - Portal - The Gathering of Storms

2024-10-10T14:47:00.001-04:00

Now this is an excellent album. Portal - The Gathering Of Storms is a potent and gorgeous melodic atmospheric black metal album. The second full length from The Mist From The Mountains sees the band taking their music to potent new levels with incredible vocal layers, gorgeous guitars and songwriting that ensconces you in a potent journey from beginning to end. This is melodic black metal done right, transcendent, exciting and gorgeous in its execution. It's hard to pull yourself away from a record like this that simply gives the listeners so much to sink their teeth into.

Portal - The Gathering Of Storms is a record that showcases just how much color can be brought into the world of black metal. There is a truly exciting vision behind what the band has done here and the breadth of the work makes for a record that you're going to get lost in time and time again. There is a deeper understanding of the genre showcased with this record. The Mist From The Mountains understand the elegant beauty of black metal and they execute on it time and time again. This is what black metal has always been meant to be and The Mist From The Mountains are executing with aplomb.

Pre-order the album:

https://www.primitivereaction.com/item/the_mist_from_the_mountains-portal_-_the_gathering_of---lp

Molder - Catastrophic Reconfiguration

2024-10-09T08:24:00.003-04:00

Ok - this might be some of the best old school Death worship that I have heard in a long time. If you told me that the songs off of Molder's new album, Catastrophic Reconfiguration were long lost Leprosy era Death b sides I'd almost believe you. While Molder certainly do have a few modern fringes, it's the old school vibes that really help to make them such a special band. These guys execute on their classic sound with aplomb and it's hard not to have a blast as they go rip roaring through your imagination with rager after rager.

What's refreshing about this album is that Molder have worked hard to craft well written songs. There are big choruses, exciting climaxes and flashy solos that drive the whole thing forward. Rather than leaning into the contemporary death metal tendency to kind of beat you over the head with riffs and brutality, Molder pull back on the heaviness in order to unleash something that is crushing in its own right. This is death metal delivered on a different pace and in a different way from so many of the bands peers and the end result will leave you gasping for air.

Catastrophic Reconfiguration is the sound of a band unveiling endless and relentless crushing filth. It's death metal done right in the grand old style with plenty of moments to get you raising your fist and banging your head. If you like Death, then this is going to be your album. (Also puns, "Nothing Left To Ooze" is a god tier death metal song title.) Grab this thing when hits shelves in just under a month. It's a ripper.

Pre-order the album here:

Repuked - Club Squirting Blood

2024-10-07T10:23:00.004-04:00

With a name like Repuked, it's gotta be good. Suffice it to say every once in a while a band hits my inbox whose name basically forces me to listen to them. Repuked was one such band. Suffice it to say their upcoming album, Club Squirting Blood basically sounds how you would imagine it too. It's crushing, weird and devastating death metal that refuses to compromise or do anything that sounds remotely mainstream. Instead they prioritize sick riff after sick riff after sick riff leaving listeners begging for more. This isn't death metal for the faint of heart.

Song titles like "Dark Purge Fluid" and "Stench Inhaler" give you a sense of what this band is about. They're offensive and proud of it, like some sort of conservative mothers' nightmare of what death metal is. But that's exactly what makes it so goddamn compelling and fun! After all who doesn't love a good "BLECH"? Repuked understand the vile beauty of death metal and it's hard to drag yourself away from their abrasive and over the top sounds. These songs are stripped to the core and wonderfully twisted. What more could you want from the carnage?

Pre-order the album here:

https://soulsellerrecords.bandcamp.com/album/club-squirting-blood

Anomalie - Riverchild

2024-10-06T14:09:00.002-04:00

Anomalie have long been one of my favorite bands germinating in the black metal underground. Of course - anyone who knows anything about this band wouldn't categorize them as purely atmospheric black metal at all. In fact, their new album Riverchild feels more like a dark rock album than anything else. The band has found unique and exciting ways to present their work and elevate their craft to bold new heights. It's hard not to get excited about what's been presented here and Anomalie's capacity to transcend expectation with gorgeous compositions that you can't help but to get lost in.

Riverchild is a potent, brooding and in many ways magical feeling record. This is an album that has a clear and gorgeous understanding of what heavy music can be when done right. It's hard not to be enamored with the visions that Anomalie paint for us here. This is music that isn't focused on aggression or despair, but rather something that feels more transcendent, a sense of beauty and emotional depth that resonates with the days of our lives. Anomalie have always emphasized a sense of dynamism in their work that few of their peers can compare too. It feels like this album sees them doing that at a much higher level than ever before.

This is a thrilling album and one that I think I'll be coming back too a good bit. Even as the first song "Mother Of Stars" reaches its closing notes you get the sense that you have been pulled into something larger than yourself. It's this beauty that keeps me addicted and curious for more from Anomalie, a band who have never feared to go their own way and leave the rest of us enamored with the scope of their vision.

Pre-order the album!

https://artofpropaganda.bandcamp.com/album/riverchild

Vafurlogi - Í vökulli áþján

2024-10-03T09:13:00.006-04:00

Now this is an interesting one. Vafurlogi is the brainchild of Þórir Garðarsson, perhaps better known for his work in Sinmara and Svartidaudi. Now with the end of Svartidaudi, he has thrown himself back into bring the masterful, long simmering work of Vafurlogi into the word. The result is a thrilling debut album, Í vökulli áþján that potently brings together various layers of what makes Icelandic black metal so good and shows the songwriting going in new and unexpected directions for an intense and immersive listening experience.

Í vökulli áþján impresses because of the breadth and vision behind the songwriting. These are songs that are able to hint at atmospheric black metal but also embrace more raw and apocalyptic visions. Yet there's so much more to this release, from the thoughtful melodicism to the unyielding heaviness. Vafurlogi has found a path that is distinctly their own which can't help but to thrill listeners and leave them curious to delve one layer deeper into what is being offered here. Even after a few listens I haven't had quite enough of this sorcery.

Pre-order the album!

https://www.noevdia.com/product/vafurlogi-i-vokulli-athjan-lp/

Bütcher - On Fowl Of Tyrant Wing

2024-10-02T10:33:00.003-04:00

Bütcher have been one of my favorite bands to explode on the speed metal scene in recent years. Their sound is over the top satanic, unrelenting and generally a testament to the magic of the genre when performed at the highest possible level. This is what speedy black metal should be about and On Fowl Of Tyrant Wing proves that Bütcher remain one of the best doing it today. There is something infectious and exciting about this record that few of the bands peers can live up too and it's hard not to fall in love with the apocalyptic and chaotic magic of what's being done here.

On Fowl Of Tyrant Wing shines because of the commitment to the subgenre, unwavering and exciting. This is a band who understand in their DNA what blackened speed metal is supposed to be and they deliver it with flashy guitar solos, blasting drums and high powered vocals. The end result is a record you're going to want to dive back into time and time again. Seriously, how can you not love an album that kicks off a guitar break with the call out "Evil Metal!"? This is a crusher, even if it's not the best produced or most genre breaking release. Instead it's true metal for people who love Vulture, Bewitcher and Agent Steel.

This album drops in just a few weeks and it's a speedy death trap. If you're looking for riffs search no further. On Fowl Of Tyrant Wing is unrepentant, heavy and a whole load of fun. It's been 4 years since the last album and it's clear that this was 4 years well spent in order to create another fitting chapter in the unrelenting sonic assault that makes Bütcher such a special sonic force in a way that few of their peers could ever claim.

Pre-order the album!

http://bit.ly/butcher-webstore

Mother of Graves - The Periapt Of Absence

2024-09-24T08:32:00.001-04:00

It feels to me at least that doom metal is finally starting to have a bit of a resurgence. After years where it had disappeared almost entirely from the limelight, the genre seems to once more be capturing the imaginations of fans across the globe with a whole crop of exciting new bands. Perhaps chief among them are the masterful Mother Of Graves. Their new new album, The Periapt Of Absence is doom metal done right. It's epic, sorrowful and strangely beautiful, indicating this is a band who fundamentally understand what makes the genre work.

Mother Of Graves immaculate blending of funeral doom with more contemporary ideas is deeply compelling. The larger than life melodies and doomed vocals draw you into a unique sound world where Mothers Of Graves are king. There is something utterly undeniable about the minor key threnodies and the scope of the work here. This is a record that understands the magic of doom metal and finds a way to tug at my heart strings the same way Pallbearer did all those years ago when I was first falling in love with the genre. But not only that, The Periapt Of Absence is a clear step forward for Mother Of Graves as a band, doubling down on their early promise and proving that they are a head and shoulders above so many of their peers.

Ther Periapt Of Absence is a truly great album and a potent statement of what makes doom great in 2024. The performances here are transcendent, beautiful and showcase a deep understanding of all that is doomed that came before, from Black Sabbath and Blue Cheer to Woods of Ypres and Subrosa. Mother Of Graves have gone above and beyond with this release to show they are modern day masters of the craft. It's hard not to be impressed with this large scope and transcendent release. Pre-order it before it drops, you'll be listening a lot.

Pre-order the album here!

https://motherofgraves.bandcamp.com/album/the-periapt-of-absence

Firtan - Ethos

2024-09-03T14:16:00.002-04:00

When an artist says they are fusing many styles of metal together you frequently are lift with a directionless mess. It feels like the opposite is true of Firtan. While their sound certainly seems to flirt with everything from 90s black metal to doom by way of death metal and even post rock, their new album Ethos is a wonderfully thoughtful and dense offering that seems to draw listeners in with each and every song. It's triumphant, gorgeously put together extreme metal that sets the band in a league of their own with a sound that is distinctly and profoundly theirs.

There is a pointed vision behind this record and Firtan easily swoop you into their sonic milieu. From the opening bars of Ethos it's clear that Firtan are a band like few others and their penchant for writing grandiose, larger than life songs is entrancing. This is a group who eagerly dive into the densest sides of their sound and who seem comfortable unveiling layers of volume and destruction couched within profound beauty. This is metal done with ambition and while this is certainly a thinking mans metal record, Ethos hits on a gut level too. Grab it when it drops in 10 days.

Pre-order the album!

https://firtan.bandcamp.com/album/ethos

Triumpher - Spirit Invictus

2024-09-02T08:46:00.001-04:00

Yeah ok - this album rules. It's rare these days that you find a band leaning into the Manowar influence, but Triumpher aren't shy about this. Their sophomore album Spirit Invictus proves that the Greek scene remains at the fore of the true metal scene. This record is monumental, exciting and more than a little bit thrilling. Triumpher understand the inherent bombast and magic of metal. This album is pull no punches heavy metal, all killer, no filler. It's the sort of metal album you dream of making as a kid just learning guitar, what more can be said?

The thing that really impresses me with this record is how much Triumpher have matured in the last year since releasing their debut. The songwriting has gotten dramatically tighter, the vocal performances have been taken to another level and the overarching approach the band takes just feels dramatically more professional. They took a few strong core concepts and were able to level up their sound into something truly great, mesmerizing and worthy of raising the horns too.

It's hard to find a metal record in 2024 that really captures what makes heavy metal so much fun. Yet Triumpher have nailed it here with soaring vocals, big choruses, touches of gang vocals and flashy guitar solos. One gets the impression this has to be the most fun band ever to see play live. How can you not sing along? Triumpher are thrilling and committing to the bit in a way their peers wish they could. So yeah - this album is a little over the top, but it's so much fun - can you really fault them?

Pre-order the album!

https://triumpher.bandcamp.com/album/spirit-invictus

Ripped To Shreds - Sanshi

2024-08-31T12:08:00.000-04:00

Sometimes there are albums and sometimes... there are albums. Ripped To Shreds is a band who have been setting fire to the US death metal scene for a few years now and it feels like on Sanshi their 4th full length in 6 years, the band has been able to take things to a whole new level. This is wonderfully intense, unrelenting and fascinating death metal done right. Ripped To Shreds have a vibe that is wholly their own, fusing razor sharp Jesse Pintado style riffs with flashy solos and technical riffs, giving them a vision that is wholly their own.

In some ways Ripped To Shreds remind me of a young Revocation, or even Horrendous. These are songs where the shredding is definitely very important but where the band doesn't loose sight of knuckle dragging Entombed-worshipping riffs. The end result is a surprisingly delicious combination of sounds that goes for the throat and isn't afraid to force listeners to choke on unrelenting, primitive and all out destructive riffs. There is a sense of unrelenting, tightly controlled chaos that makes Ripped To Shreds endlessly addictive. This element has always been present in Ripped To Shreds music, but in Sanshi they bring the musicality to the fore to create something bombastic and thrilling.

Sanshi is an unapologetic record, and a record that has high replay value. These riffs don't so much beat you over the head with technicality as much as surprise you as you enjoy the tight songwriting. The angular playing and blasting assault is addictive and indicative of just how good this band is. They've distilled their influences into something that feels greater than the sum of its parts. In recent years metal has started to turn back towards its need for guitar heroes, and Ripped To Shreds are leading the charge, taking no prisoners.

Pre-order the album!

https://rippedtoshredsdeathmetal.bandcamp.com/album/sanshi

Ruff Majik - Moth Eater

2024-08-30T05:55:00.003-04:00

This album rips. Ruff Majik have been one of my favorite heavy rock bands for a while now, and on Moth Eater the band takes their sound to a bold new level. The promise of their work seems to have been fulfilled on this album with groovy riffs, wonderful psychedelic passages and a vision that puts them in a league of their own. This is a band who understand the fundamental magic (majik?) of heavy rock, and with this latest creation they are able to concretely prove that they are among the best and the brightest doing it today.

I think the thing that resonates the most with me on Moth Eater is the raw energy that the band exude. Even the jammy, trippier offerings like "Cult Eyes" still simmer with a wonderful rawness and a sense that things could explode at any given moment. This is clearly a band well steeped in the world of 60s garage rock and who eagerly point back to these influences at every given opportunity. The waves of feedback and the sampled phone messages that punctuate the album help to give the entire thing a retro vibe that sets things into a much older context than the rock music happening in 2024.

Roaring, anthemic and full of an otherworldly beauty, Moth Eater is a monster of an album, a record you're going to want to keep coming back too and try to understand more and more of. This is a record that seems to operate in a magical world of its own, a record that consistently pushes the needle forward for the band and sees them taking bolder production choices than ever before. Ruff Majik have leaned into all that makes them different and exciting and the end result is a wild fuzz trip that is going to keep you engrossed for many a spin.

Pre-order the album!

https://ruffmajik.bandcamp.com/album/moth-eater-the-lorekeepers-bible

Winterfylleth - The Imperious Horizon

2024-08-29T07:52:00.001-04:00

Winterfylleth are back with their first new album in 4 years, and as one might expect, it rules. The band has once more delivered on their brand of surprisingly thoughtful, but still blistering and unrelenting black metal. The Imperious Horizon is a worthy addition to the Winterfylleth canon and seems to only drive forward in the bands quest to create some of the most compelling underground music to have emerged from the UK in the last decade. Nearly twenty years into their career, Winterfylleth have proven that they are still among the best to ever do it.

There has always been something transcendent about Winterfylleth. (And if we're being honest, the entire family of bands they are associated with.) There is a potent sonic poetry to the soaring guitars of the title track, and the synth backings that pad out the record. The Imperious Horizon is an album you can really get lost in. Almost every song is an engrossing multi part epic benefiting from the inimitable production and mixing of Chris Fielding. The end result is a record that you find yourself getting wholly lost in, a record that shines bright and which will leave listeners in awe of what Winterfylleth have accomplished here.

Some bands are just a head and shoulder above their peers. Winterfylleth is one such band. There is an elegance to their sound that nicely counterbalances the blast beats and tremolo picking that drives many moments in the music. It's hard not to be entranced with the largesse and scope of The Imperious Horizon. Certain black metal records are meant to stay underground, this is a record that I could see appealing to the masses, even those not used to the vagaries of black metal. This is a one of a kind project and one I see myself coming back too a lot over the years. You need it when it drops September 13th.

Pre-order the album:

https://winterfylleth.bandcamp.com/album/the-imperious-horizon-deluxe-edition

Sentient Horror - In Service of the Dead

2024-08-26T10:31:00.002-04:00

Sentient Horror have long been one of my favorite American death metal bands. Their music is intense, technical without being overtly cerebral and has some punishing hooks. It's death metal done right, with a healthy worship of old school stuff without ever trying to be too aggressively aping any one band. Instead what Sentient Horror do on In Service Of The Dead is continue to refine and perfect their sound. They take the mayhem to a bold new level here and prove once again that they are one of the best New Jersey metal exports ever.

Four albums in, Sentient Horror's sound has been refined to something clearly delectable and wonderfully evil. In Service Of The Dead sees the band putting a sheen on their trademark intensity and guitar acrobatics to make it into something that encapsulates so much of what makes the modern scene great whilst maintaining their underground magic. There is some serious guitar sorcery on this record and the songwriting is tighter than ever. Nothing about In Service Of The Dead drags. Instead this is an album that hits you with riff after riff, elegantly presented and devastatingly broadcast in a way that will have you clawing at your eyes.

Suffice it to say - Sentient Horror have once more proven they are among the best of the best. With 2022's Rites Of Gore they locked in their place as an underground favorite. With this album they prove they have the staying power to consistently leave listeners in awe, and it leaves me desperately curious to hear what other mayhem that Sentient Horror are going to be unleashing in the next few years.

Pre-order the album!

https://sentienthorror.bandcamp.com/album/in-service-of-the-dead

Aluk Todolo - Lux

2024-08-22T12:38:00.001-04:00

Aluk Todolo have long been one of my favorite gems of the French underground. Their music is intense and difficult to really sink your teeth into. Their brand of rock music is droning and abrasive, unapologetic and terrifying. Yes it's sometimes hard to listen too, but that's the point. The influence of bands like Swans looms heavily over the work of Aluk Todolo and the buzzing guitars and looping bass lines have a way of drawing the listener in. One might think that monochromatic instrumental rock would make for a boring listen, but this record is actually strangely fascinating.

Lux is the bands first album in 8 years and on this record they completely eschew song titles for strange sets of circles. Literally "••●●••••●●•●●" is a song title. With no obvious translation, these symbols only add to the surreal sacred geometry of the record. Aluk Todolo understand the mystifying and magical world of occult rock and Lux is yet another fitting contribution from the band. Letting yourself get lost in this madness is a delight which I can not recommend highly enough.

Pre-order the album:

https://aluktodolo.bandcamp.com/

Dungeon Crawl - Maze Controller

2024-08-21T10:17:00.003-04:00

Thrash metal and symphonic metal isn't really a combination I thought I would ever be into, but Dungeon Crawl find a way to make it work. The band has a distinct approach to the genre, bringing classic Kreator-esque sounds in line with punchy synths. The end result is Maze Controller a thrash metal record that can't help but to be bombastic and a whole lot of fun. As dorky as one might expect a symphonic thrash album about role playing games to be, Maze Controller is a blast, any way you slice it. This is a fascinating take on symphonic metal.

The compositions here are surprisingly intricate. Punches of keyboard accentuate angular riffs and the gloriously chunky riffs give the entire album a sense of momentum that a lot of modern thrash metal lacks. There is a delicious high speed madness to so many layers of this band and it's hard not to be enamored with the over the top nature of the music. Dungeon Crawl wear their influences on their collective sleeve and the end result is a deliciously fun, kind of silly but wholly endearing thrash metal album. What more could you want?

Pre-order the album:

https://carbonizedrecords.bandcamp.com/album/maze-controller

Tour d'Ivoire - S/T

2024-08-20T10:00:00.001-04:00

Albums like this remind me why I love doing this blog. Tour d'Ivoire is a new project on Antiq featuring members of Grylle, Cercle Du Chene and most important to me Vehemence. Their self titled debut is an atmospheric black metal album to capture your imagination and guide you into the otherworld. There is something distinctly magical about Tour d'Ivoire and the immaculate vibes and vision of this album are delectable. It's the sort of black metal record that really gets to the gorgeous nature of the genre at its absolute finest.

Tour d'Ivoire shines because of the potency of the vision behind the music. The sparkling compositions and the epic vibes are utterly addictive. There is a scope to the work that makes it undeniable and a thrill to the sound that keeps me entranced with what the band has done here. It's a record that is somewhat in line with these musicians previous work but sees them exploring medieval black metal vibes in a different, more atmospheric way. These four long form songs continue to confess a deep love for the middle ages but go deep in letting listeners see into the mystical universes of which Tour d'Ivoire seem to so gracefully take part.

This is a magical record, an album with a distinctive vision and potent sounds running throughout the allows listeners to get lost in a time forgot. There is something wonderfully delightful about the ambition and vision behind Tour d'Ivoire and for those of us entranced with this world it's hard not to want to dig further into what the band has created here. Tour d'Ivoire understand the golden magic of this sound and are certain to get listeners digging in deeper to all that has been created.

Pre-order the album!

https://antiqofficial.bandcamp.com/album/tour-divoire