A new Rotting Christ album is a fairly big deal, so we gave it the double review treatment. Will they be Pro Xristou or Anti Xristou?
Black Metal
Vredehammer – God Slayer Review
“Vredehammer’s sophomore album, Violator, was released almost 8 years ago. The deadly blackened death record made it onto my very first top 10 list for AMG on account of the electrifying energy and excellent hooks. Successor Viperous slithered into my HM’s, and I may have underrated it at that. It increased the density of sound and used synths for a slick, neon battering ram. So when Steel waved the gorgeous-looking new promo over the writer’s pit, I leapt for it so fast and violently, three Melvins are still in intensive care. Is Vredehammer going three for three on my end-year list?” Re-arming the Hammers.
Botanist – Paleobotany Review
“A band with a strong conceptual identity is always something. Whether that’s 1914 and their commitment to depicting the true horrors of world conflicts, or The Ocean, and their exploration of Earth’s many (pre-) historic eras. And were that a spectrum, experimental black metal collective Botanist would fall towards the latter end. Not only insofar as their music leans towards an airy, progressive, post-rock, but also their concept, which, if it wasn’t obvious, is flora. Paleobotany—the band’s eleventh LP—sees this similarity become even more blunt, centering as it does on the prehistoric plants of many millions of years ago.” Morbid Phytologist.
Dødsferd – Wrath Review
“I didn’t really get into black metal until I started writing for AMG. This was primarily caused by a misconception of what these genres entailed, a sort of genre discrimination based in ignorance (isn’t that always the root cause?). In the case of black metal, I thought the definition of the style equated to lo-fi second wave black metal, or the sonic equivalent of hoovering up a marble with a cyclone vacuum. I still avoid that particular sound, generally speaking, but since I have come to love black metal over the years, I must on occasion make my return to the blackest corner of the kingdom. Enter Dødsferd, a long-running project by a Greek who goes by the name Wrath, and his new album… Wrath.” The wrath less chosen.
SYK – eartHFlesh Review
“Bereft of a lyric sheet or any promotional explanation, I’m unsure why SYK chose to spell the title of their fourth album like they have. eartHFlesh draws attention with more than its unusual spelling though, with a dark, provocative cover, and the fact that it marks the band’s signing with Season of Mist. The Italian collective have been steadily building on a groovy, quirky brand of progressive death metal, distinguished largely by the cleans of now ex-vocalist Dalila Kayros. With her gone, and the group pivoting to primarily unclean growls, and a further turn, if slight, towards the more extreme corners of the genre, a new form of SYK emerges for the first time. eartHFlesh is a critical turning point.” New flesh, new friends?
Stuck in the Filter: March 2024’s Angry Misses
March Filters bring April POWERS.
Naxen – Descending Into a Deeper Darkness Review
“Last we met Germany’s Naxen, we were deep in the swills of the pandemic lockdown here in the States. Released in June of 2020, debut full-length Towards the Tomb of Times was a solid black metal affair that I gleefully awarded a 3.5 but just never listened to again. Not that it was bad by any means, but it did not have the staying power I expected. The trio exists in the cross-section of black metal, adhering to hints of melodic black and death metal, but is pure unadulterated black metal.” Naxen, Naxoff.
Aquilus – Bellum II Review
“Aquilus occupies a place of special importance in my music collection. One or two exceptions aside, 2011’s Griseus and 2021’s Bellum I offer the best fusions of symphonic music and heavy metal that I’ve heard. Now in 2024 Bellum II completes the puzzle started by its predecessor. A gap of just 2.5 years, compared with 10 years, is far more digestible and strikes while the band remains fresh in my mind.” Another night at the symphony.
Glassing – From the Other Side of the Mirror Review
“No one does music quite like Austin’s Glassing. Nearly impossible to pigeonhole in its blend of jagged riffs and crystalline melodies, critics have conjured the likes of post-metal, post-black, post-rock, mathcore, shoegaze, sludge, noise rock, screamo, and post-hardcore to describe it – none ever quite sticking the landing.” Square pegs, round holes. FIGHT.
Darkthrone – It Beckons Us All……. Review
“As per usual with Darkthrone these days, a new record arrived without any notice and NO ONE got the promo until after its release. So, here I am trying to toss together a review at the last second for a band whose process is so annoying that I don’t even want to review them. But, I love Darkthrone.” When the smackins beckons…
