"Back in the early 2010s, Gigan wooed me with their lovably absurd album titles, like 2013’s Multi-Dimensional Fractal-Sorcery and Super Science. Luckily, Gigan had the musical chops to back it up. Their distinctive blend of brutal death metal, skronky technicality, and alien atmospheres made me a cult megafan. Anomalous Abstractigate Infinitessimus interrupts a seven-year silence, and the only staffers thrilled about its arrival were myself and Alekhines Gun. In retrospect, this is understandable; AAI is a weird album by a weird band, and it’s unlikely to win over anyone who isn’t already so ..read more

Mere weeks remain before the big holiday events befall us. Of course, I'm speaking about the AMG Listurnalia, but yeah, Christmas, Hanukkah, and New Year's are coming too. Before these festive occasions distract us, we must churn out several belated Record(s) o' the Month features because running them in 2025 would be really tacky. And so we come to the now distant month of October and the fruits it bore us. Eat well, but save room for figgy pudding! The post Record(s) o’ the Month – October 2024 appeared first on Angry Metal Guy ..read more

Look at that! We did double duty on the Filters, covering August and September. We really only cleaned them once but billed double. Don't narc on us! The post Stuck in the Filter: August and September 2024 appeared first on Angry Metal Guy ..read more

"I'm a sucker for Polish delicacies like pierogis, kielbasa, cabbage rolls, and death metal. With acts like Vader and Decapitated plowing the memory gardens so wonderfully over the years, the country has become a hotbed of brutish thuggery. Icon of Evil is a lesser-known entry in this Pole race. They released their Syfilis Mentalis debut way back in 2013 but failed to follow it up until now." Bugs in the bibles. The post Icon of Evil – Locust Cathedral Review appeared first on Angry Metal Guy ..read more

"I remember perfectly where I was the first time I heard Forndom's music through the album Faþir. Very early in the Covid-19 pandemic, Faþir was a peaceful harmony at the onset of an extremely troubling time. In part because of that emotional connection—and because it is an exemplary album—it remains in my regular rotation four years later. The ambient, Nordic folk musings of Ludvig Swärd continue to offer incredible catharsis in times of joy and sorrow.  To say I am excited to be reviewing the follow-up and third full-length album from the project is a severe understatement." O ..read more

"French deathcore troupe Xenotheory landed in 2022 with their Alien-themed beatdown-fest Dawn of an Eyeless Realm. While this launch didn't quite put them on the map in a scene crowded with slam fiends and breakdown addicts, the artwork for their upcoming follow-up, Blissful Death, caught my eye. A divisive field for many, deathcore hits me hardest when it focuses on crushing riffs, stomping aggression, and creative use of a limited palette. Otherwise, my shields go up, unwilling to succumb to base, mind-numbing chugs and stuttering breakdowns. Can these xenomorph-obsessed slamcore b ..read more

"A Caldera is a hollow resulting from the collapse of a volcano's magma chamber, normally after an eruption. This lasting effect of catastrophe, in the form of a deep depression, describes a mental state as much as it does a geological phenomenon. Pillar of Light—who dedicate their debut Caldera to late friend Steven Jon Muczynski (Hollow Earth / Tharsis They)—channel this state in an unflinching exploration of mortality and misery." Light removal machine. The post Pillar of Light – Caldera Review appeared first on Angry Metal Guy ..read more

"Side projects are a staple in all genres of music, and metal is no exception. Some projects are used to explore new ideas that would be out of place in a musician's main outfit (Spectral Voice), with others to express themselves in a more individualized setting (Corpsegrinder). But what if members of a band decided they could do the same thing as their old and current outfit, but better? Enter Sarcophagum. Created by current and past members of Golgothan Remains, this Sydney Australia studio project wasted no time crafting a debut EP in 2022 and released a stand-alone single ju ..read more

""Imagine the best parts of Katatonia, Anathema, My Dying Bride and Agalloch all submerged into a minimalist post-metal miasma, so thick not even the faintest ray of hope can penetrate." This is how Steel Druhm invited us to envisage Swedish joy vampires A Swarm of the Sun, in his review of their second album, The Rifts. That review introduced me to A Swarm of the Sun." Despite being unflinchingly beautiful, The Rifts and its successor, The Woods, blanket and suffocate you. Fourth LP, An Empire, is no different." Swallow your joy. The post A Swarm of the Sun – An Empire [Things You Might Have ..read more

"Before Fabio Lione rose to prominence with [(Luca) Turilli(/Lione)’s] Rhapsody [of Fire] and Angra, Athena—stylized now as Athena XIX—served as another potential vehicle into the growing European prog/power landscape. Wielding an of-the-time histrionic Dream Theater guitar-driven drama alongside the lightness of chorus-driven power metal, the low-fanfare Italian outfit never quite topped any charts despite respectable musicianship and Lione's formative pipes on 1998's A New Religion?. And after another swing at success, sans the Rhapsody-snatched Lione, with 2001's eq ..read more