If you don’t know ACxDC, then what are you doing with your life? Like listening to actually good metal? Too bad for your sorry ass. The LA natives are back in black for their own highway to hell, and it’s too good to be true. For the woefully uninformed and uncultured, don’t even think alternate or direct current and Brian Johnson, you swine. It’s Antichrist Demoncore, and the peanut butter cup moniker of divine apathy is so sweet and gummy. ACxDC’s EP The Second Coming was introduced when I first got to college, and if I’d had my way, debut full-length Antichrist Demoncore would have been bla ..read more

Ah yes, February. Wait, what? It’s almost MAY!!! Who approved this two-months-late bullshit? Oh… right, that would be me. Shit. Well, you know, sometimes life gets in the fucking way, you know? It’s been rough days, and I know I’m not the only one struggling. With 2024 on such a rocky start, it should come as no surprise that we grasp desperately for media to help us escape and find solace in the art of others. Unfortunately for my Filter minions, they don’t get to escape from the mire and muck of the neglected filtration system from which we find what could be generously described as “art ..read more

Have you ever wondered what modern melodic death metal might sound like if these up-and-coming bands would take a moment to find a sound that isn’t pure pastiche? Now, I know that might seem critical—and it is. But with so many bands out there that are variations on At the Gates, In Flames, Dark Tranquillity, and whatever other big name you can think of, pure worship of these bands, who wield extended discographies and active tour schedules, just isn’t enough. That kind of retread with a tinge of mix-up can be good, of course. Just look at our latest rodeö for the proudly olde-reaching Veriter ..read more

When I happened across one of the singles for Adon, I recall thinking it sounded, quote, “impossibly good.” Adon formed in 2019 and has thus far released one EP, Arkane, in 2020. They currently maintain a humble online presence; unsurprising for a relatively new band, but from what I’d heard I couldn’t help but believe they deserved better. When I got the chance to review their self-titled debut I felt excited at the prospect of potentially helping their following grow… but that depends on the music, doesn’t it? And so I dug in, hoping the potential I saw in their pre-release material would b ..read more

“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.” Founded in 2018, Veriteras has a very simple mission, to produce melodeath! Hailing from the renowned hot bed of heavy, Seattle, Washington, these Scandinavian-inspired songsmiths offer their sophomore outing with the s ..read more

Following the uniquely progressive death(ish) trend of increasing Hippietude1, Exist has slowly morphed over the years from a spacey, Meshuggah-ish prog act in the vein of Intrinsic-era The Contortionist2 to a Pink Floyd-ian tricky-rhythm rock, primarily, outfit. 2020’s Egoiista, as such, saw coverage in these halls as prizing long-form style over impactful substance—still good though (if a tad underrated). In its dreamy, waltzing soundscape, it also functioned for me as an alluring escape in a year that was, well, quite the weird one. And, as things go in life and major happenings, longtime g ..read more

I was never a big fan of Replicant. The New Jersey quartet’s1 sophomore record Malignant Reality earned a high score on this here blog, but it failed to resonate with me at all. It featured solid enough tunes with big grooves and chunky riffs, but for one reason or another nothing stuck. However, every advance single for third LP Infinite Mortality struck a chord, so I snagged the promo in hopes that Replicant were about to turn the tables on me this time around. Lo and behold, the turns have tabled massively. Still formed on the backbone of sounds established by legends Gorguts and Demilich ..read more

When it comes to the new school of old school death metal, Necrot occupies a refreshing niche. By that, I mean that they don’t much fall into a specific niche at all. None too interested in the bleeding edge of the style and similarly distant from its grimiest, slimiest depths, Necrot stands alone, simply wanting to rock. 2020’s Mortal has aged remarkably well in its own no-frills marinade, packed with catchy riffage that I still recall with clarity despite years since my last visit. Of course, I might not have spent years away had it been a more distinct offering. Necrot is one of those acts ..read more

If I had a dollar for every time I blindly picked some doom-tinged death metal from the Promo Wheel of Suffering and walked away with almost straight Incantation worship, I’d have…(math sounds)…OK, I’d only have enough for a donut and coffee from the Speedway up the street, but that’s a lot when you rarely review death metal. With the arrival of The Illusion of Time1 by New York’s Funeral Leech, I now have enough to play a scratch-off ticket while I drink my coffee. I’m not complaining. Incantation are my personal favorite OSDM outfit, and it’s probably no coincidence that I can detect whiffs ..read more

Back in June 2021, when my Instagram page was fresh-faced and non-AMG-affiliated, I reviewed Kvadrat’s EP Ψυχική Αποσύνθεση. Struck by its mesmerizing blend of atmospheric, dissonant death and black metal, I bemoaned its truncated length as I was sucked in by what I then described as “a gripping black hole of sound.” With the vividness of this experience having faded into a memory of “that really great Greek EP,” everything came flooding back upon receipt of a DM from the (sole) individual behind Kvadrat, Ivan Agakechagias, asking if I wanted to review his upcoming debut. Needless to say, I ju ..read more