“Death Knocks isn’t the most extreme album out there, but it straddles the metal boundary more than enough to earn a spot here. While I hadn’t heard of Hoaxed before, their new release caught my eye through its album art and its impressive lead single, “Where the Seas Fall Silent.” This three-piece from Portland plays metal-edged occult rock that aims for an eerie atmosphere as much as for melodic gems.” Deep fake or deep cuts?
“Max Cavalera casts one hell of a shadow in metal, with a wide swath of bands he’s either founded or played alongside. Though Cavalera’s mightiest legacy will be his time with Sepultura, he’s been with Soulfly over twice as long. In that time, Max and company have written and recorded thirteen albums. On latest offering Chama, the elder Cavalera relinquished producing credits and creative focus to his son and Soulfly’s drummer, Zyon, providing an opportunity for a fresh direction.” Fly in the flames of time.
“Just as much as any genre that’s been around for 40-plus years, hardcore is not a monolith, not by a long stretch. As an unleashing of rough-and-tumble punk energy with an extra flash of sharpness and swagger, its permutations can run the gamut of high-tempo riffage, ragged vocal attitude, and instrumental histrionics, all while wearing the speed-loaded label. With a classic thrash attack and a dash of grind spirit, Stress Test wears the genre like a tattered and patched denim vest befitted with snappy pull-off runs, d-beat anthemics, and short bursts fit for a moshing audience.” Into the stress pit!
“Powerdeath. That’s the genre tag attached to Legendarium’s fifth album For Eternal Glory, and one I’d almost certainly roll my eyes at, had I not been following this curious project since its debut LP. Through arcane magics of ancient origin], I became aware of Legendarium, the brainchild of singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Laurence Kerbov and drummer Stefano Vaccari, in its earliest stages as a charmingly amateurish blend of traditional metal and classic punk. 2022’s Death’s Hand in Yours changed their status quo, not only by amping up their power metal side and introducing death metal elements to the mix, but also by being the first Legendarium record to be legitimately good. For Eternal Glory is their logical next step.” Legendary genre blend?
“Tribulation has battled its share of tribulations. After an interesting decade of gradually shifting from death metal to goth metal with growls with a new drummer every couple of years, the band lost one of their primary songwriters with the departure of flamboyant guitarist Jonathan Hultén. The last album to include him, Where the Gloom Becomes Sound, was not bad, but certainly more messy and unpolished than its predecessors, and it was the first to largely halt the band’s evolution. Sub Rosa in Æternum sees the reintroduction of Joseph Tholl on guitars, who originally helped found Hazard, the thrash metal band that would become Tribulation. How has the shake-up affected the music, though?” Trials, travails, Tribulations.
“August promo-picking gets weird around the Sump, weird enough even for this reviewer’s detritus-sifting sensibilities. But the sophomore album from Rochester, NY’s Fourth Dominion stood out to me for two reasons. First: a quietly stunning, lovely piece of album art. Secondly: the multiple genre drops of gothic metal, post-punk, and a peculiar term new to me: “deathwave.” Lead vocalist and primary songwriter Meadow Wyand seems to have coined the term to describe the burgeoning gothic/alt-metal scene, a style encapsulated by the much-loved moniker Chameleons, Unto Others.” Untooth or retooth?
![The Night Eternal – Fatale [Things You Might Have Missed 2023]](https://www.angrymetalguy.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/The-Night-Eternal_Fatale-01-2048x2048.jpg.webp)
“Sometimes we get a promo and for whatever reason, it languishes in the sump unloved and unexplored, and later on we find out we missed a real gem and feel collective shame. Other times we just don’t get the promo at all. The latter was the issue with Fatale, the sophomore outing by German goth/heavy/occult metal act The Night Eternal.” Fatale if swallowed.
![Sonja – Loud Arriver [Things You Might Have Missed 2022]](https://www.angrymetalguy.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Sonja-Loud-Arriver-1.jpg.webp)
“Normally these things we missed are because we didn’t get promo and stumbled upon the album post-release. Not so in the case of Loud Arriver,<,b>Sonja’s debut album. This one sat in the promo bin unnoticed for all of September, and it wasn’t until I read some flattering press about the album that I dove in. Thank god I did because this little gem delivers a delicious knockout punch.” Big (loud) entrance.
“When I highly rated Crone’s sophomore record Godspeed, I was pleased at the acclaim it received. When word reached me of the follow-up approaching, I was double pleased to find a multitude of my fellow authors remembering its predecessor fondly still. So when I say I did not expect many to be clamoring for Gotta Light?, I realize I might be selling its popularity short. Let’s see whether Crone will touch as many hearts as it has before.” Croneyism.
“For the roughly eight months that I’ve been an official AMG toilet cleaner reviewer, several things have become clear to my fellow writers: I rate low, my coffee consumption is high, and I love Lord of the Rings. This latter piece of information comes in handy when I want to get my grubby paws on any LotR-themed album that flows down the mighty Anduin and into our flea-infested promo bog. Knowing my penchant for Baggins n’ Balrogs, the kind souls who inhabit these halls will often give me a heads up when something Ring-adjacent arrives. Such was the case with Morgul Blade.” Orc and black bean pudding.
