August of 2024 was a pretty good month. First, it marked my return from the Injured Reserve, where I’d been nursing a high ego sprain and nagging executive dysfunction issues. These aren’t perfectly fixed, but being back on the field has shown beyond a doubt that I’m still a force to be reckoned with. Second, August of 2024 was a particularly fecund month for potential Records o’ the Month. That surprised me.
“With Lewandowski’s “Absolute Authority” standing as a signifier, Blessing of Despair spins parables of the cursed. Its movements are the laments of doomed creation; the expression of the infinite distance between the hoped-for divine purpose, and reality.” What the fuck does that mean? Great question! You might find an answer inside.
The middle of summer is rarely the best time for the metal release schedule. While there have been some notable July releases over the years, it seems like labels tend to fit their highest-profile releases into the Autumn. Still, for July of 2024, there was a slate of solid recommendations from the staff and readers, making this one of those months when it’s both good and hard to be the king.
Happy September! It’s June again!
“In 2021, Fleshgod Apocalypse’s mastermind, Francesco Paoli (bass and vocals), suffered from a mountain climbing accident that landed him in the hospital. During the harrowing ordeal that followed, the band and he had little sense of what the future would hold for Fleshgod Apocalypse. It should come as no surprise that upon improving and getting back band activities, Francesco and the others burst into creative frenzy. From the remnants of this tragedy, Opera was born.” And what does a five year wait and a personally harrowing situation mean for the little neoclassical death metal band that could?
May Filter uncloggings bring cool metal…sloggings? Work with me here, people!
“Every few years, the remorseless wargrinder that is AMG Blogworks, Ltd. hungers for new blood and intellectual treasure. Sadly, we’ve reached the stage where sloth, poor taste, and general life malaise have conspired to take their toll on the current AMG staff and now we need an infusion of new flesh for the Flesh God. That means it’s high time for another casting call!” Brutal decisions and broken dreams line the road to AMG HQ.
May was only a few months ago and you already get the Record(s) o’ the Month? What is going on at AMG HQ?
I once wrote that Verikalpa bears “the accordion of tradition to the sauna of the metal gods, so that we might have something new to listen to while we drink.” But, let’s be honest, “competent but derivative” is not the praise anyone is looking for when they create music. And so one wonders, four years after my initial exposure, is that the only contribution Verikalpa had to make?
We’ve had the “Covid: How Can You Help?” thing up on the sidebar for ages, but we haven’t updated anything on the issue for a long time. Today, however, Soen dropped a new track. Entitled “Igniter,” the song was recorded during the early stages of the pandemic. In the wake of yet another cancelled tour and staring down the barrel of a spring where no one knows whether any tours are going to happen, Soen needs some help to stay afloat.
