Spicie Forrest

Frantically googling music terms to fake competence

Suncraft – Welcome to the Coven Review

By Spicie Forrest on November 27, 2025 in Reviews, Black Metal, Stoner Rock, 52 comments

“I first became acquainted with stoner rock while attending college and skiing in Salt Lake City. Whether carving the corduroy or taking face shots of bottomless pow, the raucous groove of the style made for a great soundtrack. I’ve largely moved on to heavier and less accessible pastures, but once in a while, something brings me back. This time, it was Suncraft, a five-piece formed in Oslo, Norway in 2017; I couldn’t let a genre tag like “stoner/black/pop” pass by unyoinked. We missed their 2021 debut, Flat Earth Rider, but I’m here to give their sophomore effort, Welcome to the Coven, the proper AMG treatment.” Turkey in the oven, surrounded by the coven.

Vandampire – Hope Scars Review

By Spicie Forrest on November 15, 2025 in Reviews, Post-Metal, Sludge Metal, 21 comments

“Post- historically implies an evolution of or successor to a previous idea (modernism, rock, structuralism, punk, hardcore, colonialism, etc.). While a little nebulous, post-metal more or less riffs on the post-rock blueprint. It utilizes metal’s intense, abrasive instrumentation to create an emotional vulnerability that even the best power ballads fail to capture. There is a tenderness in its crushing weight, a sense of freedom and catharsis in its restraint. It is this corner of the metalverse that South West England-based Vandampire inhabits.” Post-hope.

Gruta – Hymnus Ad Atram Mortem Review

By Spicie Forrest on November 7, 2025 in Reviews, Black Metal, 13 comments

“In his most recent visit to terrorize the unwashed masses known as writers, Steel gave me a choice: volunteer to cover Gruta or be voluntold to cover something (else) of his choosing. So it was that I found myself reviewing Gruta’s sophomore release, Hymnus Ad Atram Mortem. Hailing from Bogotá, Colombia, Gruta plays a style of black metal they’ve labeled “Chaos Black, a twisted gnarled amalgamation of black metal’s most vicious bits.” Between this description, loudly antifascist messaging, and opening the record by sampling the Dark Lord Sauron, my expectations were high. Does Hymnus Ad Atram Mortem deliver, or is Gruta just another passionate young band in search of their identity?” They are Gruta.

Dwelling Below – Wearisome Guardians Review

By Spicie Forrest on October 28, 2025 in Reviews, Death Doom, Death Metal, Doom Metal, 15 comments

“The boys in Dwelling Below get a lot of facetime here at AMG. We’ve reviewed Hierarchies’ debut (Jared Moran, Anthony Wheeler, Nicolas Turner), all three albums by Acausal Intrusion (Moran, Turner), one by Filtheater (Moran), and we’ve done a filter piece on Feral Lord (Moran, Turner). It’s no wonder, as we tend to enjoy the angry, dissonant stuff they put out. I’ve been jonesing for something in that ballpark, so when I learned that Dwelling Below’s debut unnerved Thus Spoke enough to waive seniority, I quickly snagged their follow-up. Hoping it might hit the spot, I eagerly dug my grubby lil nubbins into Wearisome Guardians.” Undermining calm.

Thaumaturgy – Pestilential Hymns Review

By Spicie Forrest on October 23, 2025 in Reviews, Death Metal, 15 comments

“Changing your sound must be equal parts thrilling and intimidating. On the one hand, it’s an opportunity to explore and flex your creative muscles, to see what else you can do. On the other hand, it may alienate your listeners, but more simply, it may just be unsuccessful. This is the crossroads at which we find Kansas-based Thaumaturgy. While their debut, Tenebrous Oblations, was a cavernous voyage through Mortiferum’s lightless catacombs, sophomore effort Pestilential Hymns, is a notable departure from that sound.” Come for pestilence, stay for the hymnals.

Ordeals – Third Rail Prayer Review

By Spicie Forrest on October 10, 2025 in Reviews, Black Metal, Blackened Death Metal, Death Metal, Doom Metal, 40 comments

“Sometimes called the live rail, the third rail runs alongside the New York City Subway tracks, carrying electrical current enough to power the trains’ motors—or kill those who accidentally touch it. In a political context, the term refers to subjects dangerous enough to ruin careers. I learned this while researching Ordeals’ debut album, Third Rail Prayer. This NYC trio formed in 2011 and released two EPs and a split in the 14 years since. Influenced by the Australian scene, Ordeals promises a serpentine, subterranean blend of black and death metal, garnished with quiet grandiosity. Will Third Rail Prayer jumpstart their burgeoning career, or are they dead on arrival?” Pizza rats and electrical blasts.

Plague Curse – Verminous Contempt Review

By Spicie Forrest on October 8, 2025 in Reviews, Black Metal, Blackened Death Metal, Death Metal, 52 comments

“We’ve all been told, once or thrice, not to judge a book by its cover. As a species, we’re pretty good at doing it anyway. In metal circles, band logos and album art often follow certain tropes that let us quickly identify what we’re about to hear and set expectations accordingly. Except when they don’t. When I first saw the cover art for Verminous Contempt, I thought I had it pegged. I mean, rats? Green mystery fluid? Skulls? This was sewage-drenched death metal for sure. I was, of course, wrong. For their debut, Plague Curse instead offers a highly polished platter of blackened death metal.” Cess is MOAR.

-ii- – Apostles of the Flesh Review

By Spicie Forrest on October 1, 2025 in Reviews, Electronica, Noise, Shoegaze, Synthwave, 49 comments

“-ii- is not a metal band. They play what they seem to call “ghost wave,” which sits somewhere between post-rock, goth, darkwave, trip-hop, and industrial, at times recalling HEALTH or Nine Inch Nails. If this sounds fairly electronics-heavy, it is.” Ghosts in the system.

Warcoe – Upon Tall Thrones Review

By Spicie Forrest on September 29, 2025 in Reviews, Doom Metal, 12 comments

“Certain decades and locations have a unique and instantly recognizable sound, like 90s hip hop, Florida death metal, 70s rock, etc. But such subgenres—at least for metal—are no longer regionally or temporally exclusive. There are American bands that play Swedeath and 2010s bands that play 80s thrash. In this postmodern era, iconic sounds of time and place are constantly worshipped, reimagined, and repurposed by new bands for a contemporary global audience. Warcoe is one such band. When I first heard the vintage doomsters, I thought them from the 70s or 80s, but they formed in Pesaro, Italy in 2021.” Out of time and place.

Biolence – Violent Obliteration Review

By Spicie Forrest on September 28, 2025 in Reviews, Death Metal, Thrash Metal, 26 comments

“Prior to my initiation ritual and early in my tenure as a volunteer whipping post, one of my jailers here at AMG saw fit to offer encouragement. “It gets better,” Dolphin Whisperer said. “Okay, but have you looked around recently?” I asked. He shrugged and replied, “not really. I’ve got a newborn. The Dolphlet takes up a lot of effort.” My cell door clanged shut as he left. Alone in the dark, I would wait nearly two months for the affirmation I sought in that moment. It would come in the form of Violent Obliteration, the third full-length from Biolence, a death/thrash four-piece from Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal.” Violence, wiolence…Biolence!