![Grendel’s Sÿster – Katabasis into the Abaton [Things You Might Have Missed 2024]](https://www.angrymetalguy.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Grendels-Syster-Cover-768x768.jpg)
Unlike other members of the Angry Metal Guy staff—such as the venerable, self-aware ape suit they call Druhm who’s just one death away from actually running this show in case anything happens to me—I am not a sucker for just anything that sounds old. Such things do not remind me of my wasted youth, and thus do not earn nostalgia points. I was, therefore, thoroughly surprised that, upon listening to Grendel’s Sÿster vicariously through an ill-fated n00b review, I fucking loved it.
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!
After 12 long years, Wintersun’s Time II is finally here. Initially announced before Time I, the album faced delays due to Jari Mäenpää’s dissatisfaction with its sound. Much has been said about Jari and his surprisingly stable band—featuring Nightwish’s Kai Hahto on drums, Jukka Koskinen on bass, and guitarist Teemu Mäntysaari, now with Megadeth. But what’s truly important is whether the wait was worth it. Is Time II a good record? The answers, like the album itself, are both simple and complicated.
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.
“I’ve heard Generation of Vipers described as a Neurosis-meets-Amenra plus a substantial shot of aggression. With four full-lengths and a split with fellow Tennessee post-or-sludge-adjacent metallers under their belt, the act’s sound remains stalwart—or stagnant, depending on the listener. Thick and bottom-heavy riffs dominate, from staggered Isis-esque rhythms, and rolling punk-sludge beatdowns à la Black Tusk, to ominous plucking straight outta Abraham.” So, are you #teamstalwart or #teamstagnant?
“I left my first splotch on this fair site with Concrete Winds in 2021. The regrettably-titled Nerve Butcherer was an archetypal 3.0. Concrete Winds’ brand of war metal was fierce, concise, and exciting, but I haven’t returned to it due to its shameless recycling of ideas. Their new self-titled record seems to promise a similar experience, even in its minutiae.” Can Concrete Winds innovate enough to excite this crazy dog? Give in to your anger to find out!
“Monolith is the herald of Earth’s new overlords: the insect swarm. Insects outnumber humans an estimated 1.8 billion to 1, so it was only a matter of time Once united by a hive mind, the planet doesn’t stand a chance. The twist though is that the master race, the Lord of the Insect Order, so to speak, is giant space caterpillars.” How are we even here?
“I adore Meer. There’s something very warming about listening to them, for all that they lean melancholy rather than saccharine. Best described as symphonic/progressive pop and/or rock, their music is lushly textured, drenched in strings, and emotive, often reaching for a soaring crescendo. Meer’s previous album Playing House narrowly missed the top spot in my 2021 list.” Is Wheels Within Wheels set up for glory during Listurnalia, or will our faithful sentinel live forever with his regret?
“One look at the cover of Neolithic Flint Dagger, the second album by the independent Swedish band Eyes of the Oak, and it should be no surprise that they play a mix of psychedelic doom, stoner rock, and traditional metal. That means fuzzy guitars, gruff cleans, and brief psychedelic passages of the kind that Pink Floyd plays on Dark Side of the Moon.” Neolithic Flint Daggers flying through space is not on my “Album Cover Bingo” card, I’ll give them that.
Nice. Or maybe you were thinking about the classic Bryan Adams song of the same name? Just what does a title like Summer of ’69 invoke? Maybe your mind raced to some sort of throwback tone stoner rock—nope, sorry. Perhaps the pop art cover took you to a bright, synth-coated land of big choruses and bigger hair? Still wrong, though. Hatchend instead circles about—cobbled of various Swedish extreme acts—waters of punk-loaded, gravel-voiced crossover thrash.
