“The past two years have put to death the oft-spoken cliché that only young hungry bands make exciting music anymore. 2014 alone has given us career highlights from genre titans Vader and Behemoth, while last year’s Gorguts/Carcass one-two comeback punch still has me walking around like our gore-obsessed friends across the pond personally shoved their captive bolt pistol up my ass. Now on the eve of an At the Gates reunion record, it’s no surprise newcomers like Denmark’s Aphyxion have trouble finding a place to surface in the churning sea of the current scene. Even with three EPs and over 100 shows logged since forming in 2007, their debut album Earth Entangled shows them fighting their damnedest to breathe as a modern metal group.” I hear mercy drownings are on the rise these days….
Mark Z.
Principality of Hell – Fire and Brimstone Review
“Metal is an inherently backward-looking style. For every band that’s pushing the envelope and driving things in new directions (see Fallujah’s stellar attempt at so-called ‘deathgaze’ on their newest), there are two or three proudly waving the tattered flag of the old-school, seeking to recreate the glory of the genre’s innovators. Enter Principality of Hell, a Greek trio formed last year by veterans of other Greek acts Thou Art Lord, Necromantia and Ravencult. They specialize in black-thrash – not the modern kind exemplified by Nocturnal Graves and the like, but the classic variety that hearkens back to when the two genres were first emerging through common ancestors like Venom, Celtic Frost and Bathory.” These Greek black thrashers want to take you back to the 80s in a DeLorean. Don’t forget your Walkman™.
Methedras – System Subversion Review
“Like other hybrid genres, death thrash is inherently diverse. On one hand, you have bands like Deceased and Vader who throw occasional thrashy riffs and old school guitar leads into a classic death metal template; on the other hand, you have bands who take Testament-style thrash as a foundation and stack on harsher vocals and heavier riffing characteristic of death metal. Italy’s Methedras fall into the latter category. The style they play has never really exploded in popularity the way retro-thrash did a few years back, which may explain why Methedras have remained relatively unknown despite forming in 1996 and releasing three full-lengths in the 2000s.” Another new writer dares test his metal at AMG by reviewing some death-thrash. Godspeed, Mark Z.













