Swans

Under – What Happened In Roundwood Review

Under – What Happened In Roundwood Review

By Samguineous Maximus on January 29, 2026 in Reviews, Experimental Metal, Noise Rock, Sludge Metal, 20 comments

“There’s something tantalizing about the brand of metal-adjacent noise rock that’s experienced a renaissance in recent years. It’s ugly, it’s loud, and it doesn’t give a damn if you’re comfortable. You’ve got breakout stars Chat Pile dragging nü-metal’s bloated corpse through the mud, Couch Slut dishing out dissonant, riff-heavy nightmare fuel, and Intercourse sounding like a feral animal tearing flesh for fun. This isn’t “revival” music; it’s bands weaponizing noise, smashing metal’s brute force into punk’s emotional hemorrhaging, and then deliberately breaking whatever’s left just to see it scream. Enter the UK’s Under, stepping into this mess with zero interest in playing nice.” Under the thunder.

Geese – Getting Killed [Things You Might Have Missed 2025]

Geese – Getting Killed [Things You Might Have Missed 2025]

By Dear Hollow on December 4, 2025 in Things You Might Have Missed 2025, Blues, Noise Rock, post-punk, Rock, 93 comments

“When a non-metal album is this good, the Great Ape mandates that we write about it – it’s unclear if it’s for posterity or humiliation. But when you have a band called Geese, the latter seems more likely. New York City fowl collective owe just as much of their attack to Bruce Springsteen and Television as to Swans and The Velvet Underground, as its drawling and honkin’ blend of roots rock, noise rock, blues, country, funk, and post-punk is a clusterfuck that feels distinctly like something a band called Geese would make.” Genre-hoping and goose poop dropping.

Heathe – Control Your Soul’s Desire For Freedom Review

Heathe – Control Your Soul’s Desire For Freedom Review

By Samguineous Maximus on October 4, 2025 in Reviews, Drone, Noise, Nu Metal, Post-Hardcore, 27 comments

“As I prowled the depths of the promo bin, preparing for my next review, a peculiar glint caught my eye. The label read, “RADIOACTIVE: FOR N00B ABUSE ONLY,” and below it, in what must have been an act of genre-tag terrorism, sat the words: nü metal/gospel/jazz. I briefly considered calling the authorities, but morbid curiosity won out. What kind of unholy chimera lurks inside something with that particular trifecta? I dusted off the cover like a bomb disposal tech, hoping the wires are color-coded. The culprit is Control Your Soul’s Desire For Freedom, the sophomore album from Danish group Heathe.” Tripping over trip wires.

Crippling Alcoholism – Camgirl Review

Crippling Alcoholism – Camgirl Review

By Tyme on September 27, 2025 in Reviews, Synthwave, 35 comments

“‘Murderpop,’ though freshly minted, is an apt genre tag for the kind of music Crippling Alcoholism have been playing since 2022. Their sophomore effort, With Love From a Padded Room, got stuck in Dolphin Whisperer’s February Filter in 2024, where our resident porpoise spouted positively about its attributes, and drew me into Crippling’s lugubrious world. Upon learning another album was coming just a year and some change later, however, I feared diminished returns. Still, I seized the opportunity to cover third effort Camgirl, which tells the tragically sordid tale of online performer ‘Bella Pink,’ unfolding not only through her eyes, but of ‘those who consume her: lovers, relatives, business partners, stalkers.'” Driven to drink.

Swans – Birthing Review

Swans – Birthing Review

By Dear Hollow on May 27, 2025 in Reviews, Ambient, Noise, Noise Rock, post-punk, Sludge Metal, 40 comments

“It’s hard to keep up with Swans. Since 1982, Michael Gira and company have cranked out sixteen studio albums, eight EPs, and ten live albums (not to mention all the compilations and side projects), influencing underground stalwarts like Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Neurosis, Godflesh, and Napalm Death, as well as more mainstream acts like Nirvana and Tool. No genre was safe, as noise rock, no-wave, industrial, sludge, post-punk, and post-rock were impacted in the process – yet Swans have always had their own inimitable and uncategorizable sound.” Still on the pond.

Negative 13 – Recover What You Can Review

Negative 13 – Recover What You Can Review

By Dolphin Whisperer on February 11, 2025 in Reviews, Doom Metal, Hardcore, Sludge, Sludge Metal, 19 comments

“What is a second life but a life that has just gone on long enough to find multiple waves of success? Artists at all levels that we cover here at Angry Metal Guy HQ, often, deliver their albums to the world for the love of the game—not the glitz or glory. Negative 13, as a collective of friends, reignited their passion for the game to release 2022’s long-awaited Mourning Asteri, a satisfying sludge platter full of punky energy and melancholy. And this time, only three years later, Recover What You Can arrives in a timely and timelessly snarling manner, ready to show again how friends who suffer together come out all the stronger.” Positively negative.

Executioner’s Mask – Almost There Review

Executioner’s Mask – Almost There Review

By Dear Hollow on August 30, 2024 in Reviews, post-punk, Shoegaze, 25 comments

“As a child of the ’90s, I was not around to understand the nuances of every synth-driven art rock movement that arose in the decades preceding. While the inimitable Cherd of Doom, the illustrious Kenstrocity and the sometimes-imitable Dolphin Whisperer explained to me the differences between post-punk, shoegaze, and goth rock, tossing out names like My Bloody Valentine, The Sisters of Mercy, and Wire, Executioner’s Mask gives no shits – they’re just out here just doing their thing.” Masks off at midnight.

Föhn – Condescending Review

Föhn – Condescending Review

By Steel Druhm on August 23, 2024 in Reviews, Funeral Doom, 40 comments

“2024 hasn’t been the greatest year for doom thus far save for Crypt Sermon’s massive missive. I find myself largely swimming in the death and trad swamps, but I crave big, molar-rattling doom to round out my unhealthy listening regime. Fortunately, Greek funeral doom act Föhn have arrived to help with their mammoth debut Condescending. Borrowing from acts like Esoteric and Ataraxie, Föhn deliver monolithic long-form compositions of lumbering grimness with enough sheer mass to crush a steel factory. But rather than merely recycle the same old sounds, the band adds their own unique flair by incorporating manic, unhinged saxophone blasts that sound like they escaped from a Sigh album only to get locked in the Gimp Box in Imperial Triumphant’s sax dungeon.” Sax after death.