1.5

Mouth of Madness – Event Horizon Review

By Mystikus Hugebeard on July 15, 2025 in Reviews, Black Metal, Death Metal, 44 comments

“As metalheads, there are many things we collectively appreciate about our musical genre, but one important component I often see lauded is originality. It’s not exactly a deal-breaker, but it can be exhilarating to listen to something treading unexplored territory. Indeed, a common complaint leveled against artists is calling a piece “derivative” or some such. If you count yourself amongst those who take umbrage with being unoriginal, then look no further than German duo Mouth of Madness and their debut album Event Horizon!” Tastes like burning.

Affliction Vector – Contra Hominem Review

By Alekhines Gun on June 16, 2025 in Reviews, Black Metal, 59 comments

“Affliction Vector have presented an album whose production is devoid of any real defining features. Somehow, at once lo-fi in mix yet hi-fi in tone, Contra Hominem offers a listen which avoids the abrasive, sharp tones of the brutal assault it pretends to offer, yet blends any melodies or riffs down into the mix until the entire album passes by in a listless haze.” Sound affliction.

Haitón del Guarataro – Pombero Review

By GardensTale on June 8, 2025 in Reviews, Black Metal, Doom Metal, Stoner Metal, 42 comments

“Cryptids are cool as fuck. I don’t believe in them, but highly localized monster myths are just a fascinating insight in the fears and priorities of a particular culture, especially the often esoteric rules surrounding the fabled creatures. For his second album, Alexis Uribe of one-man band Haitón del Guarataro from Buenos Aires, Argentina, focuses on the Pombero, a short hairy humanoid being from Paraguayan folklore. It steals eggs and honey, impregnates women, and is appeased by gifts of rum and cigars. So it’s basically Steel Druhm on a bender. Context aside, I was intrigued by the concept behind Pombero; an album that would morph from stoner doom into black doom across the runtime.” Cryptic.

Leper Colony – Those of the Morbid Review

By Tyme on April 30, 2025 in Reviews, Death Metal, 45 comments

“Have you ever played Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon? When you try to connect another actor to Kevin Bacon via the films they’ve been in, winners make that connection in the fewest “degrees” possible? A quick reference of the Archives convinced me Rogga Johansson may be the Kevin Bacon of the Swedish metal scene, perhaps the entire metal scene. You’d be hard-pressed to argue that but not to connect many other musicians to him in six degrees or less, as Rogga contributes to forty-eight active bands and has seventeen past outfits on his resume. Rogga’s longstanding relationship with German vocalist and friend Marc Grewe (Morgoth) culminated in the 2020 formation of Leper Colony, which hit the ground running with its self-titled debut in 2023.” Keep it together!

Diatheke – …And the Word Was God Review

By Killjoy on March 19, 2025 in Reviews, Melodic Death Metal, Metalcore, Progressive Death, 57 comments

“It’s no secret that many of us here at Angry Metal Guy share an outsized fascination with progressive death metal. It has a seemingly infinite capacity for pathos and logos to raise one another to otherwise unreachable heights. It can also assume wildly different forms from artist to artist, which appeals to those who are always looking for something fresh and unexpected. This is what led me to Diatheke, from Dallas, Texas, and their debut …And the Word Was God.” God is prog.

Arkaist – Aube Noir Review

By Doom_et_Al on February 26, 2025 in Reviews, Black Metal, 27 comments

“The same attitude is what makes their black metal so endearing and interesting. So much of it is original and avant-garde and just… French. So I was intrigued to review Aube Noir, the debut of a new metal outfit, Arkaist, formed in 2023 by two stalwarts of the French underground scene, Beobachtan and Maeror. It also arrives on the well-regarded label Antiq. Much to be excited about.” French roasts.

Scare – In the End, Was It Worth It? Review

By Dear Hollow on February 21, 2025 in Reviews, Sludge Metal, 30 comments

“Hardcore is usually pretty one-note, a hard-and-fast genre for white young ‘uns to unleash their anti-establishment rage against the machine, and it can be difficult to create anything that contains even a mere smidge of memorability. Scare embodies all the vigor of hardcore but attempts to fuse it with the bitter vinegar of sludge metal, making the sound of being beaten by police batons more like being showered by bricks. In the spirit of hardcore brevity and bleak nihilism, indeed: In the End, Was It Worth It?” They came so far…

The 7th Guild – Triumviro Review

By Kenstrosity on February 20, 2025 in Reviews, Power Metal, Symphonic Metal, 48 comments

“To compare your band to The Three Tenors is a bold move, to say the least. By making this connection, you inherently pit yourself against three of the greatest opera singers of their time (at the very least three of the most well-known). Yet, this is exactly how SkeleToon’s Tomi Fooler describes his freshly minted supergroup, The 7th Guild, in anticipation of their debut full-length Triumviro.” Tenors, tremors, tomfoolery.

Mad Parish – The Dust of Forever Review

By El Cuervo on February 12, 2025 in Reviews, Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, Progressive Rock, 43 comments

“Woe betide the lowly copywriter / AI bot that dared to write that a band was ‘for fans of’ Iron Maiden, Virgin Steele, Camel, Rush and Rainbow. Iron Maiden and Camel are among my favorite acts in any genre, while the latter two boast a couple of the best rock albums ever released. Following this description I metaphorically elbowed other staffers aside to reach the sophomore Mad Parish record entitled The Dust of Forever. It’s certainly ambitious, weaving its yarn over 71 minutes and 21 tracks, including ten that run no more than two minutes designed to tell the album’s story through atmospheric interludes.” To dust return.

Xenotheory – Blissful Death Review

By Kenstrosity on December 5, 2024 in Reviews, Deathcore, Slam, 53 comments

“French deathcore troupe Xenotheory landed in 2022 with their Alien-themed beatdown-fest Dawn of an Eyeless Realm. While this launch didn’t quite put them on the map in a scene crowded with slam fiends and breakdown addicts, the artwork for their upcoming follow-up, Blissful Death, caught my eye. A divisive field for many, deathcore hits me hardest when it focuses on crushing riffs, stomping aggression, and creative use of a limited palette. Otherwise, my shields go up, unwilling to succumb to base, mind-numbing chugs and stuttering breakdowns. Can these xenomorph-obsessed slamcore brutes penetrate my bulkhead?” Open the slam bay doors, Hal.