“In defiance of the shit burger we’re all eating every day while we wait for the AI drone war to start, 2025 was my best year in a while.” An oddly optimist AMG Himself has written a list.
Insania
Record(s) o’ the Month – June 2025
“As we inch inexorably closer to relevance and timeliness, we must first cross the fallow fields of June. A weird month, June was differentiated by the sheer number of recommendations that I received from the staff. Some months will see the Groupthink kick in, and everyone will vote for the same three albums. But June had no clear standout.” Or did it? (It kinda didn’t.)
Insania – The Great Apocalypse Review
“One could be forgiven for thinking The Great Apocalypse was another nostalgia ride—a lovingly executed Stratovarius/Helloween tribute made by scene veterans committed to the bit. But the familiarity is a trap. Underneath the Europower surface is something more ambitious.” But is it fun? And does it work?
Strident – Oath (From Chaos to Glory) Review
So apparently there’s this burgeoning metal scene in South Africa. How fucking cool is that? We already ran a review from scenesters Crow Black Sky, A Walk with the Wicked and Heathens and now we get the first proper self release from unsigned Cape Town heroes Strident. Playing what they describe as “epic South African power metal,” these gentlemen are out to show the rest of the world that true metal runs deep in the African earth. This is indeed power metal in its purest form and clearly influenced by the likes of Manowar and Rhapsody of Fire (together again, ain’t that sweet AMG?). Needless to say, with those guys as primary influences, you can expect things to get mighty cheesy real quick and that’s exactly how things go down here. Sporting an album cover suitable for the next Brutal Legend video game, their debut Oath (From Chaos to Glory) throws every power metal and true metal staple, stereotype and standard at you in a manic fury. It’s fun, funny and cringe worthy in equal measures and sets a new standard for the phrase “hugely over-the-top.” Whether you like it or not has a lot to do with your overall lactose tolerance and sense of humor.
Royal Jester – Night is Young Review
Hate is a very strong word and perhaps it gets thrown around too casually these days. After all, hate is a very ugly, negative emotion and even the angriest of metal guys should strive to avoid it. With that said, I hate Royal Jester’s debut album Night is Young. Maybe that sounds harsh but it’s the sad truth. It isn’t the musical style that brings me to hate it. Royal Jester plays Euro power metal and I really like Euro power metal when it’s done properly. I even like some of what might be called “happy power metal.” In fact, it seems I have become the resident power metal geek around these parts and that’s why this review ended up in my lap. However, after sustained, repeated listens to this album with an open mind, and giving this young band from Sweden every possible benefit of the doubt, there isn’t much good to say about Night is Young.
