The Black Dahlia Murder is a band I’ve had the honor of watching develop throughout its entire career. With its debut in 2003, an album that I think stands up much better than the chuckleheads below, the Michigan melodic death metal act has been with me for twenty years. I saw them opening for bands before anyone knew who they were, and I was buying each new release on release day. In 2024, The Black Dahlia Murder faces new challenges, moving on from the tragic loss of vocalist and scene giant Trevor Strnad and they will release Servitude on the 27th of September (that’s tomorrow, yes). So, before I unleash my Very Important Opinions™ on the world about the new full-length LP, we thought that a romp through the band’s discography seemed in order. Note that anyone who tells you that Ritual isn’t their best album is lying to you. – Angry Metal Guy

The Ranking(s)

Dr. Wvrm

#9. Unhallowed (2002). At first glance, you would be forgiven for thinking Unhallowed is by a completely different band. This album is three kids standing on each other’s shoulders and wearing a trench coat next to the other records in this catalog. But despite how far TBDM still has to go from this point, Unhallowed has its positives. Its take on 90s Gothenburg is interesting, if not always good, and it certainly doesn’t lack energy. “Elder Misanthropy” is the first entry into the pantheon of all-time TBDM jams, even if it’s a messy one. It’s a long way up from here for the boys from Michigan, but you can clearly see the seeds of what’s to come in this debut.

#8. Verminous (2020). That Verminous is the low point of modern TBDM despite being pretty good says quite a lot about the level of output this band has maintained for the last 20 years. The album maintains the reflexive phase started by Abysmal (more on that in a bit), feeling more like a down-and-dirty expansion of their ideas on Everblack at times. The execution, however, falls further down than I’d like. For a band with bangers aplenty, Verminous never finds its bonafide hit and feels stuck in first gear.

#7. Abysmal (2015). Don’t get me wrong—Abysmal features some of the strongest fretwork in TBDM’s catalog (with Ryan Knight still on board at this point, who is surprised by this?). But coming at the tail of an incredible four-album run, Abysmal’s return to hyperkinetic hooks and solos begins a third phase in the band’s catalog. Instead of pushing onward and outward from the progressive attitude of Everblack, TBDM refocuses and uses the lessons learned throughout their years of experimentation to revitalize their core sound. As a result, Abysmal feels more like a transition record between eras than anything else. In theory, it’s not doing too much differently from Deflorate, and unfortunately feels a bit stale by comparison. TBDM would find a way around the all-been-done-before feel by their next album, but with Abysmal, the retread weighs a bit heavier than you’d like.

#6. Miasma (2005). Miasma demonstrates instant growth over TBDM’s debut. If Unhallowed was a rough attempt at mid-90s melodeath, Miasma surges forward to the turn-of-the-century fusion of melodic death metal and mainstream metalcore production.¹ Though they wouldn’t stick with this sound for long, there’s so much across Miasma to like, from the cleaner production and maturing songwriting to the charisma that is now starting to bleed through every facet of the music. Strnad’s famous dual vocals really come into their own here, and the rest of the performances aren’t far behind. Though there’s still one piece of the puzzle remaining, you can see the full picture starting to resolve.

#5. Deflorate (2009). This album proved not only that TBDM wasn’t a one-album wonder, but that they also weren’t a one-trick pony. Ryan Knight joined the band from Arsis and overnight launched TBDM’s lead guitar capabilities into the stratosphere. But what looked like Nocturnal on nitro on its face sees, under the hood, Brian Eschbach’s songwriting quietly started to push the boundaries of the band’s imagination and capacity. Closer “I Will Return” veers hard left from everything to that point, touching on patient development and melodic progressions in a way that we could have only guessed TBDM was capable of (“Warborn”). It may lack the highs of some other records, but Deflorate is where TBDM started to show the depths of their abilities.

#4. Everblack (2013). Those of you who know I love TBDM know why I love TBDM,² and what I want isn’t in steady supply on Everblack. What is, however, is perhaps the pinnacle of TBDM’s exploratory songwriting and certainly the heights of Knight’s solo abilities (“Into the Everblack”). Everblack is a grower in a catalog of showers, operating in many ways like a prog death album in its attention to detail and willingness to fiddle with genre conventions. It’s also Strnad at his most diverse, leading an excellent full-ensemble performance from melodeath to straight death to black metal and back again. My personal predilection for beeg boi melojams is the only reason this isn’t placing higher on this list; on an objective quality scale, Everblack is aces.

#3. Ritual (2011). Now we’re talking. Everything up to this point had something holding it back for me, be it concept, style, or execution. Ritual is the first record on this list where any quibbles I have are so minor as to be unmentionable. Delivering on the promise of “I Will Return,” Ritual ain’t afraid to get a little weird. Off-kilter takes like “Den of the Picquerist” are exotic curios from a faraway land next to two prior records that spent 95% of their runtime turning your ass into tenderized steak. Here, a more interesting weapon of choice filters into the core proceedings of the record, with offerings like “On Stirring Seas of Salted Blood” providing the perfect chaser to the moonshine shot of “Moonlight Equilibrium.” This is the band’s most complete offering, giving you a taste of everything TBDM has dreamt up over their career, and I venture that Ritual would be one (or two!) spot(s) on this list higher… if I weren’t such a weenie.³

#2. Nightbringers (2017). But I am such a weenie.⁴ Is Nightbringers effectively Nocturnal with the world’s greatest spit shine? Sure is, and cui gives a shit? It’s got the most polished bow on it you’ll ever see. If you like riffs, and if you like hooks, and if you like them at the same time and in copious quantities, Nightbringers is all you’ll ever need. TBDM poured fifteen years of hard-won lessons and honed songcraft into revitalizing one of the most well-loved and well-regarded (by people with taste) albums in the genre. As such, it feels fresh and new and worth every second of your time, rather than like a lazy nostalgia mine. Most bands would be so lucky as to ape a classic album half as well as this, let alone have it be their own classic album. Speaking of…

#1. Nocturnal (2007). Simply put, Nocturnal is TBDM. This record is the culmination of every moment before it, to where every moment traces back. It was an instant star-maker at the time and a bonafide classic in hindsight. At the core of the band, when you strip off the years of experience and experimentation, the one constant is this sound. Like no other band, TBDM reclaimed the ’90s Swedeath buzzsaw riff and forged it anew in a bloodbath of nitro, horror-movie worship, and unfailing self-seriousness. As Nocturnal unfurls, each track seems certain to be impossible to top, only for the very next entry to do just that. Trying to pick just one Nocturnal song for a playlist (like the one below) invites an hour of “Well wait, what about…” That might not be the best reason to put an album (or two!) ahead of what is an unquestionably more well-rounded entry in Ritual, but it’s certainly the best reason to consider it among your favorite albums more than fifteen years later.

Dolphin Murderer

I don’t typically consider myself a fan of melodeath at large. But select acts that rest on what I would consider the more intense and/or techy side, Intestine Baalism, Arsis, Quo Vadis, Neuraxis, Anata, really grease my grumpy gears. And, among those, naturally, rests the oft-imitated, not quite-matched American giant The Black Dahlia Murder. I didn’t explore their catalog as they were first coming to light as I wasn’t allowed to. You see, I fancied myself a metalhead and all the -core kiddies liked bad music like Darkest Hour, All That Remains, Trivium, and The Black Dahlia Murder. So it took until sometime in my early 20s, sometime around Ritual, to even consider hitting this hallowed act. All because a cute girl with a forked tongue happened to be in my college public speaking class and wearing a sick The Black Dahlia Murder tee. Turns out she wasn’t into dudes. But I lucked into a different partner out of it all, one with sick riffs and vocal prowess that causes newcomers to think that these Michigan boys have two vocalists.

Riff in peace, Trevor.

#9. Unhallowed (2002). Armed equally with the weight of Carcass low-end harmonies and At the Gates Björriffs, TBDM hit the ground running with a gluttonous, thrash-loaded, melodeath pittin’ spree. This debut Unhallowed couldn’t have been more emblematic of the consistency that TBDM would embody throughout their career. As the start of a sound that would become part of the heavy metal dialogue, it’s really almost there in terms of quality. Strnad may not sound as comfortable in his shriek ‘em high and rattle ‘em low vocal attack, but with riffs as nasty as the latchkey turndown of “Closed Casket Reqiuem” and “Hymn for the Wretched,” he doesn’t always need to be the focus.

#8. Verminous (2020). Despite this release being the most recent of the bunch, it is also the one I recalled the least going into this ranking. When Verminous came to be it landed on my ears as a disappointment, though not necessarily a bad record. Frankly, I don’t think TBDM is capable of that. However, Verminous takes risks that other albums haven’t taken, like turning the classical lower-tuned harmonic riffs and scooping them closer to true thrash tones. Simultaneously, this allows stringslinger Brandon Ellis’ treble-focused leads to play about in a fashion that tiptoes the line between power metal cheese and melodeath flamboyance (“Godlessly,” “Removal of the Oaken Stake”). Couple that with Strnad essentially rapping at a couple of points (primarily in the percussive bounce of “How Very Dead”), and you’ve got a solid album after all with a few new wrinkles.

#7. Abysmal (2015). Similarly to Verminous, Abysmal crawls about specific production choices that highlight lead guitarist Ryan Knight’s neoclassical, virtuosic warbling. Namely, it’s louder and thrashier. While the album that came before it, Everblack, never wanted for more shred, its rhythm-focused drive—a more death metal-focused TBDM stance—did not allow sonic space for Abysmal’s inclusion of additional instruments like cellos and violins to have a place amongst the assault. Furthermore, with the increased focus on Knight’s playful prowess, each song includes easy-to-recognize marks of differentiation, whether it be a snappy intro (“Receipt,” “Abysmal”), a wicked solo (every song), or a Strnad-led crusher (“Re-Faced,” “The Advent”). It’s hard to get too much of Knight, Strnad, or TBDM when they’re this fun and tight.

#6. Everblack (2013). If you’re approximately my age, then certainly you’ve heard cries of TBDM ”not being metal” or “being metalcore.” Did you know that Metal Archives doesn’t even list metalcore as a past iteration of their sound?⁵ Well, if nothing to this point had convinced you, then Everblack would be the one to listen to. Listen, I’m not going to sit here and say you should like TBDM, but with Morbid Angel riffs crushing through slower-than-blast pace numbers (“Into the Everblack,” “Phantom Limb Masturbation”), bass rattle that won’t quick, and Ryan Knight still doing that “is he Yngwie or Greg Howe” shred to fusion-y blues thing, Everblack gives plenty of reasons why you TBDM is a death metal act first. Though the album starts a touch slow and runs long for an experience that subsists almost solely on riffs, it’s very hard to say that anything should go away. Just carve a little more time if you’re gonna jam this one.

#5. Deflorate (2009). Representing the ultimate crystallization of the TBDM sound to this point in their history, Deflorate is an absolutely consistent experience. In different hands, hands that have trouble crafting good songs, that might be an issue. But sticking true to the TBDM formula of harmonic overload, At the Gates / early-Carcass riffs, and Strnad giving a performance that no vocalist could match in this lane, Deflorate is also an easy-to-enjoy success. Notably, this is Ryan Knight’s first appearance (fresh from a stint with melotech legends in their own right, Arsis) at the helm of lead shred duties, which allows Deflorate to have a quality of guitar heroism that no album prior quite had. That’s not to say that past leadwork was subpar by any stretch, but when you hear the elegance of play on tracks like “Necropolis” or “Christ Deformed” against any of the solo breaks that came before them, it’s a whole different ball game. Ryan Knight kills it and keeps Deflorate from being just another riff-rippin’ TBDM album.

#4. Miasma (2005). From a very base stance, Miasma isn’t all too different in attack from the debut. But having already done it once at full-length, and even more on the road, TBDM took huge steps in the polish and tightening of their identity. In particular, the man, the myth, the legend Trevor Strnad steps into his role as the intensifier of already heavy-handed riffs with rolled snarls, bestial lows, and off-the-rails shriek sermons. From the lift-off of “Flies” to the narrative froth of “Dave Goes to Hollywood” to the artistic crackling of “Spite Suicide,” not a moment rings through where Strnad isn’t threatening the mic with a barely held-together glottal assault. I’ve noted on later-era albums that the acquired talents provided an extra panache to an already solid formula. Miasma, in its rawer and younger character, succeeds not through being smart and tidy but by executing TBDM’s vision of melodic death metal to the scraped limits of their abilities at the time.

#3. Nightbringers (2017). If Miasma sold the young and tattered vision that TBDM had of At the Gates riffs with campy and horror-tinged vignettes, Nightbringers sells the wiser version of it kissed by the fresh virtuosity of then-fledgling shredmeister Brandon Ellis. No riff wastes any time launching songs into chunked harmony, barked fury, and blistering solo-land. And despite the number of Björriff-forward tunes that TBDM has cranked over the years, each song here lands with its own weighty identity. Part of that is through Ellis’ neoclassically-cranked excursions that carry as much energy as any melodeath groove (“Kings of the Nightworld,” “As Good as Dead”). And, as with any TBDM outing, Strnad rips maniacally through macabre narratives with a brutal ease that possesses a memorability all its own (“Of God and Serpent, of Spectre and Snake,” “Catacomb Hecatomb” in particular). Truth be told, I’ve also spent more time with this album than any other in the TBDM catalog. When I acquired it, I was on the road more than any other time in my life, and this collection of melodeath bangers was my go-to on a sunless morning commute,⁶ where my weary eyes needed adrenaline to persevere. Nightbringers gives a dose that doesn’t quit until the last note.

#2. Nocturnal (2007). As much as I (and all the others here) have said the name At the Gates or Björriff⁷—a fate inescapable from simply the opening classic chord crush of “Everything Went Black”—it’s really the sneaking, tremolo groove Morbid Angel influence that rolls my eyes back on these hardest-hitting early TBDM numbers. This hefty American influence on the hooky and nimble Swedish sound allows monsters like “What a Horrible Night to Have a Curse” and “Of Darkness Spawned” to land with equal parts thrashy tumble and melodic sting. The addition of budding kit talent Shannon Lucas (ex-All That Remains) provides all the machine gun and tom-chattering rhythmic foundation for TBDM to excel in this realization of their early potential. Melodeath doesn’t get much more addictive than this…

#1. Ritual (2011). Well, at least melodeath doesn’t get more addictive than this until Ritual. But the craving that results from this crowning moment isn’t one of riff-indulgence, of fretboard mystery (okay, it is all of those things). Ritual has an atmosphere. The simple placement of dramatic cello lines at the onset signals a moodiness that continues through tones more bass-loaded and balanced than other efforts. I hate to praise engineer Jason Suecof for his work here as he ruined plenty of albums around this time.⁸ But everything here just works—the cut-ins to Knight’s wobbling and unpredictable axe action, the many layers of Strnad crisscrossing and connecting at group chants and shouts, the low-end weight which even propels the elevated basics d-beat ripping of “Den of the Picquerist.” Continuing to alternate between the Björriff, a churning groove, and a growing hyper-melodic attitude (“The Window”), TBDM finds more ways to hook with the same tools they’ve always had while adding subtle new elements. It’s eerie to listen to “Blood in the Ink” these days, though. Between the added tension of discordant violin lines, further swirling string accompaniment, and its all too real theme of ritual suicide, the foreboding closer is easily one of the best songs The Black Dahlia Murder ever penned. Ritual fades away in the closing echo of “Suicide is the only way out.” And it hurts. It hurt then because that kind of mental trap exists, and it hurts now because art and reality often reflect each other in the scariest and worst of ways. That intersection can breed great art though, and Ritual will live that truth so long as metalheads have ears.

Angry Metal Guy Staff Ranking

We’ve once again used our tallying magic to use a complex point system based on submitted rankings. Thank you to the staff who could offer opinions without words. You are treasured and valuable.⁹

1. Verminous (2020)
2. Unhallowed (2003)
3. Abysmal (2015)
4. Everblack (2013)
5. Deflorate (2009)
6. Miasma (2005)
7. Nightbringers (2017)
8. Ritual (2011)
9. Nocturnal (2007)

Angry Metal Discord Pile o’ Entitled Opinions

We did the same thing for our Discord users. They smell funny, but wouldn’t you know it, they like The Black Dahlia Murder too! Hopefully, you don’t agree more with this bunch though…

1. Verminous (2020)
2. Unhallowed (2003)
3. Miasma (2005)
4. Deflorate (2009)
5. Abysmal (2015)
6. Nightbringers (2017)
7. Ritual (2011)
8. Nocturnal (2007)
9. Everblack (2013)

And what would this all be without a staff-curated playlist to accompany the celebra¬tion? Get to know The Black Dahlia Murder before their upcoming release Servitude, out September 27th, 2024 on Metal Blade Records.

The post AMG Goes Ranking – The Black Dahlia Murder appeared first on Angry Metal Guy.

We all have our dirty metal secrets that we selfishly keep to ourselves, only sharing with a select few close to us. Or alternatively, we incessantly talk up underground gems and spread the gospel to anyone that will listen, as we cherish our slice of underground cred. Into the Obscure aims to right the wrongs and unearth the artists/albums that for whatever unjust reason didn’t get the exposure, appreciation or credit they sorely deserved the first time round.

Aussie war machine Sacriphyx kicked around in the underground releasing demos, splits and a compilation of material before arriving at their as yet only full-length album, 2013’s formidable, The Western Front. While writing the guts of this piece on April 25th, it is Anzac Day in Australia and New Zealand, an annual remembrance day to reflect on the Gallipoli battle in World War I, a brutal battle between the ANZACS (Australian and New Zealand Army Corps) and Turkish forces that resulted in a stalemate and heavy loss of lives. Today, Anzac Day remains a significant day of remembrance to honor the Australian and New Zealand soldiers who served and died in the Gallipoli Campaign, and all military personnel killed serving their country in the years since. It is a very special day on the Australian and New Zealand calendar each year and inspired me to dig up this underrated gem of an album from a band that deserve their dues and hail from my former hometown, and National’s Capital, Canberra.

Sacriphyx use grim war tales and historical events as lyrical inspiration to guide their bludgeoning blackened death-doom assault, drawing influences from the undisputed kings of war-themed death metal, Bolt Thrower, while bulldozing their own path of destruction through grim, soulful and deeply emotive metal. Sacriphyx’s musical template pulls on the emotional heartstrings through the triumph, chaos, loss, courage and devastating hardships of the harrowing subject matter. The Western Front has an epic feel and robust construction, as Sacriphyx efficiently power through the muck with beefy riffs, evocative leads, and pummeling percussion, while hoarse, throaty death growls provide a suitably guttural vocal punch. Although the formula is relatively simple and to the point, Sacriphyx shine in the songwriting department and the passion and conviction drips from every well-crafted note.

Ukraine’s excellent 1914 are recent purveyors of supreme blackened war-themed death, expanding into melodic death and symphonic territory on the slickly accomplished 2021 platter, Where Fear and Weapons Meet. Whereas 1914 traverse more sonically advanced and polished terrain, Sacriphyx dispense with bells and whistles, opting for a dirty, rawer sound that offers ample punch and clarity, while boasting an endearing, gritty, DIY-styled aesthetic that works wonders. The Western Front’s opening title track fades in slowly with forlorn melodies, war samples and a trudging, doomy tempo, creating an eloquent and ominous atmosphere that segues into early album standout “‘Buried Behind the Lines.” Opening with a burly, stomping groove, the song excels in its straightforward approach, cemented with ear-catching riffs and killer axework. With the standard set, the talented duo plunder forth with focused intensity and deft dynamic and stylistic shifts. Charred black doomy dirges add immense weight to the predominant death stylings, especially when coupled with striking leads and twisting melodies on the funereal march of “Without a Trace.” Elsewhere, “The Crawling Horror” is an imposing, riff rumbling beast to up the tempo. get the blood pumping.

The compact duration of The Western Front, strong melodic sensibilities, and stomping grooves create a remarkably palatable listening experience that demands return visits, despite the bleak, mournful vibes permeating the album. Credit goes to Anthony Till (guitars, bass, vocals) and drummer Neil Dyer for creating such a full sound amidst taut, lively performances. Till’s exceptional guitar work is a constant highlight, whether dishing up straightforward deathly hammer blows, doomy slogs steeped in melancholy, or showing his technical and melodic wares with more extravagant and soulful flourishes and solos. Honestly, there are few genuine gripes I can aim at The Western Front. For all its charm, the production has its faults, particularly with the presence and clarify of the drums lacking on occasions and sounding a little too muffled. Meanwhile, the acoustic-driven “Damn Passchendaele Ridge” would have served more effectively as an instrumental with the gruff, spoken word delivery a bit heavy-handed against the emotive acoustic melodies. Ideally, the album should be accompanied with a lyric sheet, as the full scope of the storytelling is lost in translation. Otherwise, the material stands up to scrutiny and kicks all kinds of arse.

Sacriphyx have kept a low profile in the years since The Western Front, and it remains unclear whether the duo is still active, or if we will hear new music from them at some eventual stage. However, if The Western Front is the last stand, Sacriphyx went out with an almighty bang. Listeners who gravitate towards the punishing throes of classic Bolt Thrower looking for fresh inspiration via an underappreciated, battle-hardened slab of supreme war-themed death, would be wise to explore the grim, mud-caked trenches of The Western Front.

The post Into the Obscure: Sacriphyx – The Western Front appeared first on Angry Metal Guy.

Today’s used tire is Ravenous Plague by the ever reliable and unchanging Dutch thrashers Legion of the Damned. Unlike many of their peers, LoTD managed to keep their thrash fairly entertaining over a lengthy career without tweaking the age old formulas, adding outside influences or “shaking things up.” Instead, they cull and crib ideas from Slayer, modern Exodus and the best of Germanic thrash, then go about their speedy endeavors with a single-minded ferocity and hope the pieces fall into place. More often than not, they do just that and you get nasty, heavy thrash that borders on death metal. Ravenous Plague does nothing to change their trajectory and it’s a virtual carbon copy of 2011s Descent Into Chaos, save for slightly bigger influence from wildly under-appreciated 80’s thrashers Deathrow. If you were looking for something original, you best leave the hall. This is thrash after all, craptastic cover art included at no extra charge.

If you heard any of the older LoTD material, you know what to expect on tracks like opener “Howling for Armageddon,” i.e. big, bruising riffery, frenetic soloing and the semi-death barks of Maurice Swinkels. So familiar is the music, it will easily remind many of their classic tune (in relative terms), “Werewolf Corpse.” The same issue plagues “Mountain Wolves Under a Crescent Moon,” but to a lesser extent, and it’s rescued by some leads that sound like vintage Mortal Sin. While both songs are enjoyable, the self-plagiarization is a bit troubling. Elsewhere, “Black Baron” borrows the twitchy, jittery riff style made famous by Deathrow and it reminds me a lot of “Slaughtered” from their 1986 debut. Similarity aside, it’s a satisfying thrash tune with ample balls and pissed off energy.

Things hit a high point with “Doom Priest,” which benefits from a huge “Seasons in the Abyss” vibe and adds various Morbid Angel riff ideas for good measure (and as a bonus, the video has more dramatic facial expressions than a Mexican telenovela). Also well done is “Morbid Death” with it’s Release From Agony era Destruction style, and “Armalite Assassin,” which sports fluid, vaguely blackened riff patterns.

Less potent is the slower, generic grind of “Summon All Hate” and the somewhat dull rumble of “Bury Me in a Nameless Grave.” No song is outright bad, but the album is definitely front loaded with better material. It also feels a tad overlong at 45 minutes, which is the outer limits of my thrash tolerance these days.

As good as some of the riffing is by new gunslinger Twan van Geel, it often feels too close to what LoTD has done in the past. Granted, there’s only so much a modern day thrasher can do to create fresh sounding riffs, but Toxic Holocaust keeps doing it, so it can be done. Another issue is the lack of memorable vocal hooks and patterns. While Swinkel always had a basic, one-note delivery, he usually managed to do little things to make his vocals stand out and stick in the head. That happens less here, and while he still sounds mean as junkyard dog on meth, he only shines on a few cuts like “Doom Priest” and “Morbid Death.”

Our new Year of the Lord starts with more thrash, and thrash is as thrash does, for better or worse, always. I’ll be the first to tell you though, it can be a lot worse than this. Ravenous Plague is a decently entertaining, but ultimately average outing by a band I usually enjoy more heartily. Did you expect something truly new in this new year? If you did, humbug and fiddlesticks to you!

Rating: 2.5/5.0
Label: Napalm Records
Websites: legionofthedamned.net | facebook.com/LOTDOfficial
Release Dates: EU: 2014.03.01 | NA: 01.07.2014

The post Legion of the Damned – Ravenous Plague Review appeared first on Angry Metal Guy.

Back in 2009, I started Angry Metal Guy. Without getting too biographical, the title of the blog was actually rooted in a joke that I had with my girlfriend about me and how I hate everything. In any case, having just moved to Sweden a year and half prior and finished my bachelors degree a few months before, I was unemployed, bored, and starved for good, quality metal that I could not actually afford. I also had opinions. Lots of them. And really, they were well-formulated opinions that reflected some kind of esoteric truth about metal. So what did I do? I took advantage of full album feeds on MySpace to start reviewing records on my newly purchased website “angrymetalguy.com.” On May 19th, 2009 I produced my first WordPress post entitled “Hello World.” I then changed the name to “Amorphis – Skyforger on MySpace.” Finally, I uploaded some reviews I’d done for my personal blog and backdated them to look like I was productive. No one cared. The website had the theme “Grunge,” which is about as metal as WordPress can even look. It was pretty fugly.

No one cared, that is, but the very kindly lady who had Nuclear Blast and Century Media’s promotional duties in Sweden¹. I sent her my glowing review of Amorphis – Skyforger—AMG’s very first 5/5—and I began to get promotional material from her. That’s how easy it was. In some ways, despite the fact that no one cared even the tiniest little bit, those were the days. I was (literally) writing for myself and for no one else with the ‘payment’ of free music. And I wrote quite a bit. My goal was to update three or four times a week, but by the time Steel Druhm posted his first review, my goal was to post five reviews a week. Part of the benefits of being post-bachelors degree and pre-job was an inordinate amount of free time to spend listening to metal and writing about it.

I rode that horse pretty hard, but it really caught up to me in the summer of ’11—when I was wearing an onion on my belt, as was the fashion in those days. That summer when I took my yearly vacation to the north, I realized I was so burned out. I listened to nothing but Camel and Meatloaf’s track “Objects in the Rearview Mirror May Be Closer than They Appear” repeatedly while detoxing from the intense stress of forcing Steel Druhm to review metalcore and making the website work and grow. Druhm managed to keep the website going, and more importantly when I returned we were able to keep the site growing. Because up has been the trajectory of Angry Metal Guy: constant growth, like some kind of post-communist economy growing on the backs of its newly (or at least differently) exploited workers (in this case those poor schlubs were Steel Druhm and myself). AngryMetalGuy.com became a job, and I became a pretty decent administrator.

Since then the staff has grown. I have continued to take a back seat in the day-to-day stuff while pursuing a PhD (and writing my Master’s thesis). We have gotten huge in South Africa, have received ironic blurb stickers from a band whose record I panned, been thanked by bands I love (like Wildernessking and The 11th Hour!) in their discs, and we get thousands of visitors every day, many of whom are stumbling on Angry Metal Guy (dot com) for the first time.

I no longer live in the north of Sweden (now I live in the middle of Sweden), and I no longer am unemployed (I got a master’s degree and now a job at a university as a doctoral student); but I do still hate things, I do have really strong opinions, and—contrary to what people think after my most recent Top 10(ish) Records o’ 2013, I still do like metal.

The point of this post isn’t just to wax nostalgic about my time as Angry Metal Guy, though, it’s actually to drop some reflexive knowledge on yo’ asses in the terms of which records really stuck with me from my Top 10(ish) Records posts since 2009. Since there are 55 records on my 5 Top 10(ish) lists, I am giving myself 15(ish) of these as the best o’ the best since starting at AMG. One final thought, though, before I go. Lists like this give the lie to any rating system, and mine is a perfect example of this. The interaction of music with the individual is something personal and strange, and things that hit just that spot at one time might do nothing for you later. There will be things on this list that you didn’t expect to see and other things you really did expect to see in spots you would never have imagined seeing them. That’s the beauty of music and the beauty of taste, and the danger of setting up “measurements” of something as deeply personal as music.

Oh, also, I’m aware that without you, dear reader, this blog wouldn’t be the successful endeavor it is today. So thank you all for coming in the first time, and thank you all for sticking around despite us—most likely—having panned your favorite band’s new record.

Starting now…

#(ish): Turisas // Stand up and Fight – [#N/A in 2011 – Century Media Records] — This album wasn’t on my Top 10(ish) from 2011, but I have no idea why! Looking at that list, there are certain things that easily could have been dropped from the list and replaced with a record that I gave a 4.5/5.0 for a reason. What Stand up and Fight has managed to do is just to stick around in my playlist since it was released. The unique combination of the stupendously epic sounds, complemented by a beautiful use of orchestration, with Nygård’s obvious ’80s rock influences and progressive tendencies makes for an album that presses all the right buttons. “Take the Day!” has an “Eye of the Tiger” pulse that sticks, while “End of an Empire” and “The Bosphorus Freezes Over” and the Finnish Men’s Epic Choir caress my desire for epic showtunes in my records about Vikings traveling to the Byzantine Empire. Stand up and Fight holds a special place in my heart, and like so many records that grow on the listener, it has set deep roots.

#15: Shining // VII: Född förlorare – [#3 in 2011 – Spinefarm] — While Shining obviously peaked with V: Halmstad, Född förlorare was a return to form after a weird and uncomfortable movement into shreddy territory and not-so-hot writing on VI. Unlike its predecessor, the record just works. Kvarforth sounds tortured enough and the composition sparks with passion and tension. And, I’ll be honest, there isn’t an album I’ve heard in my time at Angry Metal Guy that annoys my girlfriend more than this one, which definitely gives it the bonus of being music in a weaponized form. In any case, Född förlorare was a return to form that I’ve come back to time and again. It added some detail to the fine blade that Kvarforth had crafted through V, and deserves a hat-tip if nothing else. The Landberk cover shines, and the album ranks as the best Opeth record I’ve heard since starting at the blog.

#14: Sigh // Scenes from Hell – [#3 in 2010 – The End Records] — When Scenes from Hell dropped in 2010, I really had no idea what to expect. The scene had flipped a collective titty over 2007’s Hangman’s Hymn, but I had never really gotten into the record. Still, from the very opening strains of Scenes from Hell it was obvious to me that I was listening to an extraordinarily special record. One of the things that might turn people off to it is that it’s produced in a weird and claustrophobic way, but I like that. The orchestra and the band sound like they’re competing for air, and it gives it such a different feel from the over-produced classical black metal bands like Dimmu Borgir or Septicflesh. There’s something that still feels raw about Scenes from Hell, and the orchestrations on the album are a league above what everyone else had done. This record could have been done without the distorted guitars and it still would have been metal as fuck. I still can’t get over the “bridge” in “L’art de Mourir.” Scenes from Hell is just an elite record, and you’ll never quite hear anything like it ever again.

#13: Demiurg // Slakthus Gamleby [#7 in 2010 – Cyclone Empire] — After the release of The 11th Hour’s excellent Burden of Grief I did an interview with the band’s mainman Ed Warby. During that conversation he told me that he was working on a record that was Rogga Johansson’s “Cadillac” project—that is, the one that wasn’t specifically about gutting nuns or anything. So when I got my greedy little paws on Slakthus Gamleby, the band’s 2010 release, I was stoked. This album features not just Johansson and Warby, but one Dan Swanö (you might have heard of him) and Johan Berglund from The Grotesquery and Marjen Welman of Autumn. The result is a death metal project with doomy tones but a really Bloodbath/Vorum feel when one isn’t being serenaded with haunting female vocals or Warby’s awesome doom tones. This is one of the classiest, coolest, and most underrated records I’ve heard while reviewing here. I urge everyone to give it a shot, because it’s fucking great.

#12: Flesghod Apocalypse // Oracles [#3 in 2009 – Willowtip] — For once I have a little scene cred, ’cause I got in on the ground floor with Fleshgod Apocalypse’s first album, and let me tell you a secret—it’s their best. Oh, I know, that’s what we say about all the bands, but with Fleshgod Apocalypse it’s definitely true. First, while the production on this record is nothing to write home about, it’s definitely better than the follow-ups. Second, what Fleshgod was doing on Oracles was something that was new, fascinating, and remarkably entertaining in a way that can’t be overstated. Like their Italian brethren in [Luca Turilli’s] Rhapsody [of Fire], these sons of the culture capital of the world draw upon their cultural heritage to create metal, much like all the Scandinavians who have done similar things. The thing is, Italian culture is way more tied up in opera and classical music than folkvisor and excessive drinking. At least when they did their excessive drinking it was done with fine, powdered wigs on. In any case, Oracles is the perfect distillation of this classical tradition into stunning technical death metal. It’s hard to get into this record because the DRUMS ARE SO FUCKING LOUD but give it some time and compartmentalize the guitars, and you can’t help walking away from this record impressed.

#11: Riverside // Anno Domini High Definition [#6 in 2009 – InsideOut Recordings] — Poland’s Riverside was a band that I knew nothing about when I first popped in their newest record back in 2009. One of the benefits of walking into a record totally clueless is the propensity of getting floored by what you hear. ADHD (ugh) floored me. While I was a bit nervous at first about Mariusz Duda’s vocal approach and lyrics, but all I needed was to get into the record and begin experiencing the layers. While heavy—a drive that betrays the band’s background in metal—it was uncompromisingly progressive and unabashedly modern. In fact, Riverside nailed the sound I want from modern prog so well that I have a difficulty getting over ADHD. When they released their new album, it was ADHD I compared it to, and every time I hear a band that sounds like Fates Warning or Dream Theater, I think “man, I want to listen to Riverside.” ADHD has amazing songwriting and performances, the production is excellent and it has that “full-length x factor” that makes it extremely difficult to turn off once it’s started. So, I’ll write the next entry in 45 minutes…

#10: The Human Abstract // The Digital Veil [#4 in 2011 – E1 Records] — The Human Abstract is a hyper-modern American metal band that many would call “metalcore.” I guess I don’t care so much what they’re called, so long as they produce elite music, and I can definitely say that The Digital Veil was elite—if overproduced as fuck. Still, what The Human Abstract was trying to do—blending the modern technical metalcore/techy melodeath sound with neo-classical guitar skills, with a Muse-like vocal approach—was an awesome idea and worked perfectly. I was pretty much hooked form the opening of “Elegiac,” but “Faust” and “Antebellum” and the very cool and epic “Patterns” all kept me guessing and firmly infatuated in these kids’ vision for the metal they wanted to produce. The only thing that makes the record worse than anything else I’ve heard since I’ve been reviewing is the way that it was produced with such dated sounds and techniques. A remastering is in order, but it was good of these guys to produce their magnum opus before calling it quits.

#9: Diablo Swing Orchestra // Pandora’s Piñata [#3 in 2012 – Candlelight Records] — Angry Metal Guy shouldn’t be such a playful guy, but one of the things you may have noticed about me is that over time I’ve been getting more and more interested in playful and interesting metal. While the metal world gets stupid over the new true thing—be it more extreme or more “techy” or whatever—I find myself drawn to bands that are more creative, more melodic, more eclectic. Diablo Swing Orchestra’s 2012 opus Pandora’s Piñata is the perfect example of how music in the metal genre can be made swinging, fascinating, entertaining and still have a bit of a heavy side and the darkness we all long for. The record is epic, but this ensemble doesn’t take itself too damned seriously, which—similar to Solefald or Finntroll—gives them a leg up on the competition. This is one of the coolest and most fun records I own and it still makes me nod my head and drops a good groove riff from time-to-time. DSO does the Swedish scene credit by not sounding like Entombed. Hurra!

#8: The Ocean // Pelagial [#1 in 2013 – Metal Blade] — For a list of the five year anniversary, it’s actually kind of an interesting statement that The Ocean is the only 2013 thing on this list. That’s not to say that the albums on my Top 10(ish) from this year aren’t great, but it illustrates just how strong other years were. In any case, Pelagial—as I’m sure you’re all aware—is a monster record from a really cool band who’s doing really unique and interesting stuff. While it needs to be given some time to ripen to see where it would land in 5 years time, Pelagial is simply a cool record. I’ve written so many blurbs about it that I really am not sure what more to say at this case that I haven’t already said here or here. Just look at the albums that it’s surrounded by and you’ll see that it’s a compliment to The Ocean to be in this group. Let me just say that I hope these guys can really continue to produce albums that are as truly epic as Pelagial is. This is going to be a hard standard to meet.

#7: Moonsorrow // Varjoina kuljemme kuolleiden maassa [#1 in 2011 – Spinefarm] — For some people Varjoinna kuljemme kuolleiden maassa was a disappointment. Many of my friends who are big Moonsorrow fans didn’t “feel” Vkkm in the way that I apparently did. But for me, Moonsorrow’s 2011 slab of extraordinarily epic metal is a standing testament to the fact that 17 minute songs can be just as entertaining as 3 minute songs. While it’s true that V: Hävittety might be a stronger album, Vkkm threads the needle of being extremely epic and ponderous, but also melodic and emotional. After the 6 minute mark of “Tähdetön” it’s hard to turn away from the aural experience you’re being subjected to. These guys blend black metal and the Scandinavian style of epic black metal into something entirely unique and world-changing. They take the epic scope of a story and turn it into something immense, ridiculously hard to swallow in a single bite, and then they dare you to sit down for the ride. Varjoina kuljemme kuolleiden maassa is still one of the finest albums I’ve heard in my time at Angry Metal Guy. There may be more accessible albums that I come back to more frequently, but there’s something to be said for treating the album format like Russian writers treated the novel.

#6: Rhapsody of Fire // The Frozen Tears of Angels [#2 in 2010 – Nuclear Blast] — I don’t think you can underestimate just how important The Frozen Tears of Angels really was when given how lost to metal Rhapsody had seemed until it dropped. After being embroiled in some kind of weird legal battle with eminent poseur, functional psychopath, and old guy Joey DeMaio—who subsequently stole their sound but didn’t have the talent to make it work—it was like a blast of fresh air when The Frozen Tears of Angels came barreling out of my speakers. Sure, it’s mastered to death, but the music speaks for itself. There is an energy from this record that simply pops, it’s in the songwriting, and the performances, but especially the guitar work. Turilli topped his best work ever on The Frozen Tears of Angels and created some of the most memorable guitar solos I’ve ever heard throughout the whole record. This album also opened the floodgates for a series of releases, all of which ranged between pretty good and amazing, so it’s safe to say that they really did rise a bit like a phoenix from the flames. The Frozen Tears of Angels is power metal done right. Take that, DeMaio.

#5: Sabaton // Carolus Rex (Swedish) [#1 in 2012 – Nuclear Blast] — Sabaton is not my favorite band. They’re not even close. Their specific brand of dude metal hasn’t ever thrilled me before. But Carolus Rex just pressed every single button I had. It was catchy, melodic, heavy and—most importantly—it was in Swedish about Swedish history. To say that this one was in some ways a bit of a shoe-in is probably true. Still, that I’m a nerd doesn’t change what this album does so well. Firstly, the songs are well-written, they’re fun to listen to, and the melodies are catchy. Secondly, hearing a band actually sing power metal in Swedish is nice for a change, because bands are so limited by their English language skills. Sabaton are no poets in English, and they’re not going to win a Nobel Prize for their Swedish lyrics, either, but Carolus Rex isn’t hampered by cheesy, unlistenable lyrics that get in the way of the band’s otherwise interesting ideas. Songs like “En livstid i krig,” “Carolus Rex,” and “Ruina imperii” are successful because of the use of Swedish and it bolsters my theory that bands should do what they’re good at, not what they think they should do. This is a record I’ll be listening to for a very, very long time.

#4: The Black Dahlia Murder // Ritual [#6 in 2011 – Metal Blade] — The Black Dahlia Murder is one of those bands that I thought was on a decline—which, let’s be frank—is inevitable. So when Ritual dropped in 2011 I was not ready for it all. I like the band, I love their brand of post-At the Gates melodeath with a blasty side and a dynamic vocalist. But they’d gotten a little tired. Ritual changed that by adding Ryan “Motherfuckin'” Knight to the lineup and adding dynamic writing and new ideas to their repertoire. Add amazing cover art, and the best production job of their career, and Ritual is just the beastly record that I as a fan was waiting for. Every song is a victory, the guitar solos are life-changing, and—as bands are wont to do from time to time—they broke the barrier of their sound and, according to an interview that I did with Trevor that never got published², finally broke them into the upper echelon of metal bands touring and recording music today. What’s cool about that is that tracks like “On Stirring Seas of Salted Blood” and “Blood in the Ink” saw the band moving away from their bread and butter sound for something newer, epicer, awesomer, and—honestly—stupefying. This was not my Record o’ the Year, but I actually listen to it a hell of a lot 3 years later. Take that for what it is.

#3: The 11th Hour // Burden of Grief [#7 in 2009 – Napalm Records] — Ed Warby’s vision seems to be a vision I share. His influence on the Demiurg stuff helped to bring it to the fore in my mind and rank on this list; but his true genius is seen in the deeply personal and ponderously heavy Burden of Grief which dropped in 2009. Burden of Grief was one of those watermarked promos I got back in the day from Napalm Records, and I knew that I liked Ed pretty well when I received this one, and he had made the watermarks as unobtrusive as possible. This helped me focus on the music—and holy shit, was it some music to focus on. I have never been a big fan of doom, but Warby’s haunting voice is only matched by his haunting use of melody and intuitive understanding for song construction. Burden of Grief shows off not only the man’s feel for melody, but his death metal credentials. While the record isn’t “riffy” like more traditional death metal fare, it is heavy and the use of Rogga’s beastly growls to punctuate these tracks helps to make the record feel simultaneously depressing and deadly. The production on this record is thick and loud, but the feel is simply leaden. When I got a new pair of speakers the first thing I did was pop in Burden of Grief and just sit in front of them in awe. So, so good.

#2: Guilt Machine // On this Perfect Day [#4 in 2009 – Mascot Records] — The astute reader has noticed that when I rank Arjen Lucassen’s material, I rate it as “X/Guilt Machine.” That’s because On this Perfect Day is, well, a perfect record. True, it’s not a heavy record, but the tones are dark and mysterious and the writing is epic. The tracks never get shorter than 6 minutes and the production tones are layered with clean tones and synthesizer—frankly, much like Arjen’s post-Guilt Machine material. What makes On this Perfect Day such a phenomenal record is its completeness. I hear a lot of people say that the iPod changed the way they listened to music, but On this Perfect Day is a record that needs time, patience, space, and excellent equipment to really appreciate. Though some things about On this Perfect Day were immediate: Belgian pop-singer Jasper Steverlinck’s performance is a true stand-out in the Arjen Lucassen tradition of finding the best vocalists available. At times, I’m amazed at how much he reminds me of Freddie Mercury. And, of course, the melodies and composition here are outstanding. Put the concept, the emotional feel, the amazing writing, production and the outstanding vocal performances together and you have one of the best records ever written. That this album didn’t go over with Arjen’s fans is a mystery. Guilt Machine made me an Arjen fan.

#1: Orphaned Land // The Never Ending Way of ORwarriOR [#1 in 2010 – Century Media Records] — I write this blurb after having heard the news that guitarist Yossi has left Orphaned Land. His sound is integral to the band, and to this album. The Never Ending Way of ORwarriOR was a record that literally raised the bar for everything that I heard after it. I had discovered Mabool a few years earlier in the “new releases” of a CD store after having heard of the band by word of mouth from a German friend of mine. I picked it up and loved it, though I had some minor critiques—I didn’t think Kobi was a great death metal vocalist and he had some tone issues at times—I still gave it a 10/10 and eagerly awaited their next record. When ORwarriOR was announced the anticipation for me cannot be overstated. I had been looking forward to this album forever, and then I found out that Steven Wilson was working on it with the band. When I received a copy of the album it would have been easy for me to be disappointed—instead, I was blown away. I hadn’t even expected anything to ever be this good. ORwarriOR was easily the best record I’d listened to since Seventh Son of a Seventh Son.

It should come as no surprise that this is still the best album I’ve heard in the 5 years that I’ve been reviewing here at Angry Metal Guy. In fact, it’s basically among my favorite albums ever. There is nothing to critique here—the songwriting is epic, it flows, the performances are amazing and the production is ridiculously good, especially given that Wilson’s skills were then squashed into a DR6 record. This is what a band sounds like when they are firing on all cylinders. Orphaned Land was a finely tuned machine and ORwarriOR is a masterpiece. I mean this literally—it not only is the best work the band ever did, but it expanded the heavy metal genre in directions no one saw coming.

Pile o’ Shame / Things that Probably Belonged on Year End Lists that I Missed:

The Dear Hunter // Act III: Life and Death [2009 – Triple Crown Records] — Yeah, this ain’t metal. But man it’s fucking good. The Dear Hunter is essentially a progressive rock band in the most traditional sense—they’re experimental, they don’t find themselves kept in line by a set of constrictive genre rules and even when they write poppy stuff, it sure ain’t boilerplate crap. It’s epic, it’s fun, it’s cool. Act III is a ride that shows off everything you need to know about this band and it’s an immensely entertaining ride—orchestras, Queen harmonies, and a 40 genre-style-changes later, you’ll just want to start the disc over again. The downside for a lot of metal dudes is going to be the vocals, which wander the “indie rock” lines a bit much at times—but if you like prog, you’ll love Act III: Life and Death.

Vorum // Grim Death Awaits [2009 – Woodcut Records] — Retro-death done right. These Ålanders produced one of the most uncompromising records of 2009 and it flew right under my radar until 2010. The riffs on Grim Death Awaits are sharp, the song-writing is absolutely no bullshit—tracks clocking in at 4:20 at the very top, and that’s double the average song. Grim Death Awaits is a brutal, extreme, and entertaining listening experience that will knock death metal fans out of the park.

Claws // Absorbed in the Nethervoid [2009 – Razorback Records] — Finnish death metal from 2009? Why, yes! More of it! Absorbed in the Nethervoid and Grim Death Awaits both landed on my lists because they’re good at very similar things and they’re both standout. Absorbed in the Nethervoid has more of the old Entombed feel, and that rawness works so good. Again, these songs aren’t long, most of them are about 3:20 and the riffs and groove are sick. Ain’t no denyin’, Claws is good shit.

Beyond Creation // The Aura [2011 – PRC Music] — Just when I was wrapping up the 2011 lists, someone pointed out Beyond Creation’s epic opus The Aura which had dropped that year with little to-do (and was later re-released by Seasons of MIst because it’s awesome). I tried to get a hold of the CD from the label, but they kindly informed me that they were closed for vacation—for the next 3 months. That’s how fucking independent this release was. All that aside, Beyond Creation does tech death metal right, with amazing feats of fretless bass that put Cynic to shame. This record is heavy, it’s brutal, it’s technical, and if the drums didn’t sound so canned it’d be even better. Still, worth checking if you never got around to it. It belonged on that list.

Crimfall // As the Path Unfolds… [2009 – Napalm Records] — I was pretty dismissive of Crimfall when I first heard them, and they never made my list for 2009. But they definitely stuck around, like those really excellent records do. At some point I pulled it back out and realized what a terrible mistake I’d made. While I’d given the album a good score, it was a much more interesting and innovative record than I’d really thought at the time. It boiled down the Finnish metal scene down into its various parts and built a sound that really worked well with all of them. Helena Haaparanta’s vocal performance is excellent and the writing just works. This was a grower and unfortunately, the reviewing business doesn’t give you much time to let growers grow.

Mors Principium Est // …and Death Said Live [2012 – AFM] — Never release your album in December. Mors got released on December 5th of 2012 and basically ended up a footnote in my Best of list. The problem with that? The record is a beast of melodic death metal prowess. It’s gotta be one of the best melodeath albums to be released since the huge rush on melodeath in the late 90s and early 2000s. It’s a sound that a lot of people are tired of, but Mors does it right—heavy, fast, melodic, and very little navel-gazing. This should never have been overlooked.

The post Angry Metal Guy’s Five Year Anniversary Post appeared first on Angry Metal Guy.

But before I do that: it’s important to pay a tribute to Steel Druhm and Madam X who despite their inferior opinions have helped to keep this blog kicking and screaming while I’ve been off doing things that don’t involve the Internet or heavy metal. They have been stalwarts defining this blog (so much so, in fact, that I now regularly receive e-mails addressed to “Mr. Steel,” despite me being the bossity boss boss still [YOU HEAR THAT, EMAIL SENDERS!? RESPECT MY AUTHORITAY!]). You should all be aware that without these two people organizing things and contravening my orders behind my back, Angry Metal Guy would not be up and running.

I also would like to thank our long list of current contributors who like the pests they are continue to reproduce. But most importantly I want to thank Alex Franquelli who left us at the end of the year. His departure marks the first time that a contributor got too old to contribute and quit. Most of the time people just shit out on us and stop responding to their e-mails and start avoiding you on Mass Effect 3 multiplayer (here’s looking at you Lord Doom), but Alex was man enough to say that he really just doesn’t like metal so much anymore and throw in his hat. His unique and engaging writing will be missed. Now, if only we could get Happy Metal Guy to throw in his hat… White Wizzard? Really?

Fair warning, though, 2013 might be my last Top 10(ish) for some time. I, too, am getting old, and this year has been a remarkably difficult year for me in terms of balance, largely because the sheer amount of music has been hard for me to keep up with due to having a job that is expected to be a vocation. Having an avocation when you have a vocation is tough. So, this year you’ll not only be getting this, but a special list (to be posted and explained later); but enjoy these, just in case AngryMetalGuy.com might be AngryMetalGuy-less for all intents and purpose in 2014.

And without further ado, here’s my Top 10(ish) Records o’ 2013.

#(ish): Beaten to Death // Dødsfest! — When Jordan Campbell reviewed these guys and I saw the cover I had sort of a “WTF?” moment. Then I listened to it. Beaten to Death’s particular approach to grind surprised me, excited me, and led me to purchase the record immediately ($4 on Bandcamp? A worthy expenditure that costs less than a sugary drink at a chain coffee joint). The unusual tone, the use of melody, and the counterintuitive extremity all introduced something that I had never really heard before and it’s so, so good. This could be higher on the list, but it’s a pretty late addition.

#10: Witherscape // The Inheritance (vinyl mix) — In a year when we’re talking about The Loudness War with louder and louder voices, Dan Swanö appears to be getting the message. While The Inheritance was released with a more traditionally loud master, the CD comes with the fully dynamic mix that is magical and makes an awesome record even better. Swanö and his mustachioed partner Ragnar (the metallist [non-Torbjörn] name ever?!) have produced the best Opeth/Edge of Sanity-style melodeath record in years—and it sounds so damned good.

#9: Steven Wilson // The Raven that Refused to Sing (and Other Stories) — From the opening bass salvo on “Luminol” I knew that The Raven that Refused to Sing (and Other Stories) wasn’t just an average album. With a strong ’70s feel—dat flute!—and awesome production and an amazing lineup of guest musicians, TRtRtS(aOS) created an unavoidably addictive addition to my record collection in 2013. Between traditional Wilsonesque post-Floyd prog and the strong instrumentation and improvised feel, TRtRtS(aOS) is my favorite Steven Wilson record ever and belongs in any prog fan’s collection.

#8: Sahg // Delusions of Grandeur — On some level I think that Black Sabbath’s 13 should have sounded like Delusions of Grandeur. Sahg’s follow-up to its very good III is better than its predecessor and should not be overlooked. The choruses and song-writing on Delusions of Grandeur remind the listener of the glory days of metal, but still have a modern charm that doesn’t go missing. The whole record is an ass-kicker, dropping awesome riff after awesome chorus, but it’s capped off with the extraordinary closing track “Sleeper’s Gate to the Galaxy” which is probably the best closer of the year. I can’t get over how much this vocalist sounds like Ozzy, by the way.

#7: Týr // Valkyrja — True metal still has a home and that home is apparently in the Faroe Islands. From the opening strains of “Blood of Heroes” I knew that Valkyrja was going to be a special record. As I said to Steel Druhm on Angry Metal Chat™ that day, “No pooch was screwn in the making of this record.” Valkyrja is chock full of sharp riffs, sharper melodies, and excellent performances. These Faroe Islanders do their Scandinavian brethren proud by pounding out track after track of great trad metal. Bonus: the “Where Eagles Dare” cover is awesome.

#6: October Falls // The Plague of a Coming Age — October Falls’ The Plague of a Coming Age is one of those sleeper records that people seem to have forgotten about as the year has gone on—and that’s too bad, because it’s the band’s best album ever and easily one of the most complete of the year. I was hooked on this one from the opening strains of “Bloodlines.” The production is perfect, the songwriting is crisp, smart, and still atmospheric enough to evoke the airy, depressing feel that is so hard to do right. October Falls keeps getting better and that excites the hell out of me.

#5: Turisas // Turisas2013 — Turisas’ much-maligned Turisas2013 is a record that has refused to let go during this process. It’s a weird record, but it seems that no matter how far from their roots these guys get, I keep falling for their unique vision. The strange lyrics, the ’80s rock influence, the progressive tendencies, and the sharp pop songwriting make Turisas2013 one of the most fascinating and difficult records of the year—from the perspective of a fan. But the record is maybe their most accessible ever, as well. Sure, I still sometimes feel like the thing is half-baked, but since I still can’t stop listening to it it’s about time I give up on trying to understand why I like it and just accept that I really, really do.

#4: Haken // The Mountain — What do you get when you take a band that doesn’t sound like Dream Theater and then compare them to Dream Theater? A happy Angry Metal Guy when they turn out to not sound like Dream Theater! In this case, Haken gave us the Leprous record that we were all dying to hear. The epic songwriting and the Queen-influenced vocal parts make for endlessly entertaining listening, and “Cockroach King” is one of the best songs of the year. Truly, an exceptional record from an exceptional band.

#3: Trials // In the Shadow of Swords — This is without a doubt my surprise of the year. Trials’ unique take on the thrash genre is a refreshing breath of heavy, melodic, interesting music(al air) in a sea of retro bands, lo-fi basement dwellers who are crawling up their own asses and pretentious hipsters. There are no pretentions here; only sharp riffs, epic songwriting, and the freshest thrash I’ve heard in a long damned time. This is a mandatory purchase. Now if only they’d’ve turned Usha up.

#2: Ayreon // The Theory of Everything — The double record is so done. Most bands don’t deserve it and I do not have the time or the patience for most bands that think they do. The Theory of Everything defied those sentiments for me, however. Packed with amazing, thematic songwriting, and stellar vocal performances, TToE is epic, immersive, and just flat-out excellent. While I have some gripes about a thing or two here and there, the music and the performances are so strong that it competed heavily for Record o’ the Year. The poofy-haired cheesehead strikes again! Now record another Guilt Machine record, Arjen!

#1: The Ocean // Pelagial — I’m a sucker for epic concept albums and Pelagial is one of the best that I’ve heard. What makes Pelagial so special is how many layers it has and how immersive it is. Because it was written as an instrumental record first, the musical elements are perfectly composed to be as giving and immersive as possible. The instrumental disc stands alone as a heavy and giving album. What’s so impressive is that Loïc Rosetti’s vocal performance and lyrical approach improves an already excellent record. His work is emotional and evocative, threading the needle between cleans and screams with artistic vision and stand out professionalism. Pelagial is an epic success, and the kind of record that makes you want to put on your headphones and get lost in the deep waters of the band’s vision.

Honorable Mentions (in no particular order):

• Ulver // Messe I.X-VI.X — Ulver’s best record since Perdition City is a thoughtful wandering into classical music and it works really well. This isn’t an easy listen, but it’s a very cool one.
• Amon Amarth // Deceiver of the Gods — Deceiver of the Gods was Record o’ the Month for July and it was a great example of Amon Amarth’s sound in the modern era. But honestly, it just felt like a kind of predictable choice for my end of year list. I enjoy the heck out of this album, but there’s records I’d like to pimp more.
• Leprous // Coal — Coal has grown on me. It’s a weird record, repetitive but emotive. It started out as total hate when I first heard it, but here it is on my mentions list. A strange but cool record.
• Thyrfing // De ödelösa — One of the more pleasant surprises of 2013, in my opinion, was the rebirth of Thyrfing. These Swedes rocked out an awesome record that I feel is a bit hampered by the airiness of the production. Still, not to be scoffed at.
• Sleepers Awake // Transcension — Thanks to FtAG’s Top 10(ish) this is a late addition. Weird sludgy Opethian strains that kind of remind me of Mastodon if they sounded like Iron Thrones.
• Vhöl // Vhöl — Another late addition is Vhöl, who put out one of the most unique albums I’ve heard this year. They’re one of those bands that has the good sense to crib their riffs from such a wide variety of bands that they don’t sound like anyone but themselves.

Disappointments o’ the Year:

• Orphaned Land // All Is One — This one hurts. Orphaned Land nailed home what I think is still one of the most perfect records I own on ORwarriOR and then mailed it in with All Is One. Regardless of motivation, this record isn’t good. It’s monotonous and while it has its moments (see: my Top 10[ish] Songs o’ 2013), those are few and far between.
• Ihsahn // Das seelenbrechen — I shouldn’t be disappointed by now, should I? Ihsahn has more bad records than good, by my counting, and yet somehow I get excited and let down every time the guy puts something out.
• Rhapsody of Fire // Dark Wings of Steel — Yeah, so, this one was definitely more expected than the others. With Luca Turilli leaving the band, the writing on Dark Wings of Steel isn’t great and the guitar solos leave much to be desired. There’s a reason Luca Turilli’s Rhapsody stayed signed to Nuclear Blast and Rhapsody of Fire was dropped. Still, I was pulling for these little Italians that could. Unfortunately, they couldn’t.
• Fleshgod Apocalypse // Labyrinth — While moving in the right direction, Fleshgod still dropped the ball pretty hard on this one because of the production. Still, it encouraged me to hook up with the Metal-Fi guys to do Angry Metal-Fi, so that’s definitely a silver lining.

The post Angry Metal Guy’s Top 10(ish) o’ 2013 appeared first on Angry Metal Guy.

I hope you’re happy.

Noctus:

10. Saor // Roots
9. Portal // Vexovoid
8. Funeralium // Deceived Idealism
7. Lychgate // Lychgate
6. Kayo Dot // Hubardo
5. Gorguts // Colored Sands
4. Rorcal // Vilagvege
3. Altar of Plagues // Teethed Glory and Injury
2. Summoning // Old Morning Dawn
1. Ataraxie // L’Être et la Nausée – This record is beyond a shadow of doubt one of the finest death/doom records of the past five years. An insane record, crushing as it is chilling, with nearly 80 minutes of challenging, but perfectly performed darkness. The atmosphere and mood of is nigh-on impenetrable; desperation, depression and fury rendered into a constantly shifting blend of crushingly slow, massive and cavernous funeral-doom and blisteringly fast and dangerous death metal. Such a perfect tone is married with song writing prowess that sees not a moment of this gargantuan album wasted — every bit as vital as the last. It always pays to see ambition pay off in such a big, big way, which it does here. This among other things cements Ataraxie’s masterwork as the finest album of 2013.

Song o’ the Year: Summoning – “Old Mornings Dawn”

Disappointment of 2013: Rosetta – The Anaesthete

Happy Metal Guy:

10. Cóndor // Nadia
9. Skeletal Spectre // Voodoo Dawn
8. Darkthrone // The Underground Resistance
7. Scale the Summit // The Migration
6. Toxic Holocaust // Chemistry of Consciousness
5. Heaven Shall Burn // Veto
4. In Solitude // Sister
3. Exhumed // Necrocracy
2. White Wizzard // The Devils Cut
1. Skeletonwitch // Serpents Unleashed: The black in Skeletonwitch’s blackened thrash didn’t used to be that black [Psst. There aren’t really shades of black… – AMG], but with Serpents Unleashed, the band has sonically migrated to Norway. Combine this intensified blackened edge with the band’s badass name and occultic lyrical themes and one gets a Skeletonwitch that is more convincingly blackened than before. The band’s newfound kvlt-ness also happens to complement their thrashy side well. Throw in a bunch of melodic guitar solos and one gets a record that’s just begging to be spun more times than the Wheel of Fortune has over the years.

Song o’ the Year: Sockweb – “Werewolf”

Jordan Campbell:

Grymm:

10. Vatnett Viskar // Sky Swallower
9. Exivious // Liminal
8. Rotting Christ // Kata Ton Daimona Eaytoy
7. Russian Circles // Memorial
6. Patrons of the Rotting Gate // The Rose Coil
5. Exhumed // Necrocracy
4. In Solitude // Sister
3. Gorguts // Colored Sands
2. Eye of Solitude // Canto III
1. Carcass // Surgical Steel: I wanted this album to at least be merely “okay” and not a cash-in, given their long lay-off. Instead, they set yet another bar for other melodic death metal bands to try to catapult over. Ferocious, infectious, humorous, and intelligent. Jeff, Bill… welcome back.

Song o’ the Year: Carcass – ”Captive Bolt Pistol”: I was teetering between this and “1985”/”Thrasher’s Abattoir”, but that insane caterpillar riff at the 2:13 mark from the seemingly physically-ageless Bill Steer sold me hard.

Disappointments of 2013 (tie): Orphaned Land – All is One and Dark Tranquillity – Construct: Now I know why it takes Orphaned Land forever to write albums. The two years between the incredible ORWarriOR and this record was not enough to flesh out an incredibly mediocre affair. As for Construct, the writing was on the wall with the bland We Are the Void, but at least that record had a song or two to elevate it a hair. I’m hoping the good ship DT will redirect its course and soon.

JF Williams:

10. Death Grips // Government Plates
9. Vastum // Patricidal Lust
8. Dispirit // 111112
7. Nails // Abandon All Life
6. Bölzer // Aura
5. Torture Chain // Mutilating Astral Entities
4. Paysage d’Hiver // Das Tor
3. Carcass // Surgical Steel
2. Inquisition // Obscure Verses for the Multiverse
1. Deafheaven // Sunbather: With Sunbather, Deafheaven have transformed from being one of many post-black ‘metalgaze’ groups to having created a beautiful record that transcends its genre and may very well go on to be a classic. It’s an ecstatic, life-affirming revelation of a record that overflows with passion, vigor and vitality.

Song o’ the Year: Deafheaven – “Dream House”

Kronos:

10. Author and Punisher // Women and Children
9. Disfiguring the Goddess // Deprive/Black Earth Child
8. Rosetta // The Anaesthete
7. The Schoenberg Automaton // Vela
6. Rings of Saturn // Dingir
5. Ulcerate // Vermis
4. Revocation // Revocation
3. Gorguts // Colored Sands
2. Wormed// Exodromos
1. Altar of Plagues // Teethed Glory and Injury

Song o’ the Year: Leprous – “The Cloak”

The post The AMG Staff Picks the Top Ten Records o’ 2013 appeared first on Angry Metal Guy.

(ish) Manilla Road – “The Fountain” — As the perennial champions of the cvlt, trve and vnappreciated, Manilla Road soldiers on, doing it their way and paying no heed to the calendar or their bank accounts. While I haven’t loved much of their recent output, this song really grabbed me by the chocobo and wouldn’t let go. Mark Shelton’s oddball voice rolling over a gentle, mellow semi-folk song shouldn’t work so well, but damned if this doesn’t rock! Hail the progenitors of epic metal!

#10. Witherscape – “Dead for a Day” — Dan Swanö’s newest project came out of left field like a musical claymore and blew up right field along with everyone in it (myself included). Welding together the best parts of Opeth, Edge of Sanity, Rapture and Michael Bolton (quiet, you!), “Dead for a Day” is catchy-as-hell, gloomy-as-fuck and awesome-as… really awesome sauce of some kind. Never doubt the Swanö!

#9. End of Green – “Home on Fire” – On their best release to date, obscure German goth merchants shamelessly ripped off Katatonia’s current sound and style and wrote the best song of their career (and the best of Katatonia’s recent career as well). How dare they?!

#8. Atlantean Kodex – “Heresiarch (Thousandfaced Moon)” – The first of two cuts off a monumental epic/doom album that really blew me away in a year where few others did. By merging vintage Candlemass with the epic power of Bathory’s Hammerheart album, they found a monolithic source code from which to craft talismans of true metal power and glory capable of sending chills up the spine of a dead man. This chorus can only be enjoyed fully whilst holding high your sword of wengeance and hatred. Raise it!

#7. Audrey Horne – “The Open Sea” – Considering the band includes Ice Dale of Enslaved fame, this is some amazingly catchy hard rock/metal that holds true to the spirit of Led Zeppelin and Rainbow. The chorus is as memorable as any you’ll hear this year and there’s something so insidiously hooky about the whole song, that it should come with a warning label.

#6. Just Before Dawn – “Precis Innan Gryningen” – Death metal done right should flay the eyelids and tear the heart from one’s chestal cavity. When you combine the talents of Rogga Johansson (all Swedish death metal bands ever) and Anders Biazzi (Blood Mortized), you can count on just such a de-heartening experience. The title track to their debut collaboration approximates the sensation of being chainsawed to pieces while a ravenous demon with a mouthful of gore screams profanities in your ear. Sounds like fun, eh?

#5. Amorphis – ”Into the Abyss” – Though their latest album was on the disappointing side of the ledger, there were bright spots, the brightest being this one, which reminded me why the Tomi Joutsen-fronted version of the band has been so enjoyable and compelling. Great mood, great atmosphere and a chorus to die for (which incidentally sounds a bit like To Die For). Here’s to better things from these guys in the future.

#4. Týr – “Blood of Heroes” – When I think of Týr, I think of power metal with enough Norse rage to satisfy the angry marauder in my soul. Well, this little ditty is the ultimate soundtrack to your shoreline invasion/holiday sack party. Fist raising riffs, Wotan praising vocals and just enough Manowar approved cheese to grow hair on your steel. B.Y.O.B. really means bring your own broadsword.

#3. Victor Griffin’s In-Graved – “Love Song for the Dying” – One of the bigger surprises of the year, long-time Pentagram guitarist Victor Griffin’s new project captured the street-level, blue-collar doom sound better than anything I’ve heard since Saint Vitus were in their prime. This cut in particular oozes raw emotion, angst and hurt in such an authentic, sincere way, it’s hard to walk away unaffected. A real gem of a doom song that didn’t get much press this year.

#2. In Solitude – “Pallid Hands” – My favorite Mercyful Fate cover band decided to add in more goth rock, Ghost-worship and Danzig chest thumpery and you know what? They’re all the better for it! “Pallid Hands” is a case study in how these elements work well together as the band cartwheels through vintage Mercyful Fate riffs, Fields of Nephilim moods and into retro occult rock without batting a mascara-stained eyelash. A winning sound was thusly found.

#1. Atlantean Kodex – “Twelve Stars and Azure Gown” – When you take the larger-than-life doom ethos of Candlemass and incorporate loads of John Arch-esque vocal acrobatics taken directly from Awaken the Guardian, you can count on having Steel Druhm’s FULL attention. Atlantean Kodex surely impressed me with their last album, but thanks to majestic, beautifully rendered metal tapestries like this, they really sizzled my bacon in 2013. The power, the glory, the metal, it’s all here, folks. This is a big fucking deal!

Runners Up:

Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats – “Desert Ceremony”
Falkenbach – “Eweroun”
Oliva – “Father Time”
Omnium Gatherum – “The Unknowing”
Warbringer – “The Turning of the Gears”
In Solitude – “Sister”
Audrey Horne – “Redemption Blues”
Tristania – “Requiem”
Serenity – “Age of Glory”
Nightfall – “Hubris”

The post Steel Druhm’s Top Ten(ish) Songs of 2013 appeared first on Angry Metal Guy.

Alcest

But as Alcest’s branches cry ever skyward, those black-soiled roots grow farther and farther away. Shelter strips away the last vestiges of metalness from the Alcest sound, bringing in Sigur Rós producer Birgir Jón Birgisson and Slowdive vocalist Neil Halstead (for lead vocals on album semi-highlight “Away”) to provide maximum fluff. Alcest—both boldly and predictably—has officially left their metallic shackles behind. The result? Well, it’s pretty fucking boring.

The problem with Alcest ditching their final flakes of metal isn’t a matter of principle. If Neige and Winterhalter want to completely divorce themselves from the black metal they were touching upon six or seven years ago, more power to ‘em. Let the men be happy. But as Shelter laboriously unfolds itself, it becomes apparent that the metal moments were crucial to Alcest’s storytelling ability. They were signposts. Even as recently as “Là où Naissent les Couleurs Nouvelles,” from 2012’s Les Voyages de L’Âme, they employed heavier moments to propel glistening dreampop passages to their final destinations. The songs on Shelter just flitter into nothingness, untethered by tension and free of any real consequence. The result is an aggressively unaggressive work, an album that—despite weighing an attogram less than the pang of guilt you feel after stealing the last mini-carrot from the fridge—is an absolute chore to navigate.

The only real bloodrush comes courtesy of album linchpin “Voix Sereines,” where Neige throws some fat fuzz behind a cloudpushing, wholly profound chorus of “aaaaaahh….aaahh-aahh aaaaaaaah…” to remind you that yes, you are still listening to an album. But the other reminders border on the shrill: The repetitive jangling of lead single “Opale”; Halstead’s garish and out-of-place spot on “Away”; the preening, too-pretty conclusion of “Deliverance.”

There are some great things buried in here that lead you to believe that this is an ambitious work, such as the layers of piano plinking beneath the title track and the string sections that grace the final two songs. But like Baroness before them, Alcest’s foray into metal-free territory is more attractive in theory than in practice. Without the juxtaposition of dark and light, Alcest is laid bare and left to make a statement without the help of their trademark approach to genre-straddling. They’ve stumbled into the (spot)light, naked, ready to speak to a brand new audience. Trouble is, as they drift further from their native tongue, they don’t really have much to say.

Rating: 2.0/5.0
Label: Prophecy Productions
Websites: alcest-music.com | facebook.com/alcest.official
Release Dates: EU: 2014.17.01 | NA: 01.21.2014

The post Alcest – Shelter Review appeared first on Angry Metal Guy.

Once upon a time, Christian metal was completely devoid of bands talented enough to make a name for themselves outside their very small niche [Except for Trouble, of course. — Steel Druhm]. 10 years ago, Theocracy changed all that, and today the budding Christian metal scene boasts supremely talented artists numbering… well, it’s pretty much still just them. Sure, the scene has cracked out a few good releases here and there, but by and large, there’s not a wealth of quality. Despite the relative lack of bands to follow in their righteous wake, Theocracy has still been a pretty significant force in power metal over the last two years, with their highly acclaimed Mirror of Souls and As the World Bleeds albums.

To the wider community, Mirror of Souls probably felt like the band’s true debut, considering that the actual eponymous debut was a one man project, which sounded only a small step better than a demo recording, and was followed by a hiatus of five long years. As a result, Theocracy has been mostly ignored by all except the most devoted (and devout) fanatics of the band. With the 10th anniversary of Theocracy looming, vocalist Matt Smith (who also serves as guitarist, bassist, and keyboard player) decided to rescue the album from metallic obscurity, fix the numerous production issues and have drummer Shawn Benson replace the awful sounding drum machine used on the original recording.

“Icthus” is still one of the catchiest power metal songs I’ve heard to this day, full of fast, melodic power metal with symphonic leanings. “Mountain” and the titular song, “Theocracy” are much in the same vein, with the former being a personal favorite of mine. The album contains a lone ballad, “Sinner,” which, despite feeling a bit obligatory, still packs some serious punch. Another point of interest are the longer, ‘epic length’ songs like “The Serpents Kiss,” “The Healing Hand” and “Twist of Fate.” While “The Serpent’s Kiss” was alright on the original release, the other two just seemed so flat. With the 10th anniversary edition, all that has changed. Hearing them in this re-recorded form, much closer to the way they were originally intended gives them a new life and makes them comparable to anything in Theocracy’s later catalog.

What about individual performances though? This is metal after all. The drums are the biggest standout, not only because those familiar with the original recording are accustomed to the lousy drum machine tracks, but because they’re highlighted in the new mix. This makes sense, since Shawn Benson is a really talented drummer and showcases his impressive chops here. That said, the best instrumental moments revolve around the keyboards and rhythm guitars, though some songs are a bit sparse on inspiring leads. Vocally, Smith is stellar in the upper ranges, but when he drops down into the middle range, it can sound awkward occasionally. That said, if you’re a fan of vocal layering, you’ll absolutely love this album.

The post Things You Might Have Missed 2013: Theocracy – Theocracy (Re-recorded) appeared first on Angry Metal Guy.

The Schoenberg Automaton first caught my eye with their self-titled 2010 EP, which I probably found while browsing Bandcamp in a Meshuggah-induced stupor, keeping an eye out for anything promising that my penniless ass could download. The three-track tour de force immediately turned me on to the Brisbane based tech-death group and their jittering, atonal, and surprisingly refreshing style. Since that excellent EP, the Aussies have had three years to muster all of the necessary insanity for a full-length release that matches the intensity and freshness of those three songs which first put them on my radar. Vela had better damn well deliver.

Cleverly, all three songs from 2010’s The Schoenberg Automaton have been given a place on this disc, re-recorded but not significantly altered and beefed up through a new, crisp production job. A smart move on the part of the band, given that “Pineapple Juice and the Tough Stuffed Olive” actively defies me to play it at anything other than full volume. What really matters here, though, is the new material, and it makes par. The Schoenberg Automaton crafts songs that are immediately enticing while often being heavily atonal and sometimes confusing, wrapped around stop-and-go riffing that draws as much from their countrymen in Psycroptic as it does from the all-but-incomprehensible violence of Psyopus. It’s a mix of style that’s as instantly satisfying as it is continually rewarding, since they pay heavy tribute to their namesake, Austrian composer Arnold Schoenberg, by incorporating disconcerting atonal sub-melodies and straying away from any sort of predictable chord progression. All while maintaining a distinct and understandable structure and unity within each song.

Take for example, the freshly-minted “Arecibo,” which begins with a voracious scream of “This rock was never enough/ to satisfy the craving.” It’s a perfect highlight of the extraterrestrial themes of the album (which is featured more prominently in the interlude “Stopping a God Midsentence” which includes a piano solo layered on top of a War of the Worlds radio broadcast). The Dillinger Escape Plan have always said that their music is meant to make the listener feel uncomfortable, and that same ethic definitely applies here. Even though there are plenty of whiplash-inducing riffs on this album, it always feels unpredictable, especially given the anxious semi-melodic passages that are interspersed within the songs, especially the detuned and broken-sounding entrance to “The Woodhouse Sakati Syndrome,” another holdover from the EP.

While Vela collects more interest than the Koch brothers’ savings accounts, there are a few missteps. “A Stone Face of Piety” is an energetic, but imperfect opener, relying too much on riffing that’s relatively simple compared to the rest of the album. Elsewhere, the disc’s cap “UltimateWhirringEndMachine” is a decent song that gets completely overshadowed by the transfixing and heavy “The Worm Engine” that precedes it. There isn’t a bad song on the album, but the songs that are up to par still fall way behind the few hole-in-one efforts. Even on a relatively uninteresting song, however, the musicianship on this group is fantastic. Everyone keeps up with the measured chaos and gets their chance to shine, but there is no standout performance, mainly because every performance is so impressive.

These brave souls have done what some thought impossible: they’ve created a truly unique style of technical death metal. It’s not focused on being heavy, bleak, fast, or pedantic: it’s shifted towards the abstract, aiming a deft nod towards its expressionist namesake, while remaining ostensibly brutal enough to engage the common metalhead. The Schoenberg Automaton should be on the map for anyone interested in thought-provoking mathcore or death metal, and I honestly hope that despite its relatively quiet release amidst Myriad Records’ apparent collapse, Vela can make some year-end lists.

The post Things You Might Have Missed 2013: The Schoenberg Automaton – Vela appeared first on Angry Metal Guy.