Czech black metallers Root have a new album coming out next month.
4 CommentsTags: agonia records, Black Metal, Czech black metal, Heavy Metal, Root, upcoming release
Graveland Announce 1050 Years of Pagan Cult
Graveland announced a new album of studio rerecordings of prior material and premiered a new music video for “Thousand Swords” on their Facebook page. 1050 Years of Pagan Cult comes out this November.
7 CommentsTags: 1050 Years of Pagan Cult, Black Metal, graveland, Heavy Metal, melodic black metal, music video, poland, rerecording, upcoming release
Gorgoroth – Instinctus Bestialis (2015)
Article by Anton Rudrick.
One clear sign that a band’s direction is compromised can be seen through unity of style. In this case, we see Gorgoroth lacking a clear voice of their own, in place of which Instinctus Bestialis offers three main ways of constructing sections and a rather pop-oriented way of building whole songs. The first is a bare bones neoclassical melodic method using two guitars, which is an interesting addition to traditionally more modal and harmonically chromatic genres such as death and black metal. Due to the foreign nature of these, the incorporation can be quite delicate and ought to be treated with the utmost care. The second is a collection of standard modern metal tropes ranging from the rhythmic intonations of deathcore with a low-string chug riff, probably inherited from the most prosaic speed metal. Last is the most important of the three in a rather unexpected choice in anthemic heavy metal, which happens to be the customary choice for commercial metal acts which have become barren of inspiration and direction.
19 CommentsTags: 2015, deathcore, gorgoroth, Heavy Metal, Instinctus Bestialis, mainstream metal, modern metal, pop metal, review, stadium metal
Sangreal Impressions
Article by David Rosales.
Condor surprises us in their last album, Sangreal, with several different advances of stylistic explorations. While Duin constituted a formalization of the finding that was Nadia, we could expect that the next step to be taken should be precisely this expansion of a consciousness which had only recently become aware of itself. Even though Condor’s music projects a very traditional image, the final result has turned out unique, both in its character as it is shaped by consistent melodic preferences, and in its methodology, which enabled veritable compositions to come into existence from powerful riffs and inebriating tunes.
9 CommentsTags: 2016, Colombia, condor, death metal, Doom Metal, Heavy Metal, Sangreal
Cóndor – Sangreal Out October 12th
Cóndor, creators of some of Death Metal Underground’s favorite albums of the past few years, announced that their third album, titled Sangreal, is coming out October 12th on their Funbook page:
16 CommentsLes presentamos la portada de nuestro próximo álbum, ‘Sangreal,’ pintada por David Viana. El álbum saldrá el 12 de octubre. He aquí también el listado de canciones.
We present to you the artwork and track-listing for our upcoming third album, ‘Sangreal’ which will be released on October 12th. The cover was painted by David Viana.
1. Sangreal
2. Se extienden las sombras
3. Viejo jabalí
4. Outremer
5. Sainte-Terre
6. El árbol de la muerte
7. Roncesvalles“¡Qué ingeniosos y hábiles tuvieron que ser los dioses para engañarnos!
Rápidos, estrepitosos y furtivos,
Hablando siempre en su lengua extraña.
¡Qué incierta era su música, qué incierto su desconsuelo!
¿Cómo fue que nos engañaron y olvidamos su presencia?”
Tags: Colombia, condor, death metal, Doom Metal, Heavy Metal, Sangreal, upcoming release
Exciter Original Lineup Performing at Calgary Metalfest
The original lineup of Canadian speed metal band Exciter is performing together for the first time since 1985 at the 2016 Calgary Metalfest.
No CommentsTags: canada, Exciter, festivals, Heavy Metal, reunion, Speed Metal
Negra Modelo Rebrands
For some time, Negra Modelo has been my go-to beer. The shelves are stuffed with variety, but much like metal, most of it straight-up fails by being too proficient.
9 CommentsTags: art, beer, economics, Heavy Metal, negra modelo
Gridlink – Longhena (2014)
Longhena is grindcore that is actually musical. Takafumi Matsubara (Mortalized) became the sole guitarist after Orphan and brought a longer, more narrative, heavy metal sense of songwriting to Gridlink’s hyper proficient blend of their musical influences. The riffing varies from post-hardcore chord progressions to New Wave of British Heavy Metal harmonies of the type originated by Thin Lizzy. Somewhat shocking for a grindcore band not Carcass or Bolt Thrower, Matsubara actually progressive his riffs to tell short narratives in short, cyclical compositions varying from one to three minutes in length, usually climaxing in a bittersweet, often melancholic solo. The drumming is blasting, inspired, and semi-tasteful, with fills that feel almost as if they are about to go off the rails but return to be properly enslaved by the riffing. Vocals are reminiscent of Assuck with lyrical topics ranging from nuclear holocaust to anime and lamentations of the destruction of the player-controlled spaceship in shoot ’em up arcade game. All melodically and lyrically reflect upon listeners certain Buddhist mental concepts of the emptiness, nothingness, and meaninglessness of human existence and suffering.
40 CommentsTags: 2014, gridlink, Grindcore, Heavy Metal, Longhena, post-hardcore, review, Takafumi Matsubara, technical metal
Metal Curmudgeon: Bolt Thrower’s Blitzkrieg Halts
Starting in the mid to late Eighties, many of the originators of death and black metal started to commercialize their music into straight speed metal for mass appeal to a bar show, beer metal audience; social concert goers in the uniforms of leather jackets, band tees, and high tops who treated shows as a time to socialize and shoot the shit with their friends while listening to typical bands that never challenged their musical preconceptions or startled them away from their ritualized moshing. Just a few years prior, many of these types would’ve been the same idiots seen in Heavy Metal Parking Lot. While most of their peers moved on from Judas Priest to Motley Crue and Guns ‘n’ Roses, many listened to what was considered an “acceptable” fusion of heavy metal and radio rock played by groups like post-Ride the Lightning Metallica, Anthrax, and Testament.
17 CommentsTags: beer metal, Bolt Thrower, death metal, Grindcore, Heavy Metal, In Battle There Is No Law, lame metal, mainstream metal, Metal Curmudgeon, Realm of Chaos, stadium rock
Initial Impressions of Serpent Ascending – Ananku
Article by Anton Rudrick.
Following a tradition of Finnish death metal, Serpent Ascending first proved its allegiance to the old stream of thought on The Enigma Unsettled. The project stood out as possessing that rare gift that grants vision past forms and into the value therein encased as dormant power, codified, awaiting a worthy hero who can pull the Sword from the Stone. While using techniques and musical structures that are well-known, interesting counterpoint and chant-like melodies can be seen in that first album, inserting them in between more conservative power metal riffs that were eerie enough to belong to occult death metal but also displayed a penchant for memorable phrases. Five years have elapsed since then, and several Desecresy albums have seen the definition and reaffirmation of that band into a distinctly esoteric style. Many were keenly expectant upon the future of Serpent Ascending.
4 CommentsTags: 2016, ananku, Black Metal, death metal, Finland, Heavy Metal, Serpent Ascending
