Sourvein – Black Fang
These guys have been doing this so long that they don’t need to mess with the formula. Black Fang is like a mean Carolina moonshine—consume at your own risk!
Reviews – Audio
Aenaon – Cendres Et Sang
With their latest signing in Aenaon, Code666 continues to cement its name as the vanguard of forward-thinking blackmetal. Stellar release after stellar release, the label has proven its cutting-edge mettle time and again, and Cendres Et Sang is only further proof of the label’s impeccable taste.
Black Tusk – Passage through Purgatory
Questionable timing aside, this is a solid, albeit less-than-spectacular slice of Georgia sludge.
Seidr – For Winter Fire
Allying throbbing, sub-zero sludge/doom riffs with poignant post-metal passages, beared up with throatgurge-ing vocals whose epic lyrics illustrate frozen paths of Nordic glory, For Winter Fire is a sprawling work, demanding the listener’s respect. Listening to this epic bit of Viking doooom is hardly a light undertaking, either – the majority of the songs push past the nine-minute mark.
Sabaton – Primo Victoria / Attero Dominatus / Metalizer / The Art of War [ReArmed Editions]
“Sabaton blend traditional metal with power metal and a bit of military pomp to create some truly catchy work. Naysayers will repeatedly bring up the fact that they are not Bolt Thrower so they shouldn’t try to do ‘military metal’ (something that the band started dabbling with on Primo Victoria, which quickly became their forte) however that’s a lot like telling As I Lay Dying that they shouldn’t do Christian Metal because they aren’t Stryper. I actually came to the Sabaton party a little late, I was introduced to the band with The Art of War (their 2008 release with Black Lodge) so these ‘Rearmed’ editions from Nuclear Blast (the bands new home) were a huge treat for me.”
Jason Wellwood reviews the new ReArmed Edition reissues of the first four SABATON albums on Nuclear Blast USA.
Boris – Heavy Rocks / Attention Please
“Boris is always at its best and most exciting the more adventurous they get, and the two new records, Heavy Rocks and Attention Please, are just that, as both see drummer Atsuo, guitarist Wata, and bassist Takeshi embrace their accessible side in ways nobody, especially those on the metal side of the fence, could possibly have imagined.”
Adrien Begrand reviews the two new studio albums by Japan’s BORIS, Heavy Rocks and Attention Please, set for release May 24th on Sargent House.
Postcards From Natalie Zed: Lucky #13
For her lucky number thirteen installment of her ongoing postcards series, Ms. Natalie Zed offers up five new reviews on bands such as Melechesh, Suidakra, TesseracT and Sylvus . So, without further adieu, here is another installment in her series of bite-sized critiques.
Ravencult – Morbid Blood
Morbid Blood, as unrepentantly familiar as it sounds, is regardless a formidable slab of raging blackened thrash that makes up for its obvious deficit in originality with a vehement overkill-passion that is undeniable.
Noisear – Subvert the Dominant Paradigm
Overall, Noisear is an obvious fit for the Relapse roster that has released a fine grind album.
A Storm of Light – As The Valley Of Death Becomes Us, Our Silver Memories Fade
If you guessed by the album title that A Storm of Light plays post-metal, congratulations! You win a new car! (Car not included.) Nevertheless, this is some pretty decent stuff, album number three from the NYC trio that features Neurosis collaborator Josh Graham.