Suffering so you don't have to!
Metalcatto
IIt’s strange, to say the least, to find a Black Metal band with an album named Dystopolis. You’d think this was some sad Post-Metal record that makes you want to stare at the wall on a rainy day, but no! We have our decadent and drunken riffs back and forth from Seid, or so I thought when I read the promo. Perhaps I’ve misjudged the situation, though. Stay with me!
Metalcatto
Aeons ago, when the members of Gorguts released another great Death Metal album, little did they know they would eventually help invent one of the most influential subgenres in the game: Disso-Death. Now, with no guarantee that we’ll ever get another Gorguts album, it’s time to rank the ones we have.
Metalcatto
Sometimes, a cat needs a break from all the goat sounds and drum farting. Something a little closer to home, perhaps. Lumsk is giving us a mix of Prog and Norwegian Folk, which is a pretty daring combination when you consider that one genre is about keeping things simple and the other is about making everything unnecessarily complicated. How could Einsemda possibly work, then? That’s why you’re here: to find out if these people can actually pull it off!
Metalcatto
I was almost sure Lugubrious Garment was just another Death Metal band trying to make a living off our nostalgia for dirty riffs and crusty production. Even the artwork for In the Wide Vale of Uncreated Night screams rancid riffs 24/7, with little else besides rage and bad decisions. Maybe they’ll surprise us, maybe they’ll disappoint us, but who cares? Ah, right. I should. Let’s get to it.
Metalcatto
Honestly, if you name your band Vomitorial Corpulence, I think you’ve missed a golden opportunity. You could’ve called yourselves Chunky Puke instead. Anyway, you can probably tell that this is a Grindcore album, which means you’re about to get punched in the mouth until your gums start bleeding. No surprises here. But I do wonder whether this thing, Martyrdomical Symphonanthem, is actually any good. Let’s find out.
Metalcatto
Today, we’re going to try to answer the question: Can a metal album be ruined entirely by its lyrics? Also, I know many of you voted for Unatoned, but this is significantly worse. Machine Head‘s Catharsis was clearly a product of its time, full of excesses and moments that feel like an old Facebook post from someone trying really hard to virtue-signal. Having said that, the music itself didn’t make me puke right away. But don’t worry, stay with me.
Metalcatto
It’s been 10 years since Hyperion released album-of-the-year material with Seraphical Euphony (I was there!). At this point, I figured they were either dead or employed, which is why we never heard from them ever again. However, here we are. I lived long enough to see Elysia happen. Can it even come close to topping its predecessor? Not an easy task, but for once, I want to believe.
Metalcatto
Insomnium has had a career with ups and downs, yet is one of the few bands with two peaks (Above the Weeping Moon and Winter’s Gate). Consistency has been enormous for this band. They have managed to make MeloDeath interesting every single time a new release comes around. Netherworlds has a significant challenge ahead, but let’s see. Full disclosure: Insomnium is my wife’s favorite band, so I’m doing this review at gunpoint. Help!
Metalcatto
Who the heck is Dikajee? This was my first question. However, The Frame came from a good promoter, so why not believe in her? Nothing like a good Kickstarter to fund an album. I’m not being sarcastic. This tells me that the project aims to have complete creative freedom and a good budget. That gives me hope to have something that will finally surprise me in the Prog Rock department this year.
