Suffering so you don't have to!
Metalcatto
Let’s see how I’m going to navigate this. On one hand, At the Gates is the OG MeloDeath band, a national treasure, and it has suffered an unimaginable loss, which is why we’ll proceed with extra respect. Having said that, nothing in its long and complicated career has made me feel what Slaughter of the Soul once did. That level of speed, aggression, production, and brilliance has yet to be matched. But okay, let’s judge The Ghost of a Future Dead on its own terms.
Metalcatto
Mistakes were made. Some by me, some by the rest of the MER staff—you know who you are, I’ll find you. So this is the time for us to acknowledge the most important releases that I kept procrastinating to the point that I forgot and then said, “well, shoot. Now I need to write something short about them.” Let’s go.
Metalcatto
Old School Death Metal time. Funebrarum is exactly what you expect when I say those words, but fear not—Beckoning the Void of Eternal Silence is attempting to mix things up a bit. We’ll have to judge if the album succeeds at that, but for the moment, rest assured that I won’t be sugar-coating anything. I get more albums like this than potatoes for lunch. I already hate them, but hopefully this one doesn’t get that bad. I mean, you can’t overboil Death Metal and also forget the salt, right?
Metalcatto
With a name like The Great Observer, you’d expect this band to sound like a bunch of music school nerds. It’s ironic, because Loss of Transcendence is more like fancy music from the sewer than anything else—or at least that seemed to be the idea here. Enough of the intro. You’re here to get knocked out harder than an amateur boxer. Anyway, let’s start.
Metalcatto
It finally happened. The band I always joked about is here. Immolation is like a shark in the sense that after millions of years, it has barely changed in essence. It’s been a crazy release weekend, which is why Descent has a hard task ahead in terms of impressing us, especially if the band is going to blast the same thing again and again. The real question: can this beat Close to a World Below?
Metalcatto
Full disclosure: I’m a huge Archspire fan, but Too Fast Too Die didn’t catch me right away. That’s why I’m late to this review. Let’s face it, the band could easily fight for the title of fastest Metal band in the world. Heaviness is a more subjective scale, but when it comes to pure speed, it’s hard to make it crazier without triggering then precedence effect. Hence, with a strange level of excitement and wariness, I dive into this meth trip of an album.
Metalcatto
Surprised, mothertruckers. You didn’t know that Spirit Adrift was going to release something today, but I did, because finally being well-connected pays off. Infinite Illumination is meant to give us that Doom and Heavy Metal mix the band has become famous for. Just look at that artwork—doesn’t it bring Nightfall vibes to you? But with more “spiritual substances”? Alright, let’s see if this album can meet the band’s previous epic work.
Metalcatto
If you’ve been following MER for a while, you might suspect that Willowtip Records has bribed us into submission. But first, no Metal label has that kind of money, and second, they just make good records. What can we do? So, yes, I expect Cognizance to hit harder than a tomahawk missile—oh, too soon? Anyway, In Light and No Shape is supposed to knock us out on our buttholes. Let’s see.
Metalcatto
Here we go again, our favorite guilty pleasure at MER: French Black Metal. You know how it has to be. One-member band, checked. Antiq as label, checked. Harsh production, checked. Lyrics about conformity and consumerism—but please buy the merch—checked. It’s all here, and we’re ready to dive into Tarask‘s Sitra Ahra with high hopes and dreams.
Metal Eclipse Reviews 