metalcatto

Saor – Amidst the Ruins

Well, I guess this is what the people voted for on Instagram, and since I still believe in democracy (when it suits me), here we are. Honestly, I’ve been procrastinating on this review for a while. I’ve been into Saor since Aura, back when the project was limited by the constraints of being a one-person endeavor. Since then, I’ve enjoyed everything it’s released, even though Origins felt a bit predictable to me. That said, I’m willing to believe that Amidst the Ruins is exactly what Saor needs to continue its evolution. How much more Scottish can these guys get? Like, haggis Scottish? It seems impossible!

Shagor – Lyksalver

Ixone

Have you ever found yourself expecting a certain sound from an album, only to get something completely different—yet undeniably much better? This is what happened to me when I first heard Shagor’s Lyksalver. From my first glance at the album cover, I anticipated a claustrophobic, dense, avant-garde album. What I actually discovered, however, was a hidden gem of melodic Black Metal. With its epic yet melancholic atmosphere that will undoubtedly stir emotions—longing being the most prevalent—Lyksalver is a fun listen, packed with plenty of cool musical moments to savor.

Obscure Sphinx – Emovere

Stargazer Scholar

Every genre has its stalwarts—the defining bands. Artists who pioneered the movement or managed to establish themselves as a beacon of quality for everyone aspiring to navigate similar sonic terrains. Poland’s Obscure Sphinx, with three excellent full-length albums and a few live releases under its belt, may be standing on the shoulders of the giants that came before, but the uncompromising, visceral talent of this Atmospheric Sludge Metal combo should have long ago earned it a place in the genre’s pantheon. But since the band, true to its name, remains underground, let me try to right this wrong by covering its newest mini-album.

True kvlt: Voragoth, The Host, Bleak Transcendence & Ice Chemicals

It’s Sunday again, which means it’s time to shine a spotlight on our beloved followers and friends who send us their creations every week. We could be like any other site and toss these submissions in the trash, but we (perhaps naively) believe in your capacity to surprise us. These aren’t massive releases, but they often sound like they could be. Let’s dive in!

Lacuna Coil – Sleepless Empire

What? Are you surprised that MER Industries is covering such a mainstream band? You’ll dare to call us not Metal anymore. As if we care. What we do care about is giving even the most commercial band a fair chance. I’m sure those of you with a love for anything Gothic will know Lacuna Coil needs no introduction and that despite my skepticism for Sleepless Empire, I’m willing to suspend my prejudices for a few hours while I analyze another album from a now ancient band.

Urfeind – Dauþalaikaz

Here we go again! It’s one of my reviewer’s favorite niches—German Black Metal—which, according to them, has become synonymous with quality. (Honestly, I think that applies more to German Post/Black, but I’m being a snob.) Anyway, Urfeind is a band that attempts to represent this harrowing and deranged Black Metal school of thought with pride. Dauþalaikaz is an album with that kind of attitude and art. It takes itself seriously, and the real question is if we, the plebs, can take it seriously too.

Watch My Dying – Egyenes Kerőlő

I promise I have no Central/Eastern European agenda this year—it’s just what makes sense to review as the quiet month of January moves along. Watch My Dying is a Hungarian band with a long career, and at first, I wasn’t sold on the idea of listening to some strange industrial experiment. But Egyenes Kerőlő caught my attention when I read in the promo that they had collaborated with Thy Catafalque. You know we love anything that project puts out. Still, I wasn’t expecting a bootleg of that band—I wanted something more!

Putred – Megalit al Putrefacției

I should’ve asked Ixione to review Putred‘s Megalit al Putrefacției, since my Romanian is next to non-existent. Either way, you don’t listen to rancid, heinous Death Metal for the lyrics, right? What? You do? Please, go get some help if that’s the case. But I digress. We have our first “new” Old School Death Metal album of the year, and though my expectations are realistic, I’m more than ready to get destroyed by some nasty riffs from the land of horror.

Cerebral Hemorrhage – Exempting Reality

With a band name like Cerebral Hemorrhage, you’d be inclined to think that Exempting Reality isn’t about being a teen trying to find your place in the world while dealing with your angst. You’d be right because this act is all about bringing old-school Death Metal to its real roots. I’m not talking about the retro-Death Metal we’ve had over the last 10 years. I mean Death Metal from the era before computers—when the USA and Sweden were battling to see who could produce the most poorly recorded piece of violent music. Enough with the history lesson!

The Halo Effect – March of the Unheard

Looking for trivia for this review, I came to the obvious fact that The Halo Effect only has two albums (counting March of the Unheard), which honestly is shocking given how seasoned some of its members are. I always wondered if The Halo Effect would just follow whatever Dark Tranquillity or In Flames were doing and if it’d even be capable of competing with the OGs of Swedish MeloDeath. But not everything is about competition; sometimes you create a band to hang out with your friends, right? Sometimes, you just want to dive into music with the same excitement you once had for life, back when you were too young to own your mistakes.