Suffering so you don't have to!
Thechopstickdrummer
Fogos seems like an unpretentious black metal band at first sight. At second, third, and any other sight after, the Catalonian kvlters remain unadorned in their style. This isn’t a negative—sometimes black metal is done best simplistically. Whether that applies to the band’s second record, Of Wyrm And Men, is something to be determined by a plethora of factors, most imperatively, if the music is, uhh, good?
Metalcatto
Fuming Mouth is quite a name for a band—I’ll give them that. However, that doesn’t mean things are going to convince me right away. Looking at Fuming Mouth‘s artwork, you might think this is either a hipster retro-Rock album or some Gothic melodramatic journey. The reality couldn’t be further from the truth, because this thing moves in areas and greys that don’t seem to fall into any obvious category. It’s interesting, I guess. Right?
Metalcatto
With an album named The Arsonist, you’d expect Wailin Storms to blast this place out of existence. Yet what I found was a strange concoction of Heavy Metal, Gothic Rock, and Blues. I don’t quite know how to label it—it sounds almost rural to my city ears. But this band comes from Season of Mist, and we all know they only sign bands that are marketable… I mean, excellent! So with that in mind, let’s dive into this thing with as much optimism as possible.
Thechopstickdrummer
I’m a Star Wars guy, not a Doctor Who guy. If you were to order me to name ten characters from Doctor Who, I’d say TARDIS, Captain Kirk, Superman, and the Pillsbury Doughboy. I’m joking, I’m joking. I do know, however, of the “Weeping Angels,” a race of Doctor Who aliens that appear as statues and move to send victims into the past when unobserved. Pretty terrifying, if you ask me. Weeping angels also appear in real life, mostly on gravestones to symbolize grief and mourning. Whether New York’s Weeping Angel drew their eponymous title from TV or a graveyard isn’t clear; what is clear is their progressive metalcore tendencies and the release of their newest album.
Metalcatto
How would you call a band that has folk sounds straight out of Scotland, sings in Italian, and riffs like a German Post-Metal band? Well, Duir seems to be the name, and Catarsi caught me off guard for once in my life. I’m not saying get excited yet, but you’d be right to believe that the artwork promises something interesting. And sure, this album is interesting—but is it good? The tracks are long and the mood is depressing, so is it going to get drony? Let’s find out.
Thechopstickdrummer
Coprolith is the scientific name for fossilized feces. Lovely. Their newest record’s album cover depicts a horrid amalgamation of humans where one man’s snot is another’s cerebral vein. Lovely. Everything about this Canadian band is just lovely. If my sarcastic tone isn’t potent enough for you, I’ll just scrap it entirely: Death Metal isn’t supposed to be lovely, and I expect nothing but gore-drenched horror from Coprolith and their debut album Putrescence. If the package this gore’s delivered in is nicely handled, I’m leaving a five-star rating for the delivery men. If there’s even one tiny dent, they can hear my critical wrath. That was also sarcasm.
Metalcatto
Look. It’s Icelandic Black Metal from Germany (you read that right). AAAAHHH. Now that I’ve calmed down, I can say that Fyrnask is exactly what I mentioned before: a band from the school of endless cold caves and godless volcano eruptions, but most of all, ridiculously long tracks. However, you’re not here to know all this—you already know. You’re here to find out if Íosir will defy your patience or help you travel to a darker time.
Thechopstickdrummer
INSURRECTUM is a one-man project manned by the Ukrainian multi-instrumentalist Anatoliy Bliashuk, delivering an eclectic hodgepodge of progressive, symphonic, and Blackened Death Metal in its debut record, The Last Battle. Now I don’t want to be overly judgmental, but the abundance of AI-generated artwork–graciously excluding the official LP’s cover–doesn’t make for a suitable first impression. It’s a sign of laziness, a lack of creative drive. On the contrary, Anatoliy’s fifty-two-minute epic is brimming with ideas. In fact, The Last Battle is two different albums: there’s one in English (the edition provided for universal coverage), and another in Ukrainian. They’re musically distinct, with only the lyrical translations and core themes remaining mutual. This choice illustrates the tenacity behind INSURRECTUM’s ideas, but whether they’re as good as their covers is to be determined.
Metalcatto
Not to brag, but I actually have Dysgnostic‘s previous album, Scar Echoes, which is why I have extra preparation for End Whispers. How to describe these guys? Sure, they’re a Disso-Death band, and Denmark doesn’t have many of those—it’s a small and flat place—but the band has always approached the style differently. There’s no rush, let’s put it that way. Whether it’s a brutal blast or a low-pressure section, Dysgnostic can put you in a stretcher with ease. But you’re here to know if the album is worth your money, so let’s start.
Thechopstickdrummer
A TECHNICAL DEATH METAL BAND FROM MAINE! I REPEAT, A TECHNICAL DEATH METAL BAND FROM MAINE! How merry can I be! If each of the 50 states contested to see which was most lucrative for extreme Metal music, Vacationland would run sobbing to the nearest blueberry field as California, Florida, and New York fill the podium, all hosting greatly influential Metal movements. To demonstrate the unexpectedly bloodthirsty nature of New England’s northernmost region comes Ethereal Rot, a dissonant Death Metal collective from Portland. Ethereal Rot is releasing their debut full-length record next month, presenting a refined group shaped by on-the-road seacoast slaughterfests and combinations of the bandmates’ past stylings–almost every member hails from former projects spanning power Metal to Metalcore. This debut marks an exploratory thematic shift for the group, demonstrating that Ethereal Rot can withstand the harsh climates of both their state and their industry.
Metal Eclipse Reviews 