Suffering so you don't have to!
Metalcatto
Usually, when I hear Finland and Black Metal, I tremble. Not because the music is bad, but because the scene is a PR nightmare. I don’t have the time or staff to stalk every band on social media. However, Flame is a band I’ve never heard of, and I was a bit puzzled by the promo. Needless to say, a title like Ignis Draconis Daemonicus is over the top enough to catch my attention. Anyway, we’re ready.
Metalcatto
I know that yesterday I said I didn’t want to review more old school Death Metal, but what can one do with limited time and so many promos? We don’t know where to start. I had no idea what Revel in Flesh had to offer, or if Flesh For The Kult Of Death would break the mold that so many bands have shaped before. But what I know is that this review needs to be out fast. So here we are, diving into another cavernous release that promises to either crush or comfort.
Metalcatto
I hope you had a good day, kids, because now we’re going to get smacked by a rainfall of technicality. I know old school Death Metal never dies, but you know what we don’t get often? Old school Tech Death—which is why Miscreance‘s Reminiscence made me nostalgic. So maybe I’ll feel a bit more merciful and give them a decent score. Or not. Let’s see. The album promises a journey back to a time when technicality didn’t mean sterile production, and I’m curious to see if it delivers on that promise.
Ixone
I am suspecting just a tiny little bit that upon being sent the promotional materials for this album, the choice for this one specifically might just have been a bit personal (opening track “Eigengrau”, I am looking at you). But here I am barely having started the article and already going off on pointless tangents. Flowers of Rust is a project that I have come to know through this album, so I was diving into it with nothing to go off except its description from the previously mentioned material, which, considering my taste lately has been venturing into different corners of black metal, I was a little.. concerned about my capacity of being objective.
Metalcatto
Jarring and hysterical are great ways to describe a band as productive as Krallice. For real, it’s hard to keep up with so many albums. Yet, I have my favorites—Go Be Forgotten or Dimensional Bleedthrough are excellent examples of a band that has maintained its quality. Even the last releases were good. So how can Scourge Order keep up the pace? How can it have even more NY artsy feels than anything the band has done before? Let’s find out.
Metalcatto
You might be right thinking that suddenly I’m picking short albums. I’m too busy changing diapers right now, but that doesn’t stop me from reviewing some Core/Tech Death stuff like Perpetual Paradox‘s May Misery Befall You—the title is clearly uplifting. I’m usually not the biggest fan of so many breakdowns, but we have to talk about them sometimes. Let’s begin.
Metalcatto
Sometimes, I do check those emails random artists send me. Especially if it’s Thrash Metal—my first extreme love. It’s why Maidenhead‘s Maximum Clonage got my attention. The band seemed professional despite the simple email. So let’s see if being polite gets you somewhere in life. Usually it doesn’t, but I’ve gotta make a difference, right?
Metalcatto
Cutterred Flesh has a sort of special place at MER, because it might have been like the third review I wrote. Hence, I’m happy that the band and us are still here to talk smack about each other. If you know anything about these guys, you’ll know your ears are about to get smashed into pieces. The real question is if The Shapes of Hidden Malice is going to be more of the same, or if we’re going to get some sort of change. Historically, brutal bands tend to stay the same, but one can be wrong, right?
Metalcatto
I don’t meet too many Black Metal bands with a name like Black Door, because that sounds more like a grandpa Rock band than evil Norwegian shrieking. But Shadows of a Funerary Gleam goes more like bathing in a ton of goat blood. That’s more like it, right? So, can these guys impress us in any way? I’ve never heard of them, so it’s not going to be easy. And lately, I don’t feel like giving high scores unless the band really earns it. Yes, I’ve turned cynical. It’s part of the business. Deal with it.
Metalcatto
I’ve known of Kamelot since The Black Halo. The band is one of the few Power Metal acts that has a 5/5 in my book. A career full of twists and turns, but overall filled with consistency and—I can’t believe I’m saying this—quality. If there’s a cheesy band I trust can pull off a good performance, it’s this one. So, Dark Asylum has got some level of expectations, I guess. Yes, it’s geeky music, so I’m apprehensive again.
