Suffering so you don't have to!
Metalcatto
I felt like bullying someone today, so I picked Bragging Rights – A Comedy Divine because I know he can take it. This is how I justify abuse, of course. At MER, we’re very familiar with the almost obsessive way this project churns out records. I do wonder if the title is ripping off Dante, but I’ll give it a pass for once. We have to check out those cymbals anyway.
Metalcatto
Mývalyĭr is what happens when you blend the epic, storytelling scope of Blind Guardian with the intense seriousness of a band like Eternal Storm or other deeply committed MeloDeath acts. Consequently, its new album, The Past Tales, sounded on paper like an oddball proposition for me, as it combines elements I deeply love with others I’m almost embarrassed to admit I enjoy. The central question was how the band would balance its grandiose, fantastical aspirations with the musical gravitas such themes demand. Honestly, my initial hopes were buried underground, but there’s always room for dreaming, right?
Metalcatto
With a title that makes you think No Worth of Man might be dropping some gangster rap, their new album The Killing Streets arrives with more pent-up anger issues than a hypothetical ten-year-old alcoholic. As is often the case with such intense material, the quality wasn’t immediately apparent; it required a deep, attentive dive to unravel. That’s precisely what we’re here for: to mess around in the sonic chaos and, hopefully, find out what lies beneath the aggression.
Metalcatto
If you’ve ever read Sophie’s World, you’ll understand how perfectly Platonic the band name Cartoon Can’t Die truly is. Now that I’ve indulged in that moment of cheap snobbery, let me tell you that their new album, Rebirth, doesn’t really fit into a simple genre box. And no, it’s not exactly the soundtrack to Who Framed Roger Rabbit. So, let’s jump into one genuinely strange album, because that’s what you’re here for.
Metalcatto
We’ve done many interviews at MER now—some nerdy, some about war, some about mental struggles—but today, I bring you something different. Asenath Blake is here to talk to us about her work, and more importantly, about its philosophy. That’s not new in metal; so many black metal musicians are inspired by old books. But how about one that gets us out of our comfort zone?
Metalcatto
Bragging Rights is one of our oldest followers, so I have to disclose a conflict of interest here. Don’t worry, though — I’m just going to increase the usual banter with Carpe Jugulum. We’re back with your favorite Gojira-worshipping act, and this time we must embrace the artist’s hairline right away, as if he wanted us to admire his last trip to Turkey. Anyway, this is a deep-underground special, and I’m ready to believe those cursed cymbals are finally fixed. Can I dare to have hope? Let’s find out.
Metalcatto
Black/Doom isn’t a thing, right? They seem to contradict each other in practice. However, Suffering is a band that’s trying to embody the most disturbing parts of Halloween. Things Seen But Always Hidden is an album aimed at those of you who love the occult, the macabre, and the idea of sacrificing stuffed animals at the altar of the unholy one. I approached this review with fascination but also caution. So many things felt new yet familiar that I couldn’t make up my mind at first, but now it’s time.
Metalcatto
Not many bands can beat QRIXKUOR when it comes to impossible names to pronounce. Everything about this band exudes seriousness, the kind that promises music capable of taking you to new levels of despair and horror. Enter Womb of the World, an album that, judging by its cover art alone, is ready to fight for a spot in my top releases of the year. The album only has four tracks! This is either going to be amazing or crush my will to live in all the wrong ways. I’ll just warn you now: there won’t be anything easy about this tortuous journey.
Metalcatto
Sludge Metal sometimes doesn’t even feel like Metal. Maybe it’s because the fanbase seems so far removed from the usual extreme lore that I often forget these releases even exist. However, Ghold looked like a band that deserved some attention, and with a title like Bludgeoning Simulations, I was left wondering if it was going to be ultra-violent or just a parody of the normal beatdown our ears get at MER Industries. There was only one way to find out — by clicking that shady link!
Vicky
If you listen to Black Metal, you might want to read this article. If not, then these following lines might confuse you at least a tiny bit. We know English Black Metal, don’t we? Starting with Venom, continuing with some infamous bands that I might not mention in this article – that, by the way wants to be somewhat decent, and mentioning groups with bizarre names doesn’t exactly help too much –, and finally ending with Cradle of Filth, the Brits definitely have what it takes to make us feel whatever Black Metal is supposed to make people feel (do they all want to make us dance or am I just thinking of CoF’s collab with Ed Sheeran?).
Metal Eclipse Reviews 