Metal

Review - Construct of Lethe: The Grand Machination

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Construct of Lethe. Never heard of this Virginia based death metal act before? Well, you may know them from when they first came together in 2001 as Bethledeign, or under the name Xaoc when it changed in 2006 until 2010. Amongst the members, this group has a lengthy history going back about fifteen years at this point, though little in the line of studio offerings have been made available. The prior acts had a few smaller releases amongst them, and the current incarnation assembled a collection of demos for a “debut” compilation in 2014. The band also kicked this year off with their first official full-length album Corpsegod (which you can grab as a “name your price” digital download here). As we wrap up 2016, the trio present a brand new self-released six song EP titled The Grand Machination. But was this something that was rushed to market, or is it a suiting way for the group to close out one of their busiest years yet?
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Review - SwampCult: The Festival

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SwampCult is a two member black/doom metal group from The Netherlands mostly known in the underground for one thing: Their worship of writer H.P. Lovecraft and the mythos of the ancient ones. It didn’t take long after forming in 2013 for those in the know to become acquainted with their fascination thanks to a demo tape later that year, as well as the release of their limited run debut full-length An Idol Carved of Flesh in 2014 through Eastern Voice Production. Fast forward to 2016 and we’re approaching this holiday season with another bout of literary horror turned metal with their retelling of The Festival, yet another small-run recording through Transcending Obscurity Records. But is this the one to make the duo stand out among the many Lovecratian inspired acts, or is it better left at the shores of R’lyeh?
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Review - Meshuggah: The Violent Sleep of Reason

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Sweden’s Meshuggah is one of those groups that pretty much every fan of metal either has an opinion about, or at least knows the name of. From their technical groove and thrash metal roots to their extensive one song performances and recent aid in the cementing of the “djent” style, its hard to look past the group’s contributions since officially coming together in 1988 (not counting their earlier time as Calipash). With eight studio albums down, the five-piece present their latest offering titled The Violent Sleep of Reason which, at this point, is not being looked at too favorably from fans due to the promotional material that has been made available up to this point. But does this stand tall within the recent discography, or is it just something different?
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Review - Pain: Coming Home

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Peter Tägtgren (Hypocrisy) is back at his personal hobby once more. Pain came into existence back in 1996 as a solo project that blended the worlds of electronica, industrial, and rock. Many of the albums released under this name have climbed the Swedish music charts but haven’t really connected well with American audiences and others around the world. Hell, I didn’t even know about its existence until happening upon it back in 2005 with Dancing with the Dead. As of late, however, the reception across the board hasn’t been the warmest, but it hasn’t stopped fans from salivating given the initial two singles from the upcoming eighth studio album Coming Home. That said, does Peter deliver with this new album like never before, or is it another outing listeners would consider on the grounds of mediocre?
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Review - Falsifier: Life in Death

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Back in 2013, Falsifier stormed onto the Canadian metal scene with a self-titled EP, as well as a music video for their song “86”. They then released the Charles Manson inspired EP Malevolent, as well as I Am Death in 2014. Both of these singles were taken from their then forthcoming follow-up EP Life In Death, which was issued in 2015. For 2016, that latest effort received a proper re-issue treatment through Artery Recordings, the label which they are currently signed to. But if you missed out the first time around, does this recording, or the band in general, present anything worth taking note of?
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Review - Astrophobos: Enthroned in Flesh

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Stockholm, Sweden’s Astrophobos came together back in 2009. The trio composed of ex-members of Unchaste and Furia stormed out the gate in 2010 with a debut EP titled Arcane Secrets, which was followed about four years later with their official debut album Remnants of Forgotten Horrors through Triumvirate Records. Both releases were met with praise, but still kept fairly low to the underground black metal world. For 2016 we are given yet another EP titled Enthroned in Flesh, which was recorded and mixed by Erik Nilsson at Garaget Studio, and features session drumming from Fredrik Wildigs (Marduk). With a strong backbone in place, does the three-piece deliver something again worth your time, or is it mostly fluff to keep their name on the lips of those aware of their existence?
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