Despite the swollen volume of writers now populating the Angry Metal Guy ranks and our consistent daily posts, there are still thousands of metal releases which we cannot review on an annual basis. Given that I would like to think that we cover all full-lengths of significance, leaving only the drek, it is not these albums for which I feel shame. It’s those releases that occupy smaller spaces, off to the side; the fragments, and unusual offerings composed by more than one band. Such formats include the humble EP, the diverse split, the raw demo, the isolated single, and the innovative collaboration. These releases are reserved for the end of the year and I’m delighted to highlight those wonderful, shorter releases which we ordinarily omit. Enjoy.
Hellripper // Black Arts & Alchemy – Speed? Check. Riffs? Check. Motörhead? Check. Goats? Check. Black Arts & Alchemy is a reminder that Hellripper is pretty much the coolest metal band operating currently and the blackened speed band I never knew I needed. I raved about 2017’s Coagulating Darkness and the passing of 2 years has done little to change their sound; that is to say, it’s still fucking awesome, and I still can’t wait for a full-length successor. May this small post serve as small penance for my embarrassing failure to write about Hellripper in 2017; they are (he is) criminally underrated. – El Cuervo
Relics of Humanity // Obscuration – It turns out Relics of Humanity excels in the EP department, as Obscuration is some of the finest brutality I’ve heard this year. Sounding like Effigy of the Forgotten performed with the playful and almost loose feel of Defeated Sanity with a hint of the off-kilter melodicism of Negativa, Obscuration rips through 16 minutes of riveting death metal. They even include some unsettling atmospheric elements in there, making Obscuration sound cohesive and purposeful. The specter of Defeated Sanity looms large here for other reasons too: AJ Magana handles vocals for Relics of Humanity here, and he’s all over the material, staying in the pocket and finding interesting phrasings which elevate his performance beyond the guttural standard. Drummer Pavlon Vilchitsky has Lille Gruber’s knack for intricate and creative cymbal work which gives the pummeling a great amount of depth for those willing to listen. If you like brutal death metal and haven’t heard Obscuration, go rectify that immediately. – Diabolus in Muzaka
Fetor & Crepitation // Onset of Horrendosity – The most absurd and in turn most absurdly entertaining split of the year. Fetor contributes two versions of their song “Killing Her Softly”—one in studio with Angel Ochoa (Cephalotripsy) and one live—and both are great. Seriously groovy brutal death in the vein of Fleshgore, this has riffs for days, even if it’s the same riffs twice in a row. It’s Crepitation that’s the real treat though. A brutal band that’s utterly bonkers, they sound like Cryptopsy got both slammier and sillier. Special attention must be drawn to “Antiques Chodeshow” which begins on a riff modern Cryptopsy would kill for and moves into some seriously punishing slams with the active, slap-happy bass Eric Langlois was known for. It also features their trademark “wobbly vocals” which basically entails running your index and middle fingers up and down quickly over your puckered lips while doing brutal death metal vocals. It’s hilarious, and in “Antiques Chodeshow” it’s matched in tempo to gravity blasts—this is some next level brutality. Their other songs measure up to “Antiques Chodeshow” as well, but the sheer entertainment value of “Antiques Chodeshow” forced me to highlight it over them. This rules. – Diabolus in Muzaka
Man Must Die // Gagging Order – The pissed off Scotsmen finally returned, following a six-year break from the studio. Time away hasn’t dulled Man Must Die’s politically-charged, tough-as-nails, and sharply executed hybrid of extreme metal, which skillfully incorporates elements of death, grind, thrash, hardcore, and melodeath into a ferocious assault. Gagging Order features raw, explosive nuggets of energy and aggression, loaded with interesting songwriting twists, infectious hooks, and killer riffs. Opener “Silent Authority” rages at the state of the world through technically proficient, melodic, and thrashy explosions of modern death. Centerpiece “Envy the Dead” leads with a swaggering, Pantera-esque riff and bullish groove. Lengthy and mostly mid-paced, the song remains a gripping, dynamic endeavor. “Murder” and “Milk” rely on punky deathgrind explosiveness, channeling Man Must Die’s grindier impulses and Napalm Death influence with devastating results. Gagging Order is inspired stuff from this ever-reliable killing machine. – Luke Saunders
Hexcut // Phases – The upbeat, pretty instrumental post/math rock of bands like And So I Watch You From Afar and God Is an Astronaut isn’t, I realize, to the tastes of everyone here. If you do like upbeat and pretty, though, you should definitely check out Hexcut. They play a very piano-driven, jazz fusion variant of math rock that recalls mouse on the keys, but less pretentious and more fun. Bass and drums are both interesting in their own right, and the mix ensures everything is clearly audible. I only discovered Hexcut this year and often listen to Phases and last year’s Factory combined as a single album. Both have their own flavor and work well as standalone EPs too, with Phases using a lot more layered synths where Factory is almost entirely a single piano. They’re a tiny band at the beginning of their career, and they’re the most interesting new math rock I’ve heard this year. – Sentynel
Wounds // Light Eater – I’m a man who can freely admit to placing the almighty riff on a pedestal. If you’re of a similar bent then Wounds are surely the band for you. Light Eater is incredibly kinetic and harbors a propensity for propulsion to devastate any cranial structure. The thick riffing is hewn from the same mine as Archspire‘s innately buoyant perfection, and it affords Wounds plenty of character. Their technical prowess is undeniable but never presumes to dethrone the capability of Light Eater’s infectious quality. The vertebrae stands absolutely no chance against the Americans’ relentless bludgeoning. If you were blissfully battered by 2018’s death metal calendar but have felt a little short-changed ever since, then have no fear. Wounds‘ gaping maw swallows light and transmutes it into sheer rhythmic fortitude. – Ferrous Beuller
Post Luctum // After Mourning – This is one of those releases that spontaneously caught my attention. I still can’t remember why. It doesn’t matter now. What does matter is that this is a promising slab of funereal death-doom courtesy of one Ian Goetchius of California, Maryland.1 What impressed me most about Post Luctum is how mature and well written his release sounds, with the opening two tracks bridging the gap between Altars of Grief and New York’s strain of old-school death. Morose songwriting manages to evoke the same soul-rending moods as more established projects like Slow and Clouds, but he manages to get his audience in the feels in less than 30 minutes as opposed to the hour-plus runtimes the genre is known for. Granted, the material is not quite as gripping as his competition, and his clean vocals need work, but with a little more time Ian might just wring the tears from this sponge. – TheKenWord
Greyhawk // Ride Out – I’m cheating on this one. Ride Out was released in late 2018, but I’ve spent so much time with it the past few months that I feel honor-bound to highlight it here. Hailing from Seattle, Greyhawk specializes in anthemic traditional metal of the Priest, Dio, and Visigoth variety. I discovered them at Eliminator Fest this year, and I was blown away by the power of their songs and the phenomenal performances. While the whole EP is great, the final three cuts are superb. “The Serpent King” is a galloping barnburner, the chorus of “The Wisdom of the Wizard” is so catchy that my five-year-old son can be heard singing it randomly throughout the day, and the “Circle of Heroes” is a tribute to lost metal legends and one of the finest trad metal songs I’ve heard in years. These guys are working on a debut full-length right now, and I can’t wait to hear it. (Bonus points for sharing a bass player with Skelator.) – Holdeneye
Chat Pile // (1) This Dungeon Earth; (2) Remove Your Skin Please – Chat Pile hail from just outside of Oklahoma City, OK, which off the bat makes them an oddity in the extreme music scene, if only geographically. They’re in similarly odd territory aesthetically. This year saw the band’s first two releases, EP This Dungeon Earth in May and EP Remove Your Skin Please in November, feature uneasy noise rock/post-hardcore/sludge metal with hints of Cherubs, Unsane, and early Swans. In content, they have a penchant for disquieting, Middle-American settings and stories: Drew Carey is on the TV, we’re driving to Dallas with a body in the trunk, and our final resting place might just be the walk-in meat cooler inside an Arby’s.2 Vocalist Raygun Busch weaves these tales of wasted life in equal parts angry shouts (“Crawlspace”) and unhinged rants (“Dallas Beltway”), with occasional death growls for spice. Just under his commanding delivery, jagged riffs, and guitar lines deliver nervous heaviness and surprisingly melodic passages. This Dungeon Earth is the heavier of the two EPs, while Remove Your Skin Please explores slightly more textured compositions. And yet both feel of a piece. I return often to tracks like “Rainbow Meat” and “Dallas Beltway,” but each song offers something fun. Fans of oddly humorous and deeply disturbing noise will want to watch Chat Pile closely. – Cherd
Spiritbox // Singles Collection – A mere memory of its former monstrosity, Iwrestledabearonce, female-helmed metalcore-meets-art-rock terror Spiritbox distances themselves even further from the darkly themed djent-fest of their debut EP. This collection of singles is difficult to pigeonhole, thanks to the Dr. Jekyll and Mistress Hyde dynamic of vocalist Courtney LaPlante, the unpredictable guitar work of husband Mike Stringer, and a strangely beautiful atmosphere difficult to pinpoint. Ragers like “Electric Cross,” “Belcarra,” and “Bleach Bath” bring the heat with mathy rhythms and shredding technicality, while the contemplative “Perennial” and “Trust Fall” are overwhelmingly haunting and sanguine in equal measure. Lacking filler completely, this EP may lack the cohesion of a one-and-done release, but it makes up for it with the strength of its content. – Dear Hollow
Skáphe & Wormlust // Kosmískur hryllingur – A bombshell of a duo in the consistently prolific Icelandic black metal scene, Kosmískur hryllingur is a collaboration that combines the best of Skáphe‘s murk and dissonance with the strangest atmospheres Wormlust can conjure. Equal parts unsettling and punishing, helmed by manic and unpredictable vocals and being the first from either group in several years, it’s a monstrous two-track affair that feels more behemoth and monumental than it has been recognized for. While other artists have done this sort of thing, its uniquely Wormlust-ian psychedelic melodies and nearly Portal-esque atmospheres, passages of spastic jazzy calm, with Skáphe‘s intricately punishing and scorched-earth black metal textures are extremely challenging and profoundly disturbing, making this bad boy one of the most demanding collabs in recent memory. It’s black metal mood swings on an unplaceable acid trip, and it’s damn sweet. – Dear Hollow
Eave // Banners to the Moonswept – Since the release of their 2016 debut album Purge, depressive blackgaze trio Eave have been relatively quiet, with two short tracks on a split with Galare (also in 2016) their only output until this year. And while Banners to the Moonswept is also no epic, good things come in small packages, as they say, because Banners is stacked with quality. Combining the misery of Unreqvited with the majestic soundscapes of Falls of Rauros, these three guys from Portland, Maine conjure an epic sense of bleakness in just shy of 12 minutes. The soaring melody in sections of the second track, “Each Fang Falls,” provides a brief sense of relief each time rears its head, temporarily staunching the claustrophobic sadness that otherwise drenches Banners. If this is a foreshadowing of what we can expect from Eave’s sophomore album, it’s a pretty exciting prospect. – Carcharodon
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