Magma @ The Mod Club in Toronto, 20 August 2017
Sometimes progressive rock feels too limiting a label for an infinitely innovative collective credited with introducing unorthodox and challenging elements to music. One such…
classical
The Visit – Through Darkness Into Light
Shiver-inducing. If that isn’t a qualifier of “metal” status then what is? Through Darkness Into Light is a release of goosebumpy highs and deep…
Sopor Aeternus & The Ensemble of Shadows: Es reiten die Toten so schnell (or The Vampyre Sucking at his Own Vein)
It’s an eerily attractive package for those who appreciate agonized expressions, androgynous bodies, and the aesthetics of the damned. What it all sounds like is a graveyard chamber orchestra, complete with strings and horns performed by a long list of guest musicians and produced by John A. Rivers (Love and Rockets, Dead Can Dance, Buzzcocks).
Fleshgod Apocalypse: Oracles
It goes without saying that classical music and metal have always complemented each other very well, from Concerto for Group and Orchestra to Death Cult Armageddon, from Malmsteen to Suicmez, so when we see a straight-up death metal band attempt to enhance their music with orchestral pieces, our reaction isn’t so much surprise as, it had to happen sooner or later.