The Podcast...

                       <<2013>>                                <<2012>>                                 <<2011>>

The Podcast: Episode 88 (Doin' it, and doin' it, and doin' it well) (6/16)

The best part of music is when it makes you think. And the best part of metal is that it has the power to make you think harder. The debut album by Aetherfallen, with a story that is both weighty and well written, is sure to command a few listens, like it or not. The same could be said for Deuil, who explore the stages of grief on their new EP. And while Kalmah and Chthonic continue to improve with age, they also both make you question the norm. One musically, and the other politically. But a true victory is bringing back the past, without sacrificing the future, as Sleestak take their classic TV moniker for a spin, on an album that unites future and past under the same banner.


The Podcast: Episode 87 (Youth comes to take the throne) (6/9)

Is the passing of the torch a real phenomena in metal, or are we just imagining things? It seems like the best bands of the last few years have started to fade, and new bands must step in to take their place every day. This week, Sleepwalkers proved that they have the talent and the power to be the top death/doom band in America, while Nymronaut gave us a thick blend of space rock and sludge on their new EP. Tristania may still have the same name, but it may be time to move on after their latest effort. Exthenia gave us a taste of some youth-infused guitar wizardry, while the return of a familiar face gave the new Northsong album a lift into a new stratosphere. Young to old and young again, I guess.


The Podcast: Episode 86 (With summer heat comes... lists) (6/2)

Listen to everything. That is the lesson of the week. Don't pass things up because the description doesn't necessarily appeal to you. This week, we got amazing surprises from three new bands. Tumbleweed Dealer really did infuse stoner metal with blues and western influences. Facade may be the leader of the new death/doom movement, and Wall Of The Eyeless is way too good to be a new band. But the veterans haven't left the building yet, either. Dark Tranquillity releases yet another masterpiece, more than two decades into their career, and Kaledon start a new story after the success of their "Legends of The Forgotten Reign" saga.


The Podcast: Episode 85 (Don't lie, it's been a great year) (5/26)

For the first six months of the year, everyone always says what a great year it's been for music. Suddenly, come year end, that opinion changes and now there was "nothing good" all year. Mark this week on your calendar, folks, because we gave you all the reason to remember what a great year 2013 has been for metal already. Gallileous made us feel like we were in drugs aplenty, and My Dying Bride reasserted themselves as the undisputed kings of doom and gloom. Don't say it to Timo Tolkki, but his Avalon project may have been more impressive than Avantasia. And when you can review a new female star in Upon Wings, regardless of her backing band, and the rising star Pellek and his flawless rock opera in the matter of two days, things must be going well.


The Podcast: Episode 84 (No scrubs) (5/19)

Hard to believe the month of May is nearly behind us. Almost five full months in the books, and we are chugging right along on our journey through the 2013 metal scene. This week taught us not to make assumptions for any reason. The new Infinita Symphonia album left us scratching our heads, while the boy band look of Polyphia almost made us pass on what turned out to be a gem. Shade Empire is sure to make some of the best in the business jealous, and Churchburn fooled us into thinking we had them figured out before ever hitting play. And lastly, the stereotypes of French weakness were quickly extinguished by the new Eibon opus, "II." And that is why you have to listen before you decide.


The Podcast: Episode 83 (Happy Metal Mother's Day... or something) (5/12)

Today is the day we like to thank our mothers for carrying our lazy fetus-asses around for nine months, birthing us, and putting up with our shit for God knows how many years. I suggest we celebrate not only our own mothers, but the headbanging mothers across the world. To do that, I sat down in a brief period of rest to discuss the albums of the week, the mixed bag that we call our content. The week started with the powerful performance of German collective The Ocean before starting the rollercoaster ride. Belgium based Drunar gave all of our audio engineering friends a guide on how not to record an album. Dark Moor made Brian literally piss his pants with joy. But the end of the week saw us touch on bands not quite ready for prime time, with Jason Newsted's new band falling flat, and Italian band Trinakrius simply going too long to be effective. By the law of averages, that says next week will be better than the last.


The Podcast: Episode 82 (Spotify? You let me worry about Spotify) (5/11)

With Spotify now all the rage among downloaders (both legal and otherwise) and music fans of all kinds, it seems to the perfect time to slow down and reevaluate where our money goes when we pay for music in various forms. While their premium subscription may seem like an end to piracy, there is more math at play that needs to be explored, and a better way to pay artists must be found.


The Podcast: Episode 81 (Now things are getting interesting) (5/5)

You can't listen to the same old thing all day, every day. You need a change of pace now and then. So this week, we were treated a slew of new and exciting artists and styles; ones that may change the way we listen to music. The week began with a powerhouse album from Vancouver's own Anciients, which was offset by the Jeckyll and Hyde confusion of Dementia Senex. Brian was delighted by the debut album from Ade, enough to level a threat against the non-believers. And things ended on a high note, with Russian born guitarist Julia Kosterova giving a new depth to the solo guitarist album, and Thy Raventhrone showing off keyboards aplenty. New, exciting, sometimes unpolished. But always interesting.


The Podcast: Episode 80 (Day time soap opera) (4/28)

If only I didn't need to have a day job to pay the bills. I would love nothing more than to sit here, write reviews and talk metal all damn day. Fuck. But in the last two weeks, we have had a full slate of reviews, and it is time to catch up on some of the best. Ghost (add the B.C. if you're naughty) gave us a reason to change our opinion. Though their recently released sex toy box set may change it back. Hvile I Kaos took cello metal to a new arena. Heaven Shall Burn has a fair amount of Brian's spit on their collective dicks, while Shining just didn't have enough to warrant their black-jazz moniker this time around. A new Amorphis album took time to grow before cementing itself in our brains, and a new disc from The Old Wind literally blew us away. God damn, it's been a great 2013.


The Podcast: Episode 79 (Leaving on a jet plane...) (4/14)

Oh, if we had a private jet to buzz us all over the world. This week, we had a set of reviews that amounted to a whirlwind tour, taking us to many exotic locations. Tengger Cavalry gave us more than enough reason to visit Beijing. Tatanka, with the release of their self titled EP, provided a necessary trip to Vancouver. The project that too many people thought was a joke, Gloryhammer, is anything but. The Pacific northwest deserves a stop, if only for the raw stylings of Mammoth Salmon. And our journey concludes in beautiful Scotland, where Cnoc An Tursa are bringing Scottish heritage back into modern metal. So many stops, so little jet ownership. One day...


The Podcast: Episode 78 (From good to bad, and bad to good) (4/13)

No matter how bad an album is, or how good, you can never make a firm decision on a band. They might be great now, but what if their next album sucks? They might have given you the worst album of 2010, but what if they give you the best of 2013? I have been proven wrong more times than I can remember, but some recent works deserved mention in a podcast all their own. The latest albums from The Howling Void, Stratovarius, Omnium Gatherum, and Ghost all made my view go topsy turvy. And that is why you can never assume.


The Podcast: Episode 77 (The Easter Bunny is a no good motherfuc....nevermind) (4/7)

That dirty bastard known as the Easter Bunny brought me a little something extra in my basket this year; a head cold that crippled me for days! Better believe I'll have a surprise waiting for him next year. Wanted to catch up on the highlights of the last two weeks in reviews, with some pretty amazing albums. We touched on all facets of the metal world: the death/doom genre was reinvigorated by the work of Soliloquium, power thrash gained new life thanks to Windrunners, the metal opera got a new installment thanks to Tobias Sammet and Avantasia, Intronaut turned heads with a hazy brand of psychedelic sludge,  Myrkgrav told us a little bit about the history of Norway in true folk metal style, and Moradin proved that Canadians can do melodic black metal better than anyone.


The Podcast - Episode 76 (On a scale of 1 to 10) (3/24)

Starting to gain some momentum again, the reviews are coming fast and furious. Another packed week left us with a lot to ponder, and a lot to listen to. On this shiny Sunday, Darrell sits back to talk about the work of Scottish stoner rock act Bacchus Baracus, the music bonded in friendship of Treeburner, the grinding of metal on metal by 00y 18 and the big winner of the week, a symphonic masterpiece by Derdian. Brian's review of the new Heavatar album, a Van Canto offshoot, reminds us that side projects aren't always worth hearing. And in an effort to clarify any questions that have been received, Darrell takes a look at the base 10 rating system we use, and how to translate what those numbers mean.


The Podcast: Episode 75 (Add another candle to the cake) (3/17)

Two years in, and no signs of slowing down. With original members gone, and new members on board, we are the Van Halen of metal reviews. But enough about us, let's talk about metal. Another week has passed, and five more reviews were shoved down your neck hole. Jarun gave us their take on modern blackened metal. The Gates Of Slumber gave us a free EP that helped to restore confidence in American doom. Brian heaped praise onto Tyranny Of Hours for their strong symphonic debut album. Suvilehto showed us what a 19 year old from Finland is capable of. And Fister finished the week with an album that is scary, and good. It's scary good. All that in a week? Damn, it feels good to be a gangster.


The Podcast: Episode 74 (Off to a great start in 2013) (3/10)

When an album shakes you to your core, you know you've witnessed something special. This week was an impressive one all around. We started with veteran progressive power metallers DGM, releasing perhaps their best album of their 19 year career. The fabled Jizzlobber impressed, with a stoner sludge style on their self titled EP that could only come from France. An e-mail from Schysma opened our eyes to some brilliant storytelling on an EP, "Imperfect Dichotomy," that shows us the whole is bigger than the sum of its parts. And finally, Omnium Gatherum made a clear declaration to be the album of the year, and we are only two full months in. What a time to be a metal fan.


The Podcast: Episode 73 (Look at the ground at your feet) (3/3)

When you start to realize you like a certain style, or bands from a certain country, your eyes suddenly adjust to the room, and you can see a million things that you were blind to before. Like power metal? You realzie there are a million new power metal bands you have yet to hear. Sludge? Boat loads of them. So after a busy week of reviews, with albums from Odd Dimension, the unreal Grayceon, Stratovarius, Diesel King, and Eternal Tears Of Sorrow, we urge you to look far and wide, and expand your musical horizons.


The Podcast: Episode 72 (Finishing each others sentences) (2/24)

It is our goal to pack as much content onto this site as we can. So this past week, we had a fairly full schedule of shit, including reviews of new albums by Kongh, Outre, Utah, and the interesting EP from Stratovarius. With all of that fresh in mind, we finally unveiled our long awaited interview with Italian black metal innovators Malnatt. We do this for YOU, and it is a labor of love. And all we ask is that you read... and answer us a question. When music becomes too predictable (i.e. you can complete a lyric before you've heard it, or know how a fill will sound before a single stick hits), how much longer can you listen?


The Podcast: Episode 71 (What's in a name?) (2/17)

Not sure what it is about Sunday nights, but it brings out the best (or worst) in us. This week, we have a great view of the metal spectrum with post-rock/metal band Australasia, psychedelic doom/sludge outfit Aleph Null, and melodic death newcomers Sons Of Aeon. All good in their own way, and all overcoming challenges they create for themselves. But as the title asks, what's in a name? How does the name of a band or album affect the way we choose music, or how seriously we take it? After an e-mail from Jizzlobber, I have no choice but to wonder....


The Podcast: Episode 70 (Love spelled backwards is... metal?) (2/10)

Ah yes, it is almost Valentine's Day. That day in February where flowers and chocolates are exchanged, along with words of love, in an attempt to woo a woman, or man, into your bed. Sorry, did I simplify that too much? Well, for many men and women, metal is a second love, so it all fits together. This week, we take a look back at reviews for Hemisphery, the amazing album by Elferya, and a surprisingly good listen from Digression Assassins. But what about metal, not reliant on guitars? Our playlist started a fire that we must explore further.


The Podcast: Episode 69 (The Super Bowl of nonsense) (2/3)

I am sure there is a joke to be made about the fact that this is the 69th episode of the Sorrow Eternal podcast, but I can't figure it out. Oh well, I digress. With another week and another batch of reviews in the books, Darrell takes a look back at the week that was, highlighted by the new album by Cult Of Luna, as well as releases from Dilmun Gates and Phil Anselmo. But with the big game probably flashes on TVs across the world, we accept that no one is bored enough to listen right now, so we look ahead at the week to come, including a shining endorsement from a Swiss band.


The Podcast: Episode 68 (Raw, yet refined) (1/27)

With the music industry back in full swing for 2013, the amount of albums flooding into the headquarters is, in a word, staggering. So there will always be a mix of good and bad, every step of the way. This week, Entities made a promise they couldn't keep, while City Of The Lost and Miseria Visage impressed us with their new albums. But the real quandary this week is the difference between raw and refined, dirty and polished. New bands have the advantage of doing things on their own, and their little imperfections give the albums character. When does that change?


The Podcast: Episode 67 (Good metal is always good) (1/20)

With January more than halfway over, the time seems to fly by from week to week. Darrell recaps the major reviews for this past week, giving you yet another reason to believe that metal is always on the rise. Even more than that, it is time to welcome new faces into the Sorrow Eternal fold; one this week, and one the following week.


The Podcast: Episode 66 (Now with 50% more awesome) (1/13)

For every mediocre release, there are always twenty great ones to offset it. In this case, the week was plentiful, with two amazing new releases from Harakiri For The Sky and Unbowed, hiding the failings of the debut EP by Visions Of Tragedy. With some new faces joining the operation soon, things are on the verge of getting bigger and better.


The Podcast: Episode 65 (Jazzy, folk, blackened, death, post math podcast-core) (1/6)

Another week of reviews has come and gone, and there is a disturbing trend developing early in this new year. Buzz words, meaningless labels, and derivative styles are dominating the first week of 2013, and it begs to be addressed. But not all is bad. Dan Klyne has managed to remind us of the power of the one man band.


                       <<2013>>                                <<2012>>                                 <<2011>>

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