Eldritch Elitist

Crimson Shadows – Whispers of War Review

By Eldritch Elitist on July 28, 2025 in Reviews, Melodic Death Metal, Power Metal, 28 comments

“For the uninitiated, Crimson Shadows’ sound is what would have happened if DragonForce had been mainstays in the late 90’s / early 00’s Finnish melodic death metal scene, but with a North American metalcore-adjacent sense of chunk and polish tailor-made for the 2009 Rockstar Energy Mayhem Festival. Their blend of sugary lead guitars and rhythmic violence is peak Dumb Guy Metal, and as The Dumbest Guy, I’m thrilled that this new album recaptures the formula perfectly.” Shadows, dragons, dumb guys.

Cruce Signatus – II Review

By Eldritch Elitist on April 12, 2025 in Reviews, Instrumental Metal, Synthwave, 23 comments

“One of the scant morsels of criticism I offered to Pillaging Villagers’ self-titled 2022 opus was not explicitly aimed at the record itself, but rather at my perceived longevity of the project. David Frazer’s first solo outing, while a blast to spin to this day, feels like something best suited as a one-off excursion. For this reason, I approached his follow-up project, the instrumental metal/synthwave/electronic mashup that is Cruce Signatus, with a grain of skepticism. From day one, Frazer planned Cruce Signatus as a four-act experience, and for as much as I enjoyed its first volume, it again engendered a nagging sense of doubt as to its shelf life. By its end, the self-titled debut painstakingly explores seemingly every corner of its hyper-specific vision of cinematic metallo-electro-neo-baroque-wave. For this project to truly grow, Frazer would need to up the stakes through an expanded scope, elevated drama, and a broadened emotional palette.” Vision into reality.

The Great Old Ones – Kadath Review

By Eldritch Elitist on February 3, 2025 in Reviews, Black Metal, 58 comments

“I’m not sure why The Great Old Ones continue to be lumped in with the post-black metal scene. Their general reliance on space-y tremolo riffs made sense of the post-black tag up through 2017’s EOD, but 2019’s Cosmicism felt so viscerally progressive as to displace the band from any notable acts under that particular genre umbrella. And yeah, sub-subgenre tags are thin by their very nature, but with the release of Kadath, the notion that The Great Old Ones remain “post” anything feels downright silly.” Aging greatness.

Dragonknight – Legions Review

By Eldritch Elitist on January 22, 2025 in Reviews, Power Metal, 25 comments

“A not-insignificant number of my favorite power metal acts are “noun noun” bands. Power Quest. Twilight Force. Fellow Ship. There’s something about smashing two overwrought people, places, and/or things together that perfectly fits power metal’s prerequisite for excess, and Dragonknight is one of my favorite band names to come out of the genre in recent memory. I’m a little less enthused that their identities are hidden behind their confusingly uniform, copy-paste Slipknot masks, but between their ludicrously opulent logo and Legions’ hilariously literal cover art, Dragonknight is one of the more immediately striking power metal acts to debut on Scarlet Records.” DraGONS own the Knight.

Interview with Fellowship’s Matthew Corry and Callum Tuffen

By Eldritch Elitist on December 2, 2024 in Interviews, 27 comments

We proudly present an AMG exclusive interview with Matthew Corry and Callum Tuffen of Fellowship. Read it and learn about fellowship.

Fellowship – The Skies Above Eternity Review

By Eldritch Elitist on November 21, 2024 in Reviews, Power Metal, 181 comments

“If there had never been a second Fellowship record, I would have been okay. Obviously, I wanted another Fellowship record—and, ideally, biennial releases from England’s premiere life-affirming, self-worth-preserving power metal outfit—but I’ve known since the first time I heard The Saberlight Chronicles that there would never be another Fellowship record like it. Not only would their sophomore album be unable to re-invoke the wonder I felt upon hearing a full-length Fellowship release for the first time, but it would also be nigh impossible for them to recapture the exact vibe of that record after two years of added experience.” Oh no, did the Fellowship fail?

Legendarium – For Eternal Glory Review

By Eldritch Elitist on November 16, 2024 in Reviews, Melodic Death Metal, Power Metal, 27 comments

“Powerdeath. That’s the genre tag attached to Legendarium’s fifth album For Eternal Glory, and one I’d almost certainly roll my eyes at, had I not been following this curious project since its debut LP. Through arcane magics of ancient origin], I became aware of Legendarium, the brainchild of singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Laurence Kerbov and drummer Stefano Vaccari, in its earliest stages as a charmingly amateurish blend of traditional metal and classic punk. 2022’s Death’s Hand in Yours changed their status quo, not only by amping up their power metal side and introducing death metal elements to the mix, but also by being the first Legendarium record to be legitimately good. For Eternal Glory is their logical next step.” Legendary genre blend?

Black Curse – Burning in Celestial Poison Review

By Eldritch Elitist on October 28, 2024 in Reviews, Blackened Death Metal, 92 comments

“There are a mere handful of artists whose work I would describe as genuinely transportive. Black Curse is one of them, but instead of sweeping me away into cold space, vast wilderness, or entire fucking battlefields, Black Curse transports me straight to whatever Cenobite hell rewires your pleasure centers. By all accounts, I should not like Black Curse. I don’t even like war metal. Yet 2020’s Endless Wound clawed and wriggled and scorched its way into my good graces all the same, and upon retrospection feels like one of that year’s most enduring records.” The Curse cannot be broken.

Frozen Crown – War Hearts Review

By Eldritch Elitist on October 18, 2024 in Reviews, Power Metal, 60 comments

“In recent months I’ve been mulling over the virtues of concise songwriting. Thanks to its inherent pop appeal, power metal benefits most from diligent self-editing. The style’s inclinations towards grandeur and virtuosity mean short-form power metal is uncommon, yet tasteful restraint can lead to breathtaking gut punches of concentrated genre excess. On their fifth LP, War Hearts, Frozen Crown seems to agree. Their preceding effort, Call of the North, was defined by long songs that accommodated adventurous songwriting. In contrast, War Hearts feels like a throwback to the band’s earliest efforts.” Is that a good thing?

Undeath – More Insane Review

By Eldritch Elitist on October 2, 2024 in Reviews, Death Metal, 98 comments

“Modern trends in “old school” death metal bug me. Beyond the neverending competition to see who can print the ugliest four-sided longsleeve in existence, the bulk of the scene appears annoyingly content with aping the bullet points of their inspirations. That’s why Undeath, who have never come across as trying to sound like anyone other than Undeath, are one of my very favorites of the bunch.” Death be snot proud.