Rip Mitchell
Bio
Lead singer of the band Vesuvian, lover of the metals, horror movies and grower of beards!
Stories (22)
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Rope Sect - The Great Flood Review
Band Bio: Formed in 2017 Germany's Rope Sect is a doomy post-punk band. Though their band camp labels them also as black metal and death metal, which while hearing their sound you might not think of these genre tags but the influences of these genres are ever-present if you listen enough. This band is relatively new having only a small collection of releases beyond their debut EP, Personae Ingratae which hooked me in as a listener on first listen. Beyond Personae Ingratae they had a split single in 2019 called “Handsome youth” and a single in 2020 called “Lava”. There is an air of mystery surrounding this band, in a good way, kind of like Ghost when they debuted, which would be a good comparison to state as their sound could be summarized as a more goth/deathrock version of ghost. To the extent when reading up on other reviews and just trying to get info on the band for a bio I mostly find things like "Rope Sect is a conceptual project that's supposed to be defined by its music, lyrics, and art. Private details, names, or related bands are simply irrelevant. So with that being said let's do just that and stop trying to define a who but just revel in this interesting desolate album.
By Rip Mitchell5 years ago in Beat
Avatar - Hunter Gatherer
Band Bio: Avatar is a metal band of some sort, (honestly it's hard to slap a genre on these guys that would really define their sound). Formed in 2001 in Gothenburg Sweden by drummer John Alfredsson and guitarist Jonas Jarlsby, eventually filling out their line up with bassist Henrik Sandelin, guitarist Tim Öhrström and the ever-versatile vocalist Johannes Eckerström. Who to this point has released eight albums in: Thoughts of No Tomorrow (2006), the in my option melodic death masterwork that is Schlacht (2007), their self titled album Avatar (2009) their bizzaro departure from Melodic Death Metal in The Black Waltz (2012), Hail the Apocalypse (2014), Feathers & Flesh (2016) The ever kookie concept album Avatar Country (2018).
By Rip Mitchell5 years ago in Beat
Twilight Force - 'Dawn of the Dragonstar'
Hey to all those who take the time to read my reviews. It has been a long while since I had written one of these, hopefully this will mark a return to semi-regular reviews again. Either way, thanks for reading and let's get into this!
By Rip Mitchell6 years ago in Beat
Four Albums in 2018 I Regret Missing at the Time!
Somehow, in a year where I listened to a new album to me every day for all 365 days in it, I missed some really good albums. These few should have been on my top 30 albums of the year—had I heard them before I finalized the list. Then, for fun, instead of making a top five worst list or anything like that, I am going to add one album I regret not missing along with these that I regret missing.
By Rip Mitchell7 years ago in Beat
Mirrors for Psychic Warfare - 'I See What I Became' Review
Mirrors for Psychic Warfare is a two-piece Industrial/Folk project featuring Scott Kelly of Neurosis and producer Sanford Parker. The pair formed in 2016 and are most likely based out of the pacific north-west of the USA but there is no town of origin listed I could find. This album is the second release from this band and a follow up to their self-titled full length. This project is an interesting blend of the two listed genres and even a few others leading to a very cerebral calming sound. That also has moments harshness and a few truly tense and unnerving moments throughout. Going into this and seeing the tag of Folk I was under the assumption that this would lie somewhere in the space of Neurosis or Scott Kell’s solo work, I had never been so wrong! While it contains his signature voice there is little to no guitar work involved. In their place, the senses are flooded with a grey soundscape of industrial and ambient beats and samples that at times border on ideas of drone metal or even some trance!
By Rip Mitchell7 years ago in Beat
Top 30 Albums of 2018
Wow, what a year overall am I right? From everything in the world to what I can only imagine personally this year has been a roller coaster for a ton of people! I will say musically it has been a crazy ride. Let’s reminisce one last time on this year of major ups and downs through these albums, starting at number 30!
By Rip Mitchell7 years ago in Beat
My Top 8 EPs of 2018
This year had some amazing releases (some really bad, too) that I moved my top 20 albums to 30! In that, there were a ton that were fighting for the cut, so I decided to take eight of the best EPs from that list and gave them a list of their own!
By Rip Mitchell7 years ago in Beat
Realm of Wolves—'Oblivion'
Formed early in 2018, Realm of Wolves was formed in almost a supergroup fashion by the members of vvilderness, Silent Island and other projects in similar style. The band members in true (Or is it Trv? I can’t keep up) black metal fashion, the members all go by pseudonyms with vvildr contributing lyrics, vocals and drums, Stvannyr on guitars and Ghöul on bass. The music they craft is dark yet serene, like a dream constantly on the edge of a nightmare yet somehow in the right mindset a listener can all but see the fog this music envokes appear before their eyes! Their first EP, Shores of Nothingness, I did on my band camp finds, which I said I cannot wait to see where they go from them then like I had said that guy with the honey and bees name one too many times this album formed before me. If this album is anything like their EP, I would compare it to a good horror movie, such as 2015’s The Witch in that there is tension the whole runtime, like modern horror fans waiting for the ninety-fourth jump scare of the movie but no one ever came. Or does it? Let's wander deep within this Oblivion that is the Realm of Wolves and see if there is a final screamer after all.
By Rip Mitchell7 years ago in Beat
It Came from BandCamp Volume 2
When doing the 365 albums in 365 days challenge I have heard a lot of odd things on the old BandCamp. So I started to think... hey some of these are pretty good! And some of these are so bad they are entertaining! But not a lot of these get much exposure, so I am continuing these monthly lists and giving a few of my favorite finds, from the dredges of BandCamp, a bit of a micro-review!
By Rip Mitchell7 years ago in Beat
Psycroptic - 'As the Kingdom Drowns'
Formed in 1999 Psycroptic is an Australian technical death metal band from Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. With long time and founding members drummer Dave Haley and his brother Joe Haley on guitar who has been keeping band consistent in its style, yet somehow finding new ways to inject some new crazy jazzy styles to their sound over the years. As the Kingdom Drowns is the band's seventh release and second on their new label Prosthetic records following their 2015 self-titled album. Other albums include The Isle of Disenchantment (2001), The Scepter of the Ancients (2003),Symbols of Failure (2006),Ob (Servant) (2008) and The Inherited Repression (2012) so to say these guys are tech death vets is all but an understatement!
By Rip Mitchell7 years ago in Beat
