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Angry Metal Guy<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/katagory-v-awaken-a-new-age-of-chaos-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Katagory V – Awaken a New Age of Chaos Review</a>By Dolphin WhispererKatagory V, not to be confused with any band called Category 5 or Five or any variation thereof, has been rollicking with power chord and falsetto vocal abandon for the better part of a quarter-century. Not continuously, though, as founding bass-slinger Dustin Mitchell put the riff-train on pause from 2014 to 2023 after struggling to fund the release of 2015’s Resurrect the Insurgence. With roots in a progressive and riff-heavy attitude that mirrored the doom-weighted Swedish power metal sound of (then) contemporaries Memory Garden and Tad Morose but with a stronger foot in early USPM progenitors like Fates Warning and Queensrÿche, Katagory V carved a niche within a niche in the American underground. And now with a reunited vigor for overdriven and melodramatic riffcraft, Awaken a New Age of Chaos hopes to stir in wanting loins the tingle of amplified bravado.Awaken a New Age sees only a couple of line-up shifts from the Katagory V early days, with Resurrect vocalist Albert Rybka (Acracy, Empyrean Sanctum) returning to the mic—his more “modern” prog/power croon had previously shifted the sound towards a big chorus focus. As a band with minds set to reverence for a faded style, Katagory V’s emergence in the early ’00s put them beyond the tail end of their target audience, so a little change went a long way. Wielding classic tones, playful rhythms, and meaty guitar drives, the working man, angsty escapades of 2001’s Present Day or 2007’s Hymns of Dissension could have sat comfortably alongside the Sanctuary and Morgana Lefay CDs in a 12-disc changer with a slot to spare. But with Rypka at the vocal helm, a great world of vocal possibilities held the potential to unfold across Katagory V’s earnest and downtrodden societal observations.For whatever reason, though, Rypka has chosen the path of the Ripper<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/katagory-v-awaken-a-new-age-of-chaos-review/#fn-216553-1" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">1</a>, often relying on a shaky, low-power talk-sing that bursts into glass-shattering falsetto to imbue this new outing with extra metal force. While the shrill technique has earned a place in the hallowed halls of heavy metal, Rypka’s particular tendency on Awaken to jump from hobbling refrain to cloud-crashing wail derails the midtempo riff-groove of far too many tracks, “Legacy in Blood,” “Night Wing,” and “I Miss You” being the most screechy offenders. The kind of steady-drive prog/power in which Katagory V exists depends on a song navigating swiftly through its narrative dips and dives. And though Rypka can pull off plenty of smoother mic-twisting contortions against thrashy accelerations (“Empire of Ignorance,” “Prophet of Sorrow”) and moody, progressive growers (“Through Fate’s Eyes”), his theatrical and treble-abusing antics make continuous enjoyment difficult.Katagory V, however, glues enough runtime together with a tight rhythmic chemistry, which keeps Awaken from succumbing to its more grating qualities. From the classic piano-to-drum tumble of “Absolution Divide” to the Iced Earth-galloping “Blood Siphon” to the Death-worshipping bridge of “Prophet of Sorrow,” Katagory V can carry a mighty thump and rumble. At their most epic and progressive on “Through Fate’s Eyes” and “Escape to Beyond,” they even approximate the kind of sweeping heavy metal of a power-to-prog transitioning Fates Warning in a way few bands attemp in this modern age. Though Awaken doesn’t wear this level of success at every step, the brief walk along this road that reclaims the glory of Katagory V’s youth shows that the fire for metal remains.As an act like <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/inner-strength-daydreaming-in-moonlight-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Inner Strength</a> has shown, the sounds of the past can live anew in hands dedicated to iteration, refinement, and exploration. With Awaken a New Age of Chaos, the idea of growth within this aged style of heavy, progressive metal from a pre-Meshuggah world,<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/katagory-v-awaken-a-new-age-of-chaos-review/#fn-216553-2" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">2</a> leans far closer to a thoughtfully executed jam session of remembered riffs than it does towards finding its own brand of melancholy. Katagory V never, unfortunately, got the chance to make much of a mark in the annals of the developing prog frontier. And while a grander level of success is normal in the dreams of hopeful musicians—and in light of Awaken a New Age of Chaos not being likely to accelerate their ascension—Katagory V can still stand proud with their dusty contributions to the history of the Utah underground. Rating: 2.0/5.0 DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3 Labels: Metallic Blue Records (USA) | High Roller Records (EU) Websites: <a href="https://katagoryv.bandcamp.com/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">katagoryv.bandcamp.com</a><a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/katagory-v-awaken-a-new-age-of-chaos-review/#fn-216553-3" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">3</a> | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/KatagoryV/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">facebook.com/KatagoryV</a> Releases Worldwide: May 16th, 2025<a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/20/" target="_blank">#20</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/2025/" target="_blank">#2025</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/awaken-a-new-age-of-chaos/" target="_blank">#AwakenANewAgeOfChaos</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/fates-warning/" target="_blank">#FatesWarning</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/heavy-metal/" target="_blank">#HeavyMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/high-roller-records/" target="_blank">#HighRollerRecords</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/iced-earth/" target="_blank">#IcedEarth</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/inner-strength/" target="_blank">#InnerStrength</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/katagory-v/" target="_blank">#KatagoryV</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/may25/" target="_blank">#May25</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/memory-garden/" target="_blank">#MemoryGarden</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/metallic-blue-records/" target="_blank">#MetallicBlueRecords</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/morgana-lefay/" target="_blank">#MorganaLefay</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/power-metal/" target="_blank">#PowerMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/progpower/" target="_blank">#ProgPower</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/progressive-metal/" target="_blank">#ProgressiveMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/queensryche/" target="_blank">#Queensryche</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/review/" target="_blank">#Review</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/reviews/" target="_blank">#Reviews</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/sanctuary/" target="_blank">#Sanctuary</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/tad-morose/" target="_blank">#TadMorose</a>

Angry Metal Guy<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/dolphin-whisperers-and-feroxs-top-tenish-of-2024/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Dolphin Whisperer’s and Ferox’s Top Ten(ish) of 2024</a>By Dolphin Whisperer Dolphin WhispererEvery year, its end becomes more shocking and swift. Once, some guy told me, simply, “it only gets worse.” Not life though—attributing a better or worse or any sort of constant determination of our passage leaves a lot of room for falling into a void of enjoyment—life is, after all, a constant until its not. But time, or our sense of being in its too ever-present stream, flows at a rate that changes in ways to which we never quite catch up.As such, there’s a comfort in knowing how much time an album, particularly one you enjoy will take. For the ten-to-twenty minutes it takes for grindcore proper to slap me silly or the forty-to-eighty minutes that it takes for my deepest progressive loves to wring out a moaning confession, I know where my attention lies, even if it’s only half there and half on a task at hand. Time and tasks, day to night, play to stop, music makes my world a better place. And entering my now third year at Angry Metal Guy, an institution that has been a fixture of my musical journey for even longer, I continue to hold a profound gratitude and excitement for another year of discovery.2024 has had its challenges professionally and personally. 2025 will be no doubt the same, even if some trials we can see forming in the distance. But you want to know about the music, right? On that end, 2024 has yielded a heaping trove of great albums. Heck, even a <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/amgs-unsigned-band-rodeo-save-this-utility-%e4%ba%a1%e5%a4%b1-deprivation/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Rodeö pick</a> scratched at the rungs of an honorable mention. The below list barely scratches the surface of the breadth that the year has offered. Further down you will see Ferox‘s list, which captures a different collection equally rooted in joy. He might be more right than I am. But that matters little. Celebrate with us, your favorite collective of writers on the world wide web! Come hang with some of us on <a href="https://discord.gg/ZvDvua9" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Discord</a> too if you’d like. Most of the people there are certified flea-free. And don’t be too upset if 2025 doesn’t hit you the same at first. It’s just another year, and it’ll be over before you know it. #ish. Kalandra // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/kalandra-a-frame-of-mind-things-you-might-have-missed-2024/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">A Frame of Mind</a> – At my core, I consider myself a Norwegian sad girl. Usually, this manifests in some sort of weepy, melancholy prog, the likes of Age of Silence or <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/madder-mortem-old-eyes-new-heart-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Madder Mortem</a>.<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/dolphin-whisperers-and-feroxs-top-tenish-of-2024/#fn-208005-1" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">1</a> But Kalandra’s enfolkened an impassioned take on an artsy, progressive collection of empowering tunes hit me square in my aching heart from the moment I heard it. Most importantly, though, Kalandra knows that suffering is just a step on the path of growth and happiness, which is a message that inspires me every day.#10. Dawnwalker // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/dawnwalker-the-unknowing-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">The Unknowing</a> – The power to dream and envision a world driven by mysticism has an allure that’s hard to ignore. And while we know that more determinable laws guide the happenings of our daily lives, a glimpse of the unknown will always find its way into sequence. Dawnwalker putting this esoteric but ever-present concept into an atmospheric, genre-warped, playfully progressive package hardly surprises me, though. The British troupe has had my number since their unsung classic <a href="https://ampwall.com/a/dawnwalker/album/in-rooms" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">In Rooms</a>,<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/dolphin-whisperers-and-feroxs-top-tenish-of-2024/#fn-208005-2" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">2</a> so I’m doing my last in continuing to love them despite Twelve‘s best efforts to underrate them.<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/dolphin-whisperers-and-feroxs-top-tenish-of-2024/#fn-208005-3" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">3</a>#9. Lizzard // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/lizzard-mesh-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Mesh</a> – Lizzard’s 2021 opus <a href="https://lizzardband.bandcamp.com/album/eroded" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Eroded</a> is my favorite album of this decade so far. The French trio’s ability to warp deep, rhythm-tricky layers into driving and emotional rock songs his me at the core of my musical desire for cathartic hope expressed in an unassuming and lush framework. Mesh doesn’t present any differently in that regard. But its wrinkles on Lizzard’s timeless yet ’90s alternative-rooted oeuvre fuel Mesh’s inherent melancholy with a hope that’s jubilant, like a cracked smile on an overcast day.#8. Dissimulator // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/dissimulator-lower-form-resistance-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Lower Form Resistance</a> – [INCOMING TRANSMISSION.] “My name is Clyde, and I arrive from beyond with wonderful news. My good friend Ferox has survived this timeline after all, having learned to navigate the Lower Form Resistance assault of fast-twitch rhythms and slow-twitch death metal punctuation. His head, fully intact, sways wildly in its hairless glory—big dives for big skanking breaks, snappy rolls for whiplash accelerations. He may not be as rhythmically gifted in pit-galloping cadence as the virtuoso drum and bass duo that provides life to Dissimulator’s effortless strides, but Ferox is my everything nonetheless.” [END TRANSMISSION.]#7. Mamaleek // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/mamaleek-vida-blue-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Vida Blue</a> – I couldn’t begin to tell you what has never landed about Mamaleek’s works before with a weird precision. As an act dedicated to sounding only like Mamaleek, their singular expression of tortured black(ish) metal warped by jazzy and slogging attitudes has manifested quite the take-it-or-leave-it musical experience. And while you, dear reader, may assume this is firmly up my alley, it has not been. At least not until Vida Blue served a bottom of the ninth heart-shaker as an ode to a departed friend.<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/dolphin-whisperers-and-feroxs-top-tenish-of-2024/#fn-208005-4" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">4</a> With a soulful swing, a tortured connection, and an exit velocity powered by equal parts loss and love, Mamaleek has clinched a campaign for my attention.#6. Defeated Sanity // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/defeated-sanity-chronicles-of-lunacy-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Chronicles of Lunacy</a> – As an apex predator in the brutal death metal world, Defeated Sanity’s appearance arouses not questions of competency but rather calculations of the carnage wrought. Chronicles of Lunacy does not mark a turning point or novel twist in the Defeated Sanity timeline—its finely tuned lashings hit as inescapable all the same. When neither a beast’s reach, nor mass, nor attack speed goes contested, an exhibition of its might will flash with morbid glee. As such, Defeated Sanity need not surprise to strike mortal wound. Chronicles’ fangs glisten with an aged-imbrued tarnish, tearing at my flesh in every way I would expect. And I want more.#5. Orgone // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/orgone-pleroma-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Pleroma</a> – Meticulous and constructed as a master-work, Pleroma’s opening notes signal a trance. Acoustic twang and chamber instrument-fueled swoon build an atmosphere of wonder against a fervent and languished march of post-genre swells and death-fueled crescendos. Cycling through its many shades feels less like a fever dream and more of a trial-filled journey. Wielding a demure grandeur, Pleroma’s effortless realization of Orgone’s peerless vision never feels like the epic journey its runtime suggests. Were my time truly infinite, Pleroma would be even harder to rip away from the queue.#4. Julie Christmas // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/julie-christmas-ridiculous-and-full-of-blood-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Ridiculous and Full of Blood</a> – A lady screaming bloody murder shouldn’t go down this smooth, but that’s always been the promise and success of Julie Christmas. Few vocalists leave me slack-jawed and ear-shaken in the wake of piercing cries, raw-throated shrieks, and impassioned lyrical slather. Yet, Ridiculous and Full of Blood cuts track after track out of sonic patterns that do exactly that, all while empowering a full band expression of alternative-laced grooves, post-informed climbs, and punk-tied sneer. The Christmas season sums a flurry of inspired performances under the banner of a madwoman. And I stand at the ready to fray my vocal cords in attempt to crack with the same battle-tested precision that Ms. Christmas has earned from a life hard-worn.#3. Ingurgitating Oblivion // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/ingurgitating-oblivion-ontology-of-nought-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Ontology of Nought</a> – Though born of minds unrelated, Ontology of Nought exists as an esoteric companion to the Pleroma embodiment. Orgone is the twin that went to conservatory, graduated with honors, and holds an honorable performing chair, all while remembering its young love for death metal. Ingurgitating Oblivion, on the other hand, dropped out, spiraled into entheogenic dissociation, earns a living gigging at jazz clubs—also maintains its youthful lust for the clamoring riff and hammering blast. Maximalism oozes a frothing wonder in the hiss of distorted chatter and rhythmic mastery. An imperfect and breathing construction rises and falls in ethereal inhales and vision-spinning mantras. Ontology of Nought deserves each of its over-budget minutes. Invest time in the freedom that it promises… “and cease to be.”#2. OU // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/ou-%e8%98%87%e9%86%92-ii-frailty-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">蘇醒 II: Frailty</a> – The casualness of OU’s inception belies its profound leap into my necessary rotation. No incumbent love ever has a defined position in the halls of end-of-year accolades,<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/dolphin-whisperers-and-feroxs-top-tenish-of-2024/#fn-208005-5" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">5</a> and even more so when the act’s very presence rang suspicious in its finely-tuned invasion to my critical wiles. But, as I noted when I first blew my love for 蘇醒 II: Frailty over the pages of Angry Metal Guy, it’s OU’s “idiosyncratic atmosphere” that pulls from a “polyrhythmic hypnosis” and masterful “energetic flow” that continues to chart them deservedly high in the annals of ’20s progressive music. And while this collision of classically-minded, <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/vvon-dogma-i-the-kvlt-of-glitch-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">synth-addicted</a> madness slowly expands its universe one OU release at a time, I’m content to sit here and yell their praises at anyone who will listen.#1. Pyrrhon // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/pyrrhon-exhaust-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Exhaust</a> – You know you’re getting old when an album about modern burnout and the pains of traffic resonates with you all the way from frozen shoulder to radiating lower back to cold-groaning knee. But when Pyrrhon stealth-bombed my aging metalhead mind with a tech-dial riff barrage of noisy and shouting proportions, I had no choice but to surrender. Exhaust demands attention from its initial irony-laced lift-off to its closing brutalist clock-out, swinging skronk-enabled splatters and ache-addled vituperation around every faded line and pothole in its death metal architecture. Though Pyrrhon uses simpler blocks, their construction here defies convention at every step. One fine commenter summed up Exhaust in the most succinct manner in that regard: “<del>Death Metal, Hardcore, Noise Rock, Technical Death Metal</del>. It’s just mathcore.” Except they took away the wrong message from that distillation. The verdict, in fact, is fuck you.Honorable Mentions:<ul><li><ul><li>Inner Strength // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/inner-strength-daydreaming-in-moonlight-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Daydreaming in Moonlight</a> – Another way you know you’re getting old is that you love an album that sounds like it should have released in 1995. Alas, here we are.</li><li>Dysrhythmia // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/dysrhythmia-coffin-of-conviction-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Coffin of Conviction</a> – Instrumental progressive music should be as exciting as Dysrhythmia. Comes for the Martyr riffs. Stay for the Metheny floating.</li><li>Beaten to Death // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/beaten-to-death-sunrise-over-rigor-mortis-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Sunrise Over Rigor Mortis</a> – Beaten to Death is still the best grindcore band on the planet. They probably won’t ever release a better album than <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/beaten-to-death-dodsfest-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Dødsfest!</a>, but that’s OK. Their discography is now about two hours total. Go listen to it if you haven’t.</li><li>Stygian Crown // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/stygian-crown-funeral-for-a-king-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Funeral for a King</a> – Doom should always have a guitar tone that feels equally powered by swords and beer alongside vocals that feel soft like bar-stained leather stools.</li><li>Kollapse // <a href="https://kollapse.bandcamp.com/album/ar" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">AR</a> – I didn’t know KEN mode had a Danish doppelgänger with a frightening, large pink face. But they do, and boy does Kollapse know how to yell and riff.</li><li>Sleepytime Gorilla Museum // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/sleepytime-gorilla-museum-of-the-last-human-being-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">of the Last Human Being</a> – Had I infinitely more listening time, I may have been able to parse better this deeply cinematic and wacky slab of no wave emboldened prog. Most don’t actually earn the avant-garde tag the way SGT does.</li><li>Defying // <a href="https://defying.bandcamp.com/album/wadera" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Wadera</a> – Hour-long albums based on old Polish werewolf stories and horror movies shouldn’t be this easy to repeat, but I find myself often falling into Wadera’s unbreakable spell.</li><li>Arthouse Fatso // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/arthouse-fatso-sycophantic-seizures-a-double-feature-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Sycophantic Seizures: A Double Feature</a> – I didn’t have radically-minded industrial deathgrind about the frustrated escapades of a fictional Orson Welles life on my 2024 bingo, but here I am telling you to listen to it anyway.</li><li>Concrete Winds // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/concrete-winds-concrete-winds-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Concrete Winds</a> – <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=If7f6wO20yY" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Just this</a>. And shitloads of riffs.</li></ul></li></ul>Disappointments o’ the Year:<ul><li>Myrath // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/myrath-karma-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Karma</a> – I love Shehili so much. My love for power metal isn’t what it used to be, but Myrath’s exuberance while staying rooted in both the trickier waters of prog and the anthemic cries of power metal gave me hope both that I’d continue to latch on to the kind of playful love it can offer. But the arrangements on Karma, despite Myrath’s still life-affirming messages, do absolutely nothing to bolster that same joy for me. Karma sinks my listening brain. And that hurts.</li><li>Pallbearer // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/pallbearer-mind-burns-alive-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Mind Burns Alive</a> – The continued non-success of Pallbearer and their sleepy-toned take on creaky prog rock hurts the Dolph who fell in love with their weepy doom classic (and still controversial to true doomsters) Heartless. And yet the general blogging population seems to praise them for trying to reinvent sadboi roots rock with worse lyrics. And, for my money, Pallbearer is sounding increasingly thin live. If a return to glory is in store for Pallbearer, it will begin with them finally playing a riff again.</li><li>Polterguts // Nobody Likes You – Okay, this EP actually rips because <a href="https://polterguts.bandcamp.com/album/gods-over-broken-people" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Polterguts</a> rips. Hard. But, Polterguts, if you’re reading this, please put it on Bandcamp so I can link the shit out of it and give you money. I am disappointed that I have no way to contribute currency to your cause. “Ricky Has a Knife2” is worth the price of admission alone.</li></ul>Songs o’ the Year: Why give you one when I can give you twenty-seven? Why twenty-seven? That’s my secret. Now, I’ve talked enough, go out there and enjoy some music, friends. And enjoy this photo of my dogs. Coconut (left), Kiwi (right) in a stylish Adidog sweater. FeroxI worked way too much in 2024. I can’t complain; it was meaningful work that I chose to take on, and it got me that much closer to not having to work at all if I don’t want to. Still, that’s what I’ll think of when I think of 2024: lots and lots of work. That had a knock-on effect, especially when it comes to hobbies like lifting, getting out to national parks, and writing here. I did very little of any of that. I kept up with metal as best I could, and embarked on a big end-of-year listening push to have an accurate picture of what came out in 2024. I’m grateful that I got to do a list at all this year, so I took the responsibility seriously… but I’d be lying if I said I was buried in the scene all year.One of the highlights of my 2024 was meeting a whole slew of staffers in person. I traveled a bunch this year, both for work and for my daughter’s ballet pursuits, and with that came the chance to hang with some of the people who make this place go. My body count of staffers met this year: Steel Druhm, Madam X, Cherd, Twelve, Dr. Wyrm, Thus Spoke, El Cuervo, Doom et al, and Holdeneye. It was a veritable orgy of almost entirely chaste fellowship, and only one (1) bad hang among the lot!<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/dolphin-whisperers-and-feroxs-top-tenish-of-2024/#fn-208005-6" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">6</a>I’m grateful to Steel Druhm and Angry Metal Guy for indulging my schedule, and for the real leadership they provide at my fake job. I found this unique community because it had the best music writing on the internet, and that remains true today thanks to the talented people who contribute their time and enthusiasm to keeping the machinery humming. I’m lucky to be a small part of it, and hopeful that 2025 will give me more time to spend in the Hall. #ish. Mother of Graves // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/mother-of-graves-the-periapt-of-absence-things-you-might-have-missed-2024/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">The Periapt of Absence</a> – My “-ish” spot typically goes to an album that might have listed if I just had more time with it. That holds true of the sophomore effort from Indianapolis’s Mother of Graves, which landed on my radar by way of Carcharadon‘s excellent TYHMHM piece. This slab of classic sadboi death doom transcends any tribcore concerns through sheer quality of execution. From opener “Gallows” through final track “Like Darkness to a Dying Flame,” The Periapt of Absence guides the listener through the stages of grief with varied compositions that maintain a consistent mood throughout. Classic death doom is alive and well.#10. Wormed // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/wormed-omegon-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Omegon</a> – Maddog‘s compelling rave for Omegon is my personal Review o’ the Year; fortunately, the prose was well spent on this efficient and brutal riff delivery system. Wormed has been creating slam-adjacent otherworldly death metal for a good while now, and Omegon is a distillation of everything the band has learned over the past two decades. 2024 is the year I realized I’ve been a brutal death metal guy all along. With songs like “Pareidolia Robotica” and “Virtual Teratogenesis,” Wormed took me by the hand and guided me through this journey of self-discovery… all while the people in the offices around me called in noise complaints.#9. Ripped to Shreds // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/ripped-to-shreds-sanshi-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Sanshi</a> – The already impressive Ripped to Shreds leveled up with Sanshi, a blast of aggressive but technically adept death metal that never left my rotation after its release. The guitar hero shredding plays like a release valve to the vicious and punky energy that Andrew Lee injects into his compositions. This cycle of tension and release makes for an addictive listen that feels like it ends mere moments after you hit play. The thrash elements of the R2S sounds are more prevalent on Sanshi, meaning the band now scratches the same itch for me that <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/horrendous-ontological-mysterium-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Horrendous</a> did with their last killer slab.#8. Scumbag // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/scumbag-homicide-cult-things-you-might-have-missed-2024/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Homicide Cult</a> – Scumbag! SCUUUMMMMBAGGGG. This nasty bit of business, with its deathgrind touches and morbid sense of humor (“Pure Adrenaline Hard-On,” “The Meating”), was tailor-made for the Ferox sensibility. Herein lie twenty-eight minutes of death metal that never slams but still walks the same line that <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/wormhole-almost-human-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Wormhole</a> managed to last year: brutal but somehow cheerful, and stoopid without being remotely dumb. Dylan Cruz, of this band and Noxis, came out of nowhere to occupy a huge chunk of my limited listening time this year.#7. Black Curse // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/black-curse-burning-in-celestial-poison-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Burning in Celestial Poison</a> – With Burning in Celestial Poison, Black Curse stages a forty-five-minute takeover of your central nervous system. Eldritch Elitist captured the elemental power of these five compositions better than I ever could, but this album gave me exactly what I needed in a 2024 that was characterized by an extreme lack of work-life balance. Metal can provide a safe outlet for less-than-savory feelings, and Black Curse expressed a lot of things for me that I couldn’t express myself and stay employed. Lose yourself in these five tracks and emerge scoured but smarter.#6. Spectral Wound // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/black-curse-burning-in-celestial-poison-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Songs of Blood and Mire</a> – The hot streak continues; Songs of Blood and Mire, Spectral Wound’s fourth album, is their best effort yet. Carcharadon capably cataloged crisp new cross-currents in the band’s sound, but the song quality remains the same. Tracks like “At Wine-Dark Midnight in the Mouldering Halls” and Song o’ the Year “Aristocratic Suicidal Black Metal” showcase the band’s gift for coupling aggression with sweeping melody. In this way, Spectral Wound recalls Watain without so much distracting ooga-booga. Songs of Blood and Mire finds them continuing to refine their sound and grow in confidence.#5. Endonomos // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/endonomos-endonomos-ii-enlightenment-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Endonomos II – Enlightenment</a> – Endonomos carried the torch for doom in 2024. Enlightenment is a stately procession, its six long tracks blending influences from all across the doom spectrum. This is music that soars as it plods. Steel Druhm noted similarities to both Khemmis and Fvneral Fvkk. Those comps are perfect; not since Carnal Confessions has a doom album so effectively cut through the clutter of genre tropes to evoke genuine emotion.#4. Pyrrhon // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/pyrrhon-exhaust-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Exhaust</a> – I hate it when the promotional push for an album ties a record too strongly to the narrative of its creation. It’s like the record company is trying to force a reaction that the album itself might or might not evoke. So when Exhaust arrived with heavy-handed descriptions of process and what Pyrrhon went through trying to make the album happen, I bristled and stopped reading. Fortunately, the music on Exhaust speaks for itself. This is a bitter and blistering record that finds the band raging against their rage’s inability to change even a single thing. I’ve always appreciated Pyrrhon, but I’ve never connected with their music as immediately as I did on Exhaust.#3. Defeated Sanity // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/defeated-sanity-chronicles-of-lunacy-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Chronicles of Lunacy</a> – Defeated Sanity has had quite the AMG journey. They’ve gone from being <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/defeated-sanity-passages-into-deformity-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">brushed aside</a> by a n00b named Potato Jim to being on the receiving end of a <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/defeated-sanity-chronicles-of-lunacy-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">double-4.0 fellating</a> from the tenured likes of Dolphin Whisperer and Maddog. Chronicles of Lunacy finds Defeated Sanity extending the Colin Marston-enabled peak that they hit on 2020’s <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/defeated-sanity-the-sanguinary-impetus-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">The Sanguinary Impetus</a>. It takes extreme skill to weaponize the base and the stoopid this effectively. Defeated Sanity is more than up for the job.#2. Inter Arma // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/inter-arma-new-heaven-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">New Heaven</a> – Here’s another band that could be wrestling with The Law of Diminishing Recordings by now, but instead persists with quality release after quality release. Inter Arma never repeats themselves, but each of their albums could only come from them. Hot take: Sky Funeral has remained my favorite Inter Arma album even as they’ve racked up an epic run of excellence. New Heaven makes a run at unseating it. This is a slab that rewards the many repeated listens I gave it in 2024; it sat in my top slot for much of the year until a late-breaking favorite pushed it aside.#1. Noxis // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/noxis-violence-inherent-in-the-system-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Violence Inherent in the System</a> – This is my third time publishing a list at AMG; each previous year, I had clear Album o’the Year winners in Immolation’s Acts of God and Afterbirth’s In But Not Of. 2024 marked the first Listurnalia that began with an opening for my top slot. But as I weeded through my favorite music of the year, I realized: Noxis drew me in with the bass flourish at the beginning of album opener “Skullcrushing Defilement,” and they still haven’t let go. The Pittsburgher in me hates to credit anything from Cleveland, but Noxis weeded out that deeply rooted prejudice with their inventive and fresh take on death metal. Every track on Violence Inherent in the System is a wild ride that alternately crushes, challenges, and tickles. The only break from the madcap pace comes on mid-album interlude “Excursion,” but that just prepares you for the utter barking lunacy of “Horns Echo Over Chorazim.” That song incorporates strange arrangements that include various woodwind instruments, and somehow they do it with zero pretension and abundant commitment to brutality. Listurnalia may have begun with a blank space atop my list, but it ended with Noxis firmly entrenched as the winner of 2024.Honorable Mentions:<ul><li><ul><li><ul><li>Stenched // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/stenched-purulence-gushing-from-the-coffin-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Purulence Gushing from the Coffin</a> – This one-man outfit captured that elusive filthy magic and spewed out the annum’s premiere filthy wallow.</li><li>Aborted // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/aborted-vault-of-horrors-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Vault of Horrors</a> – These Belgian veterans, long under-appreciated in the Hall, finally found their champion in Grier. They hooked themselves up to the juvenation machine by leaning into the melodeath that has been creeping into their sound, and cranked out their best set in years.</li><li>Vitriol // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/vitriol-suffer-become-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Suffer and Become</a> – Here’s a mean and heavy slab that seemed to fade from the general consciousness as the year wore on, but remains worthy of note.</li></ul></li></ul></li></ul>Disappointment o’the Year:Ferox! I just didn’t have time to make a meaningful contribution here this year. It has been a pleasure to watch other members of my n00b class like Dolph and Maddog and Thus become AMG institutions, even as I mostly watch from the sidelines and come out to play when I can.Song o’the Year:Imagine being asked to name your favorite song of the year, and responding with a twenty-seven song playlist!<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/dolphin-whisperers-and-feroxs-top-tenish-of-2024/#fn-208005-7" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">7</a><a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/2024/" target="_blank">#2024</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/a-frame-of-mind/" target="_blank">#AFrameOfMind</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/aborted/" target="_blank">#Aborted</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/ar/" 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🟡Michael Clifford CarterYou Don’t Get Stronger by Avoiding the Fight; You Get Stronger by Refusing to Give Up. <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/Resilience" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Resilience</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/NeverGiveUp" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#NeverGiveUp</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/InnerStrength" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#InnerStrength</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/KeepFighting" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#KeepFighting</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/GrowthMindset" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#GrowthMindset</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/Persistence" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Persistence</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/StrengthThroughStruggle" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#StrengthThroughStruggle</a>

🟡Michael Clifford CarterTurning Pain Into Poetry Is a Kind of Magic Only the Resilient Possess. <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/EmotionalAlchemy" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#EmotionalAlchemy</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/ResilientSpirit" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#ResilientSpirit</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/HealingThroughArt" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#HealingThroughArt</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/CreativeTransformation" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#CreativeTransformation</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/InnerStrength" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#InnerStrength</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/PoetryOfLife" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#PoetryOfLife</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/TurningStrugglesIntoStrength" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#TurningStrugglesIntoStrength</a>

Angry Metal Guy<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/inner-strength-daydreaming-in-moonlight-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Inner Strength – Daydreaming in Moonlight Review</a>By Dolphin WhispererThe face of progressive metal has warped and splintered and mutated since its origins in divergence from heavy metal. From the theatrical and rifftastical charm of Savatage to the pomp and groove of Psychotic Waltz to the emotional and shifting tug of Fates Warning, progressive music holds roots in complex narrative structures that range in tone from whimsical fantasy to deeply and painfully human. In the American arena, technicality flourished through Watchtower—and eventually Dream Theater—virtuosic elements, and intrinsic thrash pedigrees to give rise to a 90s and 00s movement that birthed bands like Zero Hour, Control Denied, and Nevermore, each ranging between these extremities of noodle-noting and tear-jerking. But before them all, Inner Strength stood at the cusp of these advents with their lone 1993 full-length Shallow Reflections making an underground splash,<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/inner-strength-daydreaming-in-moonlight-review/#fn-201043-1" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">1</a> which contained all the aforementioned elements laced together with an of-the-time funk metal groove. And now, another thirty years later, that smorgasbord of influences has crested into this newest Daydreaming in Moonlight.From Scott Oliva’s (The Nightmare Stage, ex-Wind Wraith) vocal rasp and strained harmonies to guitarist Joe Marselle’s slightly down-tuned and dry twang, every bit of Daydreaming sounds unearthed from a 1995 time capsule. With a focus on open-stringed chiming, melodic chord-driven passages (“Daydreaming in Moonlight,” “Dearly Departed”) find a hypnotic legato that recalls aggressive later-era Rush or King’s X works. Whereas bluesy, pull-off riff tension that explodes into snappy and slinky solo work pushes the Rainbow-on-thrash energy that you can hear in the still developing muscular sound of The Damnation Game-era Symphony X. And when it’s not Marselle’s winding fretwork leading the charge, drummer Joe Kirsch in his Zonderful (ex-Fates Warning, Warlord)<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/inner-strength-daydreaming-in-moonlight-review/#fn-201043-2" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">2</a> and classy, hi-hat accented approach provides all the rhythmic shuffle necessary to power the progtrain. Forward motion defines Inner Strength’s approach.But where Daydreaming really finds its secret, aged sauce is in the application of varied sonic hooks in each song. Early album cut “Face Another Hero,” and the later “Truth and Lies,” Inner Strength finds a switch-up to its groove in Voivodian chord stabs that set up a need to resolve with later soaring, melodic capriciousness. And late album romp “War Song” in contrast to its muscle-forward name marches in a constant stumble guided by a sliding nasal bass line that finds a steady thump only during the closing solo and reprise. In Daydreaming’s most modern move, Inner Strength ties up the curtains with the mammoth “The Strength Within – Part II” which pulses a few tones lower—never djent, rather Train of Thought-era Dream Theater—to tie off a journey started so long ago, an aggressive and hammer-headed in contrast to its <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCLzoi-dNyc&t=1496s" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">origins</a>.To the ears of a prog-head reared in a post-Meshuggah world, though, Daydreaming’s exact studio playbook may not land as quickly as bass-loaded contemporary production does. Choosing to highlight instead the play and intricacy of a ghost note bolstered rhythm section, and a rise and fall guitar aesthetic, its intricacy resides mostly in higher frequencies. Mid-album anchor (and song o’ the year contender) “Dearly Departed” showcases Inner Strength’s mission best with its smoky, extended guitar intro that crashes against Olivia’s time-worn snarl and full riff contraction, only to find a histrionic charm again as choruses expand with chiming guitar resolutions and reaching vocal harmonies. Steeped in technicality without ever being overbearingly so (have fun counting “Compelled” or following the snare and cymbal dance in the closer), this choice to remain in Daydreaming’s chosen sound pocket keeps the listening experience focused while exposing its many layers.Being the product of thirty years of planning, living, loving, listening, and losing, Daydreaming in Moonlight could be a product of these name-drops here or none of them at all—a missing link in the prog annals that never was. Inner Strength in 2024 is just as much a reimagining of their own sound as they are a refinement and iteration of learned and borrowed tricks.<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/inner-strength-daydreaming-in-moonlight-review/#fn-201043-3" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">3</a> With careful devotion to mastering their works for studio bolstering—multi-tracked guitar and vocal pieces that sum to an astounding whole—Daydreaming in Moonlight soars as the opus the band always knew they could create. Any lover of idiosyncratic and fully realized progressive missions, should take notice, as Inner Strength does not have wash away again in the footnotes of emergent sounds. Rating: 4.0/5.0 DR: N/A | Format Reviewed: Stream Label: <a href="https://divebombrecords.bigcartel.com/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Divebomb Records</a> | <a href="https://tribunalrecords.bandcamp.com/music" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Tribunal Records</a><a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/inner-strength-daydreaming-in-moonlight-review/#fn-201043-4" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">4</a> Website: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/InnerStrengthNY" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">facebook.com/innerstrengthny</a> Releases Worldwide: July 19th, 2024<a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/2024/" target="_blank">#2024</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/40/" target="_blank">#40</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/american-metal/" target="_blank">#AmericanMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/control-denied/" target="_blank">#ControlDenied</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/daydreaming-in-moonlight/" target="_blank">#DaydreamingInMoonlight</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/divebomb-records/" target="_blank">#DivebombRecords</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/dream-theater/" target="_blank">#DreamTheater</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/fates-warning/" target="_blank">#FatesWarning</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/inner-strength/" target="_blank">#InnerStrength</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/jul24/" target="_blank">#Jul24</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/kings-x/" target="_blank">#KingsX</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/long-island/" target="_blank">#LongIsland</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/nevermore/" target="_blank">#Nevermore</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/progpower/" target="_blank">#ProgPower</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/progressive-metal/" target="_blank">#ProgressiveMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/progressive-thrash-metal/" target="_blank">#ProgressiveThrashMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/psychotic-waltz/" target="_blank">#PsychoticWaltz</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/review/" target="_blank">#Review</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/reviews/" target="_blank">#Reviews</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/rush/" target="_blank">#Rush</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/savatage/" target="_blank">#Savatage</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/sunrise-dreamer/" target="_blank">#SunriseDreamer</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/symphony-x/" target="_blank">#SymphonyX</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/tribunal-records/" target="_blank">#TribunalRecords</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/voivod/" target="_blank">#Voivod</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/warlord/" target="_blank">#Warlord</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/watchtower/" target="_blank">#Watchtower</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/zero-hour/" target="_blank">#ZeroHour</a>

🟡Michael Clifford CarterDoubt Yourself Less; the World Is Already Convinced of the Wonders You Can Do. <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/BelieveInYourself" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#BelieveInYourself</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/SelfConfidence" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#SelfConfidence</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/YouAreCapable" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#YouAreCapable</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/InnerStrength" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#InnerStrength</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/PositiveMindset" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#PositiveMindset</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/SelfAssurance" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#SelfAssurance</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/OwnYourPotential" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#OwnYourPotential</a>

🟡Michael Clifford CarterWhen the World Seemed to Doubt You, Remember the Voices That Whispered, "I Believe in You." <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/BelieveInYourself" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#BelieveInYourself</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/SupportiveVoices" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#SupportiveVoices</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/Encouragement" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Encouragement</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/InnerStrength" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#InnerStrength</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/Resilience" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Resilience</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/PositiveAffirmations" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#PositiveAffirmations</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/YouAreCapable" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#YouAreCapable</a>

🟡Michael Clifford CarterPause, Breathe, Believe; You Have the Strength to Conquer Any Challenge That Comes Your Way. <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/PauseAndReflect" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#PauseAndReflect</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/InnerStrength" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#InnerStrength</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/BelieveInYourself" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#BelieveInYourself</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/OvercomeObstacles" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#OvercomeObstacles</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/StayStrong" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#StayStrong</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/Resilience" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Resilience</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/YouCanDoIt" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#YouCanDoIt</a>

🟡Michael Clifford CarterWeather the Storm with Grace; You've Danced in the Rain Before and Emerged Stronger. <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/GraceInAdversity" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#GraceInAdversity</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/StrengthInStruggle" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#StrengthInStruggle</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/Resilience" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Resilience</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/OvercomeChallenges" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#OvercomeChallenges</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/WeatherTheStorm" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#WeatherTheStorm</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/GrowThroughAdversity" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#GrowThroughAdversity</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/InnerStrength" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#InnerStrength</a>

🟡Michael Clifford CarterTrue Champions Are Forged in the Quiet Moments of Discipline and Perseverance. <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/ChampionMindset" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#ChampionMindset</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/QuietDetermination" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#QuietDetermination</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/StayFocused" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#StayFocused</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/EnduranceWins" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#EnduranceWins</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/NeverGiveUp" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#NeverGiveUp</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/InnerStrength" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#InnerStrength</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/PerseverancePaysOff" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#PerseverancePaysOff</a>

Kohane-san"Life in a corner" <a href="https://cupoftea.social/tags/aplant" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#aplant</a> <a href="https://cupoftea.social/tags/plant" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#plant</a> <a href="https://cupoftea.social/tags/small" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#small</a> <a href="https://cupoftea.social/tags/smol" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#smol</a> <a href="https://cupoftea.social/tags/green" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#green</a> <a href="https://cupoftea.social/tags/life" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#life</a> <a href="https://cupoftea.social/tags/lifeinacorner" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#lifeinacorner</a> <a href="https://cupoftea.social/tags/resilient" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#resilient</a> <a href="https://cupoftea.social/tags/innerstrength" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#innerstrength</a> <a href="https://cupoftea.social/tags/wall" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#wall</a> <a href="https://cupoftea.social/tags/rocks" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#rocks</a> <a href="https://cupoftea.social/tags/church" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#church</a> <a href="https://cupoftea.social/tags/abbey" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#abbey</a> <a href="https://cupoftea.social/tags/corcomroe" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#corcomroe</a> <a href="https://cupoftea.social/tags/corcomroeabbey" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#corcomroeabbey</a> <a href="https://cupoftea.social/tags/corner" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#corner</a> <a href="https://cupoftea.social/tags/hidden" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#hidden</a> <a href="https://cupoftea.social/tags/lives" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#lives</a> <a href="https://cupoftea.social/tags/hope" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#hope</a> <a href="https://cupoftea.social/tags/leafs" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#leafs</a> <a href="https://cupoftea.social/tags/rockwall" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#rockwall</a> <a href="https://cupoftea.social/tags/abandoned" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#abandoned</a> <a href="https://cupoftea.social/tags/abandonedplaces" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#abandonedplaces</a> <a href="https://cupoftea.social/tags/historical" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#historical</a> <a href="https://cupoftea.social/tags/found" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#found</a> <a href="https://cupoftea.social/tags/contrast" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#contrast</a> <a href="https://cupoftea.social/tags/contrastphotography" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#contrastphotography</a> <a href="https://cupoftea.social/tags/nikon" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#nikon</a> <a href="https://cupoftea.social/tags/nikond3500" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#nikond3500</a> <a href="https://cupoftea.social/tags/nikonphotography" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#nikonphotography</a>

🟡Michael Clifford CarterThe Moments When You Felt Your Weakest are Often the Moments That Reveal Your True Strength. <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/InnerStrength" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#InnerStrength</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/WeaknessIntoStrength" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#WeaknessIntoStrength</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/Resilience" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Resilience</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/PersonalGrowth" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#PersonalGrowth</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/OvercomingAdversity" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#OvercomingAdversity</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/SelfDiscovery" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#SelfDiscovery</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/Empowerment" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Empowerment</a>

🟡Michael Clifford CarterTurn Inward for Growth, not Outward for Approval. <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/SelfDiscovery" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#SelfDiscovery</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/InnerGrowth" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#InnerGrowth</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/AuthenticLife" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#AuthenticLife</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/PersonalJourney" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#PersonalJourney</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/MindfulLiving" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#MindfulLiving</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/SelfAcceptance" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#SelfAcceptance</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/InnerStrength" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#InnerStrength</a>

🟡Michael Clifford CarterYou Have Everything You Need Within You to Start; The Rest You Can Learn Along the Way. <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/InnerStrength" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#InnerStrength</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/BeginNow" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#BeginNow</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/LearnAsYouGo" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#LearnAsYouGo</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/SelfSufficiency" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#SelfSufficiency</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/JourneyOfGrowth" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#JourneyOfGrowth</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/StartYourJourney" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#StartYourJourney</a>

🟡Michael Clifford CarterHold onto Your Values, Let Your Goals Motivate Your Actions, and Let the Wonders of the World Inspire Your Heart—Therein Lies True Happiness. <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/JoyfulLife" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#JoyfulLife</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/PassionAndPurpose" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#PassionAndPurpose</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/SuccessMindset" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#SuccessMindset</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/InnerStrength" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#InnerStrength</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/DreamBig" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#DreamBig</a>

🟡Michael Clifford CarterBy Choosing to Stay Calm and Not React Emotionally to People or Situations, You Take Back Control and Prevent Others from Having Power Over You. <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/InnerStrength" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#InnerStrength</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/CalmChoice" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#CalmChoice</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/ReactWisely" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#ReactWisely</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/GuardYourPower" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#GuardYourPower</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/ControlMaintained" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#ControlMaintained</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/PowerOverEmotions" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#PowerOverEmotions</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/StayUnshaken" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#StayUnshaken</a>

Chuck JordanThis morning, I turned on my Windows machine for the first time in months, to start downloading the new city building game. (Which I will not have time to play).Steam immediately started another huge update to Witcher 3, as usual, and this weird feeling of peace and calm washed over me. It said, “Chuck, you’ll never play Witcher 3. If you were truly interested, you’d have played past the first hour by now. You can uninstall it and be free once and for all.”<a href="https://idlethumbs.social/tags/blessed" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#blessed</a> <a href="https://idlethumbs.social/tags/gratitude" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#gratitude</a> <a href="https://idlethumbs.social/tags/InnerStrength" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#InnerStrength</a>

🟡Michael Clifford CarterWhen the Applause Fades, Let Your Inner Cheerleader Take the Field. <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/InnerStrength" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#InnerStrength</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/BeYourOwnFan" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#BeYourOwnFan</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/SilentCheers" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#SilentCheers</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/SoulfulApplause" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#SoulfulApplause</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/SelfEmpowerment" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#SelfEmpowerment</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/CheerFromWithin" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#CheerFromWithin</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/QuietTriumphs" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#QuietTriumphs</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/InnerApplause" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#InnerApplause</a>

🟡Michael Clifford CarterBeing Alone Might Feel Like Isolation, but Compromising Your Worth for the Sake of Company Is a Far Lonelier Place to Be. <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/SelfRespectFirst" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#SelfRespectFirst</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/NoCompromises" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#NoCompromises</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/InnerStrength" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#InnerStrength</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/ValueYourself" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#ValueYourself</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/TrueCompany" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#TrueCompany</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/LonelinessVsSolitude" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#LonelinessVsSolitude</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/KnowYourWorth" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#KnowYourWorth</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/AuthenticConnections" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#AuthenticConnections</a>

🟡Michael Clifford CarterDevote Yourself to Personal Growth, Not to Gaining External Recognition. <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/InnerStrength" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#InnerStrength</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/SelfDiscovery" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#SelfDiscovery</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/NoExternalValidation" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#NoExternalValidation</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/SelfMastery" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#SelfMastery</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/ProgressNotRecognition" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#ProgressNotRecognition</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/BetterYourself" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#BetterYourself</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/MindsetMatters" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#MindsetMatters</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/SelfEmpowerment" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#SelfEmpowerment</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/BeYourBest" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#BeYourBest</a>

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