MISANTHROPIC RAGE is an Avante-Garde Black Metal band from Poland which was formed in 2015. The duo has four albums to date, including their most recent one, "Towards The Greyscale Aphorysm," which was released this year.

 I'll admit it; when I saw the genre "Avante-Garde Black Metal" I had my doubts. It basically means that the band in question is gong to take one of my favorite genres and do pretty much whatever they want with it. The results can be either pretty great or pretty horrendous. I wasn't sure what to expect so I approached this particular review with serious reservations.

 The title track "Towards The Greyscale Aphorysm," (which also opens the album) goes a long way towards easing that sense of trepidation that I feel. The intro is essentially non-existent as the vocals begin immediately. Beautifully played guitar riffs highlight the track, blending perfectly with the dark and grim vocals. The mix of guttural and clean styles of singing is fantastic; the balance between the two is just right. I would happily listen to this song a few times in a row. The next song, "The Noise Of A New Dawn," starts out heavier as well as darker. It has a bit more discord compared to the previous track as well. The vocal performance is angrier with a far harsher tone which will undoubtedly appeal to more classic Black Metal fans. The track also has some sound effects which add an interesting element to it. There's even a great guitar solo which will get your attention even though it is fairly brief. Definitely another song worthy of a some replays. Tracks three and four are also exceptional. "Nothing But Rage" has a chaotic beginning with plenty of distortion used to good effect. The vocalists manage to create an even harder sound versus the previous songs making it sound like full-blown Black Metal. The backing music is driven by rapid-fire drums along with choppy, sporadic guitar riffs, which give it a great deal of discord. For some reason the song reminds me of the scenes from "Mad Max: Fury Road" that feature the creepy blind guitarist who played in the midst of nearly all of the chases. It's one that you won't want to skip over. "The Luring Lament" is enjoyable because of its odd nature. There's a continuous guitar riff within the backing music which creates a chaotic sound quite effectively even as it brings some melody to the song. The vocals are equally noteworthy; creepy, sinister and downright evil-sounding in places. I am surprised by how much I like the song; it's outstanding!

The one song on the album that does not interest me as much as the others is "Here Is Deeper, Here Is Darker".  While it has a much more traditional Black Metal tone to it which gives it a decent sound there's still some intangible quality missing from it. It didn't excite me compared to what I'd already heard. Luckily, the other songs on the album make up for it so you won't feel too disappointed. My personal favorite is "Curse-Despise-Reject-Deny," which is the final song on the album. It has a Thrash Death Metal sound that brings to mind EXODUS as well as other masters of the genre. It's brutal as well as relentless. The off-key clean vocals make the song even more interesting to listen to since it adds a touch of humanity to it. Otherwise, the composition sounds as if it is directly from a remote part of the Underworld never seen by mortals. In a single word, EXCELLENT.

Even if you're like me and you're not sure about Avante-Garde Black Metal you should seriously consider getting this album. It manages to be experimental without crossing over into lame or boring territory like others have done. Pretty impressive sound for a two-man band!