Author Archive

As much as I love nasty scary black metal like Anaal Nathrakh, Xasthur, Dagon, Leviathan, Deathspell Omega and such, I have a hard time dealing with such music coming from the relatively peaceful climates of France, England, California, Texas and San Francisco , and while those acts have no doubt injected plenty of hatred, spite, and […]

Hope for the Dying is the first release on the recently re-launched Strike First Records (a subsidiary of Facedown Records that released records by the likes of War of Ages, Sinai Beach, Inked In Blood, Jesus Wept and Bloodlined Calligraphy), and though its basically a repackaged version of the bands demo from earlier in 2008, […]

Its been 3 year since the debut, Devour the Power, and I knew just judging from the cover and the album title, that Tennessee’s purveyors of uber cheesy fantasy based metal was going to up the ante from the debut-and they do. Cut from the same heavily bearded and classically inspired cloth as 3 Inches […]

Delivering the same intense yet singularly paced style of mechanically precise black/death metal akin to Krisiun, Zyklon or even Crionics and The Amenta (without the cyber elements), Belgium’s The Reckoning (formerly known as Infernal Legion) have delivered a solid second album, that won’t change the genre, but it’s a pummeling, relentless listen. Truthfully, I really […]

The psychedelic blackened death Seattle quintet BOOK OF BLACK EARTH, whose recently released concept album Horoskopus continues to receive extensive critical acclaim, kicks off a tour alongside grindcore cult heroes Cattle Decapitation tonight (Jan. 21) in Santa Barbara, Calif. The “Killing ‘Til Oblivion” tour, which also features Psyopus and Gigan, is the group’s first national […]

ISIS, the Los Angeles by way of Boston band, has set a May 5 release date for their anticipated new album, “Wavering Radiant” (Ipecac Recordings).  The album, produced by Joe Baressi (Tool, Queens off The Stone Age), will also see a limited edition vinyl version released on Apr. 21. Tool’s Adam Jones contributed guitar to […]

Swedish art-rockers CULT OF LUNA are gearing up for their first ever DVD release, titled FIRE WAS BORN.The DVD includes an epic hour-and-a-half live show recorded on July 1st, 2008 at the Scala in London, UK, along with an exclusive interview with the band, in which the members answer questions sent in from fans all […]

As I detailed here , and to save some time, basically Order of Ennead is a continuation of label and line up hampered act Council of the Fallen, who released two very solid albums of blistering black/death metal in 2002s Revealing Damnation and 2004s Deciphering the Soul. Both I which I highly recommend. However, of […]

Here’s another old school death metal effort featuring vocalist Roger “Rogga” Johansson who has graced bands like Ribspreader, Carve, Paganizer, Edge of Sanity, Deranged and recently, Those Who Bring the Torture. This time he’s helped by guitarist Rober Bustabad of Machetazo and drummer Phlegeton of Wormed (who plays drums here). Ultimately the sound of Banished […]

OPEN GRAVE RECORDS is pleased to announce the signing of Nevada based death metal band I BUILT THE CROSS.  I BUILT THE CROSS was formed during the summer of ’08 by two long time-time friends and ex-members of the popular death metal band Disfiguring the Goddess. As friends, Reed and Gare have been closer than […]

Was there really such a demand for the video from Lair of the Minotaur’s last album that it has to be put out on DVD with unrated and TV edit versions? Apparently so, so Southern Lord has put both versions of Gary Smithson’s video on a DVD along with behind the scenes interviews and footage, […]

THE HAUNTED ‘WARNING SHOTS‘ 2 DISC COMPILATION SET FOR RELEASE Celebrated Swedish heavyweights THE HAUNTED have announced details of new double disc compilation that details the bands time with EARACHE RECORDS from 1998 – 2003. Titled WARNING SHOTS, the album contains 28 of THE HAUNTED’s most killer tracks, including a second disc with many rare […]

Northern/Southern California’s progressive/goblin-inspired metal outfit Nekrogoblikon have offered an update on their new album’s writing and production: “Hails, goblin fans. Here’s a quick update on what we’ve been up to: album album album. As many of you know, we’ve been hauling ass writing songs for almost two years now. Thankfully we can start to see […]

Virginian thrashers MUNICIPAL WASTE are set to return to Europe this Summer to play a string of festivals. MUNICIPAL WASTE guitarist RYAN WASTE states: “The Waste will be coming over to Europe again this Summer for quite a few festivals. We’re pumped to play to some larger crowds, but we are still going to play […]

Earache Records is proud to announce the forthcoming release of HEAVY METAL KILLERS – a compilation featuring the very best bands from the emerging “New Wave of Traditional Heavy Metal” scene. HEAVY METAL KILLERS features 13 new tracks from the best fresh, young bands who share one common goal – to bring back the glory […]

From 1997’s Lupine Essence to this years upcoming Crógacht, Germany’s Suidakra have been one of metals most consistent yet underrated acts. Whether plying Celtic/folk ish black metal as their early releases, or melodic death metal like their middle set of releases the core of Arkadius and Marcel Schoenen have forged on under the Suidakra banner […]

2008 A HUGE YEAR FOR TESTAMENT AND THE FORMATION OF DAMNATION CHUCK BILLY PERFORMS LIVE IN AMSTERDAM WITH FULL SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA…UPCOMING PRIEST FEAST TOUR IN FEBRUARY AND MARCH   TESTAMENT just wrapped up a HUGE year in 2008 which included the following accolades for their latest studio album, The Formation of Damnation:   #9 Rock Album […]

After hitting the melodic death metal jackpot with Arsis’s debut back in 2004, after a small wait, Willotip appear have tried their hand in uncovering another melodeath band in Houston’s As Eden Burns, though it has less spectacular, if solid results. While certainly a busy melodeath metal band similar to Arsis, there’s a lack of […]

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 8 — Scale The Summit, the Texas-based progressive instrumentalists, continue to share more behind the scenes footage from the recording of their Prosthetic Records debut, Carving Desert Canyons (Feb. 17 release), with a new studio video posted on their YouTube (youtube.com/scalethesummit) and MySpace pages (myspace.com/scalethesummit). This video features the guitar work behind […]

Candlelight Records confirms the signing of Denver-based thrashers Havok. The band are currently completing their debut album titled Burn which is expected for release early spring. The album, produced by vocalist/guitarist David Sanchez at Dirty D Studios and mixed by Bart McCrorey at Motaland Studios, contains twelve songs from the youthful band featuring guitarist Shawn […]

Biclops (ex and current Postman Syndrome / East Of The Wall / Day Without Dawn) will be entering the studio on March 15th to record their debut full-length for a to-be-determined label. Recording and mixing will be handled at The Machine Shop (Clutch, King Crimson, Lamb Of God) by producer Will Putney. In addition, two […]

Twenty years ago, an underground cult movement surfaced in Tampa, Florida that revolutionized the metal world. The pioneers of this burgeoning scene, DEICIDE, are still striking fear into hearts of the masses to this day. Century Media Records are extremely proud to announce a worldwide deal with DEICIDE, one of the founding fathers of death […]

Selfmadegod Records is proud to announce the signing of one-man alternative metal band Egoist from Bielsko-Biala, Poland. Egoist was founded and lead by the very young and enormously talented musician Stanislaw Wolonciej (guitars, bass, drums, vocals, synthesizers, production, artwork). The artist was born in 1986 in Bielsko-Biala, Poland. In his 20s, Stanislaw’s father was a […]

Not to be outdone by Metal Blade’s group of teenage deathcore kids, Fate, here come Mediaskare/Century Media with their own group of growling, blasting, shredding, breakdowning kids plucked right from the halls of a San Diego High school. Though most might cringe at yet another group of snot nosed kids who can’t even buy a […]

Femme Metal Records are proud to announce the signing of Ancestral Legacy, the Norwegian metal band, for the release of their debut album “Nightmare Diaries“. The CD is expected to be released sometime early spring 2009. Ancestral Legacy’s current line up: Isadora Cortina (Lead Vocals) Eddie Risdal (Guitar, Vocals, Synths) Tor Arvid Larsen (Guitars) Anton […]