Author Archive

Chicago deathcore heavyweights OCEANO entered the studio on October 3rd to begin recording one of the angriest albums ever.ANDREW MIKHAIL, guitarist for OCEANO – the band who famously had a series of photos BANNED from MySpace for being too gruesome – comments on the band’s first week in the studio: “Things have been going great […]

Jackie Perez Gratz (Amber Asylum) and her two pals, Max Doyle and Zack Farwell (of skaterock band Walken) have returned to give us yet another stunning record that, like its debut will be in the running for album of the year. Stylistically, not much has changed in the Grayceon camp. They still play a dreamy, […]

While Gojira’s The Way of All Flesh and All That Remains Overcome (and possibly Light This City’s swansong, Stormchaser) are arguably Prosthetic’s bread and butter in 2008, the fact remains; Withered’s Folie Circulaire and now the second album from Seattle’s Book of Black Earth are simply Prosthetics best releases of 2008 so far, and shows Prosthetic as […]

 So, in lieu of the recent All That Remains disappointment, two records have stepped in to fill the commercial American Metal void somewhat; The Fight Within From Better Left Unsaid and the third album from California’s Antagonist.  I’m by no mean saying Antagonist is a better band than All That Remains, but as far as […]

SCAR SYMMETRY has offered the following update about their vocalist situation following the recent departure of Christian Älvestam: “Dear friends, When things went from bad to worse and we realized that it wasn’t going to work out with Christian, we were faced with two options; either calling it quits, or seizing the opportunity to take […]

After having a great interview with All That Remains vocalist Phil Labonte a couple of days ago and discovering him to be a super nice dude, and a superb live performer to boot,  it sucks that I then have to turn around write this less than complementary review. Granted, I knew how I felt about […]

CA’s brutal tech-death metallers DECREPIT BIRTH will be embarking on a North American tour with THE FACELESS this Fall. Founding guitarist Matt Sotelo commented: “We are very happy to announce that DECREPIT BIRTH will be on tour with THE FACELESS beginning October 17th through November 22nd, throughout the US and Canada! Along with ABIGAIL WILLIAMS, […]

Hailing from Lawrence, Kansas, Samothrace (not sure if named after the Greek Island or a race of Emperor guitarists) have come out of nowhere with a stunning debut album that mixes the girth and throb of psychedelic sludge/Post Rock (think Minsk and Rwake) with the utterly rending, layered harmonies and beautiful yet wilting melody of […]

From the label that brought you the excellent Lo-Ruhamah comes another Christian black metal release, this way on the form of Puerto Rico’s Azmaveth (named after one of King David’s strongest warriors) and their symphonic, challenging take on black metal. Christian black metal from Puerto Rico? Yeah, I know, but amid the glut of symphonic […]

I have to admit, I’m starting to get a little cranky on this island. My balls are chaffed raw from the sand, I’m sick of eating fish and my mind is playing tricks on me: For example, yesterday I hallucinated that Anna Nicole Smith gave me a Cleveland Steamer.

Still, I’m allowed these CDs though, and this time it’s death metal albums that were simply overlooked, under-rated or under appreciated for whatever reasons. Sure everyone knows of the seminal Entombed, Morbid Angel, Suffocation, Deicide, Dismember, Pestilence, Carcass, Nile and other band’s albums that are widely known and considered certified classics within the death metal pantheons. But here are some albums that while nor genre defining or legendary, are certainly kickass albums in their own right, but for a plethora of circumstances, just seemed to slip under the radar when they were originally released. Some got renewed interest via re-issues, but for the most part, these albums simply did not get the audience they deserved.

Yeah, I knows there’s 11 albums here, but fuck you!-my island, my rules, Wilson!

Murder, Mayhem and Destruction are Back for More as Adult Swim’s Dethklok Star in Latest DVD Metalocalypse: Season Two Want Bonus Features? Go Forth and Find Them When Two-Disc DVD Comes out on December 2nd   The world’s biggest, most brutal, murderous and, well, incompetent heavy metal band will once again step into the spotlight […]

One of the worlds most popular and influential Heavy Metal bands – Judas Priest are set to rock the UK to it’s very core when they bring their ‘Priest Feast’ tour to play 7 arena dates in February 2009 with support from special guests – Thrash Metal veterans Megadeth and Testament.   Since 1974, Judas […]

BLOODBATH have posted the third and latest track from their forthcoming full length The Fathomless Mastery on the bands myspace page  The new studio album arrives on October 28th 2008 on Peaceville Records.  With Opeth’s Mikael Åkerfeldt on vocal duties and the arrival of Per ‘Sodomizer’ Eriksson (ex-21 Lucifers) on guitar, joining Katatonia’s Anders Nyström […]

What’s this? A hefty, experimental metal band from France on Prosthetic Records? Is it the new Gojira? Nope, but close. Originally released on Dental Records in 2007, it appears Prosthetic Records has snapped up this Alsace band’s debut in order to whet everyone’s appetite for the upcoming The Way of All Flesh, and good thing […]

Like Hollow Corp’s recent The Cloister of Radiance album, the third album from Denmark’s The Psyke Project was originally released in Europe last year and now has a stateside distribution. Also like Hollow Corp, The Psyke Project mix harsh, caustic metal with a few injections of post rock, and gain the results, while solid are […]

New MORIBUND signees HORDE OF HEL are finishing their debut album, Blodskam, which according to the band “will contain 13 songs of despair and hate.” Featuring “members from different elite death metal and black metal bands from Sweden,” HORDE OF HEL “represents total death, destruction of all life, and the members wish to be anonymous […]

Here’s a solid if unspectacular record from Britain’s Frightener who mix hardcore, grindcore and death metal into one crusty, rumbling album that on paper comes across as a mix of Napalm Death, Integrity and Entombed, but just lacking some creative brilliance to make it more than a mere mix of those appealing bands. With a […]

For those that don’t know, in the mid/late 90’s Overcast were a respected crossover/hardcore/metalcore band who had a couple of somewhat revered albums and EPs that some considered the start of the early metalcore movement (not the trite fashion show of today). However, when the band split up in 1996, vocalist Brian Fair joined Shadows […]

When I first started this reviewing gig, one of the first albums from an ‘unknown’ act I fell in love with was the 2002 debut Revealing Damnation from Council of The Fallen, released on Martyr Music Group. After staying in touch with founding member Kevin Quiron, and reviewing the follow up, 2004’s equally impressive Dechipering […]

While I enjoyed Misery Signal’s recent Controller effort, I have to admit the debut from this Lancaster, PA act stole some of that album’s thunder by delivering a very similar and almost as competent delivery of melodic, layered and emotional metalcore. While bands like It Prevails, Rosesdead and more recently November 5, 1955 have tried […]

There’s nothing really wrong with the debut from this Philadelphia deathcore act, as their debut is a competent delivery of now familiar genre traits; dual vocals, choppy squealing thrashing, some techy noodling and a plethora of breakdowns. However, on the whole, it really sorta bored me and I found my self reaching for After the […]

Tampa, FL’s SIX FEET UNDER are set to release their 8th full-length studio album titled Death Rituals November 11th, 2008. Death Rituals features 12 tracks of pure American death metal delivering a bludgeoning slab of metal that will leave fans hungering for more. Legendary death metal vocalist Chris Barnes, along with guitarist Steve Swanson, bass […]

Here’s one of Ironclads better and more mellow releases of late, the Back to the Future named metalcore/post rock act from Boston, Mass who deliver a fine debut of emotional, melodic metalcore with threads of delicate passion and elegance. With busy, melodic guitar work and vocal cadence of Shai Hulud, shimmery emotional layers of Misery […]

Fast-rising British death metal act IGNOMINIOUS INCARCERATION are in the middle of recording their first ever full-length album. The talented young five-piece entered Grindstone Studios in Suffolk on September 1st with producer SCOTT ATKINS to record their highly-anticipated debut album. After previously announcing the title of their debut album as THE LEGACY, the band have […]