Here’s a release that would seem really odd when you look at its  actual parts: a 2 year old symphonic black metal album (originally rleased by Deepsend Records in 2006) from Canada, featuring former Ion issonance vocalist Sébastien Painchaud (going by the far more black metal name of ‘Ill-Fate’ here) as well as at one […]

Sensory Records is proud to announce the signing of New Jersey’s up-and-coming prog metal all-stars Suspyre. Formed in 2001, these talented, young musicians have discovered an energetic and gifted way of combining progressive rock and symphonic metal with classical and jazz fusion. The bands’ new album When Time Fades… will be released September 30, 2008. […]

Influential metal quintet UNEARTH has begun work on its new album. The follow up to the band’s acclaimed 2006 release III: In the Eyes of Fire is scheduled to drop this October via Metal Blade Records. UNEARTH is currently recording at MA’s System Recording Studios with producer Adam Dutkiewicz, while the album’s drum tracks are […]

Accrding to an update at the band’s official website, veteran UK death metal act Bolt Thrower are throwing in the towel, at least in regards to writing for their now cancelled eighth studio album: “We’ve spent the last year trying to write songs for a new album, planning to go into the studio this summer. Unfortunately, […]

Recently, I attended a Japanese Taiko drums show at my local performing arts center and during all the thunderous percussion, chanting, and Kai yelling I thought to myself how cool it would be it this stuff was mixed with metal… Enter Japan’s Birushanah. Leave it to the Japanese to take a tired metal genre, in […]

With all the complexity and technicality being thrown around in death metal this year, the third full length album from Japan’s Coffins is a welcome relief of earthy, primal mid paced doom/death metal that will appeal to fans of Cianide, Runemagick and Autopsy. With a phlegmy, hacking, feedback drenched, down-tuned guitar tone plying simple oozing […]

Has 2008 been a great year for death metal so far or what? There’s something for everyone; old school goodness of Hail of Bullets, Dismember, Unleashed. Deranged and Grave, newcomers like Dead Congregation and Detrimentum as well as bands like Hate Eternal, Decrepit Birth and Origin pushing the limits of technicality and brutality. Add to […]

So here is Umesh’s second release of droning, one man black metal for Moribund, and while still retaining the undulating, icky undercurrent of the claustrophobic Dagonite, Angel Eyes sees more of a focus on sickly doomy riffs rather than ambience or mood, and the result while certainly oozing with tentacled horror and dread, is at […]

 WARSHIP, the new band featuring Francis Mark (vocals, drums) and Rob Lauritsen (guitar, bass) of From Autumn To Ashes, is currently in a New York studio recording their debut release with producer Andrew Schneider (Made Out Of Babies, Cave In, Pelican, Unsane). The as-yet-untitled disc is due out on Vagrant later this fall. Fans can […]

Afflicted debuted when the Swedish metal scene was crawling with Entombed and Unleashed clones, all far from any originality. The Stockholm five-piece had a different approach towards death metal – they offered complex and intriguing music, reaching far beyond the typical Swedish school of metal. Their first and most acclaimed album – Prodigal Sun – […]

On Friday June 6th, Austrian Death Machine released the first single from their eagerly awaited debut, Total Brutal. The track, “If It Bleeds, We Can Kill It”, features the voice of Ahhnold as Dutch from the movie Predator screaming back and forth with the Predator himself! “In the first verse Ahhnold is talking trash about […]

Blind Prophecy recording artists EKOTREN have released the “Attack Of The Chupacabra” ecard. Scope it out and get more info on the band at http://www.blindprophecyrecords.com/chupa/.The fine folks at Sik World Clothing have hooked up with the band to bring you the, the fans, a chance to win Ekotren and Sik World merch with the “SIK […]

After boldy claiming their Victory Records debut Goodbye to the Gallows was the ‘most brutal CD of 2007′, Emmure return with their more humble, yet equally devastating follow up. And while admittedly, most metal heads will turn up their nose at this group of cocked hat, short haired kids and their hoodies, but truth be […]

Canada’s Profound Lore offers its official announcement concerning the signing of Ireland’s most promising outfit within extreme music, namely ALTAR OF PLAGUES. Already with a few notable self-released demos/EP’s within their repertoire, along with serving opening acts for MAYMEN and WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM on recent UK stints, Altar Of Plagues are gaining a […]

Dear Metal Friends, As many of you are well aware of, the Goodfellow Records band CURSED was robbed on the second-to-last day of their recent European tour of all of their tour earnings, some of their passports, etc. This included the money that was set aside to pay for all costs of the tour (backline […]

A few months ago, I reviewed the excellent debut full length album from Kansas City’s black metal act Lo-Ruhamah, entitled The Glory of God. The review was well received by the band and subsequently I have stayed in touch with the band and eventually an interview with another publication was set up. However, understandably, the […]

Candlelight Records confirms September 2 as the American release date for De Oppresso Liber, the full-length debut from Los Angeles-based black metal band Sothis. Recorded in Los Angeles and mixed in Sweden by Andy LaRocque (King Diamond) the album includes nine new original songs. The band is Candlelight’s latest American acquisition, a strong focus of […]

So last spring, Metal Blade cock teased me to no end by including a post card with “Coming in 2007-new Shai Hulud album!” on it, and I’ve pretty much had a boner for it ever since, as Shai Hulud is one of my favorite bands ever since their arguable involvement in developing the current modern […]

Stockholm, Sweden-based heavy metal powerhouse GRAND MAGUS has completed work on its long awaited new album, Iron Will. The record will see a July 8, 2008 North American release date via London, England based label Rise Above Records. Boasting an epic sound that melds sledgehammer metal with triumphant, soaring melodies, a fist-pumping gallop and the […]

UK grinders BRAINCHOKE have set the release date for their new album, ‘Introspective’, for July 7th. The album is self released and will be officially distributed by Grindethic Records and Code 7 via Phd. The release is an idiosyncratic blast of old school grindcore mixing the traditional sound of bands like Napalm Death and Nasum […]

Kolossus, the new album from Norwegian metallers KEEP OF KALESSIN, is available for streaming in its entirety at the band’s MySpace page. Due in Europe on June 6 and in North America on June 10, the CD will feature the following track listing: 01. Origin 02. A New Empire’s Birth 03. Against The Gods 04. […]

It’s a good thing I got the recent Day Without Dawn album around the same time I got the debut release from this Italian post rock band, because now I have something to compare At The Soundawn to; shimmering, delicate, acoustic heavy, artistic post rock. While more of a long EP (7 songs) than a […]

Chicago’s ever-evolving NACHTMYSTIUM will join their similarly sonically expansive brethren in Boris and Torche for a week-long run through parts of Canada and the U.S. The tour will see the band play from Montreal to Milwaukee in mid-July, when they can then pull from both the Worldfall EP and their June 8th full-length Century Media […]

Somewhere between the present day and unfortunate endings of PG.99, CITY OF CATERPILLAR and MALADY, a “lost” recording was created but shelved for several years. Five dynamic tracks that collided with both artistic and industry red tape comprise the VERSE EN COMA debut release, “Rialto“. Finally though the dust has settled, the hurdles have all […]

Much like Animosity when they released Shut it Down in 2003, or Decapitated’s Winds of Creation debut in 2000, California’s Fate is a group of very talented young teens plying thier chosen genre, in this case crumbly, growling death core laced with Between the Buried and Me-like arpeggios. Despite members barely out of high school […]