Reviewing something lovingly created by one of your peers is always a challenge. The balance between being honest yet objective and not destroying friendships or relationships is a hard one. Such is the case with All is Phantom, the debut from Ghostbound a project from the mind of Alec A Head, a man whose reviews […]

I’ll tell you what, Transcending Obscurity Records, is having a strong run here recently. The tiny Independent Indian label has churned out excellent releases from the likes of Jupiterian, De Profundis, Gaerea , Down Among the Dead Men,  and one of the best death metal records of the year in Depravity’s Evil Upheaval,  and that with […]

The Maori wardance, or ‘Haka’ is one of the coolest, most metal things ever (here’s a video if you have not seen one ), and I’m surprised it has not been more prevalent in metal, especially considering the violence and bloodshed deeply seeded in Maori/New Zealand history. Well here is Auckland’s teenage trio, Alien Weaponry […]

” If I don’t listen to my imaginary friend, why the fuck should I listen to yours? People think their worship is some key to happiness. That’s just how he owns you. Even I’m not crazy enough to believe that distortion of reality. So fuck God. He’s not a good enough scapegoat for me” -“Glorification ov […]

The side (now also virtually a solo) project from Marduk’s Arioch isn’t very prolific. But when he does release an album, the world listens as it usually commands your attention. A 6 year wait lingered between the debut full length Salvation, and its follow Maranantha, and now a 9 year wait for the sudden and […]

Ill keep short and sweet, like the 11 songs on the third album from Dave Ingram (ex-Benediction, Ursinne, Echelon, Just Before Dawn) and Rogga Johannson ( too fucking many to type). Much like their prior two albums (2013s self titled debut and 2015s Exterminate! Annihilate! Destroy!),  … And You Will Obey Me is a more crust/d […]

Canada’s Hypnotic Dirge Records is best known for its crippling doom metal but a few recent forays into atmospheric/depressive/black metal such as Kassad, None, Kval, Mavradoxa  and such haven’t been quite as successful in my humble opinion, but a here is a glorious, rending return to from from Canada’s own aptly named “prairie doom” act Altars […]

Sweden’s Black Lion Records has developed a real ear for 90s styled melodic/symphonic black, and from the label that has released excellent albums from the likes of Northwind Wolves, Hyperion, Meadows End, Sons ov Omega, Mist of Misery, Legacy of Emptiness and Vindland, comes another winner in the full length debut from homeland act Wormlight. I’ve […]

You’d think the UKs Memoriam, featuring Bolt Thrower’s own Karl Willets and Andrew Whale would be the natural heir apparent to Bolt Thrower and their trundling form of war themed death metal, but it appears Sweden’s all star troupe Just Before Dawn are actually the more fitting replacement, even more so with another Bolt Thrower growler […]

I have to hand to to Travis Weickum. He has been fronting Colorado’s  Skinned now since 1995 and over the course of 4 albums, 2 splits, some demos and singles, some on labels, many independent. He has been the sole member of Skinned that’s been on all of them amid a whirlwind on members that has […]

Back in 2015, Matt Harvey of Exhumed fame gathered some of his pals from Possessed, Malevolent Creation and Derketa and released Savage Land, an  almost note for note  homage to Chuck Schuldiner,  Death and the seminal Leprosy album. He followed it up with an EP, Dimensions of Horror  a more raw release that seemed more focused on earlier Death […]

What grabbed my attention immediately about the promo for this initially digitally, self released (since licensed by Canada’s fledgling lack Market Metal), Swedish death metal styled album was that is was mixed by Tomas fucking Skogsberg, AND has guest appearances from LG Petrov (Entombed)and James Murphy (Death, Obituary).  That’s an instant click bait for me. […]

Back in the early and mid 00s, female fronted metal absolutely blew up, especially in the melodic death metal, metalcore and screamo genres. Spearheaded by matriarchs Karyn Crisis and Angela Gossow, bands like Walls of Jericho, Landmine Marathon, In This Moment, The Agonist, Ikilledabearaonce, Hiretsukan, Undying, Eyes Set to Kill, Circle Takes the Square, Made Out of […]

I was drawn to the 4th album from Switzerland’s Stortregn (Swedish for ‘downpour’) by the as always killer Dan Seagrave artwork alone as I had never heard of this band or any of their albums. But as what happens a few times on blindly checking out a promo, I ended up really liking this band and […]

2018 has already seen a pretty good slate of old School Swedish death metal from the likes of Gravestone, Angerot, Ripped to Shreds, Demonical and Rogga Johansson’s 176 bands, and here is Metal Blade adding a newish act featuring a few familiar faces to the fray. Lik  (‘Corpse’) features Niklas Sandin (Katatonia), on guitars, Christofer […]

I dug the 2014 debut, Nightmare Vortex, from these German, Autopsy lovin’ ( Slaughterday is a song from the bands Mental Funeral album ) fiends, but for some reason completely missed the 2016 follow up, Laws of the  Occult, which has been rectified since getting this EP for review, and its a little barnstormer of an EP The […]

If you wish to be whisked away to the golden age of melodic, symphonic black metal, (i. e 1994-2001) and revisit classics like The Dynamic Gallery of Thoughts, Enthrone Darkness Triumphant, In the Nightside Eclipse, Aspera Hiems Symfonia,  Supreme Art of War, Nexus Polaris, New Obscurantis Order,  Born of the Flickering and Devs Iratvs, look no further than the […]

I’m going to forgo the history lesson and assume if you are reading this, you are familiar with At The Gates and their place in the annals of melodic death metal and are simply wanting to find out how To Drink From the Night Itself stands as a follow up the 19 years in waiting comeback […]

When Centinex split up in 2006 (but since got back together), members went on to form and help out with two intertwined acts, Interment and Demonical. Both have delivered solid efforts of Swedish death metal with Demonical having released 4 albums and Interment, two. Centinex and Demonical founder Martin Schulman has revamped the lineup since 2011s Death […]

Though considered a mere Children of Bodom clone early on their career, Finland’s Kalmah have gone on to have a decent discography that one could argue is more consistent than the band they were supposed to be ripping off. Through 7 albums, only 2008s For the Revolution stands as a slightly sub-par album (my opinion only mind […]

I’ve been a fan of Patrick Loisel since his Kralizec days ( I highly recommend you track down 1999s Origin)  and Augury has certainly continued that legacy. And while not very prolific, when Augury does drop and album, the world takes note. 2004s Concealed and 2009s Fragmentary Evidence both are critically acclaimed and arguable classics […]

Listen, if you clicked on this review, and as a result are angered by the band’s silly, tongue in cheek, self deprecating, metal mocking, style of metal, what were you really expecting? You see the moniker, you see the album name, you see the goblin. Take your ‘metal is serious’  and ‘no gimmicks’ comments elsewhere, […]

One could argue that Amorphis’s post Tuonela, Ad Universum, Far From the Sun ‘slump’ is a comeback stretch that is one of the more consistent, quality album runs in the annals of metal. With the arrival of Tomi Jousten, from 2006s Eclipse, through 2007s Silent Waters, 2009s Skyforger, 2011s The Beginning of Times, 2013s Circle (my […]

Germany’s Goregast have been at it since 2005, with 3 full length albums to their name including 2011s Desechos Humanos. They ply a form of slightly Swedish inspired death metal with some grindcore elements with lyrics in English, German and Spanish. Covered In Skin is a 10 minute, 3 song EP that was originally released […]

Sometimes it takes me a few songs or minutes to hear a band’s primary influence. Sometimes it takes less than 30 seconds. In the case of Switzerland’s veteran death metal act Requiem, precisely 16 seconds elapsed into opener “For the Blind to See”, I thought to myself “Holy shit, God Dethroned!”. This is the band’s […]