While bigger named brutal/technical death metal acts (Cannibal Corpse, Spawn of Possession, Gorod, Nile, Dying Fetus) will get the lions share of the attention in 2012, as usual there are a number of under the radar acts that deserve your death metal ear. Recently, the likes of Nocturnal Torment,  Stalwart, Tombthroat, Fisthammer, Never to Arise […]

Metal Blade is proud to announce the signing of ENTRAILS, one of the best Death Metal bands ever to come out of Sweden! ENTRAILS formed in the 90s, but split up before they were able to release a demo or even an album. It took them until 2008 to come back when guitarist Jimmy Lundqvist […]

My first introduction to San Francisco’s Acephalix was on these very pages, after reading a review of Interminable Night by out very own Stacy Buchanan. And being a huge fan of Southern Lord’s Crust/D-beat revival with the likes of Nails, Dead In the Dirt, All Pigs Must Die and such, Acephalix was a no brainer. […]

Here’s one that will get most so called ‘real’, old school metal heads’ panties in a bunch. Dub-Slam? Slam-Step? Techno-slam-core? Dropcore? Disfiguring the Goddess is the brainchild of Dubstep/DJ/electronica musician ‘Big Chocolate’ aka  vocalist Cam Argon formerly of Burning the Masses, Misericordiam and Abominable Putridity and numerous other brutal acts guest appearances and remixes. Being […]

Swedish black metal legends DARK FUNERAL and Century Media Records are proud to announce the signing of a worldwide deal for the next 3 albums. Guitarist and founding member Lord Ahriman comments: “Our bad luck with labels in the past has for sure been very frustrating. So it is with great pleasure to finally be […]

Danish death metal veterans THE CLEANSING have announced the addition of drummer Mads Lauridsen (Konkhra, Panzerchrist) and bassist Martin Leth Andersen (Koldborn) to the group’s ranks.Mads Lauridsen of Konkhra and Panzerchrist fame joins The Cleansing as the replacement for Morten Løwe (now with Amaranthe), while Martin Leth Andersen previously of Koldborn was tapped to replace […]

I’ll get right to it- Swedish duo Desultor present the same kind of musical/vocal conundrum as Blood Revolt‘s Indoctrine presented last year; that’s to say blisteringly awesome thrash/black/death metal but rather than any of the typical roars, growls or rasps, the vocals of Markus Joha are presented in a purely clean, power metal /traditional metal […]

Based on my experience, Canada isn’t exactly a hot bed of epic viking folk metal. My only real  first hand experience of such a thing was Bolero‘s Voyage From Vinland, a surprisingly solid release in its own right. And here is Quebec’s Nordheim–who I actually thought might be Bolero on first listen–and their debut album, […]

So back in April I took my annual trip to Lawrence, Kansas to witness a pre chosen metal show, drink some beers, watch hippies and eat at the Pita Pit. Differing from the last two trips, where Between the Buried and Me were the headliner, this year’s show was a varied bag featuring The Contortionist, Conducting From the Grave, Fleshgod Apocalpyse, Carnifex and headliners All Shall Perish. The two bands I was most interested in were All Shall Perish who released one of deathcore’s best albums in 2006’s The Price of Existence, my favorite album of that year, and Fleshgod Apocalypse, who released my favorite album of 2011, Agony. Interviews with both were set up, so after a growler of ale in a dingy back alley like a hobo, I finally got to visit with All Shall Perish guitarist Ben Orum and vocalist Eddie Hermida. [image courtesy of Jeffrey Krenzer].

Cthulhu mythos and Lovecraftian fiction have long been a part of metal, but in my experience it’s generally been in the realms of cavernous doom or gnarly, undulating death metal and typically a more nasty, disturbing musical representation of the subject matter. But here come France’s The Great Old Ones, and in typically elite French […]

So back in 2010, I reviewed The Moulting, the debut from this Canadian female Sludge duo at another site. I wasn’t particularly impressed and gave the release a pretty poor review , even throwing it some half-hearted sexist humor. Well,  the ensuing shit storm of comments on the review and on Facebook from the band […]

So here is last of fledgling Blast Head Records’ three initial releases. Hailing from Roanoke Virginia, Human Infection self released Infest to Ingest last year, but Blast Head picked it up for release earlier this year, and unfortunately of the labels  first three releases, this is my least favorite. Human Infection play death metal. Bog […]

As former drummer for the legendary Gorefest, Ed Warby went through his shares of ups and downs; breakups, reunions, classic album, reviled albums and more breakups. But nothing compares to the emotions that he conveys on his doom side project, The 11th Hour. While playing on Hail of Bullets keeps his death metal steel wet, it’s doom metal that remains Eds deepest love. With his second effort, Lacrimosa Mortis, his emotions and influences are not just worn on his sleeve, they are exposed by a gaping, tearstained hole in his chest showcasing the pulsing heart underneath. I visited with Ed to dig a little further into his more doom laden music and finally lay to rest any Gorefest rumors.

Phylum Morph-Apokalupsis is an 8 song split CD between two of New York finest,  gurgliest, messiest, grinding death metal/goregrind acts. You get 4 from each (though one of Animals Killing People‘s track is a cover) and the only real difference between the 2 sets of tracks is a few members here and there (both bands […]

After a few relatively quiet months,  Dark Descent Records has unleashed an unholy duo of crumbling doom/death metal in the form of Emptiness‘s experimentally depressive Loss and Anhedonist‘s crawling, lumbering debut, Netherwards. However, when truly unearthing Netherwards one word comes to mind more than any other; Cavernous. Playing a form of subterranean doom/death metal Seattle’ […]

It’s actually been a couple of months since I reviewed some Christian metal core on Facedown Records, so why not get back into things with the debut album from a band whose introductory EP last year grabbed my attention with its no nonsense, almost All Shall Perish styled delivery  of brimstone, metallic sermons. Unfortunately though, […]

God dammit!!!!  I wanted this to be good and really like it more. But alas, the debut album from renowned and respected metal uber artist Mark Riddick (who plays drums, keyboards, guitars and bass) and some dude from Belgium on vocals fall flat. Way flat. The intent is there; to create a dirty sloppy old […]

This is one of those special sort of interviews for me since guitarist “Fast” Eddie Clarke’s contributions to one of my all-time favorite bands, Motörhead, had such a huge impact on me growing up and still does to this day, not to mention his work in Fastway, particularly that brilliant first album. I still recall purchasing Motörhead’s No Remorse cassette at a record store in San Antonio, Texas during a visit one summer, a consumer product decision that changed my life (grabbing a copy of Celtic Frost’s To Mega Therion didn’t hurt either). But enough with all that nostalgic blathering and on to the business at hand. It’s taken two decades, but Clarke is back in a big way with a fantastic new Fastway album, one that should blast any remaining memories of the questionable material that followed All Fired Up right out of your head. Clarke is joined by vocalist/bassist Toby Jepson and drummer Matt E on what is without question a great hard rock album called Eat Dog Eat. Welcome back Eddie and welcome back Fastway. Read on.

It’s time to play the spin the wheel of metal genre label creation!!!! What do we have here from Seattle’s 7 Horns 7 Eyes? prog-djent-death-core? death-djent–prog-core? Christian-djent-melo-core? Whatever you call it and whatever the hype surrounding this release  what with teaser trailers, a Jeff Loomis (ex- Nevermore, who apparently made Century Media aware of these […]

Set to Headline “CONQUERORS OF THE WORLD” N. America Tour PROSTHETIC RECORDS is proud to announce the signing of Greek symphonic death metal quartet , SEPTICFLESH,  whose eight albums and performances on tour alongside the likes of Cradle of Filth, Amon Amarth, Gorgoroth, Satyricon, Children of Bodom and more have earned the group international acclaim. […]

April 11, 2012, Philadelphia — Baroness, the Savannah-based quartet whose two prior releases (Red Album and Blue Record) were awarded record of the year honors from both Revolver and Decibel Magazines as well as repeatedly placing on year-end best of lists from Pitchfork and Village Voice, return with a new album titled Yellow & Green […]

North Carolina’s Wretched return with their third album on Victory Records, carrying the flag for the label’s strangely eclectic death metal roster amid the likes of Pathology and Jungle Rot. And while I’ve enjoyed the band’s prior two releases, they remain a band that are just ‘there’ for me, neither overly impressing me or making […]

Finnish crusaders of epic heathen metal, MOONSORROW, and Century Media Records are proud to announce a worldwide deal! In regards to the signing, the band comments: “MOONSORROW are thrilled to start working with Century Media, a label that is home to many fellow artists already! We never make our music half way or with compromises […]

Regular readers of the site more than likely know that I’ve got a HM2 pedal sized boner for old school Swedish death metal. It’s my first love of the vast metal genre going back to Entombed’s Left Hand Path. So the genre’s massive recent revival has me pretty giddy. Especially when bands from all over the world are delivering very impressive take’s on the classic sound. and even more vital to the genre seeing as the genre’s fore bearer’s are now defunct (Dismember), wheezing into the end of their career (Entombed, Grave) or simply overlooked nowadays ( Unleashed). Luckily the mantle has some worthy carriers. Whether it’s the Fin’s like Winterwolf and Cryptborn, Eastern Europeans like Morbider and Brutally Deceased, Americans Fatalist and Horrendous or home grown talent like Entrails, the genre is in safe hands. And there are no more impressive hands than Germany’s Revel In Flesh, who with their debut album Deathevokation have arguably jumped up to the top of the heap with Entrails. A mysterious duo comprised of Maggesson (drums/guitars) and Haubersson (guitar/bass/vocals), Revel in Flesh makes no bones about their chosen influences, so I visited with Haubersson to revel in the old school even more….

New record due out late 2012 on Nuclear Blast Records AUSTRIA – Supreme death/black metal commando, Belphegor, will enter Mana Studios in St. Petersburg, Fla. next month to begin work on its new, yet-to-be-titled album with producer, Erik Rutan. The band’s impending 10th studio release is due out late 2012 on Nuclear Blast Records.   Commented vocalist, […]