I really wanted to like this heavily promoted debut record from System Divide. And why not? It’s got Belgian metal stalwart Svencho De Caluwe (Aborted, In-Quest, Leng Tche) on vocals and he’s joined by his hotterthanheck wife Miri Millman (Orphaned Land) and former Abigail Williams guitarist Mike Wilson. The thing is, the band’s effort to […]

I really like what Russia’s SFC Records is doing; becoming the European/Eastern European equivalent of Unique Leader/Unmatched Brutality Records: Releasing a quality mix of brutal and technical death metal, that has good production values, good packaging littered with unreadable monikers like Cephalic Impurity, Human Parasite, Fetal Decay, Ruptured In Purulence and Leptotrichia. Not to mention […]

After reviewing and enjoying the debut album from Jaldaboath, I thought it might be entertaining to conduct an interview with Sir Jaldabaoth, the Grand Guitarist Inspector and Grand Sovereign Songwriter General of the self-proclaimed Hammering Heraldic Metal act (aka James Fogarty). Feeling that such issues as his split with The Meads of Asphodel, fellow British metal acts, cross cultural comedic boundaries and their current album Rise of the Heraldic Beasts warranted serious investigative journalism. Of course I should have expected that a knight responsible for crafting such songs as “Bash the Bishop” and “Axe Weilding Nuns” would not turn out to be a typical journalistic foray, and quickly descended into an uninformative but amusing episode of Black Adder…

After a critically acclaimed debut (2008’s …Of Frost and War), Dutch supergroup (members of Gorefest, Asphyx, Thanatos and Houwitser) left fans wanting after a strange digital only EP last year, but have now fully satiated fans with a full-length follow-up that continues the quality of the debut. Though still a war themed album, On Divine […]

EARACHE RECORDS is proud to announce the worldwide signing of the Canadian cult metal act, WOODS OF YPRES. Formed in 2002, WOODS OF YPRES have earned critical acclaim for their ever-evolving, envelope-pushing mix of blackened doom metal. Most often compared to bands such as AGALLOCH and TYPE O NEGATIVE, WOODS OF YPRES toe a thin […]

If you are only recently getting into Amorphis and their somewhat resurgent last three albums, (Eclipse, Silent Waters and Skyforger), you must grab this 20th anniversary retrospective album, to see just how really fucking good Amorphis were on their first three albums. Coinciding with the recently released Forging the Land of a 1000 Lakes DVD/CD, […]

Austria’s Heathen Foray are a new act to me. Being relative newcomers to the Viking metal scene, but already they have released two quality albums: 2009’s Passage and their stellar new effort, Armored Bards. Like easy comparison Amon Amarth, Heathen Foray use the backbone of crunchy, melodic death metal and deeper vocals to deliver their Teutonic […]

As the intro “I” and a song called “Wounds, Bloodstains and Richochets” scrolled across my iPod and well produced, synth driven metalcore/melodic death metal thundered into my ears, I wondered to myself, “Wow, Bleeding Through have another album out already? Didn’t they release their self tilted album earlier this year?” Then I began to notice […]

As I expressed here, Woe’s debut album, A Spell for the Death of Man was one of the best USBM releases of the last few years. So I was curious how Chris Grigg (no longer known as Xos) would deliver a follow up now residing on a legendary black metal label and having a full […]

You want to know how to get you self-released demo EP reviewed quickly? Send out a professional promotional package/folder that includes a retail CD, band contact information/bio, a poster, some glossy photos, a lyric sheet and some stickers. Even if your band is terrible, I’ll review your latest shite quicker than a few mp3s dumped […]

For the most part, most metal bands keep their style and sound. They know their niche, stick with it and possibly beat it to death, which is all well and good. With bands like Dismember, Bolt Thrower, Dimmu Borgir, Iron Maiden, Cannibal Corpse, Morbid Angel and such, fans know what they are getting and are OK with that. Heck even a few minor tangents and subtle flirtation with experimentation have risen on some of Metal’s most revered acts: Napalm Death, Amorphis, Death, Hypocrisy, Convulse, Paradise Lost, Anaal Nathrakh, Immortal, In Flames, Gorefest and the most obvious one, Metallica have changed, but all were recognizable. What about the rest?

The second album (despite being around since 1997) from Australia’s Stargazer fills two needs: First, it makes up for the disappointing Blood Revolt, redeeming Profound Lore records once again. Second, it satiates me until Atheist’s Jupiter drops. OK, I recently got Jupiter, but this tied me over. You’d think an Australian band comprised of two […]

There must be some legal wrangling going on between Rikard Martinsson and his former band mates from Mithotyn, because the debut (Fi’mbulvintr) from Sweden’s King of Asgard―which features ex-Mithotyn/Falconer members Karl Beckmann and Karsten Larsson (with Stefan Weinerhall providing some lyrics)―is basically a Mithotyn album without the band name. Or Rikard for that matter. Not […]

New Jersey death metal group Abacinate has issued the following statement in the wake of vocalist Jason Sica’s death: Abacinate is incredibly sad to announce that on Tuesday morning, September 28th 2010, our vocalist Jason “Plunger” Sica, 25, was found dead. He died at the home of one of his friends, in his hometown of […]

And so as 2010 winds down there’s still a few late arrivals from 2009 in my mailbox, but only a few are worth mentioning. At the top of the list is Sickening Horror’s follow-up to one of 2007’s very best death metal CDs: When Landscapes Bled Backwards. While these Greeks have a tall order to […]

NEURAXIS To Support DEICIDE; Band Comments On Tour Canadian tech-death metallers NEURAXIS have been tapped to support the legendary DEICIDE on the “God Is Dead- To Hell With God Tour” in February and March of next year. BELPHEGOR, BLACKGUARD and PATHOLOGY will also be on the bill. The run will kick off in Atlanta, GA […]

After seven years off (not counting 2005’s Zero Comfort Margin EP), one of Willowtip’s first bands returns to the fray with an absolutely sick release that shows that brutal death metal/grindcore can be way more than power chords, pig squeals and comical cover art rife with porn and zombies. The aptly named Psalm of the […]

Miss Uphill Battle? Enjoy blackened hardcore or crust tinged blackened punk? Then check out the debut from this hungry San Francisco act who with their brief but feral Misanthropy and Godlessness, have delivered a half hour of urgent, enjoyable metal with vast crossover appeal. Featuring an incredibly punchy Zach Ohren production, the album’s feedback littered […]

British Heraldic Templar Metal? Monty Python metal? Hey Nonny Nonny core? Whatever you call it, the brain child of The Meads of Asphodel founder James Fogarty is certainly one thing: Fun! Imagine if you will the “Knights of the Round Table/Camelot” song from Monty Python’s The Holy Grail -movie done to metal (it’s a silly […]

There was a time up until about 2005’s Anomalies that Cephalic Carnage were a no questions, blind buy for every release. Challenging, heavy, creative, humorous and of course driven by weed, the band seemed to be on the very cusp of exploding out of their pot fueled basement and into mega stardom. But with Anomalies […]

Today, AETERNITAS TENEBRARUM MUSIC FOUNDATION (ATMF) confirms the signing of 11 AS IN ADVERSARIES. 11 AS IN ADVERSARIES is a metal/rock/psych project that aims to offer an alternative to a swamp of occasionnally limited artists: a new band forged by the mastermind of the French band Glorior Belli, with a guest appearance of Niklas Kvarforth […]

Montreal based death metallers NEURAXIS has announced “Asylon” as the title of their sixth studio album, second for Prosthetic Records. The album will be released in North America on February 15th, 2011. “Asylon” was recorded at Wildsound Studio with producer Chris Donaldson (Cryptopsy, The Last Felony, The Agonist). A major tour announcement is coming next […]

I can’t really explain why it’s taken me so long to review one of 2010’s most impressive and disturbing black metal albums. I listen to it regularly, mentally gushing over it, and writing the review in my head each time I listen. I actually wonder if some dark occult force is preventing me from putting […]

Residing on the same label that has or had the likes of xRepresentx, OnexChoice, xTyrantx on its roster, there’s no surprise in what Seattle’s Parasitic Skies―despite the lack of an x in their logo―play; tough as nails, straightedge metallic hardcore. No frills, no melodies, no trendiness. Just a beefy (no pun intended) vegan beat down […]

Bear with me here. Despite being a sworn in US citizen, adapting almost all American traditions (good and bad), there’s a few American-isms I just can’t get into. Chewing tobacco and Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. The weird thing is that I love peanut butter and I love Jelly―it’s called Jam fer’ crying out loud―when […]