Author Archive

BrokenCYDE – I’m Not a Fan, But the Kids Like It.

Listen. I had something special planned for this review, a humorous (at least in my mind) montage of images telling a story of how bad this album is. However, first of, this band does not deserve that kind of time commitment (it would have been a bitch to do in wordpress), and second I haven’t […]

ENSIFERUM To Return To The US This Fall

Fresh off a successful stint on this year’s Summer Slaughter Tour, Finnish folk metallers ENSIFERUM will kick off a US headlining tour in support of their upcoming full-length From Afar on November 5th. Support will come from Nuclear Blast recording artists HYPOCRISY and EX DEO as well as Sumerian recording artists BLACKGUARD. Said ENSIFERUM guitarist […]

DARKEST HOUR ANNOUNCE TOUR WITH TRIVIUM THIS FALL

Just in time for back-to-school, DARKEST HOUR announces their upcoming tour with Trivium, Whitechapel, and Dirge Within. The tour kicks off on September 11 in Long Island, NY and will run through October. The band recently wrapped up a successful run on the Summer Slaughter tour and are anxiously awaiting the kick-off of the Trivium […]

Crimson Armada, The – Guardians

Apparently, Facedown Records didn’t have the budget to sign another Christian metalcore/deathcore act and Sumerian Records didn’t want another keyboard laced deathcore act on their roster, so Metal Blade swooped in and gave them a record deal, killing two birds with one very mediocre, clichéd stone. Guardiansis the poster child for modern American deathcore/metalcore; except […]

Sleeping Giant – Sons of Thunder

The 2007 debut, Dread Champions of the Last Daysfrom this So-Cal hardcore band was an impressive mix of fervent, righteously rumbling hardcore and more hymnal, sermon-ish, prose that resulted in an aggressive but at times graceful album in the Christian metal genre, and at the time was one of the heaviest Christian metal albums I […]

Graves of Valor – Salarian Gate

What’s not surprising about this release is that considering 3/5 of the band were in Through the Eyes of The Dead, Salarian Gate sounds like a Through the Eyes of the Dead album. What is surprising is that Relapse would release record that sounds like a Through the Eyes of the Dead album, considering the […]

TRAP THEM Sign with Prosthetic Records

Prosthetic Records’ has signed Seattle’s Trap Them. The band’s sound combines elements of old school Swedish death metal, punk, and d-beat and takes influence from bands such as Entombed, Black Flag, Nasum and Tragedy. Trap Them has spent time on the road with Napalm Death, Disfear, Skeletonwitch, Victims, Rotten Sound, Toxic Holocaust, and Coliseum, amongst […]

SUNN O))) and EAGLE TWIN – East and Southern US Aktions Announced

The third wave of SUNN O))) live aktions on American soil in support of Monoliths & Dimensions have been announced, this time blanketing the East Coast. As on their previous Midwestern and upcoming West Coast tours this summer, label mates EAGLE TWIN will be joining SUNN O))) on these dates, in support of their debut […]

WHIPLASH: New Song Posted Online

Reactivated New Jersey thrashers WHIPLASH have posted another new song — “Fight Or Flight” — on their official MySpace Page. Visit: http://www.myspace.com/whiplashusa to check it out. The track comes off the band’s new album, Unborn Again, which is scheduled for Aug 5th release via Pulverised Records. The CD was recorded at Studio with world-renowned engineer/producer […]

THE GATES OF SLUMBER COMPLETES WORK ON NEW ALBUM “HYMNS OF BLOOD & THUNDER

Critically acclaimed “True Heavy Metal” band THE GATES OF SLUMBER has completed work on its new studio album Hymns of Blood & Thunder. The album is slated to drop in North America on September 13, 2009 via Rise Above Records. THE GATES OF SLUMBER encapsulates the metal experience for true believers. Weaned on Black Sabbath, […]

JUNGLE ROT announce US tour dates!!!

Today, Napalm recording artists JUNGLE ROT announce a handful of US tour dates before they head off to Europe in September in support of Six Feet Under. Touring behind the latest critically acclaimed album (and first for Napalm), What Horrors Await, the Wisconsin death metal masters will hit the following cities:  July 24 – Chicago, […]

Disharmonia Mundi – Nebularium + Restless Memoirs EP

Now more known for having Bjorn “speed’ Strid (Soilwork, Terror 2000) in their ranks, Italy’s Disharmonia Mundi were actually a pretty progressive melodic death metal band before Strid joined the fold, as this re-issue of their 2002 debut shows. While I was impressed with the (vastly under-rated) Strid era albums (2006s Mind Tricks and 2004s […]

Destrage – Urban Being

One of the first two releases from Italy’s fledgling Coroner Records, (the other being a re-issue of Disharmonia Mundi’s under-rated 2002 debut, Nebularium), despite the cover art and name, I actually came away impressed with Destrage’s take on groovy, thrashy, rocking take on melodic death metal. With a healthy dose of commercial rock, some death […]

Cannibal Corpse digital box set is up on iTunes now!

Cannibal Corpse has released their ENTIRE discography in one digital package on iTunes. We know a lot of you probably have either worn out your copies of The Bleeding or you just might need to fill out your collection. Plus, Cannibal Corpse has always been a band that plays songs from their entire catalogue while […]

BICLOPS Post New Track Online; Fall Tour In The Works

Biclops (ex-Postman Syndrome/current East Of The Wall) have posted a preview track from their forthcoming record, to be released through a to-be-determined label in early 2010. The still-untitled record was recorded with producer Will Putney at The Machine Shop (Clutch, Lamb Of God, King Crimson).In addition, Biclops is booking a short tour in October. Anyone […]

Escapist Records Announced This Time Next Year Vinyl Release

Escapist Records is pleased to announce the vinyl release of This Time Next Year’s debut EP, “A Place for You.” The Walnut Creek, CA pop-punk outfit originally released the seven-song EP through the independent label in mid-2007 to critical acclaim. Absolutepunk.net called it “the most addicting thing I’ve heard so far this year.” The success […]

Be’lakor – Stone’s Reach

How in the fuck is a band like Be’lakor not signed to a decent label? (In the US anyway) Not only did they deliver a stunning self released debut, The Frail Tide in 2007, which was universally acclaimed, they have followed it up with a tighter, better produced follow up. All a label has to […]

Dethklok set to release Dethalbum II on Septemer 8th

Williams Street Records Newest Album from Best-Selling Williams Street Records announced today details on the most highly-anticipated death metal album release of the year — and it’s for none other than the animated band from Adult Swim’s Metalocalypse. On September 8th, the world’s most brutal animated band will once again reign supreme with the all-new release […]

HORSE The Band ANNOUNCE OCTOBER 6 RELEASE DATE FOR DESPERATE LIVING

(July 20, 2009) – Vagrant Records announces an October 6, 2009 release date for Desperate Living, the fourth full-length from Southern California’s HORSE The Band. The twelve-track set was recorded at White Buffalo Studios in Los Angeles with producer Noah Shain and includes several special guests. “Noah really cared about helping us get exactly the […]

Suicide Silence – No Time To Bleed

To be honest, I don’t know why I’m bothering with this review. There are two crowds when it comes to this band and deathcore in general- love it of hate it, and most have decided before even checking the sophomore album from Suicide Silence out. The thing is, the deathcore haters and the fans that […]

SorgSvart – Vikingtid Og Anarki

Here’s another one of Einheit Produktionen’s belated 2008 releases and while not as impressive as Andras’s Iron Way, Norway’s SorgSvart does offer a very unique and playful take on Viking/Pagan black metal. Comprised of one man, Sorg (not Vintersorg’s Sorg), Vikingtid Og Anarki is actually his second album, but my first introduction to him, and […]

NORTH AMERICA IS DOOMED” TOUR SET TO LAUNCH AUGUST 1

Critically acclaimed psych metal band ZOROASTER, celebrated doom metal trio THE GATES OF SLUMBER and Belgian “über doom” unit SERPENTCULT will team up for the “North America is DOOMED” tour this August. Presented by Action! PR, Decibel Magazine and MetalSucks.net, the 14 city trek will kick off on August 1 in Chicago, IL and will […]

Darkest Hour – The Eternal Return

Tasked with following up the excellent Undoing Ruin and Deliver Us, Washington DC’s Darkest Hour- arguably one of the culprits of the state of the modern American metal scene, at least know how to be consistent. Starting their more refined take of hack and slash At the Gates worship on Hidden Hands of a Sadist […]

Killswitch Engage – Killswitch Engage

I had an axe to grind with this album before I even heard it- not only was it a self titled album, which is one of my pet peeves, it was the second time the band has released a self titled album- are you kidding me? Also, with the band basically writing the same album […]

AMBASSADOR GUN Brutalize The Masses With New Full-Length

AMBASSADOR GUN began in Minneapolis, Minnesota in the summer of 2002. Within the music, there is ingrained a unique ability to master catchy and truly memorable elements. Using rhythmic and aggressive vocal patterns, dissonant down-tuned chords and progressions along with drive saturated low-end. They envelop music expressing comical, political and social disdain; put home lyrically, […]