Author Archive

Hath – All That Was Promised      

Pros of the band Hath: Pretty much everything. Cons: They make me think of Hoth, which makes me think of Star Wars… and unlike many of my peers, I do not care for Star Wars. There. I said it. With all of that out of the way, here’s Hath’s heavily anticipated All That Was Promised. […]

Whales Don’t Fly – The Golden Sea

Whales Don’t Fly, eh? Who is going to tell Gojira? Considering I mentioned on my year end list that their latest album was not a masterpiece but was indeed just okay, maybe it should be me. After all, I’m pretty good at breaking bad news. What I’m not good at is finding promos to review. […]

Allegaeon – Damnum

“This is great, but maybe a little too long” is a phrase that comes to mind when describing Allegaeon’s new album Damnum. Not when it comes to describing my penis, though. Kind of the opposite. That’s not why we’re here. If you are, though… Call me. I’ll leave my phone number coded in this review, […]

Abhoria – Abhoria

2022, comin’ in HAWT. You know it’s true because of the way I spelled it. I already have 3-5 albums which are sure year end contenders and I’m writing this sentence on the last day of January. I’m not one to complain about an embarrassingly high amount of excellent metal, but it’s already been difficult […]

Hangman’s Chair – A Loner

I do not need music to help me achieve a depressed state, Hangman’s Chair, okay? I do very well with that as my default, thank you very much. However, if you’re unlike me (for your own sake, let’s hope), maybe you just need that nudge or like to feel miserable sometimes. If so, A Loner, […]

Last of Lucy, The – Moksha

Listen, if you guys want me to stop reviewing material from Transcending Obscurity Records, you’re going to have to tell them to calm it down with the excellent new releases… Don’t, though. That brings us to the new, excellent album from a band with an intriguing name, The Last of Lucy. I didn’t like it […]

Last Ten Seconds of Life, The – The Last Ten Seconds of Life

Deathcore is having another moment. This new wave is being led by such heavyweights from last year such as Worm Shepherd, Osiah, Mental Cruelty, Signs of the Swarm, and Bound in Fear, and looks to be off to a good start with new Worm Shepherd and Shadow of Intent due out in January along with […]

Fit For An Autopsy – Oh What The Future Holds

It’s a shame when a band, especially one so far into their career, doesn’t know who or what they want to be. With a discography in the range of good to great, unfortunately it feels like this is where we find deathcore veterans Fit For An Autopsy. I’ll explain… While the opening track, which is […]

Crawl Below – Its Ministers on Earth

Potentially the greatest perk of writing for a metal site (if you call what I do writing) is getting to connect with underground artists such as Crawl Below’s Charlie Sad Eyes. Not long after his previous album and personal year-end lister, 9 Mile Square was released, he mentioned to me that the next Crawl Below […]

Krolok – Funeral Winds and Crimson Sky

One could say, when it comes to black metal, I have a mature palate. By that, I mean I’ve tasted a lot of it. Literally and figuratively. I’ve listened to a lot, but also took a bite out of a Darkthrone cd. It did not cure my Transilvanian Hunger. I’m a fan of bands within […]

Phrenelith – Chimaera

After several demos, splits, and one full length album, the incredible Desolate Landscape from 2017, Phrenelith has finally returned to what seems like no fanfare. If we didn’t dig our way through the figurative promo bin, this may have been missed altogether. However, if there’s one task at which I am very accomplished, it’s scraping […]

Cutterred Flesh – Sharing is Caring

Czechia’s Cutterred Flesh are a new band on my radar, thanks to Transcending Obscurity. This is their fifth full length and the first time I’ve heard them. They’re classified as brutal death metal, and that fits. If you’re on board with Aborted or Benighted, this is certainly going to be right up your alley. There […]

Eternity’s End – Embers of War

Eternity’s End contains Christian Munzner, Hannes Grossman, and Linus Klausenitzer in its ranks. Before assuming this is a killer technical death metal band, let me inform you that it’s not. They are, however, described as “technical power metal,” so take that for what it is. Most power metal bands have a tech aspect with their […]

Churchburn – Genocidal Rite    

The name Churchburn probably brings to mind the 90s black metal scene, but that’s not what you’re getting here, just to get it out of the way. Dave Suzuki of Vital Remains is the main man here, along with members and former members of other prominent acts such as Grief and Howl. Howlever (see what […]

Ghost Bath – Self Loather

With helpful ghost bathing tips in mind, here is Ghost Bath with their fourth overall full length, Self Loather. I’ve never quite understood the hate these guys seem to get. While I never fell in love with them, I do own their last two albums and enjoyed them despite some minor quibbles. Luckily, they decided […]

Agonist, The – Days Before the World Wept EP

Recently, in between beatings for our insolence in the TOTD break room, we had a very brief conversation regarding blackened deathcore vs blackened metalcore. A small distinction, to be sure, but I didn’t have time to think about it before our fearless leader made us fearful, told us to finish up our daily rations of […]

Heads For The Dead – Slash ‘n’ Roll EP

Heads for the Dead are a great band and one of my favorite old school death metal bands from the last several years. If you don’t believe me, check out Frank’s review for their latest full length, Into The Red where I am name dropped as being a fan. I really enjoy their old school […]

Witnesses – The Collapse

If I had a 2020 “do over” for my top albums of the year, I can confidently say Witnesses’ Doom II would be on it. Not only on it, but easily in the top five. Not number 1, as I picked Unleash The Archers’ Abyss and will stand firmly by it as it’s a god […]

Breathing Process, The – Labyrinthian

“Breathe in through your nose and out through your vagina.” This is the breathing process. At least that’s what I told a former friend who was getting a particular painful wrist tattoo. There’s also a band with the name The Breathing Process, and they may beg to differ. MAY. Anyway, I’ve never heard these blackened […]

Jinjer – Wallflowers

I know, I know. Jinjer. Despite their hype and relative fame based on the seemingly hundreds of YouTube “reaction” videos, they’re still worth a listen. Or several. They’re more deserving of mainstream metal acclaim than a lot the bands who receive it. They write great, memorable songs, and have one of the most talented and […]

Rivers of Nihil – The Work

My top 3 most anticipated albums of 2021 were Gojira, Wolf King, and Rivers of Nihil. I may also be forgetting some. However, Gojira was massively disappointing, Wolf King exceeded my expectations, and Rivers of Nihil probably have no chance of a reaching the heights I believe this band can achieve. So, it’s already clear […]

Noltem – Illusions in the Wake

Let me start out by saying I’ve rewritten this intro and parts of the subsequent review 3 times now. That’s what happens when I have way too much time with an album and question the articulation of my thoughts. I’m always trying to write a funny, witty, creative, suitably childish intro, and sometimes when I […]

Lutharo – Hiraeth

Let’s start off by saying “female-fronted metal” is not a thing. Well, let me walk that back. It’s definitely a THING, it’s just not a genre. If you’re one of those who thinks it is, I pose to you; Do Jinjer, Arch Enemy, Brutus, Nightwish, Capra, Lady Beast, and Cripper all sound the same? I […]

Night Flight Orchestra, The – Aeromantic II

If someone were to tell you Sharlee D’Angelo of Arch Enemy (and several other bands) and Bjorn “Speed” Strid of Soilwork (and also many others) formed a band, you’d probably prepare yourself for some melodic death metal near perfection, right? RIGHT?! Well, wrong, buckaroo! Unrelated note to self: Use “buckaroo” in sentences more often. Enter […]

Beyond Grace – Our Kingdom Undone

Do not be alarmed, but the UK’s Beyond Grace are about to unleash an absolute BANGER on your unsuspecting asses. If you listened to their debut Seekers back in 2017, you may be expecting it a little bit, but son, you don’t even fucking know. If you haven’t heard it, definitely check out Seekers because […]