A really solid debut here from ex-members of the short-lived punk band Bars, who also have some more recognizable Massachusetts metal and hardcore pedigree in the form of The Red Chord and American Nightmare members. As you could probably tell from the evil-word/equine moniker (see also Palehorse and Warhorse), we are dealing with a band […]

As one of the many who hyped Pelican’s self-titled EP from the rooftops, I held out great hope for the band at their inception, but unlike many who continue to hold them in high opinion, my enthusiasm was short-lived due their frankly anemic debut full-length, Australasia. Even more frankly, the live performances I witnessed were […]

Beginning with the 1998 debut EP from Isis, a perpetually expanding number of bands criss-crossing the metal and hardcore scenes have successively attempted to snatch the torch from the hands of slow-core, for lack of a better word, godfathers Neurosis. Isis’s Mosquito Control was tribute bordering on plagiarism, and having suceeded in creating a buzz, […]

Comprised of former members of unsung underground metal stalwarts Kalibas & Anodyne, Defeatist has been relentlessly pursuing the kind of revered status in the American grindcore scene that European and Japanese bands have achieved by virtue of their comprably more prolific and superior output to their stateside counterparts. Hailing back to the glory days of […]

Slick, sick, catchy and hook-laden songs swollen flush with incisively razor-sharp riffs, wailing leads, crushing breakdowns and vicious vocalizations spewing acidic critiques of this mediocre and moronic zeitgeist. 53 of them. In 22 minutes. Thus the epic saga of “Japanese Action Hero Fighting Game” (still my favorite translation to date) continues, a journey in which […]

In general, if one is to describe a band as “retro,” the next step would be narrowing down the sound the band in question is paying tribute to, whether it be a year, a scene in the geographical sense, or a particular band deemed worthy of worship and replication. Totimoshi is undoubtedly a retro band, […]

Q: If Necrophagist left Germany, travelling at 70 kph and Arcturus left Norway moving at half that speed at what time would they collide in front of the Cirque du Soileil and magically transform into the most aggressively weird Canadian metal band since Voivod?A: Just about now, I’d say. Standing at the forefront of the […]

Despite their distribution through Matador Records in the earlier part of this decade; Scotland’s Aereogramme have remained in that class of bands who have found their most devoted audience among their musical peers. Rather than speaking/singing directly to a more general fanbase, their albums have trickled-down through the recommendations of their more commercially successful counterparts […]

Grindcore at its best is the art of balance between chaos and control, the tension between the discipline needed in order to elevate one’s musical skills to perform at such extremes and then the freedom to throw all learned concepts out the window in pursuit of a zen-like state of sadistic ecstasy. Poland’s Antigama harnesses […]

Well finally after years of making pulverizing war metal Bolt Thrower have expanded their horizons adding ambient parts, tons of keyboards, female opera vocals and if you are believing any of this there is a bridge in Brooklyn I would like you to consider purchasing from me. Like war itself, the musical legacy of Bolt […]

Over the course of their entire career as ‘the’ black metal supergroup and especially in the last few months prior to the release of this album, the Arcturus project (or Project: Arcturus for you Simpson’s fans) have taken a bizarre pride in throwing a wrench into the works of both the genre in general and […]

Fans of atmospheric doom and sludge-core might call this metalcore or screamo, while fans of metalcore and screamo might call this sludge-core or atmospheric doom, but no matter who calls this album what; fans of all four sub-genres will find their most dark and depressive fantasies fulfilled on this third full-length from this under-the-radar Swiss […]

I could (and most likely will) spend this whole review going down the laundry list of elements that Genghis Tron pile on a dangerously teetering table for your amusement and distraction (Grindcore, 80’s Hip-hop, Shred, Porn soundtrack funk, post-hardcore, gabber….) on this 5 song introduction to their fucked-up little world; but suffice it to say […]

Sure to raise some eyebrows with their self-appointed label of “Summer Black Metal”, Woods of Ypres follow -up their promising demo-cd (self-released full-length?), with an emotional work of dark and passionate metallic art. The music is an engaging mix of traditional epic metal, blackened at the edges then tempered with harmonic indulgences and prog-rock excursions. […]

At first glance, Age of Silence seems like yet another post-black metal band with all the usual suspects (cough, Hellhammer) in place, and upon first listening, as Lazare’s powerful and unique voice guides the opening neoclassical narrative, the comparisons to Solefald seem totally unavoidable. While many of the elements of the individual member’s other bands […]

Backstabbers, Inc was one of those bands I had previously ‘smiled and nodded’ at, as their previous effort, the collection entitled Bare as Bones, fell into the A.C. trap of having better titles than songs. With Kamikaze Missions, B.S.I. has taken a giant step forward and this release should serve to make them contenders with […]

Artimus Pyle is a name I have seen often in play-lists among other bands of their crusty ilk whom I am quite fond of – Tragedy, Kylesa, Remains of the Day, among others- so I was very psyched to find their new full-length in my review pile as I have been meaning to check them […]

Starting with a frantic and menacing pace, before developing some serious creepy-crunch dance floor cred, all the while staying dangerously punk; WithAllSincerity impress me right off the bat. Raging jagged speed riffs sear into the consciousness, beating and pummeling the listener into a pain-induced trance. They convey the garage or vfw thrash out attitude, while […]

Grinding and grating, obstinate to the point of obnoxiousness, the Unpersons come raging out of the gate with an “everything but the kitchen sink” take on noisy hardcore. The chaos belies their youth which fuels the pure energetic musical misdirection achieved frequently throughout this release. The album starts to move along at break-neck pace, alternately […]