Infernal Curse is charred, bottomless pit dwelling black/death metal coming from Argentina.  Over the years I’ve notice that South America tends to produce bands that deliver highly concentrated versions of their chosen metal genre and its accompanying aesthetic traits.  On Apocalipsis the catholic cathedral reverb is cranked a few notches past the usual.  Every touchstone […]

While driving to see King Diamond on their most recent tour I was playing 2015s Hole Below and discussing the record with my friend.  I had been listening to the album a hell of a lot and was finding it a little difficult to explain why I thought it was so enjoyable yet not particularly […]

  Ruach Raah play scummy black metal with an punk evil spirit (as their name translates).  Probably best received live in a crumbling stone walled, graffiti splattered basement in their native Portugal.  All members in ski masks and faded black everything spazzing angrily.  There are no samples, no solo’s, no interludes, no god forsaken frills.  […]

Strap on your gas mask and be attentive for the air raid siren, citizens.  The enemy can strike at any time!  Kommandant‘s ranks are filled with Chicago metal veterans having between them played in area acts such as Forest of Impaled, Cianide, Enforsaken and, to no one’s surprise, each member had at some point lent […]

Admittedly, I checked out Mutilatred‘s album based on the name, having snickered to myself, “Music is truly running out of band names”.  This is no cut on the band because we have certainly passed the point of peak band name in the same way that geological research has declared for oil.  Rather, it’s interesting to […]

Prior to happening across their entry in this sites secret and fathomless vault of promo offerings, I hadn’t yet heard of Mefitic.  By light of my candle I glimpsed a familiar name upon the shelving racks, just at the point before they spiral so high as to disappear into the fog like dusty blackness above:  […]

Panzerkruezer’s Aurora deliver us crushing war inspired death metal ala Bolt Thrower, Just Before Dawn, or Hail of Bullets.  Based on the cover art alone there isn’t much question that, surprise, the drapes match the carpet.  The three piece are based in Dresden, Germany.  Dresden is infamous for having been leveled after what is likely […]

Primitive Man’s latest ep is an oppressive, aggressive slab o’ sludge…and a bit of grind…fine, slip in some crust parts too.  It’s an anthropomorphic equivalent to the imposing brutalist style housing project high rise that populate the part of town ,as whispered of by parents, “you don’t want your car to breakdown in”.  Zooming in […]

The cover art of In Cauda Venenum features an oil painted skull, or some decrepit face.  You aren’t exactly sure but the artist painted a clearly defined creature to start.  Stark, and ugly, but fine in composition and clear to any viewer.  An important lesson for any artist is to challenge themselves, letting go of […]

Downfall of Nur, both the band name and this album, are inspired in full by the Nuragic civilization that existed on the island of Sardinia in the Mediterranean from the middle Bronze age, until its dissolution in the early Iron age.  The arc of this civilization is represented across the five lengthy tracks.  Immediately I’m […]

It’s good to see that Incinerate is still hanging in there.  Releasing only their 3rd album since a 2000 demo.  Incinerate drop albums just after the brain cell crushing, wearers of unreadable band shirts have stopped wondering, “whatever happened to them”, snapping their necks back in place with Eradicating Terrestrial Species.   Considering their recent […]