Comatose Music, the Willowtip of brutal death metal, has been known to unearth some gems. Underground heavyweights such as Kraanium, Septycal Gorge, Dysentery and Lust of Decay have, or still do, call the label home. They’ve snatched up Logic of Denial for their second full-length, one that pulls from the relentlessly punishing template known to […]

This album starts out promising enough, with a nice chug riff backed by some pounding double bass. But once the overly-nasal, high-pitched pig squeal of vocalist Jaymes Grundmann kick-in (a stylistic choice that’s unfortunately overused through the entire album), you might find yourself reaching for the skip button. This is brutal death metal at its […]

Having recently added the ever respected Rotten Sound to their lineup, Relapse has decided to do a double take and grab another grind band, France’s Blockheads.  Unless you’re a big follower of the grind scene, you might not have heard of these guys before.  This is actually their fifth full length, and the first on […]

Ladies and gentlemen, you’ve waited almost 4 years, but it’s finally arrived:  the new Behemoth album!  Nergal has thankfully returned back to full health following his illness, and he and his fellow band mates are… wait… what is that?  You’re telling me this is NOT the new Behemoth?!?  Huh?!  Get through the intro, and there’s […]

With only 3 full lengths in almost 15 years of existence, Devourment has still managed to foster an almost obsessive, cult-like following.  Their brand of brutal, slamming death metal is almost notoriously hailed as the pinnacle of the niche genre.  On this latest output, and their first on Relapse, the same crew is back from […]

I’ve always felt that when you can be recognized by your guitar sound alone, you’ve got a good thing going.  Much like a lead vocalist, a unique guitar sound can instantly set you apart from your peers.  Meshuggah has done it (while sparking legions of copycats).  Slayer has done it.  And so have Rotten Sound.  […]

Hatebreed:  You make this one tough on me.  You see we’ve had a good relationship going on now for almost 10 years.  You’re one of the first bands I started listening to when I got into metal (Joe Hardcore Hater: What?!? Dude hardcore SUCKS!), and your thick guitars and gruff vocals really opened my eyes […]

With standouts such as Between the Buried and Me, God Forbid, Darkest Hour and Jungle Rot, it’s safe to say that Victory Records is one of the top labels when it comes to metal/extreme music.  In addition to the above bands they are also quite well known for the large number of metalcore/deathcore bands on […]

Black metal has been a very hit or miss genre for me.  My main experiences lie with Immortal, and the popular and oft-criticized Dimmu Borgir.  But I enjoy branching out from the death/grind spectrum of metal that dominates my speakers, and decided to grab the new Grief of Emerald.  After doing a little research, it […]

Florida’s Abiotic are a deathcore band leaning more on the technical side of things, and have managed to create quite a buzz with only an EP under their belt before this outing, their first full length album. The hype got them snatched up by Metal Blade, and their style is a touch Veil of Maya, […]

Wow.  This… ummm… folks this is bad.  I mean real bad.  I tell you what – if you’re a fan of All That Remains (as I am), then here is what you need to do:  Stop reading right now.  Go grab a copy of The Fall of Ideals, or the underrated Overcome, turn them up […]

With a name like The Fat Dukes of Fuck, I figured on name alone this would be awful.  But after spinning it a few times, I have to say this is album grows on you like whatever it is you picked up from that girl you banged the other night when you couldn’t see straight. […]

Pig Destroyer’s 2007 album Phantom Limb ended up on many year-end lists and was lauded as one of, if not the best, album that they have put out, so hype for this one was massive to say the least.  In a genre like grindcore where it can be hard to separate from the pack, Pig […]

Brutal death/tech-death/grind maniacs Malignancy are back with their third full length, though they have been at it for nearly 20 years now.  Their last album, Inhuman Grotesqueries, was one I remember listening to and seeing on the Willowip site, but the weak production left me wanting more as it hid the talent that was bubbling […]

Now this is just filthy.  And I don’t mean any kind of filthy, I mean FILTHY.  This is like the floor at the favorite hole in the wall bar where you’ve seen way too many metal shows.  But it’s a glorious filth that you won’t want to wash off any time soon.  Finland’s Hooded Menace […]

Cryptopsy’s 2008 album,The Unspoken King, was a polarizing album at best, an absolute abomination at worst.  Right or wrong, that output earned the band the dreaded deathcore tag, and the clean vocals of new frontman Matt McGachy (3 Mile Scream) went over like a turd in a punchbowl.  Fans expecting the brutal death metal that […]

It’s another word for anti-intellectualism. People are stupid, ignorant and seem to be proud of it. This is a disturbing trend.”  So says Adam Laszlo about the meaning behind the name of the project he helms all by himself – Sophicide.  Perdition of the Sublime is an absolute scorcher, made even more impressive by the […]

Milwaukee hardcore/crust band Enabler have said about their new full length – the world is fucked, and this is the soundtrack to its demise.  Based on their lyrical themes it’s a pretty accurate description, albeit a bold one.  With bleak artwork and song titles such as “Fuck Today” and “Save Yourself”, you can tell these […]

Death metal will always be my passion, and there has been some really good stuff dropping as of late (Amon, Tombthroat, Miseration, Relics of Humanity). But there does come a time where one can get death-metalled out so to say, and a break can sometimes be in order. That prompted me to grab the second […]

Grindcore mainstays Phobia are back with their 6th full length, and on this newest one they made the odd choice to introduce… clean vocals and female gothic influences?!? Ummm… No. This is straight up ass-melting grindcore, and it’s what these guys have been pummeling eardrums with for over 20 years. When you can personify the […]

Evolution in metal is an interesting beast, and one that has three distinct paths for bands who decide to travel down its twisty road. Evolve too far and you risk alienating your fan base, and in extreme cases become a virtual laughingstock (Morbid Angel, Machine Head,  Cryptopsy – you all should know exactly which albums […]

Old school death metallers Cardiac Arrest are back for their fourth album, and it’s old school death metal as you would expect it. Semi-decipherable death growl? Check. Buzzsaw guitar tone? Check. Raw production? Check. Horror/death themed lyrics? Check. It’s all here, and that’s all that can be said about this album – it’s just  ‘there’. […]

Cattle Decapitation is a band that has grown a lot on me the past few years.  I wasn’t keen on their early work, but starting with Karma Bloody Karma and continuing with The Harvest Floor, this vegetable-loving four piece have continued to flesh out their crushing style on Monolith of Inhumanity. What is so interesting […]

Catheter?!?  What the hell?!?  It’s been seven years since these guys have dropped a full length, and having not heard much from them at all since then I had written them off for dead.  After doing a little research I found out that they have released two or three splits in that time (depending on […]

After six long years, Spawn of Possession are back to toss their hat into the tech-death ring with their third full-length – Incurso. The band has gone through a lineup change since the last album, with drummer Dennis Rondum trading in his sticks for a microphone, and Obscura’s Christian Munzner taking over on guitars. Right […]