The sky is blue. The sun rises in the East. Every “metal subgenre of the moment” is destined to become oversaturated and less exciting by virtue of its own popularity. These are basic and inalienable truths. I’m not arguing that something loses its appeal because it’s “more popular.” That argument is dumb. Popular things are […]

OK, so we all have particular tastes and preferences that we can’t help or do anything about, right? To that end, when it comes to music, I think we all have certain kinds sounds we’re just absolute suckers for. You hear something in that wheelhouse, and it hits you like a friggin’ Mack track driven […]

Oh hey – just in time for World War III, AKA “The ACTUAL War to End All Wars” because this time around we’re all packing that doomsday-level heat. Sick. Seriously, for what its worth, who better to ring in the potential end of days, right? We’ve all been looking over at Vladdy-boy saying “Hey. HEY! […]

I’ve been a big fan of Helion Prime since their 2016 self-titled debut. Their brand of familiar, but subtly unique Power Metal has always landed really well with me and, at least in my objectively worthless opinion, the band has been criminally underappreciated over their 6-year career. For me, there have been two things that […]

There’s something that feels a little… I dunno… strange about listening to Sabaton these days. Right? To be fair, it’s not like war hasn’t been a constant part about being on planet Earth. But WORLD War? Jeez, seems sort of… archaic, no? Making bombastic, rousing power metal about heroism and battlefield glory and all that […]

While newer bands like Countless Skies or Hinayana have given Melodic Death Metal a somewhat renewed amount of energy and attention, for the most part it takes a release from the genre’s seasoned veterans to gain any kind of real hype ahead of its release. We’re talking, of course, the likes of At The Gates, […]

A lot is said about the element of surprise when it comes to war tactics. You catch an enemy sleeping, and the impact of your attack is likely to be that much more devastating. Of course, this principal isn’t solely applicable to warfare. Take, for example, Seattle Power/Traditional Heavy Metal outfit Greyhawk and their 2020 […]

Over the last few years, metalhead jack-of-all-trades Ben Murray (Light This City, Heartsounds, Darkness Everywhere, No Chemistry) has built Creator-Destructor Records into quite the diverse little powerhouse of a label. Representing everyone from legendary punk rockers A Wilhelm Scream, to Beatdown bruisers like Sunami and Kruelty, to filthy Death Metal acts like Dismemberment and Spinebreaker. […]

A well-respected colleague of mine once advised me that it was a bad idea to stay with a job or company for more than 10 years – and even that long was pushing it. The idea being, after a certain amount of time in the same setting, you begin to lose your passion for the […]

OK soooooooooooo listen – I’m not exactly what anyone would call an expert in the world of electronic music, or even more metal-leaning industrial music, for that matter. No hate or disrespect or anything like that at all, it’s just not an avenue I’ve gone down much to this point in my life. With that […]

One of my favorite albums of 2021 was the fantastic Decadence and Decay from Oregon’s Silver Talon, an album and a band that certainly have plenty going for themselves on their own merit, but the album was an immediate hit for me not because it was something I’d never heard before – but instead it […]

I will always have love in my heart for Melodic Death Metal. Hand on heart, I’d have to say that Melodeath is the one metal subgenre, more than any other, that most aggressively grabbed my attention and made me fall in love on first listen. Soilwork’s A Predator’s Portrait, In Flames’ Clayman, Dark Tranquillity’s Damage […]

Guys! Guys, you are not going to believe this. Jonny Pettersson (Ashcloud, Berzerker Legion, Gods Forsaken, Heads for the Dead, Henry Kane, Human Harvest, Massacre, Monstrous, Nattravnen, Pale King, Rotpit, Syn:Drom, The Hangman’s Sorrow, Troikadon, Ursinne, Vholdghast, Wombbath, Wormveil)… *catches breath* … Has ANOTHER fucking band! WHERE THE FUCK DOES THIS GUY GET THE TIME […]

It’s not often you’ll stumble across a band whose biggest influences are listed as “Norland–era Bathory, Tolkein and Thin Lizzy.” But that’s exactly what Chaos Records says is served up by American one-man black metal project, Rökkr… or as I’ve been calling it, because I’m a child, Al Rökkr. “That’s what’s going on around the […]

This is, if you haven’t figured it out by now, a site dedicated primarily to reviewing heavy metal music in all its various forms. Death, Black, Thrash, Grind, Power, blah blah blah blah, pretty much all are welcome here with open ears and arms. It’s safe to say that, personal stylistic preferences aside, all of […]

OK, hands raised, who here predicted that the 2021 metal album of the year would come from a speed/power metal band called Ültra Raptör? Anyone? *crickets* Anyone?… No one?… Well I’ve got just one thing to say to all you doubters out there! THIS… is not the 2021 metal album of the year. You’re right. […]

At the risk of discrediting the review right from the get-go, I’m just gonna come right out and say this: I’m a Black Soul Horde fan. I fucking love these guys. To my ears, last year’s Land of Demise was a sleeper pick for Traditional Metal album of the year, going toe-to-toe and blow-for-blow with […]

This is, apparently, album number 3 for these dudes – but it’s my first ride at the Mentor rodeo. I will say this: when I saw the excellent album cover of Wolves, Wraiths and Witches, I had a few preconceptions about what I’d find inside – that being some heavy, stonery-y doom metal project dripping […]

This is hardly any kind of hot take, but I’m a friggin’ sucker for heavy metal with big, booming, powerful voices. The kind of voices that can slam you to the floor, take your lunch money and probably smear some dog poop or something in your face. A real dick move, but that voice owns […]

One of the things I love most about music, and this especially applies to the wide-ranging world of metal, is that there are all kinds of ways a band can grab you by the throat and force you to give them your attention. It’s not a one-size-fits-all, one-formula-for-all situation. You can dazzle with an all-out […]

Where do legends go when they die? Well, in the case of Greece’s seminal Black Metal act Necromantia, the answer is… uh… probably Hell, right? I bet they’d be pretty surprised and disappointed to find themselves crossing the pearly gates instead… Necromantia, along with legendary acts Rotting Christ and Varathron, is widely regarded as being […]

OH HELL YEAH BOYS AND GHOULS! Spooky season is in full swing. I’ve been spending most nights catching up in Halloween Horror classics, tracking down new ones, just generally indulging in all things creepy and crawly during my favorite time of year. My music choices are certainly affected as well – subsiding on all the […]

War and Metal – It’s like peanut butter and jelly. Peanuts and beer. Peanuts and Chocolate. Peanuts and… uh… more peanuts? (I like peanuts. A lot). And generally speaking, while I’d prefer a world without war, I tend find myself gravitating towards metal bands leaning into wartime themes. Of course, some bands do the theme […]

Classic Buzzsaw Swedish Death Metal + legendary vocalist + group of accomplished metal musicians + some current or former dude from Katatonia = Bloodbath… right? Right. Except… not? I’ll tell ya, writing a supergroup review can always be an arduous task. We’re talking a collection of big names, dealing with unreasonable expectations, weighing it against […]

France may well be known by most as being the land of wine, cheese and romance. But those of us in the world of all things metal also know it’s home to some of the finest, most forward-thinking and respected metal acts in the world. Gojira, Deathspell Omega, Alcest, Blut Aus Nord – the list […]