Author Archive
Posted in Reviews, Reviews › J on Friday, September 4th, 2020
Artist: Jesus Wept Filthy. JUST FRIGGIN’ FILTHY. Pull out the surgical tools, maybe tease out that hair? And strap in for this sleazy slab of Carcass-meets-Quiet Riot Death ‘n’ Roll that’s purpose built for sadistic fun. Detroit upstarts Jesus Wept have clearly being doing a lot of homework taking in and learning the ways of […]
Tags: 2020, Death Metal, Jesus Wept, Redefining Darkness Records, Review, Steve K
Posted in Frontpage Feature, Reviews, Reviews › U on Monday, August 24th, 2020
This all could have all been so easy. Unleash the Archers has made a habit out of taking big leaps with every one of their releases throughout their young career. Yes – ideally, every band should get better with every record – but the exponential growth these guys have shown as musicians on every new […]
Tags: 2020, Napalm Records, Power Metal, Review, Steve K, Unleash The Archers
Posted in Reviews, Reviews › B on Friday, August 21st, 2020
I swear to Christ. I don’t know what it is, but I just cannot seem to get enough of this whole NWOTHM thing going on right now (that’s New Wave of Traditional Heavy Metal, for those of you who don’t know or just hate inane acronyms). I guess it’s just the overall tongue-in-cheek, no-fucks-given attitude […]
Tags: 2020, Blazon Rite, Gates of Hell Records, Heavy Metal, Review, Steve K
Posted in Reviews, Reviews › N on Wednesday, August 12th, 2020
It seems inevitable that by the end of every year, we’re all grateful to be moving on… uh, wait, this seems awfully familiar… Now is a good time to cozy up to the familiar sounds of yesteryear… man, why do I feel like I’ve already done this? Why is a band called Night boasting a […]
Tags: 2020, Heavy Metal, Night, Review, Steve K, The Sign Records
Posted in Reviews, Reviews › B on Thursday, August 6th, 2020
BEAR MACE! (Sorry, I’ve just been yelling that at any opportunity since finding these dudes. It’s fun). Look, I know I harp on this a lot, but my favorite metal usually comes from the bands who seem to be enjoying themselves the most (unless you’re Atilla. Just… no). I’m the buzzed dude in board shorts […]
Tags: 2020, Bear Mace, Death Metal, Fighter, Review, Self-Released, Steve K
Posted in Reviews, Reviews › I on Friday, July 31st, 2020
Artist: Intoxicated I’m gonna start by apologizing for what is going to be a lot of backstory before I even get the review started in proper… but this is pretty fucking cool! So recently, I did a review of Witches’ KILLER new album The Fates. Not only was it a discovery of an album that […]
Tags: 2020, Intoxicated, Review, Seeing Red Records, Steve K, thrash metal
Posted in Reviews, Reviews › G on Wednesday, July 29th, 2020
Let’s just go ahead and address the elephant in the room. THAT COVER. HOLY SHIT. Listen, I’m not afraid of indulging some full-on campy fantastical Power Metal tropes. Shit, I not only reviewed Victorius’ Space Ninjas From Hell earlier in the year, I loved it. So clearly, I’m in no way above nerding the fuck […]
Tags: 2020, Fighter Records, Greyhawk, Heavy Metal, Power Metal, Review, Steve K
Posted in Frontpage Feature, Reviews, Reviews › E on Monday, July 20th, 2020
Through every metal fad I’ve seen rise and fall over the years, I don’t think any swept me up so thoroughly in its current than the explosion of Folk Metal in the early/mid 2000’s. The mighty, but refreshingly upbeat and peppy sounds of bands like Finntroll and Turisas wormed their way into my ears and, […]
Tags: 2020, Ensiferum, Metal Blade Records, Review, Steve K, Viking/Folk Metal
Posted in Reviews, Reviews › W on Thursday, July 9th, 2020
I’m so very happy, but I’M ALSO FUCKING PISSED. I’m happy as I always am any time I discover a new band I’ve never heard, especially one that falls in that sweet thrashy death wheelhouse that makes me all giddy and tingly inside. And I’m doubly happy to discover one that includes a female lead […]
Tags: 2020, Heavy Metal, Mighty Spell Records, Review, Steve K, Witches
Posted in Reviews, Reviews › R on Thursday, July 2nd, 2020
Well, isn’t this just a barrel of rainbows and fucking unicorns? Scottish Hardcore rays of sunshine Razor Sharp Death Blizzard obviously aren’t mincing words about their current outlook on life. If it’s light-of-heart positivity and joy you’re looking for, just keep walking, friend – ‘cuz This shit is bleak. Like, BLEAK bleak. Somebody please give […]
Tags: 2020, Razor Sharp Death Blizzard, Review, Self-Released, Steve K
Posted in Reviews, Reviews › B on Thursday, June 25th, 2020
I’m a big believer in being honest with yourself. Knowing who, and what you are (and just as importantly, aren’t) goes a long way towards helping you build a happy, successful life for yourself. That’s not to say that personal growth and exploring new things is by any means a bad thing or useless endeavor […]
Tags: 2020, Battlemaster, Black/Thrash Metal, Forcefield Records, Review, Steve K
Posted in Reviews, Reviews › E on Thursday, June 11th, 2020
I’ve been feeling a bit… contemplative, lately. Join the club, right? We’re all finding ourselves in a world that just sorta… isn’t the one we knew it to be. And all this time in quarantine has given everyone time to really think about their lives. Are you happy with the way that it’s going? Are […]
Tags: 2020, Avant-Garde/Experimental, Black Metal, Dismalimerence, Review, Steve K, Transcending Records
Posted in Reviews, Reviews › U on Friday, May 29th, 2020
Jacob Bannon. Sean Martin. Mike McKenzie. Greg Weeks. Jon Rice. A musical collective combining parts of Converge, Wear Your Wounds, Twitching Tongues, Hatebreed, The Red Chord, Stomach Earth, Job For A Cowboy, and Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats together under one banner. So, rather than waste any more time talking about the checkered history of […]
Tags: 2020, Deathwish Inc, Review, Steve K, Umbra Vitae
Posted in Reviews, Reviews › S on Wednesday, May 13th, 2020
Have you seen those “Gonna tell my kids this was…” memes? Here’s a pretty good one. Here’s another OK example. This one is just, well, perfect. Anyway, if SOMEHOW I make it through this shit show and haven’t been rendered impotent by nuclear fallout or Lysol injection or whatever other goddamn plague is waiting on […]
Tags: 2020, Grindcore, Redefining Darkness Records, Review, Skam, Steve K
Posted in Reviews, Reviews › T on Thursday, May 7th, 2020
While it certainly never went away, the modern rise to prominence of the old-school Stockholm Death Metal sound is a welcome return for the world of extreme music. For me, those familiar buzzsaw tones and pummeling grooves are like being wrapped in a flannel blanket in front of an open fire, with a cup of […]
Tags: 2020, Redefining Darkness Records, Review, Steve K, Tombstoner
Posted in Reviews, Reviews › H on Wednesday, April 29th, 2020
Nothing like a little world chaos and a global pandemic to really get the blood pumping, amiright?! Maybe it’s just the lingering threat of societal collapse talking, but I think crust and grindcore is really on the cusp of having a moment. It’s that raw mix of anxiety-ridden rage, irremovable pessimism, and willingness to watch […]
Tags: 2020, Death Metal, Grindcore, Henry Kane, Steve K, Transcending Obscurity Records
Posted in Reviews, Reviews › W on Monday, April 27th, 2020
As I once said (not very long ago!), Tuomas Saukkonen is one goddamn busy dude. To me, Wolfheart’s first two releases, Winterborn and Shadow World, were absolute masterpieces – epic, emotive and creatively diverse albums the breathed new, inspiring life into a subgenre that was abandoned and left for dead, and put them nearly on […]
Tags: 2020, Napalm Records, Review, Steve K, Wolfheart
Posted in Reviews, Reviews › N on Tuesday, April 21st, 2020
It seems inevitable that by the end of every year, we’re all grateful to be moving on to the next one, like the last year was just this stain on your existence you can’t wait to wash out. I certainly know that by the end of 2019, I was ready to dropkick that year into […]
Tags: 2020, Black/Thrash Metal, Creator-Destructor Records, Nite, Review, Steve K
Posted in Reviews, Reviews › L on Wednesday, April 15th, 2020
You know that kinda goofy friend you had in high school or college? They weren’t necessarily your BEST friend, but they were always a good time to be around, fun to have a drink with every once in a while and shoot the shit with? But time passes, lives grow apart, and one day you […]
Tags: 2020, Lost Society, Review, Self-Released, Steve K
Posted in Reviews, Reviews › D on Thursday, April 9th, 2020
I, like I’m sure many of you reading this, LOVE beer. I brew my own beer. I love visiting new breweries and talking with brewers about their craft. I’m all for brewers trying new techniques and experimenting with different ingredients. That being said, it’s also very easy for brewers to just go too fucking far. […]
Tags: 2020, Black/Death Metal, Depravation, Lifeforce Records, Review, Steve K
Posted in Reviews, Reviews › D on Wednesday, April 1st, 2020
Tuomas Saukkonen is one goddamn busy dude. Since beginning his professional music career 20 years ago, the guy has been a part of, if not directly responsible for 23 different record releases, spread between 7 different bands – all this while still having enough time to hit the gym and maintain his status as one […]
Tags: 2020, Dawn of Solace, Gothic, Noble Demon, Review, Steve K
Posted in Reviews, Reviews › R on Monday, March 30th, 2020
I have a hoodie in my closet. The thing is nearly two decades old, and it’s probably got more thread from holes and tears I’ve sewn up than it has original stitching. It’s got a few bleach spots, it’s been stretched and worn beyond any hope of elasticity, the original designs on the front and […]
Tags: 2020, Death/Thrash Metal, Raider, Review, Self-Released, Steve K
Posted in Reviews, Reviews › L on Wednesday, March 25th, 2020
I don’t want to kickstart an existential crisis by getting too far into how old I am, but let’s just say that if I had a dime for all the different fads and trends that the world of heavy music has gone through in my lifetime, I’d have a lot more free time to impart […]
Tags: 2020, Leeched, Progressive/Sludge Metal, Prosthetic Records, Review, Steve K
Posted in Reviews, Reviews › V on Wednesday, March 18th, 2020
YOU EVER DONE COCAINE?! I… haven’t, actually. Never even had the desire to. Don’t misunderstand me, I’ve been no angel by any stretch of the imagination in my lifetime – I’m in no position to judge anyone of their proclivities – but when it came to uppers, I’ve never really needed the aid of any […]
Tags: 2020, Napalm Records, Power Metal, Review, Steve K, Victorius
Posted in Reviews, Reviews › S on Friday, March 13th, 2020
I live in a VERY northern part of the US. So far north that if I threw a rock from my front porch, I’m at risk of inciting international hostilities with our French-speaking neighbors to the north. It certainly has some perks! Poutine and smoked meat are both readily available, and I have easy access […]
Tags: 2020, Caligari Records, Grindcore, Review, Skumstrike, Steve K