Archive for the ‘Frontpage Feature’ Category

AHAB – The Coral Tombs

AHAB – The Coral Tombs

I’m always a little dubious when a band is claimed to be the “fathers of (X-Genre)” these days, especially when that “X” is something really hyper-specific. Take these Germans, AHAB for example: 19 year veterans in the metal scene, so certainly not a newcomer trying to make a name for themselves or anything like that […]

Katatonia – Sky Void of Stars

Katatonia – Sky Void of Stars

For a band known more for it’s morose atmospheres, downtempo paces and overall depressive tones, Katatonia sure has a way of getting albums off to a quick and, at least in my case, startling beginning. I swear, it’s like the band is fucking with me, or at the very least trying to catch us all […]

Obituary – Dying of Everything

Obituary – Dying of Everything

Florida’s Obituary needs no introduction, being one of the legitimately legendary American Death metal bands, if not the godfathers of the genre. From genre-defining classics like Slowly We Rot and Cause of Death to their post-hiatus offerings like Inked in Blood,  Xecutioner’s Return, and Darkest Day you know what you are getting. That said, 2017s, […]

TEETH OF THE DIVINE STAFF PICKS FOR 2022

TEETH OF THE DIVINE STAFF PICKS FOR 2022

We say this every year, but 2022 was a fantastic year in metal. With literally too many killer releases to cover, especially with the increase of digital-only/Bandcamp releases.

And as usual, there was a mix of veteran acts that are still at the top of their game, and fresh new blood to get excited about and the future of metal seems to be in good hands.

Our carefully cured lists cover a whole gamut of styles and releases, so feast your eyes on our best of 2022 staff lists, check out the linked reviews and feel free to comment, let us know what we got right or wrong, and post your own lists in the comments.

Here’s to 2023 continuing the trend of great years as we get the likes of Metallica, Obituary, In Flames, Insomnium, Distant, Ne Obliviscaris, Extermination Dismemberment, Sanguisugabogg, and no doubt, exciting debuts from up and comers.

As always, thanks for reading, sharing, liking, and commenting. You are why we do this (and maybe some early free music). So please keep coming back here for your metal reviews, features, and general metal fuckery.

Veilburner – Vlbrnr       

Veilburner – Vlbrnr       

For this one, I want to take a trip back to heavy metal city where the mustachioed man wearing the trench coat from my last Veilburner review resides. Turning the corner once again past the mainstream shops, I see the man and two masked men standing over his lifeless corpse. Oh shit, the Veilburner duo […]

Xentrix – Seven Words

Xentrix – Seven Words

I’m not a huge thrash metal guy. Other than some that were my gateway bands into death metal like Slayer, Possessed, Metallica, and Holy War (and for some reason never heard or purchased a Megadeth album). However, in the late 80s, I did have a soft spot for thrash from my homeland of England mainly […]

Interview with Epoch of Unlight

Interview with Epoch of Unlight

Way back in the late 90s/early 2000s, The End Records were arguably the best independent record label around that wasn’t one of the ‘big’ four- Nuclear Blast, Century Media, Relapse and Metal Blade- when it came to underground metal.

With releases from bands like Agalloch, Ulver, Arcturus, Anathema, November’s Doom, Crisis, Love History, Sculptured, Scholomance, Unexpect, Virgin Black and others, the label was diverse, ambitious and often genre bending.

But for me personally, one of the band’s early flag ship US bands that was able to compete with their European brethren was Tennessee’s black metal act Epoch of Unlight.

Cabal – Magno Interitus

Cabal – Magno Interitus

Let’s be honest, any deathcore records released in 2022 are going to be compared to Lorna Shore‘s Pain Remains, and releasing the same month as Pain Remains is a ballsy move. But Unique Leader pulled off two successful competitors with A Wake in Providence and Bonecarver. Let’s see how Nuclear Blast’s entry, the debut from […]

Candlemass – Sweet Evil Sun

Candlemass – Sweet Evil Sun

I struggle to think of another band revered with such legendary status as Candlemass has within the pantheons of Heavy Metal, with as strange and unorthodox a journey as theirs over their almost 40 year career. The breakups, reformations and seemingly endless string of cryptic hints at retirement, the rotating lineup of ex-members entering and […]

Disillusion – Ayam

Disillusion – Ayam

I’ve long extolled the virtues of Germany’s Disillusion on these very pages. From their breathtaking, classic debut, Back to Times of Splendor, to the divisive follow-up Gloria to the band’s comeback after a 13-year layoff in 2019s The Liberation. Well thankfully, we don’t have a long wait for them to follow up The Liberation, as […]

Ingested – Ashes Lie Still

Ingested – Ashes Lie Still

As heralded by their single “Rebirth” (which appears on this album as a remixed bonus track) from earlier this year,  one of the UK’S leading deathccore/slamming death metal acts, Ingested is a band reborn. Now a three-piece consisting of drummer Lyn Jeffs, guitarist/backing vocalist Sean Hynes and vocalist Jason Evans and aided on this album […]

TEETH OF THE DIVINE PRESENTS: KILLER CUTS 2!!!: THE….. CUTTENING?

TEETH OF THE DIVINE PRESENTS: KILLER CUTS 2!!!: THE….. CUTTENING?

We all know the sequel is usually better than the first part right? Aliens, Terminator 2, The Empire Strikes Back, The Dark Knight, Wrath of Khan, Debbie Does Dallas 2.

And we here at TeethoftheDivine know the kind of pressure that comes with making a sequel – it has to be bigger, better, the villains might even win, leaving the door open for a part 3 let down…

So we thought we would change it up for the second part of out Halloween Killer Cuts Special. So our writers could not go back to the well of know classics again. Instead the songs had to be from 2022…..

A Wake In Providence – Eternity

A Wake In Providence – Eternity

When you run the risk of being simply known as “the band that Will Ramos of Lorna Shore used to sing for”, you’d better deliver on your album that you recorded after Ramos’s departure  …. And Boy to A Wake in Providence respond and let the blackened deathcore world know they are NOT simply going […]

Goatwhore -Angels Hung From the Arches of Heaven

Goatwhore -Angels Hung From the Arches of Heaven

Music critics are idiots (myself included). Especially so when it comes to reviewing what can pass for a “big” release. Of course, this is metal, so that’s relatively speaking. If they say it’s the best thing since the blow job was invented, you can rest assured it sounds like pretty much everything else out there, […]

Lorna Shore – Pain Remains

Lorna Shore – Pain Remains

Have a seat, and grab a snack. This is gonna be a long one. Way back in 2015 I reviewed a pretty nondescript EP, Maleficium, from this New Jersey band called Lorna Shore. It was Ok, odd band name, and a few keyboards, but nothing really stood out. The same can be said for the […]

Revocation – Netherheaven

Revocation – Netherheaven

Sometimes a promo comes out that I just need to review. The promo in question here is Revocation’s new slab, Netherheaven. However, it was about third or fourth in line, I thought I had a lot more time, and then the boss comes in, knocks my macaroni and cheese off my desk into my lap, […]

Behemoth – Opvs Contra Natvram

Behemoth – Opvs Contra Natvram

Nergal, the controversial frontman for black/death mainstays Behemoth is basically that kid in school who everybody thinks is kind of aloof, doesn’t talk to anyone, and people somehow like. That is until he gets his license, drives by you in his new convertible his parents bought him with the top down, hair flowing, listening to […]

Megadeth – The Sick, the Dying… and the Dead!

Megadeth – The Sick, the Dying… and the Dead!

I reviewed Megadeth’s last album, Dystopia on here, when it was first released. Chris Adler, was still playing drums for Lamb of God and his drum work on Dystopia definitely increased their speed and that’s a great album. Since Dystopia, Dave Mustaine went through more lineup shifts. Longtime bassist David Ellefson was fired for getting […]

Epoch Of Unlight – At War With The Multiverse

Epoch Of Unlight – At War With The Multiverse

Listen, I’ve been excited about a fair number of reunions and comebacks over the years: Gorefest, Carcass, Disillusion, At The Gates, and recent ones like …And Oceans and Naglfar. But I have to admit, after a 17 year wait, news of the return of Tennessee’s Epoch of Unlight had me more thrilled than all of […]

Blackbraid – Blackbraid I

Blackbraid – Blackbraid I

Heading into 2022, I had no idea that this was going to wind up being my most heavily anticipated album of the year. Granted, I’d have to have been some kind of all-seeing mage or wizard or whatever, because, until the first day of this year, nobody knew Blackbraid even existed (ok, before someone writes […]

Machine Head – Of Kingdom and Crown

Machine Head – Of Kingdom and Crown

“Don’t knock it until you try it.” I start off with this because my original intro to this review was… unkind. After Catharsis, which I didn’t hate as much as seemingly everyone else (I used my words carefully and honestly there), I was prepared for this to be a shit sandwich. In my original intro, […]

Soilwork – Övergivenheten

Soilwork – Övergivenheten

Bjorn? Sven? Sylvain? David? Bastian? Rasmus? Good, you’re all here. Before we get started; Take off the chauffer’s cap, please Bjorn. We’re talking about Soilwork, not The Night Flight Orchestra. You should have known that. I thought I put it on the Outlook Calendar invite. Anyway, I’ve gathered all of you here to let you […]

Amon Amarth – The Great Heathen Army

Amon Amarth – The Great Heathen Army

Ho hum, album number 12 from these now fully established scene veterans, who have blown up in one of metal’s most consistent and best-selling acts. And if past logic shows us anything this should be a better Amon Amarth album based on the band’s affinity for good, then not as good, then good then not […]

The Halo Effect – Days of the Lost

The Halo Effect – Days of the Lost

At this point, shitting on a new In Flames record is a metalhead pastime on par with making fun of James Hetfield’s gratuitous “YEEEEAAH”-ing or screaming “SLAYERRRRRRRRRR” at ridiculous and nonsensical moments. Depending on when you decided that one of metal’s most influential and prolific acts jumped the shark, we’re talking actual decades since they’ve […]

Witchery – Nightside

Witchery – Nightside

What do you call Witchery at this point in their career? A super group? A collective, ever-evolving side project (aside from guitarists Patrick Jensen and Rickard Rimfalt, the last two remaining original members)? What was once basically a catch-all side gig for former members of Seance along with legendary bassist Sharlee D’Angelo (Mercyful Fate, Arch […]