Listen, I fully understand the hate for Hatebreed. Past their influential debut, they have been responsible for popularizing ‘hardcore’ and making it more commercial, and putting it in malls and on MTV. But there is no denying their chest-beating anthemic take on ‘bro-core’ has been the rallying cry for a generation and more than likely […]
Hey, listen, far be it from me to criticize or question a band’s creative process. Artists are artists! Some bands can pump out new material every couple of years and avoid having it feel stale or overdone, and good for them! But others like to let things marinate, I mean really stew for years to […]
I’m pretty sure everyone goes through some degree of a dinosaur phase during their childhood, right? I know I sure as shit went through a pretty big one. Look around long enough in my parents’ house and you’ll probably still stumble across some plastic dinosaur figurines, dinosaur bed sheets, probably a few books. Then at […]
Much like Connecticut’s Fires In The Distance, Austin, TX’s Hinayana (‘Lesser Path’ in Sanskrit) is a US based band playing an excellent melodic doom death style that sounds like they come from Finland or some other Scandinavian shore that perfects this style of metal in their sleep. Deep vocals, crunchy guitars, layers of somber melody […]
If you didn’t enjoy 2019’s Of Rot and Ruin by Hath, I don’t know what to tell you. Despite the fact that I don’t much care for “Star Wars” and I thought the band was called “Hoth” in an homage, I still gave it a listen. When I realized my mistake, I was glad to […]
He Who Binds Himself is a death metal band from Arizona, and they are of interest to me and might be of interest to you as they feature members of Vehemence, the US death metal band who released the fantastic God Was Created back in 2002, a classic album from the 00s. When Vehemence went […]
All hail Hail Spirit Noir who hail from Greece. These gentlemen caught my ears and eyes when they released Oi Strigoi all the way back in the “before times” in 2014. I was, and remain a big fan of that album, so I was excited when they released Mayhem in Blue in 2016. While I […]
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 […]
Germany’s metalcore/death metal veterans have always been one of those bands I kinda like. I own quite a few of their prior 12 albums, but I don’t think I have listened to them fully, and I pick them up used if I happen to find them rather than instantly buy them or seek them out. […]
I remember reading a review of Horrified‘s 2018 full-length release, Allure of the Fallen, where the band was described as having a sound familiar to Horrendous, but without the prog attributes. While this isn’t my favorite description of the band’s style, it’s admittedly, not too far off either, and ends up working well since more […]
If you’re like me, then the Fall and Winter seasons sees an influx in your doomy/gothic/rocking death metal listening schedule. Whether it be the colder temperatures, the dying/dead fauna, the colorless and cloudy skies, or the realization that we as individuals and as a whole are yet another year closer to our own demise, this […]
Malaysia’s Humiliation return with their 10th long player and singer, Bear Bee recently informed me what a special recording this was for them. Being around a decade now and releasing an album each year they wanted to make Parallel Chains of Command extra special. Humiliation has never had a title track for any of their […]
I have not been a big thrash guy since my teens (Sabbat, Metallica, Toranaga, Slayer etc), and none of the ‘nu thrash’ (Municipal Waste, Toxik Holocaust etc) has really grabbed me. The only 2 ‘new’ thrash bands that I have really enjoyed have been Germany’s Mortal Infinity and The Netherlands’ Anger Machine, as they have […]
The mid-west part of the US has always been a hotbed of brutal and killer death metal. This album features current and former members of bands such as: Lividity, Putrid Pile, Necrotic Disgorgement, Regurgitation and Gorgasm, just to name a few, in case you were counting. Matt Bishop (longtime friend) on vocals/guitar, Tony Tipton-guitar, Phil […]
Skulls? Czech. Wild corpse paint? Czech. Black attire? Czech. Hooded/cloaked member? Czech. Spiked wrist band(s) and/or gauntlets? Czech. Finger claw ring thingy? Czech. Satan as the bands frontman? Czech. Wait…What? That’s right friends, Hnus Umirajici’s frontman/vocalist is apparently the Prince of Darkness himself, or at least according to the band’s press bio. In fact, the […]
Willowtip Records have to be one of the most diverse underground metal labels out there. With over a half dozen new releases on deck for 2019 Jason Tipton has built quite the label lineup of diverse talent (Ceremony of Silence, Vale of Pnath,). New Jersey’s Hath are no exception. Debuting way back in 2015 these […]
Malaysia’s Humiliation return with their 9th long player and singer, Bear Bee recently informed me they will be recording their 10th full-length album quite soon. By now you know what’s in store for you with Humiliation’s writing and musical direction. War-themed death metal lyrics with music heavily influenced by: Bolt Thrower/Hail of Bullets/Asphyx, Six Feet […]
England’s Hecate Enthroned is largely known for being the band that Former Cradle of Filth bassist/vocalist Jon Kennedy formed after departing Cradle of Filth before they were huge rock stars (he actually appears on the original version of Dusk and Her Embrace, recently released as The Original sin) , and subsequently and unabashedly ripping off Cradle […]
The Heretic’s Fork (an expectedly awful medieval torture device) is one of those ‘mysterious’ bands with no bio, information, facebook, or bandcamp page, heck these guys are not even up at Metal Archives. But here is what I’m assuming is their debut album, and its 8 tracks of muddy, chaotic, dissonant brutal death metal. At 27 minutes and […]
After locking into their sound on 2005’s I. Monarch, Erik Rutan and Hate Eternal have delivered 4 damn fine albums of American death metal that’s one of the more solid discographies of the last decade or so. And with the addition of drummer Hannes Grossman (Alkaloid, ex Necrophagist) on drums to Rutan and JJ Hrubovcak (on his […]
France’s chosen children of hard rockin’, Maryland doom tinged grooves return with their 5th full-length album, Banlieue Triste, which is their overall umpteenth release to date in a sprawling discography full of driving melody riffs, lamenting crooned vocals, a locked on rhythm section and generally damn good songwriting. Hangman’s Chair have managed to survive a […]
From the dank swamps of the Bayou land comes a double dose of filth on this dirty little split 7”. Helmed by the Paranoize label which also runs an awesome, seminal zine this slick release introduces a pair of bands that have been kicking around in the underground for a bit now. WOORMS rams noise-rock/sludge/post-hardcore […]
Raleigh, North Carolina sludgy blues/doom overlords Horseskull immediately jumped on my radar for containing ¾ of the classic Soulpreacher line-up (Anthony Staton on guitar/vocals, Mike Avery on guitar/FX and Robb Hewlett on bass). The Preacher’s mean, swingin’ riff gospel, tightly locked rhythm grooves and Anthony Staton’s scalding scream was a depraved pleasure on their Man’s […]
Pissed off megaton sludge from Italy is the day’s special served up by Hell Obelisco and their crusty, punk-inflected debut Swamp Wizard Rises. This record is an unrelenting steamroller of groove, effortless tempo downshifts that lay off the speed throttle long enough to catch some head-nodding blues riffs and wrathful vocals that are on the […]
Finland’s Hooded Menace have been slogging their brand of doom death metal for over a decade now and continue to hone their craft and get stronger with each release. Ossuarium Silhouettes Unhallowed, their 5th full length is such a monstrous release, I do not know where to begin. Adding more band members seems to add […]