For the first time in many years, hardcore has once again reached a point of critical mass. Granted, some advances have been made in the scene the past few years – hardcore-oriented bands getting considerably heavier and/or going in more experimental/genre-dicing directions, or at the very least, heading for more emo waters; if such can […]

This is one if those really unusual releases that provided me with a serious split personality complex. You see, while I am listening to this debut from this promising and diverse quintet, I am enjoying it completely. Yet, when I am not listening to it, there is nothing about it that makes me crave listening […]

Dark, infectious trip-hop beats kick off “Je(n!)i Force,” the first track off Nowafter, the electronic, indie/goth-laced new collection from This Empty Flow. Akin to Portishead, Massive Attack or something far more sinister – this tune stifles the listener with its scientifically crafted blend of bleak, pop wisdom. Judging from this band’s previous output, including their […]

I’m going to get straight to the point, much like this criminally short mini-album from Thy Pain. More Than Suffering is no frills, no musical jargon kick ass American death metal. I just wish it were a longer ass kicking. Here’s what you get in 21 minutes: some very aggressive, pounding yet melodic American death […]

This new black metal band say they play raw and icy black metal, and the song “Earth,” on Opus I- Discipline of the Elements, is a good example of this, but it is not typical raw black metal. The guitars are cleaner and the music is more atmospheric. There is a doom style to the […]

This one came out of nowhere. I had never before heard of Tierra Santa when I got Sangre De Reyes. After spinning the record many times now, I am not sure whether I am sorry for that or not. I mean, these guys can play! That goes without saying. This record is brimming with top-notch […]

As soon as I saw “Produced by David T. Chastain” on the back cover of 2050, I knew it was to be a total shred-fest! He is truly one of the most underrated, unsung guitar demons in metal history so I knew that if it had his name on it, it would have to be […]

“Shoot to kill, or don’t shoot at all.” This excerpt from the sample that opens Backstabbers Inc.’s newest helping of heart-exploding hardcore catharsis is probably the most appropriate way to describe the attitude these five crazy kids from New Hampshire play their music with. While You Were Sleeping is a total grind/thrash/hardcore blur of swinging […]

With 27 tracks spanning six studio releases (along with a few live numbers and a demo gem), Torn from the Grave is the definitive Autopsy collection, and fans of the ye olde school of death metal need look no further for moronic, blood-soaked, brain-bashing fun. The CD itself is a beautiful digipack, featuring four fold […]

Their sixth studio album (seventh if you count 1993’s Amon: Feasting The Beast, which was basically their 1990 debut in demo form), In Torment surprisingly finds our wily God-hating antiheroes jumping on the rap-metal bandwagon to better reach their new audience on their upcoming world tour as openers for Korn and Kottonmouth Kings. First stop: […]

After enduring turbulent times at their previous label, Washington D.C.’s Darkest Hour finally find solid ground in Victory Records. What doesn’t kill you, only makes you stronger, so the adage goes. For Darkest Hour, adversity is the key to survival and, furthermore, the catalyst in crafting their most impressive effort to date. Whereas The Mark […]

Progression, foresight and innovation are all words associated with Fear Factory’s debut album, Soul of a New Machine. The Californian space-metal outfit blended styles as diverse as Godflesh, Head Of David, Swans and Frontline Assembly with death metal sensibilities to forma musical expression far beyond the primitive brutality of Pitch Shifter and Ministry-isms of Skrew. […]

Belphegor released this album in 1995 on Lethal Records and no one noticed. Those that wanted it later could not find it so Last Episode was gracious to re-release it in 1999 complete with six bonus tracks. Mercenary Musik is now re-releasing the original version, according to their web site, with all art work restored. […]

Austria’s masters of “cruel blasphemic hyperblast aggression” get the re-release treatment courtesy of Mercenary Musik. Blutsabbath was originally released in 1997 by Last Episode. For those who already own the original version, read no farther- this is an exact copy. For those new to the band, Belphegor play black/death and can be described as Morbid […]

After adding veteran metal vocalist Rob Rock (Impellitteri, Angelica, M.A.R.S.) to the fold, Warrior returns with its third full-length album The Code of Life. This is an album full of good riffs, strong melodies and stellar sonics. Compared to past Warrior records, this one has a darker, more ominous feel to it. This is at […]

This old style keyboardless black metal band from the Pacific Northwest has been around for a few years. Warlords of Hell is a successful follow up to Satan’s Wrath. While it might be a stretch to refer to them as maturing, they are definitely more accomplished musically. Where Satan’s Wrath was an interesting if not […]

Back in 1994, three bands were leading the savage path of black metal into the mainstream. Emperor released Into the Nightside Eclipse, Cradle of Filth released Principles of Evil Made Flesh, and finally Ancient released Svartalvheim. All three were landmark albums and eventually led to more acclaimed albums and propelled two of the bands to […]

There are two opposing factions when it comes to this British five piece. Either you hate them, and think that their over-the-top theatrical metal is cheesy synth-heavy fodder for basement dwelling D&D fanatics. Or, you love the bombastic barbarian imagery and grandiose epic metal styling, set to fantasy inspired orchestrations. I fall in the latter […]

This Finnish atmospheric black metal band has released a string of demos since 1996, and finally put out a full-length debut. With so many bands vying for position within the atmospheric black sub genre, it seems Finland is cornering the market on top flight talent. Uhrilehto is yet another talented newcomer with good musicianship on […]

Oh yeah! Classic melodic, technical thrash lives! Ohio’s Antithesis plays a blistering brand of classic metal akin to Helstar, Sanctuary and even old Realm and Toxik. They blend choppy, thrash-like riffs, excellent guitar harmonies and lead work, tight, technical drumming and clean, yet edgy vocals into a hard hitting record that is both fresh and […]

No, I’m not going to spend a lot of time explaining why grindcore is so excellent; if you tend to get sick of my polemicizing, believe you me, I get sicker quicker. So I’ll confine myself to remarking that grind roolz, and death metal (for the most part) droolz. Now on to the album at […]

Impetigo were considered by many to be the kings of true underground death metal when they broke up in 1993. This band played a large role in furthering the expansion of the underground during the tape trading days of old. They also remain a huge influence on our current international death and gore metal scene. […]

Peaceville never plied the safest of waters with its artists or its artists’ statements. The label’s outspoken stance on artist integrity is seen not in the atmospheric delight of Anathema, My Dying Bride, et al., but in the likes of Autopsy, GGFH and, most importantly, Dark Throne. Autopsy’s Shitfun cover was the progenitor of the […]

If there was ever a band in metal that reveled in defying expectations and restrictive labels while continuing to move in a forward direction, it has been Amorphis. Ever since their groundbreaking effort Tales from the Thousand Lakes, they have been on a seemingly endless track of experimentation and evolution. Am Universum, their latest effort, […]

Aeba, a German outfit, describe their style as “apokalyptic black metal.” They do have a female keyboardist, but she doesn’t sing. This is atmospheric black, not gothic black – and they are fully corpsepainted, with studs and leather. Rebellion – Edens Asche is a lengthy album and features eight songs and runs 66 minutes. The […]