Signing to a major label doesn’t necessarily result in the immediate benefits that one might expect, especially if the band in question has spent years developing their sound on the independent circuit. Most of these artists fail to make the transition from underground to mainstream success and Amorphis are certainly no exception to the rule. […]

The Greek trio Bullethole, formerly known as Human Decay, has brought their debut CD Incarceration to the mortal kind, also known as human beings (that is us). According to the band themselves, what we’re given is a mix between The Haunted and Hatebreed. And to my surprise, they’re not that far off with their ‘thrash […]

Netherland’s Crustacean have been together since 1989, mainly touring and playing Slayer and have only released a handful of material. Demos included. None the less, Insaniac marks the band’s progress to full- length number dos. First, you can’t avoid the cover artwork on this disc. Cheesy computer generated 3D skeletons, badly modeled demon and bright […]

This is a strange one. Hailing from the Ukraine, Phantasmagory blends progressive death with jazzy, serpentine synth soundscapes to create a cosmic, darkly whimsical experience. It’s like Cynic playing the soundtrack to a Final Fantasy game. Very odd. Makes Arcturus sound staid and predictable. Released in 2002, Anamorphosis of Dreams features a collection of Edward […]

Grinding and grating, obstinate to the point of obnoxiousness, the Unpersons come raging out of the gate with an “everything but the kitchen sink” take on noisy hardcore. The chaos belies their youth which fuels the pure energetic musical misdirection achieved frequently throughout this release. The album starts to move along at break-neck pace, alternately […]

So Gothicized symphonic black metal has been done to death right? Bands like Dimmu Borgir, Cradle of Filth and Old Mans Child have essentially set the bar for others to follow, and follow they have-in droves. Graveworm, Apostasy, Ninnumaum, Agathodaimon, Chthonic, Tidfall, and too many others to name have all delivered their own takes on […]

A Belgian band I’ve never heard of and A Finnish label I’ve never heard of equals an album of the year contender? Weird, huh? Doom metal has been in kind of a slump over the last few years, never able to find the glory of the early 1990’s, despite welcome recent efforts by Shape of […]

Is this band really even relevant anymore? Somehow a band of cult status since 1988 despite a less than prolific album output (considering the length of time they’ve been around), not including hosts of compilations and underground rare recordings. Acheron is the very definition of a cult underground band. That being said , this is […]

Life has a funny way of doing things. One minute you are in a band that has released one of the better albums of 2003, you’ve just signed new record deal, and then you die. And while, the rumors circulating around the apparent suicide of Windir’s frontman, Valfar, certainly will effect the writing of this […]

Would you think a band hailing from Mondeville, France would be the future of black metal as we know it? If you don’t, let me enlighten you. Formed in 1993, and originally know as Vlad until they released their debut album Ultima Thulée in 1995. That album and their second album Memoria Vetusta I – […]

Do you want to “fuck shit up?” Or “jump the fuck up?” Or do something other “[insert verb and a curse here] up” for that matter, in the safety of your home? If so, then perhaps the new Machine Head live album, Hellalive, caters the goods for you. Recorded at Brixton Academy, London, England in […]

I’ll admit to being initially interested in this band because Frost did the drum tracks. I read that tidbit in a catalog selling the self titled cd and ordered it immediately. That was a few years ago and after listening to this new cd Liberation, it should be obvious to all that 1349 is far […]

Does Marduk offer anything new? Do they need to if they deliver their style so perfectly? The sound quality is a vast improvement over La Grande…, pulverizing your vocal chords with an immense wall of sound with drumming so intense you will get bruises. Punishing without overpowering the guitars, they have finally achieved the perfect […]

This is true black metal that will make all posers run screaming from the room, no industrial, no groove, no dark ambient. I first heard about Calvarium in 2002 and was intrigued but never tracked down anything to listen to. Now, thanks to Dynamic Arts I’ve got a promo copy of the debut of one […]

Arma Angelus, featuring ex-members of hardcore luminaries Racetraitor and Extinction, are conveniently Eulogy Recordings new warhorse following the spectacular demise of Santa Sangre. Where most bands in this space use death and thrash metal devices to create a sense of heaviness missing in traditional hardcore, Arma Angelus’ thick, angular attack comes from a rock and […]

As Carl Jung paved his existential path through the mass of behavioral psychology, so have Scholomance have carved their own path through the generic fields of satanic black metal and gore-ridden American death metal. They have forged a path of individuality that breaks the mold and challenges the American extreme metal scene. With a deeply intellectual approach and a musical ability that sometimes dazzles and confuses, Scholomance look to take a place among American metal as a leader, not a follower. The three piece consisting of Scott Crinklaw (guitars, percussion, and keyboards), Jimmy Pitts (vocals and keyboards) and bassist Jerry Twyford seem poised at the edge of abyss of greatness, just waiting for a push over the edge. The latest album The Immortality Murder, might be the album to do just that. Residing on The End records, Scholomance seem to fit the progressive nature of the label, I visited with guitarist and keyboardist Scott Crinklaw about The End records, lyrical influences and the promising future for Scholomance.

Rhetorically, I imagine I you meet death metal bands in a bar, Origin would try to impress you with clever sleight of hand tricks. Bolt Thrower might lumber over and give you a gruff nod and mumbled brummie greeting. Nile may strike up a deep conversation concerning mummies, pyramids, Isis and such. Deranged however would […]

This is the band that calls itself “satanic elitist black metal” and a “necrocult.” As most everyone knows by now, Attila Csihar is an official member of the band, but the practice of guest musicians continues. Nattefrost from Carpathian Forest, Irrumator from Anaal Nathrakh, Bard “Faust” Eithun now with Dissection… The question is whether this […]