What’s not surprising about this release is that considering 3/5 of the band were in Through the Eyes of The Dead, Salarian Gate sounds like a Through the Eyes of the Dead album. What is surprising is that Relapse would release record that sounds like a Through the Eyes of the Dead album, considering the […]
Now more known for having Bjorn “speed’ Strid (Soilwork, Terror 2000) in their ranks, Italy’s Disharmonia Mundi were actually a pretty progressive melodic death metal band before Strid joined the fold, as this re-issue of their 2002 debut shows. While I was impressed with the (vastly under-rated) Strid era albums (2006s Mind Tricks and 2004s […]
One of the first two releases from Italy’s fledgling Coroner Records, (the other being a re-issue of Disharmonia Mundi’s under-rated 2002 debut, Nebularium), despite the cover art and name, I actually came away impressed with Destrage’s take on groovy, thrashy, rocking take on melodic death metal. With a healthy dose of commercial rock, some death […]
How in the fuck is a band like Be’lakor not signed to a decent label? (In the US anyway) Not only did they deliver a stunning self released debut, The Frail Tide in 2007, which was universally acclaimed, they have followed it up with a tighter, better produced follow up. All a label has to […]
To be honest, I don’t know why I’m bothering with this review. There are two crowds when it comes to this band and deathcore in general- love it of hate it, and most have decided before even checking the sophomore album from Suicide Silence out. The thing is, the deathcore haters and the fans that […]
Here’s another one of Einheit Produktionen’s belated 2008 releases and while not as impressive as Andras’s Iron Way, Norway’s SorgSvart does offer a very unique and playful take on Viking/Pagan black metal. Comprised of one man, Sorg (not Vintersorg’s Sorg), Vikingtid Og Anarki is actually his second album, but my first introduction to him, and […]
Tasked with following up the excellent Undoing Ruin and Deliver Us, Washington DC’s Darkest Hour- arguably one of the culprits of the state of the modern American metal scene, at least know how to be consistent. Starting their more refined take of hack and slash At the Gates worship on Hidden Hands of a Sadist […]
I had an axe to grind with this album before I even heard it- not only was it a self titled album, which is one of my pet peeves, it was the second time the band has released a self titled album- are you kidding me? Also, with the band basically writing the same album […]
So the new label of Skinlab, released this, the third full length album from Los Angeles’ Flatline earlier this year, and its been sitting on my Ipod since February , waiting to be reviewed, and to be honest I completely forgot about it, which tells you something about its quality. Now, Pave the Way isn’t […]
Arguably surpassing The Black Dahlia Murder as Metal Blade’s media darlings, JFAC have at least weathered the hype and the hate to change styles from their reee filled deathcore to morph into a more respectable death metal outfit, and retain their fan base as 2007s unit moving Genesis proved. However, in these eyes (or ears) […]
One could easily look at the moniker, cookie cutter logo, generic computerized cover art, and Metal Blade’s recent release history, and make the assumption that As You Drown is merely another drop in the generic deathcore bucket. Wrong. As You Drown (previously named Ethereal) hail from Sweden and play death metal. Really good fucking death […]
As England’s most extreme export since Napalm Death have made their transition from apocalyptic black metal to grindcore, they have managed to retain some of intensity and ferocity of The Codex Necro, though far less caustic, and have been able to introduce some love ‘em or hate ‘em clean croons amid the mechanical, robotic blasting […]
I’ll be the first to admit I’ve never been a drone fan and despite being seven albums into their career the apparent pinnacle of the genre, this is my first exposure to the duo of Greg Anderson and Stephen O’ Malley. However, what intrigued me about this release and prompted me to check Sunn O))) […]
You’ve got to respect what Markus Eck and his German webzine have accomplished with the fifth installment of their Metal Message folk/pagan/Viking compilation CDs. For this lavishly packaged release, legendary artist Ed Repka (Megadeath, Death, Atheist, 3 Inches of Blood) has provided the cover and the DVD packaged material is full of endearing artwork, including […]
It would be easy for me to simply cut and paste my review Obituary’s real comeback album, 2007s Xecutioner’s Return considering this has the same sort of throwback glorious artwork, sense of album ranging classic Obituary riffage, Ralph Santolla’s leads and oppressive, murky production that made Xecutioner’s Return so good. Ultimately that’s what most of […]
Formed by members of the decidedly non death metal act Ananda (and other hardcore acts), Carmina is the full of death metal assault and only the second release on fledgling Rewolucja Records (owned by Carmina bassist Bif), and it’s a pretty scorching little EP. Clocking in at 25 minutes, the 7 no nonsense songs that […]
So here is the first and last album from Amesoeurs, another genre pushing French act featuring Neige from Alcest and Peste Noire fame, and if you enjoy Alcest’s gentler take on black metal as well as the current trend of organic artistic black metal like Wolves In The Throne Room, Fen and Altar of Plagues, […]
I was only recently introduced to Ireland’s Primordial by way of 2005s The Gathering Wilderness and 2007s To the Nameless Dead, and only in the last month or so have I had a chance to go back and check out the Candlelight reissues of 2000s Spirit the Earth Aflame and 2002s Storm Before Calm. However, […]
I like what Tribunal records has done recently; Asecretdeath’s impressive debut, re-releasing Inferi’s solid 2009 self released debut then re-issuing two of 2008s better self released efforts; Iron Thrones’ brilliant Visions of Light, and the self titled debut EP from this young but immensely talented Denver, Colorado quartet. Though only 4 songs and 18 minutes in length, […]
My only previous exposure to this grinding Swedish trio was their 2007 split with Relevant Few, and I immediately thought the likes of Gadget and Rotten Sound finally had some competition to be Nasum’s heir apparent. Now I have not heard the full length debut Svarta Dagar, so I can’t compare Vid Helvetets Grindar, but […]
One only need look at the Jon Baizley-ish artwork, the Scott Hull mastering and the label to have a guess as to the style of this solid full length debut from this Florida duo: droning, psychedelic, doomy post rock styled sludge cut from the same cloth as Deadbird, Rwake, Samothrace, Minsk and such. While hardly […]
Once I heard that Amorphis’ ninth album once again delved into Finnish folk literature a la the legendary Elegy as well as Eclipse (Skyforger, like Eclipse is based on the Kalevala poems, this time focusing on Ilmarinen, one of the central characters), I had my hopes pretty high. Even more so when you consider that […]
I literally knew nothing about this Nevada band before seeing this suddenly appear in Metal Blade’s digital promo site, apparently their second full length album – no press hype from Metal Blade, no other inklings about the style or substance of the band before I pressed play. And when I did press play I was […]
Not content with Dawn of Demise and their super chunky, hefty style of death metal Deepsend has delved into the Danish death metal barrel once again, and pulled out another killer, similarly styled act in The Cleansing. Formed from the ashes of Usipian featuring cross band members of Panzerchrist and Corpus Mortale (notably Martin Rosendahl […]
Credit where credit is due, Hungary’s Ektomorf have been playing their version of Soulfly’s 1998 self titled album for nearly a decade now with little sign of letting up of changing style five albums in, even with a label change from Nuclear Blast to AFM Records. At least you know exactly what you are getting […]