Italy, while certainly a player in the metal genre, isn’t really known for its deathcore/metalcore/melodic death metal (Nail Within and Slowmotion Apocalypse immediately come to mind), so I really wasn’t really looking forward to reviewing the debut from Mondovi’s Stigma. Even more so when I discovered the album is also centered around horror movies and […]
After a couple of releases on Indianola Records, Tennessee’s Across Five Aprils made the expected jump to Victory Records, where their metalcore/hardcore meets post-rock meets emo hues, fit perfectly into the Victory-core style of music so popular with the kids today. You’ve heard this formula thousand times before, and while not quite as sugary as […]
Much like The Devil Wears Prada, Farewell To Freeway suffers greatly from the whole decent metalcore ruined by utterly sniveling, wimpy clean vocals syndrome… Musically, the band has a decent mix of catchy, commercial heavy/clean Killswitch Engage styled metalcore mixed with a dash of Misery Signal-ish layering and harmony. There are some decent riffs and […]
Arising from the ashes of Thorr’s Hammer, Burning Witch is known for being one of the forefathers of extreme doom metal, and featured two of the genres current luminaries in Steven O Malley and Greg Anderson who have served/currently serve in acts such as Sunn O))), Teeth of the Lions Rule The Divine, Khanate, and […]
As recently discussed here, I recently attended a Protest the Hero concert, and thought what better way to open the interview section of this new internet endeavor than to interview one of the most polarizing bands in metal today. And find out a little more about these Canadian kids (literally, they are all just 22-years […]
For a moment I thought this was called We Are the Grim ‘Thong’, and I had some really odd visualizations going through my head, but I digress… Exalted are a USBM act hailing from Chicago and they are eschewing the popular US obsessed, one man mope-fest style of black metal, and instead going for a […]
The White EP is the follow up to 2004’s The Grey EP, (which I never heard) and consists of 7 more acoustic, ambient and instrumental tracks from the leading purveyors of ‘grey metal’. Composed from 2004 to 2007, this limited edition EP is a good place for this batch of material as it’s hardly recognizable […]
So, this week I attended a Protest the Hero show in Columbia, MO. Now granted, I knew going in, that because the opening act was Chiodos that there would be a fair amount of emo fans attending the show. What I was not ready for was the sheer number of androgynous, asexual, identically-clad hermaphrodites that […]
The purpose of this blog is threefold; first to test this feature and make sure it works. Second to display my amazing wit and writing skills, and more importantly, third, to tell you about a website I found for all you displaced cd-tracker.com users.
Arguably the most hyped folk metal band of recent memory, Switzerland’s Eluveitie, to coincide with the upcoming Paganfest tour have released their second full-length album on Nuclear Blast and while an entertaining album, Heidevolk’s upcoming Walhalla Wacht is a far superior release as is most of Napalm’s ‘real’ folk bands. The problem is, despite the […]
Arguably one of the more popular of the new wave of American Metal Acts, Unearth have released this 2 disc DVD to their adoring fans (or a Metal Blade contract filler?), as a stop gap between III: Into the Eyes of Fire and the next no doubt huge album.The main part of the 2 disc […]
As a rule, I generally don’t care for live albums or live DVD’s. The live metal experience is meant to be seen and heard in person, not via speakers or television. However, one of the exceptions is Iron Maidens now legendary 1985 release, Live After Death. Recorded over 4 nights at the Long Beach arena […]
Sheesh-I must be getting soft in my old age with the likes of Protest the Hero, Eyes Set To Kill, November 5, 1955, Bury Your Dead and this unassuming yet highly addictive release from Kingston Falls recently getting more airplay than the likes of excellent releases from the likes of Origin, Azaghal and Leviathan. Named […]
Taking two recent vinyl only releases and putting them into one CD is Seventh Rule’s typically noisy and gnarly Chicagoans, Indian who deliver a middle ground effort of rumbling, sludgy, occasionally shoegazer styled metal, that won’t really impress anyone other than fans of the genre, despite its cool artwork. Tracks 1-4 comprise the Slights and […]
After a mini slew of solid records dating back to the likes of Harlots, The Concubine and Veil Of Maya, Corrosive Recordings have a bit of a miss here in the form of Arizona’s so called ‘Botch n Roll’ noise mongers, Blues and their debut album. Frenetic and jarring with moments of Bluesy, Southern rawk, […]
Where as the release from label mates Get Back Up was a more uplifting form of contemporary hardcore, Milwaukee’s Shitt Outta Luck is their drunk, nasty, pissed of and dirtier older brother… With members of Wings of Scarlet and Die Alone in their ranks, Shit Outta Luck deliver a grimier, more punk and booze fueled […]
You’ll have to bear with me, I have a handful of hardcore CDs I have to review in order to get them out of my mp3 player, the first of which is Buffalo, NY’s, contemporary hardcore act, Get Back Up and their 9 track ‘full length’ debut. And like the album, this review will be […]
So after recently re-issuing 2004’s Burning The Born Again and 2006’s Satanic Grimoire: A Greater Black Magick. Moribund has unearthed and dusted off veteran Colorado underground act Satan’s Host, whose discography dates back to 1986 without any sort of real fanfare or groundbreaking releases, and that hasn’t changed with their new offering. Apparently, the band […]
Though Moribund Records is often more known for its ambient black metal roster, they also seem to have a boner for gnarly old school black/death metal like Drawn and Quartered, Hacavitz, Summon, Godless Rising, Satan’s Host and Canada’s Grimbane. Consisting of main man Barbarous who some may recognize from the his days in War metal […]
*Sigh*- the things I do as a CD reviewer. Man, you guys are gonna rip me a new one… First off, I was in Hot Topic (I know, I know) and this was on the speakers, and asked the tattooed young scenster behind the desk if it was In This Moment, and she said no, […]
So after 5 years and four albums of balls out partying and after a major label change, it appears that Finland’s Forest Clan have hit that part of the party where you start to taste bile, slur your speech, get all sad and moody, tell all your friends you love them loudly and hug strangers. […]
I’ve never been a fan of the whole 1 song concept album. The only one that really set with me was Edge of Sanity’s “Crimson”, and I haven’t re-visited that in many years. Heck, even albums with just two lengthy songs like Moonsorrow’s last effort strains my patience. So here is a one song, 54 […]
I hate to beat a dead horse, as I’m sure most of you have read reviews of this rather high profile release already, but I’ll say it anyway-the side project featuring Jamey Jasta of Hatebreed and Kirk Windstein of Crowbar sounds like a mix of Hatebreed and Crowbar. There. End of review. Ok maybe not. […]
In the last few months we have seen some stunning brutal/technical death metal releases from the likes of Ulcerate, Sickening Horror, Decrepit Birth, Brain Drill and Hate Eternal, so you’ll have to excuse me if the debut from California’s Embryonic Devourment falls a bit short despite its effort and skill. Though my lack of glowing […]
Here’s how you can recreate Torch of War’s debut full length all by yourself; Trap a mosquito and hook up an amp to the container then record its wings buzzing incessantly for 35 minutes (guitars). At the same time, get a simple plastic beach bucket and have a child bang on it as fast and […]