The End is a perfect fit for these unclassifiable Canadian oddities, as unless you frequent the Cirque D’Soleil while tripping balls and listening to Emperor and Mr Bungle on your head phones, I’ll almost guarantee you’ve never heard anything like this.I will try my best to sum this 7 piece entourage up for you as […]
On one hand, the debut full length album from Switzerland’s Nucleus Torn is a fitting addition to Prophecy’s legacy of artistically exquisite, female fronted, avant garde, folk, ambient music, but at times it also awkwardly tries to be something a bit more progressively ‘metal’ or rock, and ultimately fails. When Nihil is delivering delicate and […]
Wow. The last time I heard this Belgian band on 2001’s Codex Barathri, they were playing a solid but unspectacular form of fantasy tinged pagan/folk black metal. Well, apparently starting with 2004’s genre shifting EP Incognition and after some substantial line-up changes, the band decided to play a form of progressive, technical melodic death metal. […]
The End has been relatively quiet in 2006 thus far, but with August and beyond unveiling amazing releases like Agalloch, Unexpect, Giant Squid, Virgin Black and Stolen Babies albums, The End looks to again to back on track and dominate year end lists with their brand of superbly unclassifiable music. Starting with Agalloch’s third masterpiece, […]
Album number three from this highly underrated Italian Melodic Death metal band that features Bjorn ‘Speed’ Strid of Soilwork fame on vocals, and ol’ Bjorn has to be pissed that his little Italian side project blows his full time band out of the water.Yeah I said it. Disarmonia Mundi, and this album especially, blows (recent) […]
Unfortunately, despite Victory Records spurt of semi metal here recently, (Beneath The Sky, Emmure), Florida’s A Day to Remember, following up their tepidly commercial debut, And Their Name Was Treason, deliver a predictably mundane yet Victory styled sophomore album that will appeal to the Hot Topic crowd. Whereas label mates Beneath The Sky seem genuinely […]
You’ve got to give FASSW some credit for trying something a bit new here. After the incredibly heavy debut EP, Not One Word Has Been Omitted, the Ohio act had a bit of a line up change with vocalist Will Jackson coming over from St. Louis act End Of All and bringing with him a […]
San Diego’s Cattle Decapitation have always been in the periphery of my death metal vision, lurking outside my favorite band circle, inching closer with every release due to my usual lack of affinity for grindcore. However, with Karma. Bloody. Karma Cattle Decapitation have burst into the circle, wide eyed and drooling with a full on […]
Rising from the tragic ashes of Windir, Norway’s Vreid (Wrath) continue to move away from the pagan/Viking tones of Windir and build on the fine debut, Kraft.Pitch Black Brigade is a black metal album at its dark, pulsing heart, but it’s a bold and creative form of black metal that introduces some grimy black ‘n’ […]
Wow. So good, but so fucking short. If you, like me were disappointed with Misery Index’s Discordia, grab this tasty little (literally) release and strap in for a 7 minute hellride of crusty, grinding intensity. Featuring Misery Index’s Own Jason Netherton, as well as Ruiner?s Danny Porter and ex-Swarm of the Lotus drummer Chris Csar, […]
I was rather interested to see how Massachuset’s All That Remains would follow up the precise American metal assault of This Darkenered Heart after a stint on Sounds of the Underground and rash of releases from their peers since that album (God Forbid, The Autumn Offering, Shadows Fall, etc). Well, Im glad to say ATR […]
I’m not a big fan of cover songs let alone a complete album of cover, despite being played by one of my favorite bands, so reviewing this 14 song insight to Between the Buried and Me?s infleunces was a bit of a oxymoron for me. First off, here is the track listing. This alone should […]
Hailing from Rhode Island (not to be confused with the UK Death metal act or the Danish heavy metal band), Anoxia deliver a pretty run of the mill but competent take on tight US brutal death metal.There’s nothing to get too excited about here unless your liable to really enjoy some slightly second tier Unique […]
You’ve got to respect the UK’s Twin Method for plying a genre that has become the laughing stock of metal over the last 8 years, but with Nu metal’s larger faces (Papa Roach, Limp Bizkit, Staind, Korn, Mudvayne, POD) being less relevant than Anna Nicole Smith, I’ll give some credit to Twin Method for at […]
I’ve never been a huge Zyklon fan, heck I wasn’t even really a great fan of Emperor so the fanfare that has preceded each Zyklon release thus far has not really made sense to me, especially considering the pretty standard quality of both World ov Worms and Aeon.However, with Zyklon’s third album, something seems to […]
Album number 4 from one man black metal entrepreneur (his albums are mostly self released and self produced) Ron Vento (I.C.E, Lestregus Nosferatus), whose band Aurora Borealis has served as a stepping stone for three of drumming’s biggest names as Tony Laureano, Derek Roddy (Nile, Malevolent Creation, Divine Empire, Council of the Fallen, Hate Eternal), […]
My top album of 2005 was the sophomore effort, Alaska from North Carolina’s Between the Buried and Me. Formed by members of short lived metalcore legends Prayer for Cleansing Tommy Rogers and Paul Waggoner and joined on Alaska by Glass Casket members Dusty Waring and Blake Richardson, gives Between the Buried and Me an arguably all star line up and it showed. The album defies categorization and oozes brilliance from every jagged riff, clean segue and introspective jam. So when given the chance to see the band along with The Red Chord and A Life Once lost on an Ozzfest off date at a local dive bar, Mojo’s in Columbia, MO, I jumped at the chance, and at the chance to visit with vocalist Tommy Rogers….
Swiss tough guys (that sounds like such an oxymoron) Cataract return with the follow up to the burly With Triumph Comes Loss which saw the straight edge band forsake their melodic metalcore sound in favor of a more in your face chugging hardcore stance, and it continues competently if unimaginatively on Kingdom. The recipe is […]
As the opening tones of introductory number “The Slaughter of Baby Jesus” opens up Necrophobic’s fifth effort, I literally got goose bumps from the mix of epic choral arrangements, chants and menacing delivery. It’s a pity the rest of the album never reaches that same level of tangible musical wickedness, instead plying a solid if […]
Armed with a shiny new deal with Relapse and riding acclaimed criticism of their self released Dissent EP, which hinted at a legendary follow up to the scene shaking Retaliate, Misery Index appear ready to conquer the extreme metal world…Then why is it that Discordia underwhelms me? Why am I mildly disappointed? Did Retaliate and […]
As if Candlelight wasn’t already having a great year with the likes of Daylight Dies, Enslaved, Ihsahn, Keep of Kalessin, Zyklon and Bal-Sagoth, here is arguably one of the most anticipated ‘reunion’ albums of the year within its respective genre. I wont bore you with the history of Starkweather, but one could argue that without […]
Do not click off this review, you will miss one of the most surprising and stunning albums of the year from a completely unknown band.The first release from the longtime hardcore webzine, and by god it?s a fucking scorcher. I initially saw Lye By Mistake at a local show in St. Louis and I was […]
Though most think Metal Blade are more miss than hit with their recent metalcore offerings (i.e Phoenix Mourning, Machinemade God), their sub label, Ironclad have had a little more success (The Classic Struggle, If Hope Dies) and continue that with this debut album. Though named after a bee farm, not a very metal moniker I’ll […]
“The Heaviest Album of the Year. Period” – from Prosthetic’s promotional sheet. Folks, there is not denying that the ‘heavy’ in heavy metal takes many form; the blazing speed of Nile, the rumble of Bolt Thrower and the dirge like oppression of Catacombs; all heavy in their own right, but regardless of what you term […]
People, pay attention. What we have here is a very, very special US Black Metal record, a landmark even. While Wrest has been sucking up all the USBM glory with his well-deserved plethora of EPs and splits, no band has truly challenged the USMB throne occupied by Leviathan. Until Now.While most USBM seem to try […]