Posts Tagged ‘J Mays’

Let’s get something out of the way first: Fuck cassettes. I recall a conversation I had with a few metalheads slightly older than myself at a festival when one of the bands “only” had CDs and vinyl available as physical formats. Two young whippersnappers asked them if they had any cassettes, to which they replied; […]

Welcome to the Annual Cynicism Roundtable, where we bring the world’s prominent cynics together to share why we think the world is total bullshit. As always, I’m hosting several well-known guests, such as my first, Neill Jameson of Krieg. I’d ask how you are, but I think we all know the answer. On that note, […]

It’s been a difficult few years for Fuming Mouth since they released their debut, The Grand Descent. You can likely get that entire backstory from any other review of this album, so I won’t dive into it here. However, suffice it to say this band came out swinging with their follow-up, Last Day of Sun. […]

Is this the Death/Doom album of the year? That’s for you to decide, bitch. However, Death/Doom is absolutely my wheelhouse and I have been underwhelmed by a lot of the output so far this year. At this time last year, I felt the same, and then Mother of Graves punched me in the gut. So, […]

If somehow Gravesend’s previous album, Methods of Human Disposal, didn’t catch your eye with its artwork of a nun holding a newspaper with the headline “Pope Shot,” perhaps their new album Gowanus Death Stomp will. If you were able to get through my introductory run-on sentence, good for you. Good for all of us. Good […]

When our fearless leader sent me this promo, I was not happy about the prospect of grind/punk bands doing covers of my favorite band, Type O Negative. In my inbox, it sat. Then, I thought about it, and remembered the hardcore roots of Peter Steele and how he infamously said multiple times regarding their next […]

I don’t know how many Volbeat fans there are dwelling in our dungeon, but if there are any, it may please them to know this is frontman Michael Poulsen’s return to death metal. “Return,” your dumb ass questions incredulously? Yes, return. If you’re unfamiliar with his band Dominus’s early material, I’d recommend familiarizing yourself, as […]

Dripping Decay is the best kind of decay. Wet, sopping, moist decay. A sexy band name for a sexy collection of songs. Maybe it will make you drip by the end, too. If you couldn’t tell by that first paragraph, I have problems. Metal is the only thing on this planet that makes me happy. […]

Another year, another excellent release from one of my favorite old-school death metal bands, Heads for the Dead. 5 songs in 24 minutes isn’t much, but maybe it will tide us all over until the next one arrives. All you have to ask yourselves is if they still sound like Heads for the Dead. The […]

I have no problem feeling depressed or sad. Just ask my therapist! I don’t need a band or music to make me feel miserable, yet I seek it. Why? I don’t know, maybe ask Ethereal Tomb and their brand of sludgy doom. According to a quick search, this is the Canadian duo’s second full length […]

It seems my reviews are becoming scarce, but when I do review something these days, it’s almost always an AOTY sleeper. It might be that I don’t spend time on anything unless I enjoy it. This is because I am typically doing one of three things; working, sleeping, or attending concerts, with the occasional opportunity […]

I stand by the sentiment in my review of Crypta’s debut, Echoes of the Soul. There is room for them, as well as Nervosa. However, I took the diplomatic approach and didn’t take a solid stance on which album is better. That was a mistake because Echoes of the Soul is better and holds up […]

If you’re not into modern metal, or what some painting with the broadest of brushes calls “metalcore,” you’re not going to like this. However, I am going to make like the gallon of milk I left in my car, spoil it, and let you know I do. Why do I like it, though? I’m so […]

You know what they say, Outer Heaven, innie belly button. Or something. These young cosmic death metal fiends took a risk by letting five years pass between albums at a time when the new wave of old-school death metal is taking over. So, it has high expectations, especially from me since I almost literally live […]

I’ve consumed a substantial amount of death metal this year. It has typically been that nasty, new-school death metal I’ve been enjoying. Coffin Mulch is in that mold(er), except they’re that buzzsaw variety of Swedish death metal, hailing from somewhere not Sweden… It’s the UK if you’re wondering. I quite enjoyed Septic Funeral and nearly […]

This is a great metalcore album. More than that, it’s just a great album regardless of genre. I hadn’t listened to Death Ray Vision’s last one, but enjoyed the first mainly because I’ll listen to pretty much anything in which these metalcore masters are involved. Add Brian Fair of Shadows Fall and you have me. […]

It almost seems silly to type the phrase “old-school deathcore.” It means bands such as All Shall Perish, Despised Icon, and Suicide Silence, at least in my view. I’m sure it means something different to others. Nowadays, with the awareness to know I am sounding like an old man yelling at clouds, it’s symphonic deathcore […]

Somewhere twixt Englishmen throwing some bolts (one in this band in fact) and good old red-blooded ‘Mericans getting Butchered at Birth in the Florida Foreverglade(s) lies DeathCollector. What I’m tellin’ ya, son is that they’re true death metal, ya bastards! They don’t take long to show you and they keep it simple. Meat and potatoes […]

If you’re not familiar with The Bleeding, well that’s a shame. Their previous two are quite good, but their new album Monokrator, is their pinnacle. Death thrash is best when it’s played with a sense of urgency, and they do that here. It’s almost like they stole a bunch of classified documents, stored them in […]

Okay, so I know I’m late. When I received the promo before the release date, I expected I would have this done in short order. Life happens and so does this album. To review this properly, one must spend copious amounts of time, so if you’re not into being patient, then don’t bother with Hive […]

Skull-fucking the expectations. That could be the title of this review were it to have one. When I reviewed their debut, The Art of Morphology,  Dawn of Ouroboros had a bright future. However, it felt like their first album, as is frequently the case, was a band attempting to find its voice. I refer to […]

The Teeth of the Divine staff is rarely, if ever wrong. For example, when the new Nightmarer album popped up in promos, before I even had the chance to take it and listen, I was told it’s awesome and even better than the first. If you’re not aware, Cacophony of Terror was its own monster, […]

Cattle Decapitation needs no introduction. Their trajectory has been astronomical since The Harvest Floor and they’ve yet to disappoint. Death Atlas let me down, but only because it was simply pretty good, and not the greatest album in the history of mankind. I saw them live back in November of 2022, the new one was […]

I am endlessly picked on in the Teeth of the Divine break room for admitting in a vulnerable moment that thrash is perhaps my least favorite metal sub-genre. So, one might ask why the hell I am reviewing the new Enforced album. Firstly, mind your business. Secondly, I was able to procure it in the […]

The Devil’s lettuce. Let me be your lying, backwoods guidance counselor who tells you it’s a gateway drug. It never led to harder drugs for me, only giggles while playing video games. Not that I’ve ever done it, FBI agent who monitors me. It’s all hypothetical. I don’t think it is hypothetical for Bonginator. Their […]