Chicago’s Black Sites make a welcome return with third LP Untrue, the follow-up to 2019’s impressive sophomore album, Exile. Since their inception in 2016, Black Sites have been on a steady upward trajectory, bringing their old school trad metal sound into the here and now, adding modern crunch and progressive elements into the mix. Now […]

A freshly minted project comprising members of Rimfrost, Sweden’s Son of Sam features dynamic duo Throllv (vocals, drums, guitars, keyboards) and Khratos (bass, guitars, backing vocals), joining forces to create a vastly different and uniquely separate entity from their main project. Although the album seems to have flown under the radar since its mid-year release, […]

Hannes Grossman is a busy dude. The talented drummer extraordinaire has had his fingers in many pies over the years, earning great respect and admiration with his work in bands including, Necrophagist, Obscura, Alkaloid, Blotted Science and Gomorrah amongst many others. Along the way Grossman has also established a solid solo career, showcasing his songwriting […]

Thrash is off to a flyer in 2021. The classic metal genre has dished up numerous quality releases in the first chunk of the year, headlined by top notch releases from Enforced, Demoniac, Demiser and Cryptosis. Young guns rising to ensure it is not left to the old dogs and veteran warhorses to keep the […]

Comprised of members from underground bands, Fetid, MORTIFERUM, Cerebral Rot, and Magrudergrind, Caustic Wound dropped their Death Posture debut earlier in the year, with punishing impact. Cultivating an authentically, pretension-free formula of old school grime and mud caked deathgrind, Caustic Wound keep it real and serve up a compelling album of barbaric, unvarnished brutality. Performed […]

While 2020 will stand as a year most of us would rather forget, thankfully amidst the worldwide chaos, metal has been a shining light of catharsis and hope. The death metal scene has enjoyed another particularly potent year, with no signs of slowing down. Australian power trio Faceless Burial offer a bludgeoning antidote to the […]

North Carolina’s Æther Realm caused quite a stir with their astounding 2017 sophomore album, Tarot. Indulging in an addictive, intricate form of melodic death and folk. The album was my number one pick in 2017 and is regularly revisited several years later. With success comes high expectations, and prior to its release, worries had set […]

Formed way back in 1983, Polish juggernaut Vader are rightfully held in high regard in the death metal scene. A pillar of consistency since dropping their 1992 debut, The Ultimate Incantation, Vader keep on kicking out reliably strong death metal jams, with the past decade showing no sign of decline. Although Vader has dabbled with […]

Tapping into an intriguing mix of tech death and slam, Wormhole aim to expand upon the impressive groundwork laid on their 2016 debut, Genesis, a recent discovery of mine after initially overlooking the album. Some line-up tweaks failed to dull the impact of Wormhole’s cutting edge brand of technical sophistication meets guttural slam approach, and […]

Finland’s Black Royal stormed into prominence with their powerhouse 2018 debut LP, Lightbringers, an impressive slab of doom-laced death with an abundance of killer riffs and piercing hooks. Eager to build upon the sturdy foundations of their impressive debut, Black Royal return to strengthen and refine their beastly, riff-centric style of death and doom on […]

What’s in a name? Are you the type to disregard a metal band due to a dubious moniker? Germany’s Fvneral Fvkk would probably fit into the category if you were so inclined to feel that way. Is this a lo-fi piss-take black metal act or novelty metal band? If you thought you had the band […]

Transcending Obscurity is on quite a roll in 2019, firmly establishing themselves as one of the best labels going around in the underground metal scene. Already the label has dished up an impressive quota of quality metal releases this year, and with the upcoming The Drowning album yet to drop, there’s plenty more goodness to […]

A seasoned veteran and stalwart of the Swedish death metal scene, the prolific Rogga Johansson (Paganizer, Ribspreader, Down Among the Dead Men and countless other acts) has dipped his toes into solo waters again for sophomore album, Entrance to the Otherwhere. The multi-talented artist handles all lyrics, music and songwriting duties, ably assisted by session […]

While there’s no shortage of quality bands in the overcrowded modern metal scene, it is increasingly difficult for bands to create something truly unique and original to stand out from the pack. Not to suggest there’s a lack of innovation in modern metal, but it remains refreshing when a band comes along and smacks you […]

I’m a sucker for tech death, yet I’m also a picky bastard, all too aware of the downsides that finds bands regularly being swallowed by the pitfalls of the often maligned subgenre. The curiously named Flub arrive with their full-length debut platter of technical wizardry, compiled by current and ex members of established acts, Alterbeast, […]

The thrash genre largely misfired in 2018 but for nostalgists and enthusiasts alike, 2019 has been far more fruitful in delivering solid thrash goods. Boasting a hard-hitting style and no-frills old school attitude, Ohio’s War Curse offer a familiar blast from the past with just enough modern sensibilities and crunch to avoid being another cog […]

When stacked against the barren wasteland of the 2018 thrash metal scene, comparatively, 2019 is off to a much stronger start. The likes of Critical Defiance, Inculter and Exumer have dropped solid albums thus far. And now, up and coming Detroit band Euphoria Ω return with the follow-up to their impressive 2016 debut, Operation: Genesis. […]

I’m not much of a traditional metal sort of guy. Of course plenty of exceptions have popped up over the years, but generally my tastes are aligned in different directions. However, Chicago’s Black Sites impressed with their deft mix of old school values and modern sensibilities with classic heavy metal and prog influences on their […]

Canada’s Gomorrah impressed greatly with their industrial-tinged death metal debut, 2016’s The Haruspex. The album packed Anaal Nathrakh-styled intensity with killer grooves and dynamic song-writing. Three years later the duo returns with a self-titled platter that looks set to raise the stakes for top notch death metal in 2019. Gomorrah expands and improves on nearly […]

Sweden’s Soen well and truly emerged from the shadows of Tool on their exceptional past two albums, 2014’s Tellurian, and 2017’s Lykaia. In the process the band has established their position at the forefront of the modern progressive metal scene, deftly mixing heartfelt emotion and wintry melancholy, with complex, riff and groove heavy arrangements. Soen […]

As we plunge into 2019, the often patchy January release schedule provides ample opportunity to delve into the overlooked gems of 2018, particularly those that dropped during December, generally a month of slim returns. However, Sulphur Aeon and Beaten to Death headed the bands bucking the trend of end of year mediocrity. Another band of […]

Earlier this year I regrettably slept on the sophomore LP from Denver outfit Necropanther. Now the impressive young band has recently dropped the first of a planned series of EP’s, each written exclusively by an individual band member, beginning with Oppression, a three song effort penned by bassist Marcus Corich. I also thought it would […]

Revocation has carved out an impressive and prolific career since dropping their solid debut, Empire of the Obscene, a decade ago. The Boston purveyors of technically sparkling death-thrash have rarely put a foot wrong during a career marked by consistent high quality and dazzling musicianship, attached to energetic, aggressive and catchy songs. However, 2016’s Great […]

Italy’s Messa impressed with their 2016 debut LP Belfry, a mysterious occult doom meets drone hybrid with a seriously powerful vocalist and righteous rock-out attitude. Back for round two, Feast for Water finds Messa ready to build upon the potential and high quality of their debut with another sultry batch of doomy delights. Vintage sounding […]

  Amidst the myriad of styles and cross-genre pollination, sometimes it’s nice just to get back to the bare basics of what draws many of us to metal in the first place: speed, aggression and riffs, riffs, riffs. Australia’s Bloodlust keep things lean, mean and appropriately nasty with their violent brand of old school blackened […]