Although The Black Dahlia Murder have often had a tendency to divide listeners, those who have kept the faith and followed the band over their decade plus career have been duly rewarded by some killer albums and a consistent track record. The band’s tireless work ethic and expert refinement of their thrashy melodic death formula […]
I can confidently say that Mutoid Man is not like any band on the current metal scene. The project is the brainchild of Steven Brodsky (Cave-In) and Ben Koller (Converge) and having previously dished up a quality EP and 2015’s livewire LP Bleeder, they’ve arrived at this second full-length platter, entitled War Moans. And the […]
Hailing from the fertile metal lands of Stockholm, Sweden, unsung melodic black metal outfit Wormwood appear poised to raise their modest profile on the back of their hugely impressive debut LP. Taking cues from melodic black metal legends Dissection and Naglfar and blending these influences with traces of melancholic folk and pagan metal, Wormwood’s stellar […]
From a very early point in their career it was evident that much lauded Arkansas doomers Pallbearer were something special. Debut LP Sorrow and Extinction brought doom to the masses with its spellbinding mix of traditional doom topped with powerful vocal melodies, an intense emotional pull and enough modern sensibilities to appeal to a broader […]
Usually when perusing the promo portal I skip over reissues and re-releases to focus my attention on new stuff. However, upon discovering Willowtip records was repackaging the three full-length albums from UK’s highly innovative extreme metal duo Slugdge and dubbing it The Cosmic Cornucopia, I couldn’t resist the opportunity to delve in and spread the […]
It’s all too easy to be sceptical about a one man progressive metal band with the audacity to release a fully fledged concept album, stretching across an exhausting 70 plus minute duration. However, being the open-minded individual that I generally am, the challenge of absorbing this monster opus thankfully oozes rewards for the painstaking […]
Khemmis made a hell of an impression when they dropped their impressive debut LP Absolution in 2015. The album was worthy of hype and praise, boasting a formidable modern doom sound comparable to the mighty Pallbearer and embellished by some sweet stoner and trad metal elements. It certainly put the Colorado lads on the map, […]
Positioned at the forefront of the modern metal scene, Revocation’s endless creative streak and strong work ethic shows no signs of faltering on the band’s sixth LP, Great Is Our Sin. I must admit to a touch of bias bordering on fanboyism, as from my perspective the band has never disappointed across a decade long […]
Over the course of three excellent albums, Australia’s Be’lakor rose to the forefront of the melodic death metal scene. Now some four years since their Of Breath and Bone album dropped, the lads return with their anticipated fourth offering, entitled Vessels. On something of a continuous hot streak and particularly in the context of the […]
When Satan emerged from the dead with their exceptional comeback album Life Sentence in 2013, one of the early pioneers of the NWOBHM triumphed emphatically, bringing their old school retro formula into the modern era with spectacular results. While I’m sure long-time fans were particularly enthralled, I was surprised by the impact it had on […]
Italy’s Void of Sleep stormed out of the blocks with their accomplished 2013 debut album, Tales Between Reality and Madness. It was a hugely impressive, potential packed debut which certainly got me excited about their future. The sound was a versatile mixture of progressive sludge rock and thick stoner metal groove coupled with the band’s […]
The tragic events which nearly cost Georgia’s Baroness their lives has been well documented, so I won’t bother rehashing the dramatic circumstances here. Needless to say the emotional and physical scarring the members endured fractured the band and left frontman/guitarist John Baizley and Pete Adams (guitars, vocals) to pick up the pieces and resurrect Baroness. […]
The veteran collective of assorted talents comprising the band VHOL cooked up an impressive self-titled debut in 2013. However, like any band assembled in this fashion there was always a hint of uncertainty about whether it would wind up as another short lived entity as the members returned to their main projects, or remain the […]
The problem with the modern thrash scene is too many bands are relying on the nostalgia of the genre’s ‘80s heyday instead of forging their own path forward. Naturally there are exceptions, but most decent modern thrash bands tend to hybridize with other styles to create something unique and noteworthy. I might sound a […]
There’s been a significant amount of buzz circulating around Colorado doom merchants Khemmis and their debut album Absolution. The doom resurgence has been in full swing in recent years, with the genre’s status increasingly elevated by the likes of contemporary behemoths Pallbearer, Ufomammut and Yob, along with stellar 2015 releases from the traditional revivalist doom […]
It’s always exciting when a curiously undiscovered gem proceeds to pound your ears in all the right ways and assert itself as a genuine force you should have been listening too much earlier. Jamming out over the past decade in relative obscurity, Virginian bruisers King Giant are one such untapped gem returning to smack some […]
Chicago’s Immortal Bird made ripples in the underground when they burst onto the scene with their impressive Akrasia EP in 2013. Led by the ultra talented Rae Amitay and featuring in their ranks guitarist Evan Berry from impressive folk metal titans Wilderun, Immortal Bird return with their eagerly anticipated debut full-length, Empress/Abscess. Aside from featuring […]
Folk metal so often gets bogged down by excess layers of cheese, bombast and pretentiousness that it rarely moves me or finds a way into my listening rotation. But every now and again a style of metal that generally falls outside my comfort zone proceeds to blow me away and forces me to rethink my […]
Even for well-seasoned metalheads, grindcore is a tough pill to swallow. It takes some very skilled manufacturers to produce grind that can walk the tightrope between borderline white noise extremity and a whiff of actual songcraft and something for listeners to latch onto. Personally my tolerance for grind has lessened in recent years, mostly due […]
A long-standing pillar of sonic strength and consistency, High on Fire has built a body of work that demands your fucking respect, even if the album peaks have slightly varied along the way. The dependable quality of High on Fire’s music is increasingly rare to find in bands that remain active over such a lengthy […]
I really enjoyed Bite Your Head Off, the 2012 debut album from Australia’s King Parrot. It was a fun and rollicking blast which hybridized grind, thrash and punk into a fresh and unique sound, spiked with a refreshing sense of humor. Apparently a lot of other folks enjoyed it as well judging by the rising […]
Even in the wake of their reunion tours stretching back to 2009, the reality of a new studio album from Faith No More, the kings of genre-bending alt rock-metal, seemed highly unlikely. At the height of their powers Faith No More shared a strained relationship with each other, a prickly tension and volatile chemistry that […]
The release schedule is usually pretty quiet at the beginning of the year. Wisely, most bands wait until the dust settles on the year that has just passed, before dishing up a new album. So traditionally it’s a slower period, with a sizable chunk of listening time reserved for bygone classics and catch-up releases. However, […]
In the wash-up of 2014 there were inevitably a number of notable under the radar releases that slipped through the net here at Teeth of the Divine. One such later year discovery that I particularly wanted to highlight was the debut album from a young progressive metal outfit. Hungarian band Dreamgrave released an accomplished debut […]
Indianapolis doomsters Apostle of Solitude have been active for the past decade, establishing themselves as an underrated but respected force on the doom scene. 2010’s Last Sunrise, the band’s impressive sophomore album, was worthy of high praise due to its potent blend of emotion, melodicism, catchy songwriting and sonic heft. The band’s doom formula is […]