Personally, I’ve always viewed Absu with a glazed eye from afar. Having only heard a few scattered songs from each of their four records ‘ and, at that, merely thinking they’re a loose ‘n’ clattering retread of old-school German thrash (Sodom, Kreator, Destruction, duh) ‘ but also having heard about band-leader Proscriptor’s ambient side-project, Equimanthorn, […]

For the first time in many years, hardcore has once again reached a point of critical mass. Granted, some advances have been made in the scene the past few years – hardcore-oriented bands getting considerably heavier and/or going in more experimental/genre-dicing directions, or at the very least, heading for more emo waters; if such can […]

Call Abigor’s Satanized (A Journey Through Cosmic Infinity) the sleeper of the year, but little could have prepared me for this. Satanized, the long-respected trio’s seventh long-player, is one of those mysteriously rare records where, if you don’t listen too closely, it’s bound to fly right past you into the night ‘ listen intently, however, […]

Lately, much ado has been made regarding what constitutes the respective “waves” of black metal – in particular, the third wave. Roughly, among this “wave,” then: Mayhem’s Grand Declaration of War, Satyricon’s Rebel Extravaganza, Zyklon’s debut, and recent works by Dodheimsgard and Thorns. Although keeping in line with Finland’s fine tradition of weirdness (Beherit, Impaled […]

Patience brings rewards. In the case of Immortal and Deceased – both bands who, despite starting off on a pretty good foot, have improved exponentially over the course of four-plus albums to become the modern masters of metal – patience brings very great rewards, indeed. Such is also the case with Zao. Early on, with […]