I’m not going to say anything corny about one of my favorite metal bands Byzantine, being back in… You know. It’s been eight years since The Cicada Tree, which makes me think more of mortality and the passage of time than I would care to admit, so the implied above phrase would be appropriate. However, this is […]
Boston’s Pathogenic is a new act to me but they have been around a while with a debut album, Cyclopean Imagery way back in 2011, and a self-titled follow-up album in 2019. Neither of which I have heard. But I was looking for an early 2025 release to review, and the promotional description of ‘progressive […]
Entheos, coming in hot! After what seems like a short amount of time, Entheos is back with an EP to follow up what was my album of the year, Time Will Take Us All. When I saw the band last time, I mentioned this to the frontwoman and overall badass, Chaney Crabb, and she asked […]
It appears parts of Africa, namely, West Africa, has a bit of a burgeoning metal scene over the last several years. One such stand-out is Arka’n Asrafokor. Back in 2019 they dropped their debut album Zã Keli and now the band has followed it up with Dzikkuh. Picture their debut album, but more extreme and […]
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 […]
“While we all have lots of bands who influence still… we all rip off Meshuggah.” -Devin Townsend I mention this quote because, despite my opinion of them (I do not much like them, kind sir), their influence and impact on modern heavy metal cannot be overstated. This is not to say Entheos has or ever […]
Meshuggah is a juggernaut of a band, maybe the heaviest band on the planet. Immutable being their 9th proper studio album – by now you love what Meshuggah does or you can leave them, because their music can be tough to absorb. The band is a machine, that is the best way of describing their […]
At the end of last year, Oni released their new EP, Alone. While I was aware of it being released, I didn’t get the chance to listen until after the new year. This nearly 25-minute EP is a digital only release, which may have contributed to it not showing up on my radar. I remember listening to and enjoying […]
I was curious as to how After the Burial would follow up the emotional 2016 album, Dig Deep, the tragedy laden homage to deceased former guitarist Justin Lowe. Having come up with bands like Born of Osiris, Periphery, The Faceless and such, After the Burial have arguably been the most consistent in their delivery since […]
Swiss djent/progressive deathcore act Mycelia are new to me, even with 4 albums under their belt, but their quirky take on staggering Meshuggah ish heft and polyrhythmic density has me impressed. And by quirky I don’t mean annoying Arsonists Get all the Girls synth injections or dance beats, but a love of classic movies and jazz mixing with the expected stuttering, […]
Tardive Dyskinesia is an affliction that causes the lower half of the face to droop over time. The Greek djent band – now prog-djent-sludge – captures this with one of the best album covers of the year. Unfortunately, the cover captured my own frustrations with the album as well. Despite the swirls of color and […]