Here is some super pleasant and fun Folk/medieval/’renaissance ‘ metal from France that has traditional instruments like Accordions, Bohas (courtesy of Skiltron’s Pierre Delaporte) Hurdy-gurdys and Tabor Pipes, traditional Gascon language, as well as some actual medieval tunes as bonus tracks on the CD. Now, this isn’t your expected folk metal, meaning it’s not your […]

Before starting this review, I was listening to/reviewing the reissue of Winter’s 1990 masterpiece Into Darkness. Whether directly or not, I can tell they had an impact on Lantern and their new album Dimensions. I bought into the hype of Lantern’s previously release, but it overall left me with a cold feeling. Not that cold, […]

I have been following Moscow’s Katalepsy since their Musick Brings Injuries ep.  Debut album Autopsychosis in 2013 became one of my favorite brutal slam death metal albums.  That high quality output continued a few years later with the sophomore album Gravenous Hour – another excellent example of the band putting out monstrously heavy music. And […]

Never judge a book by its cover. We all know this. Right? I mean it’s only an age old adage that has been around since…well, the dawn of ages. Naturally, one can apply this sage wisdom to the music/metal world when it comes to album covers, band names, song titles, and the like. So knowing […]

Artist: Intoxicated I’m gonna start by apologizing for what is going to be a lot of backstory before I even get the review started in proper… but this is pretty fucking cool! So recently, I did a review of Witches’ KILLER new album The Fates. Not only was it a discovery of an album that […]

The promo for this new act got my attention because it is black metal on Purity Through Fire, and they have been killing it in that arena in 2020 with the likes of Mavorim, Kryptamok , SAD, Slagmark and Noidva. Also, Eisenkult features members of Mavorim as well as Totenwache and Meuchelmord, bands I am […]

Let’s just go ahead and address the elephant in the room. THAT COVER. HOLY SHIT. Listen, I’m not afraid of indulging some full-on campy fantastical Power Metal tropes. Shit, I not only reviewed Victorius’ Space Ninjas From Hell earlier in the year, I loved it. So clearly, I’m in no way above nerding the fuck […]

When it comes to Inexorum, I purchased Lore of the Lakes without hearing a single note, simply based off the description and the high praise of critics. While I did enjoy the album, I was kept from thoroughly enjoying it for one reason: electronic drums. In a lot of instances, they’re fine, barely noticeable, and […]

Germany’s Defeated Sanity return with their sixth album and the full album is in their brutal death metal style. Their 2016 album was split into 2 sections. One part brutal Defeated Sanity and the other half progressive, jazz infused technical death metal. It was an original concept and continued to show Defeated Sanity evolving into […]

2020’s run of high-quality black metal continues with the debut from Finland’s Gloom, a band that features members from Nekrokrist SS, whoever they are. And they are not Gloomy or depressive black metal at all as the name might lead you to believe. Blending a bit of Finnish black metal nastiness (especially the vocals) and […]

I always like to support the local scene, which is more important than ever until somehow the world decides to unfuck itself. For me, there is a “local” scene just a few minutes away, but I really mean Pittsburgh, which is obviously larger and within an hour. Supporting this local scene is why I attended […]

Baltimore’s Codex Orzhova are a highly original act.  Whether you want to call them mathcore, deathgrind, Nintendocore, Robotron/Defender grind noise, I feel Baja Blasted is the most original album for 2020.  The band released a self-titled album 2 years ago, however this album contains some of those songs and I am unsure if that first […]

I knew some HM2 boss pedals had made their way to South and Central America by way of Zombiefication and Nocturnal Hollow, but it appears some have made to all the way to Chile and they are used to full effect on the band’s impressive homage laden second album. It’s clear immediately (after a short […]

Through every metal fad I’ve seen rise and fall over the years, I don’t think any swept me up so thoroughly in its current than the explosion of Folk Metal in the early/mid 2000’s. The mighty, but refreshingly upbeat and peppy sounds of bands like Finntroll and Turisas wormed their way into my ears and, […]

Having been around since 2009 Death metal international group Serocs are to me one of most underrated Tech Death bands out there right now.  Vore features Laurent Bellemare on vocals who is also the vocalist for the band Sutrah that I reviewed earlier this year.  Serocs also features Kevin Paradis on drums also of Benighted […]

Almost exactly a year after their debut, De Rerum Natura, Italian Symphonic metallers Moonlight Haze has already cranked out their second album. And you would think it would be a bit rushed and have a drop off in quality, but to their credit, they have kept things on a predictable, but high level with Lunaris. […]

I have thoroughly enjoyed Turkey’s brutal death metal act, Decaying Purity’s previous three releases and their fourth one Mass Extinction of the Providential Ones is on pace with yet another long album name, as well as more brutality to knock the COVID right outta ya. 9 songs in 32 minutes and “Darkness Falling Down Through […]

Sarpa ( the Sanskrit term for serpent) is the Austin, Texas-based one-man black/death project from the mind of David Baxter, formerly of industrial thrashers Skrew). The aptly named album Solivagus (roughly translated from Latin to ‘wondering alone’) is his first effort, no demos, no singles, just right into this ambitious 7 song 48-minute affair that […]

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 […]

Falconer holds a special place in my heart. Their 2003 album The Sceptre of Deception is one of my favorite power metal albums of all time. I was quick to find out, however, that this was not the definitive lineup of the band. At this time, they were operating with vocalist Kristoffer Gobel, with whom […]

Listen, I have my guilty pleasures, and one of them is female fronted or dual vocals (‘beauty and the beast’ I call it) styled Gothic/symphonic metal (or ‘cleavage-core’, for the kids) . Since the days of Thalarion and Beseech, How Like A Winter, early The Gathering, Theatre of Tragedy, Draconian, Epica and Delain and Tristania, and more […]

I’m so very happy, but I’M ALSO FUCKING PISSED. I’m happy as I always am any time I discover a new band I’ve never heard, especially one that falls in that sweet thrashy death wheelhouse that makes me all giddy and tingly inside. And I’m doubly happy to discover one that includes a female lead […]

So recently, I have received a few progressive experimental and often symphonic metal/death metal albums. The Outsider‘s one man effort, From Ancient and Forbidden Books, Orbit Culture’s hammering, Gojira worshiping self titled album, and this, the second effort from the UKs Rannoch. With Opeth and Gojira worn openly on their sleeve, Rannoch delivers 12 tracks […]

When the new thrash bands started to re-emerge in the 2000’s one of the best bands, that put many of the bigger acts to shame were and still is California’s Warbringer.  I was lucky enough to catchy them on their debut album tour for War Without End when they toured with Exodus and Kreator.  I […]

I have a lot of inappropriate shirts. Perhaps my favorite is my Carach Angren “You came to the wrong forest, mother fucker.” It’s not my Satanic Warmaster shirt where someone is getting sawed in half through the genital region, which I once accidentally wore (or so I told my girlfriend at the time) to the […]