It’s hard to believe that 10 years have passed since the Busse Woods stranglers, Acid King have released any new music. They put out their fuzzed-out, blown amp masterpiece III on Smallstone and there hasn’t been a recording since…until now! Middle of Nowhere, Center of Everywhere is their first album in a decade. My fanship […]
So I’m sure by now all of you know about Gruesome, the classic Death homage act fronted by Matt Harvey of Exhumed and joined by members of Possessed, Malevolent Creation and Derketa. What you don’t know, if you have not heard the album by now, is exactly how fucking spot on Savage Land is in it’s recreation […]
For those not already in the loop, Aelter is the solo project of Blake Green, half of the terrifying violin-infused doom duo, Wolvserpent. Their last release, Perigaea Antahkarana was one of the great underground releases of 2013, and firmly cemented their place as one of the most exciting new extreme metal bands out there. While […]
I really wish Germany’s Weak Aside had chosen another name to replace their former moniker of Spearhead, as everything else about the band’s solid sophomore effort is high quality and pretty awesome, deserving of a more awe inspiring, war mongering death metal name. Other than the name everything about The Next Offensive is pretty damned good. […]
From Mumbai, India hails Biopsy, a chunky, galaxy swallowing death metal three piece with plenty to offer the world. In a shocking turn of events the band is comprised of vocals, guitar and drums. That’s right folks, no bass. To compensate for the lack of low-end, guitarist Akshay Verma turns his amps to the hogslop […]
Do you remember the first time you heard City by Strapping Young Lad? Can you also remember trying to describe it to your friends? You’re going to have the same problem with London. But, you won’t be able to say it sounds like City, because for the most part, it doesn’t. So, why am I […]
To the untrained ear, death metal is simply death metal. Those that have been fans of the genre over the years know better. There’s the ripped-circuit board tech craziness, the burly chested guttural variety, the sloppy gore madness, the pleasingly melodic, the groove-oriented… I could go on and on. Belarus’ long-running bashers, Veld fall into […]
Wolfheart is the solo project of one Tuomas Saukkonen, who you might recognize as the brainchild behind such acts as Before the Dawn and Black Sun Aeon. Winterborn is the first project under this moniker after disbanding all his other projects, and though it was originally self released back in 2013, Spinefarm is now making this […]
Enslaved that has really impressed me over the years has been their ability to craft albums that have a completely identity of their own but can only be albums written by Enslaved. I was first introduced to them with the album Isa. It was actually the title track and it’s music video that caught my […]
Writing a review for an album is fairly easy, despite what my output would lead you to believe. In metal there are only so many (accepted) routes you can take, and even the most off-the-wall shit is endured for at most an hour in most cases and according to the inspiration of the artist in […]
It does not take genius to figure out that Atten Ash founder James Greene is a fan of Daylight Dies. He and the band hail from the same state (North Carolina), play a form of emotive, melancholy death/doom metal, and to top things off, he recruited current Daylight Dies guitarist Barre Gambling to play guitars and […]
You’d think with Flo Mournier of Cryptopsy fame on drums (taking over for the ubiquitous Dirk Verbueren) and Oliver Pinnard (Cryptopsy, Vengeful, ex-Neuraxis) on bass, the second album from New Hampshire’s Solium Fatalis (Fatal Throne?) would be a Canadian inspired, brutal tech death metal vortex of chaos. But its not. And that’s not a bad thing. […]
For three albums now, The Netherland’s Carach Angren has been arguably the top symphonic black metal band on the block, being the arguable heir apparent to Cradle of Filth or Dimmu Borgir. Dense theatrics, cinematic atmospheres and deft story telling normally of ghost or apparition themed concepts have driven albums like the debut, Lammendam or 2010s nautically themed […]
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, […]
Considering my love of folk metal and all things epic, especially the sort that deals with history and historical writings, I have no idea how the Icelandic/German trio Árstíðir Lífsins (meaning seasons of life), featuring members of Germany’s Helrunar and Iceland’s Skendod, is just now becoming known to me. Especially when an album like, Aldafǫðr ok munka dróttinn (Odin […]
Portland, Oregon is notorious for great riff/doom/stoner/whatever ya wanna call it bands. I’m not going to make you a list of cool stuff from the region I’ve been turned onto because the task would take up the entirety of this write-up. Also, I’m not going to discuss the origin of Black Pussy’s name because every […]
There’s no question, when it comes to crumbling, monstrous death metal, Dark Descent records simply can’t be fucked with. However, when going out side the realms of death metal, I tend to get a little less enamored with the label’s releases. The likes of Gravehill, Craven Idol and Crypt Sermon, while respected releases in their […]
Here’s one of those reviews, where I wish another writer had taken this off my hands and delivered a slightly more knowledgeable review of a style and album that I’m really not a fan of or familiar with even if released by the mighty Dark Descent Records. DDR has stepped out of the death metal […]
We all know what non-old school “death metal” sounds like in 2015. I’d like to think we’re all bored of it. I’d like to think we can make it savage again without moving backwards, since the idea of moving forwards in 2015 is more notes, more chugs, more sweeps, more frills, less substance. Less “songs.” […]
Ive enjoyed watching Germany’s Finsterforst (Dark Forest) evolve from a pretty blatant, if incredibly enjoyable Equilibrium clone on their first two releases into a more epic, rangy and cinematic mix of Moonsorrow and Bathory, as heard on 2012s Rastlos, where the band delivered vast 20 minute songs and more epic orchestration, clean choirs and mid paced […]
Some metal reviews require expanded length, detailed analysis and thoughtful examination. Other metal reviews demand brevity, tough talk and all hyperbole checked at the door. In the case of Denmark, Copenhagen’s Halshug and their Southern Lord debut Blodets Bånd I won’t be pushing the boundaries of the written word. Simply put, this is crust punk […]
Since 2006’s watershed album, Armada, Norway’s Keep of Kalessin have teased with utter brilliance mired in mediocrity. Truly epic, brilliant songs like “Armada”, ‘Crown of the Kings”, “Dragon Iconography”, “The Rising Sign” or “The Divine Land” littered the last three albums and while 2010’s Reptillian seemed to remedy the peaks and valleys of the band’s […]
So I get an email from Jassem “Darkvain” Alrumaidheen, the bassist, keyboardist and clean vocalist for Divine Disorder, a symphonic/progressive death metal band from Kuwait, requesting a review of his band’s 2014 release, Garden of Dystopia. I normally politely pass on 2014 releases at this point, but the press release he sent got my attention; A host of […]
Comedy and metal are odd bed fellows and the end results can be very hit or miss. I mean before Dethklok you have to go back to Crotchduster and before that possibly Lawnmower Deth ,Green Jelly and even Spinal Tap to find credible examples. And Arizona’s Psychostick are the very epitome of hit and miss. The balance […]
In my review of Mesmur’s self-titled debut, I lamented the lack of death/doom in 2014. However, there were a few worthy entries in the genre last year, and one of the most exciting actually happened to be Mesmur-related. You see, their vocalist, Chris G, is also the voice in the Australia/New Zealand-based project, Orphans of […]