As astutely observed by Erik in his review of Fitcage’s Pighumanity, Soulflesh Collector Records from Russia is definitely pushing to match Unique Leader/Unmatched Brutality/Sevared/Comatose etc in Europe as a top tier label for brutal death metal and the more eclectic strains of grind. Over the past eighteen months they have been clawing their way up the […]

I’ve always been partial to promoting local (Missouri) bands, especially talented ones like O’Fallon’s black metal tribe Harkonin. Now fittingly signed to Australia’s Battlegod Productions, Harkonin have released the follow-up to 2006’s solid Ghanima, complete with topnotch artwork and packaging. The end result shows a more controlled and mature band, replete with more of an […]

Incantation is the new black. If mimicry is the highest form of flattery, Incantation have to be drowning in flattery considering the rather sudden rash of supposedly old school death metal acts that are plying a form of their trademark style. It’s a style I never cared for when Incantation played it 15 years ago […]

As I’ve lamented a few times this year, it really sucked that Burst broke up. They released two of my favorite releases of the 2000s, post-metal or otherwise, and I was really looking forward to a follow-up to Lazarus Bird. Ah well, they say the best way to get over a break-up is to go […]

I’ll get right to it, after one full-length (2007’s The End of All You Know) and a couple of splits, California’s The Makai have somehow rendered one of the most brilliant pieces of music I’ve heard with Embracing the Shroud of a Blackened Sky. Now I know most regular readers of this site know that […]

Nuclear Blast has to be happy: The last couple of months have seen the label release new albums from Enslaved, Dimmu Borgir and now, Cradle of Filth. Three of black metal’s forefathers in the early ’90s, now grown and developed far beyond their roots into metal’s biggest acts ― regardless of what genre you lump […]

The only thing I’d ever heard about Valient Thorr was, “They’re great live, dude!”  Yeah, well, maybe the same could be said about Mushroomhead, but that doesn’t mean I’m gonna like ’em.  But after spinning Stranger a few times, the initial skepticism was sent flying out the window.  The furry outer-spacers comprising Valient Thorr rock […]

In 2007, tech death pioneers Atheist announced that they would be playing some of their last shows ever, and specifically, that their appearance at Chicago Powerfest that year would be the band’s last in the Midwest.  Heavily into Atheist, I jumped at what would most likely be the only chance I’d ever have to see […]

The story behind Fleshwrought is a rather interesting one; the music on Dementia/Dyslexia less so. All this flesh has been wrought primarily at the hands of ex-Animosity drummer Navene Kopperweis (guitars, drums, bass) who began the project in 2003 with the aid of a 7-string guitar, a computer, and some recording software. Later on he […]

Another much anticipated reunion and comeback album. Forbidden didn’t exactly exit on a good note with the lackluster Distortion and horrible Green, but their first two will always be bonafide thrash classics. With that said, I was extremely curious to see where they would go after a 13 year recording hiatus. I’m happy to say […]

After ripping my face off with 2009’s Unconsecrated Australia’s The Red Shore return with a new label, a new vocalist and a new drummer ― yet none of those changes stop The Avarice of Man being as completely devastating as the band’s debut. Despite the fact the band will be lumped in with the current trend of […]

As much as I like Facedown/Strikefirst Records and their quality―consistent Christian metal―none of the 2010 releases have blown me away. Sure, the likes of Impending Doom, In the Midst of Lions, As Hell Retreats, Onward to Olympas, Letter to the Exiles and The Burial are all solid, but I have to go back to the […]

I really wanted to like this heavily promoted debut record from System Divide. And why not? It’s got Belgian metal stalwart Svencho De Caluwe (Aborted, In-Quest, Leng Tche) on vocals and he’s joined by his hotterthanheck wife Miri Millman (Orphaned Land) and former Abigail Williams guitarist Mike Wilson. The thing is, the band’s effort to […]

The UK has a lot to answer for with its mainstream rock/metal talent, but then again, the UK has a lot to answer for with regards to many other things. The long list of reprobates include the likes of Amy Winehouse, footballers and their unexplainable wage demands and politicians expensing everything from their second homes […]

I wasn’t sure what to think of this one upon the first spin and multiple spins later I still don’t know what to think, which translated means it’s just not very damn memorable. That’s a problem, unless you’ll all about meaningless musical experiences. That sounds pretty shitty of me, doesn’t it? Well friends, it sounds […]

I remember being a little taken aback the first time I heard Michael Amott’s side project Spiritual Beggars. Being familiar with his work in Carcass and Arch Enemy, what I heard was not at all what I expected, but being a classic hard rock fan, I enjoyed it. The band’s latest effort, Return to Zero, […]

Firewind has long been one of the steadiest, most reliable acts in the power metal genre. Despite guitarist Gus G.’s newfound stardom as Ozzy Osbourne’s latest guitarist, nothing has changed on the band’s latest record Days of Defiance. The record comes blazing out of the gates with “Ark of Lies,” a tune that has everything […]

I really like what Russia’s SFC Records is doing; becoming the European/Eastern European equivalent of Unique Leader/Unmatched Brutality Records: Releasing a quality mix of brutal and technical death metal, that has good production values, good packaging littered with unreadable monikers like Cephalic Impurity, Human Parasite, Fetal Decay, Ruptured In Purulence and Leptotrichia. Not to mention […]

Upon hearing the news that The Crown, one of the most revered, and one of my personal favorite death/thrash bands were reuniting, I was ecstatic. I was slightly disappointed that vocalist Johan Lindstrand would not be involved, assuming he’s too busy with his lame post-The Crown band One Man Army, but ultimately thought things should […]

After a critically acclaimed debut (2008’s …Of Frost and War), Dutch supergroup (members of Gorefest, Asphyx, Thanatos and Houwitser) left fans wanting after a strange digital only EP last year, but have now fully satiated fans with a full-length follow-up that continues the quality of the debut. Though still a war themed album, On Divine […]

I’ve always liked Kamelot, and over the years, I’ve enjoyed just about everything they’ve done. But I’ve never been a hardcore fan. So maybe it’s a little strange that a record which is somewhat experimental for them has quickly become my favorite offering in their catalog. It’s not like Poetry for the Poisoned belongs in […]

What’s better than a silly, semi-profane band name? Apparently a misspelled silly, semi-profane band name. At least that seems to be the theory of this German band that longs to bring back the 1980s glam scene. To be honest, after seeing the name of the band, I was kind of hoping that this record wouldn’t […]

The read on this EP is pretty simple, actually: if you enjoyed Triptykon’s earlier-this-year debut, Eparistera Daimones—and you should have!—you’re going to devour this compact but powerful collection. Tom Gabriel Warrior, along with bandmates V Santura, Vanja Slajh, and Norman Lonhart, offers two never-before-released tracks from the debut album sessions, a fully realized version of […]

Ex-Dream Theater keyboardist reunited in 2003 with his old drummer Mike Portnoy (who himself is also ex-Dream Theater now) as well as Fates Warning guitarist Jim Matheos to form a project called OSI. Many who felt that Moore’s influence was something Dream Theater were sorely lacking after his departure were elated as this reunion of […]

So it’s been about six months since White Wizzard’s full-length debut, Over the Top, blew me away. It’s a record that will most certainly be near, if not at, the top of my year-end list. But much has changed for the band in those few months. They’ve lost a guitarist and singer Wyatt Anderson, who […]