Melodic Death Metal is still alive and kicking it seems. Hell, even Soilwork released a surprisingly good record just the other day. Yet, the stagnation and overcrowding of the genre doesn’t keep newcomers away, as Germany’s Cypecore want their piece of the cake with Innocent. Apparently released two years ago as a demo, now reissued […]

I’ve already contemplated about the state of French metal in a few other reviews this year, so I won’t dwell on subject too much. In fact, I’m getting rather tired of being surprised by the quality acts that stem from France; it would be refreshing to receive something that could be labeled as garbage. But, […]

In most thrashy melo-death combos, vocalists are dumped in mid-tour for other dudes, and nobody, band or audiences, notices. Not so with Mosfet. As of Sickness of Memory, the most memorable item on hand is  their singer. Go figure. Anyway, he’s a dude somewhat tersely named Phil. This Phil, he’s all about  the cool death metal swagger, […]

One of Dark Descent Records’ other first CD-releases is the debut from Turkey’s Burial Invocation, and it’s a very promising―4 tracks and 18 all too short minutes―old school death metal that culls from many influences, but most heavily the likes of Bolt Thrower and a smidgen of classic old school Floridian death metal. One only […]

“Give it all, my son, to the hooded one.” – Executioner Here’s an album that came out at the beginning of 2010 but is definitely deserving of a spot on the TOTD reviews list seven months later.  Released on indie Planet Metal, Züül‘s Out of Time will be a worthy competitor for album of the […]

So here is new label Dark Descent Records and their first CD release, the debut from Texas/Missouri trio Beyond Hell. Featuring Eletrokutioner (Decrepitaph, Father Befouled, Festered) on drums and two other dudes, you know what you are getting: Filthy old school death metal, that culls from the US scene. Namely Eletrokutioner’s bands, as well as […]

While Starkweather are not particularly prolific, when they do stagger into view, they carry a big fucking stick. After a 10-year hiatus, they returned with 2006’s blistering Croatoan, one of the best records of that year. And after a 4 year wait (though some of this material is from the Croatoan sessions) they have returned […]

Portugal’s Crushing Sun opens their newest album Tao with a Nevermore-ish riff, pummeling the listener right off the bat. While that’s pretty much where all the connections to the Seattle-band end, Tao is heavy – and by heavy, I mean crushingly so. On all of the promo sheets, the music’s being labeled as ‘progressive death […]

Denmark’s Pretty Maids have spent the better part of 30 years putting out their brand of melodic heavy metal music. Always striking a balance between barn-burning metal aggression and near-AOR catchiness, the band has been arguably one of the more consistent bands in our beloved scene. Never quite achieving the success of contemporaries like Def […]

Rise from Ruins is the debut release from melodic death metallers, Posthuman, hailing from the Netherlands. The album really does contain some solid death with fierce guitar work and also brings in some atmosphere with futuristic-sounding keyboards. The album starts out with an interesting intro in which you hear the news on the radio broadcast […]

Today we offer you a thorough look at Korn’s―yes, Korn’s―latest album ‘Korn III: Remember Who You Are’. Have we gone insane? Is our belief in Heavy Metal faltering? Lack of judgment? Are the recent heat waves to be blamed? Or perhaps, just perhaps, we actually have something worthwhile to say? See for yourself!

I’ve been an Annihilator fan since I heard the first strains of album opening instrumental “Crystal Ann” from their 1989 debut Alice in Hell. By the time the second track, “Alison Hell,” was over, I was devoted. The band’s been through some ups and downs over the years, but they always seem to bounce back […]

Fourteen Twentysix is a musical extension of Chris van der Linden – a solo efforts of sorts. Aside from a bit of help here and there, Lighttwon Closure sees the Dutchman doing pretty much everything and anything. I’m always a bit wary of such projects, as they tend to set their goals far higher than […]

HOLY FUCK. HOLY FUCKEN FUCKITY FUCK FUCK. So there’s been a pretty nice movement of retro death metal resurrecting the old Stockholm sound in the last few years; bands from back in the day reforming (Séance, General Surgery, Evocation, Interment), some nice odes and homage’s (Chaosbreed, Kaamos, Hail of Bullets, Bloodbath, Lifeless, Rib Spreader, God […]

Just as black metal keeps mutating into even more virulent strains, thrash continues vomiting up fresh new abominations as well. Not exactly sure what to call Australia’s charmingly titled Vomitor – necro-thrash seems to be the best fit, as it seems a filthy antipodal cousin to Darkthrone and Mayhem, as well as newer, bestial black […]

I’m a bit of a collector of offbeat recordings. I love strange stuff like (good) parodies, metal tunes covered by groups in other genres (and vice versa), metal Christmas tunes, etc. Given that, and the fact that I’ve always been a closet fan of flamenco guitar, Flametal’s Heavy Mellow was a must-listen for me. Guitarist […]

What’s that, you say? It’s been a while since you were properly earfucked? Well, you’re in luck, because Cardiac Arrest is prepared to rape everything in sight, and they’re especially fond of ears. In fact, they’re nearly creaming themselves with a rabid love for filthy underground death metal, and they’re just dying to fill you […]

Nevermore’s latest outing, The Obsidian Conspiracy, is at once recognizable as a Nevermore effort yet still not quite like anything they’ve done before. The primary hallmarks of the band’s style are there: tight performances, fantastic musicianship and the unmistakable combination of Jeff Loomis’ blazing guitars and Warrel Dane’s distinctive vocals. But there’s something of a […]

As the savvy consumer of modern doom will expect, The Wounded Kings‘ The Shadow Over Atlantis offers a miserablist stew of downtempo post-Sabbath and Electric Wizardisms, here with a dash of the vast ‘n gloomy Cinemascope soundscapes of Year of No Light. But repeat listens reveal a relentless darkness and design here courtesy huge-ass masses […]

The Morningside’s debut, The Wind, The Trees and The Shadows of the Past, was one of the very first reviews I wrote for this site, and so it’s a pleasure, several years later, to revisit these Russian doom-deathsters and see how they’ve progressed. Just as before, there’s a heavy Agalloch and Katatonia influence throughout, and […]

After a 12 year run, Floor Jansen and her former band, After Forever, decided to call it quits. Not really sure of the reason behind it but she is now back with her new metal project, ReVamp. I am truly a fan of female-fronted metal bands like Nightwish, Lacuna Coil, Epica, Within Temptation etc… but […]

So Willowtip has graced us with a killer trio of records this summer, taking a break from grindcore and delivering Fleshgod Apocalypse’s EP, Mafia, Circle of Dead Children’s disturbing Psalm of the Grand Destroyer, and the third album from Germany’s veteran masters of broodle death metal, Defeated Sanity. Following the template set by 2007’s watershed […]

After the killer little Nails release, the second best recent offering of D-beat hardcore is the debut from Cleveland’s Masakari who have given the genre some needed melody and thoughtfulness within their crusty, feral antics. Utilizing an obvious Discharge-backbone, Masakari have an undeniable, palpable rage within their rumbling power chords and gruff screams, but their […]

The Devil’s Blood is one of the most complex bands I’ve had to describe. Some bands you just expect corpse paint, satanic lyrics, burning crosses etc… but what I really admire here is the subtle approach they have towards singing and praising Lucifer himself. You can’t even call The Devil’s Blood metal; it’s more 70’s […]

On May 16th of this year, the heavy metal community was dealt a crushing blow with the passing of one of its true living legends, Ronnie James Dio. As the vocalist for Rainbow, Black Sabbath/Heaven And Hell and his own band Dio, he was an integral part of some bonafide classic albums. The man was, […]