I’ll admit I am a Protest the Hero fanboy. I love both Kezia and Fortress and having met and interviewed the band after a local live show, I found a new appreciation for them, not just as a band, but as a pretty cool group of kids. That all being said, I wasn’t sure about […]

It’s fitting that this Croatian band take their name from a genus of spider that includes Tarantulas, because their form of spazzy, angular, technical , slightly experimental death metal is the perfect soundtrack for a nature documentary where spiders do their skittish, frantic, unpredictable, spidery things. The twisting, twangy form of death metal that Avicularia […]

Though Christianity as elbowed its way into previously untouchable genres of music, black metal despite a few attempts (Lo-Ruhamah, Frost Like Ashes, Admonish, Horde, Crimson Moonlight, etc) has generally resisted ‘unblack’ metal Christian interjections. So how about some Christian, symphonic black metal from the depths of Colombia released on a brand new indie label based […]

One look at the gothic font of this California band’s logo and even some of their press photos  and one word springs to mind: Entombed (or realistically, two words if you include Nihilist). The only this missing is Dan Seagrave artwork. Then you press play, and other words like Stockholm, Sunlight and mid-range jump into […]

Neil Fallon (Clutch) is involved, so what are the chances that it will suck? Zero. How ‘bout dem odds, as we Michiganders might say? The Company Band’s self-titled full-length debut (after 2007’s Sign Here, Here, and Here EP) is an outstanding ball of rock ‘n roll fire with hooks that will indelibly print on your […]

And so, The Warren of Snares trilogy is complete and the UKs sadly short lived and now defunct (at least according to a farewell show back in October) Fall of Efrafa have a trilogy to their legacy that can be called truly special. Starting with 2006s more crusty, D beat based Owsla (‘Warrior’), then the […]

*rambling rant mode ON* I like the band, I like show, I like this album, I like the first album – fuck off. Sure it’s a matter of tastes, but to not see the humor in this means you’re either a completely humorless fuck, or take yourself and metal in general way too seriously. I […]

Katatonia are influential. Make no mistake about it, this is an act that knows all the right moves and has been a leading entity throughout the years despite their change in sound and musical contemplation. The sheer emotion that circumvents their music is undeniable and with 2009’s Night is the New Day, Katatonia shatters the […]

The critically acclaimed self titled debut from Krallice was an excellent and artistic addition to US black metal, not surprising considering the involvement of Mick Barr (Orthrelm)and Colin Marston (Behold… the Arctopus/Dysrhythmia) on guitars and bass (joined by drummer Lev Weinstein). However, with an even more technical and noodling, busy approach and less vocals and […]

Perhaps a better name would be Temple of Balls because Lightslaying Rituals is ballsy black metal from France. And yes, I realize I referenced a swinging pair of elephant balls in my recent Die Hard review, but goddamnit it is applicable here too! Temple of Baal consists of a group of veterans of the heavy […]

No, you’re wrong; it’s not deathcore, well, not quite. Despite the artwork, the elaborate band name, the slightly sarcastic song titles (“Cradle Your Filth?” oh Drowningman, this is what you created with your genius back catalog) and the fact that CM has gone all gooey for deathcore makes it all the more surprising that this […]

This backs up my statement from the Death before Dishonor review, this year has been an absolute landslide in terms of quality releases for metallic hardcore, and what’s more, all kinds of different styled bands have been forging genius works each with their own distinct flavors and traits. Steel Nation is very much the antithesis […]

As one of the European fathers of death/doom and gothic metal, Paradise Lost has had controversial ups and downs for years. Though the band has released quality music and some great albums, nothing has been quite as monumental as Gothic, Icon, and Draconian Times. If anything, the band stayed far from that chapter of their […]

I feel like I’m supposed to dig Goreaphobia based at least partially on their pedigree, if for nothing else — one that boasts members who’ve spent time in Incantation and Absu, a fact which should entice death metal enthusiasts to give the band a shot — but sadly, I don’t. Debut full-length Mortal Repulsion, on […]

After initially turning up my nose at a band named Mr. Death, I somehow got to be ok with the moniker, which may have had something to do with the cool faux VHS movie cover for Detached from Life. The old school, primarily Swedish style, death metal performed on the disc is pretty decent too, […]

Now we’re talking! Die Hard’s Nihilistic Vision is old school thrash metal with a swinging set of elephant balls and a death metal attitude. Featuring members of Watain, the style owes as much to early Slayer and Venom as it does to Exodus or the Bay Area School, and it hits like a pair of […]

One of the most revered bands in the Australian metal scene, the mucky, mysterious musical cist that is Portal seems to be one of those ‘cool’ bands to like because they are such an anti thesis of all that is popular and trendy in metal. And with their third insidious album of churning, seemingly unstructured […]

With 2007s Antithesis, Germany’s Secrets of the Moon flirted with the black metal elite, mixing blackened atmospherics, death metal and depressive ambience into long slithering tracks and memorable set pieces that hinted at greatness. However, with the 65 minute run time, and even longer songs that emphasize mood over intensity, Privilegivm, feels more drawn out […]

Man, not only has death metal seen some excellent , label released goodness in 2009 (Augury, Gorod, Obscura, Ulcerate, Man Must Die, Nile, As You Drown, The Red Shore to name just a few), along come bands like Cephalectomy, Avicularia, Unconventional Disruption, Burial Ritual, Zealotry and Quebec’s Vengeful to self release some death metal awesomeness […]

Split albums are common in metal but yield mixed results. Far too often, listeners labor through 20 minutes of crap to get to five minutes of goodness. Here’s a combination that works – a dual platter from the bowels of the San Francisco Bay Area featuring death metal veterans Abscess (formed by two members of […]

CONFIDENTIAL INTAKE REPORT, RHODE ISLAND STATE MENTAL HOSPITAL: Presiding psychiatrist:  Dr. Paul Fritz Examination Notes: At approximately 19:00 hours on Nov. 16, 2009, three subjects without any names or aliases other than White Mice were presented for psychiatric examination. The subjects were discovered in a small house in Providence, R.I., after neighbors complained of noxious […]

This young Boston, MA based power trio first caught my attention earlier this year when I came across their debut full length from last year, Empire of the Obscene. It was an impressive mix of technical ability, classic thrash hues, hints of modern death metal, catchy melodies and pummeling groove – it was all over […]

GEORGE took a mammoth hit off the bong, coughed, and leaned back in the beat-up recliner. Eager to get even more stoned, he took yet another hit, let the acrid smoke fester in his lungs, and closed his eyes. Death metal blared from the box stereo system, which was obscured by a seemingly infinite number […]

You know its been a great year for metal when the fifth album from Between the Buried and Me arrives with relatively little fanfare, takes two weeks for me to review and wont be an immediate shoo in for my album of the year like 2007s Colors and 2005s Alaska. Not that The Great Misdirect […]

So a couple of recent Rise Records releases have broken away from the label’s recent trend of emo vocals filled metal or Hot Topic core (Attack Attack!, The Devils Wears Prada, The Bled, Sleeping With Sirens, Miss May I, etc). With two stout death metal/deathcore releases by way of Australia’s impressive The Red Shore and […]