Well this was a nice surprise. Hailing from the Netherlands, newcomers Expulsion display some pretty serious chops on their debut full length Wasteworld. Combining elements of black and death into a ripping and technically stunning thrash assault, Wasteworld is a relentless beast from beginning to end. With mostly short and concise tracks, the songs on […]

How the fuck is it that 3 my favorite albums of 2009 are self released (two being Kalisia and Be’lakor) and one of them, Cephalectomy’s An Epitaph to Tranquility is a FREE FUCKING DOWNLOAD????? That’s right. The full length follow up to 2004 excellent Eclipsing the Dawn (not counting the 28 minute single track, The Dream […]

I have a very vague recollection of this Swedish bands full length debut 2006, Serene Catharsis as a mix of gruff Swedish death metal with a slight melodic, progressive lean, and this re-issue of their 2005 WIll and Perception demo EP along with two new tracks and a reworked 2004 demo track (“Common Walls”) seems […]

Ok, I’ll admit I’m reviewing this because September Riot Records is based in my hometown, and even though the band Estrus hail from Central Illinois, its always nice to see some local folks get involved in an otherwise barren Central Missouri metal scene, even if it is pretty standard modern hot topic styled metalcore/screamo. Despite […]

The funny part is that it did not even occur to me that Necrology was the new album from My Own Grave; guess I didn’t recognize the indecipherable logo. “What a hearty meal of Swedish death metal these ‘Necrology’ fellows have served,” I thought to myself. Then upon perusing the Pulverised website I see that […]

One could argue that in the space of just three full length albums , Liv Kristine and her spectacular cleavage , err I mean voice, have become Gothic metal’s premier act. The formula they ply has been done amply by the likes of Nighwish, Epica, Stream of Passion and a host of other boobie fronted […]

Years ago, when Sweden was seething amazing music, Skyfire emerged with a ridiculously good debut album called Timeless Departure that was more theatrical than anything Children of Bodom could churn out. It turned many underground heads, including mine, and gave the band somewhat of a name. The band continuously rendered enjoyable albums including 2004s Spectral, but […]

First impressions of the debut from Greece’s  Cerebrum, Spectral Extravagance are mixed. Is it brutal death metal? Tech-death? Jazz-prog-death fusion? Something -core? To be honest, after repeat listens, it’s still a bit confusing. According to label Lacerated Enemy Records, Spectral Extravagance is “progressive tech death.” The overall gist comes through, but it seems necessary to […]

Despite holding a high opinion of Josh Graham’s talent, particularly in his expert handling of the visual elements of Neurosis’s live performances and the stunning A Sun That Never Sets DVD release, I was somewhat let down by his first foray into our collective musical consciousness, that being the pleasantly heavy, if not all too […]

The entire package presented here is associated with beer. The name Final Gravity is a term used in brewing beer, the CD cover is a picture of the bottom of a wooden keg carved with ingredient symbols, and the band bio will not let you forget how much the band enjoys beer, even going as […]

Ugh. I feel queasy. While not overly impressed with the last offering from this Netherlands madman who goes by the name of Mories, there’s something about this album that literally hooks me, reels me in an gives me a tangible sense of disgust and self loathing. Maybe it’s the more perverse, sexually depraved nature of […]

One of my musical interests outside of metal has always been the jazz and swing of the Big Band era. That’s why the Diablo Swing Orchestra’s name immediately caught my attention. Then there’s opening track, “A Tap Dancer’s Dilemma,” which is one of the most interesting songs that I’ve heard in a long time. It […]

For the three of you out there that haven’t yet heard about Brutal Legend, here’s a quick summary. You play as Eddie Riggs (perfectly voiced by Jack Black), a heroic roadie who’s transported into a legendary World of Metal that’s like every Frank Frazetta painting, every Judas Priest album cover and every hot rod magazine […]

As when I heard the re-issue of Marduk’s Dark Endless last year, I had no idea that the current iteration of one of Sweden’s more respected second tier black/death metal acts, Necrophobic was so different from their more recognized, current sound. Like Marduk, Necrophobic’s first sound was one rooted in early Swedish death metal, namely […]

I don’t often put on Meshuggah albums, but I certainly understand the appeal. It’s a sound that’s precise and punishing, at once layered and dense, yet colorless and spare. And its haphazard, violent lurch and bellow demands, focuses, even galvanizes your attention – until suddenly, it doesn’t. Time and time again, my attention always wanders […]

Of the recent spate of doomy metallic hardcore bands that have emerged in this brave new millennium to date, France’s Overmars have possibly been among the most overlooked and underrated. Beginning their career with a limited split CD w/Japanese crusters Fugue, the innovative seven-piece was barely a blip on the radar until Candlelight Records issued […]

Black Sabbath being the fount from which all doom springs, it’s only appropriate that you should hear their influence in bands of the genre. But you could argue that Gates of Slumber cross the line of influence right into worship. Not that that’s a bad thing. Hymns of Blood and Thunder, the latest offering from […]

Neurosis frontman Steve Von Till reaps the benefits of his home studio and sows confusion on this second release from his other solo project, Harvestman, a name that either evokes the image of some pagan human-deity hybrid, or suggests a great brand name for vegetarian tv-dinners, depending on how serious the listener or reviewer is […]

Credit the Czech Republic’s Lacerated Enemy Records for nabbing the license for this Skull and Bones Records released debut from these young (and now split up) Australian upstarts Hiroshima Will Burn, a modern tech-death act that came along just soon enough to catch what is looking like the tail end of a minor trend of cherubic […]

It is a good thing my opinion of Soul Control’s choice of band name is not the same as that of its debut full-length on Bridge Nine, Cycles. If that were the case, I would be ripping the album to shreds. As it turns out, I just find Cycles to be a decent enough album […]

And the award for ‘Biggest 180 of the Year’ goes to Finland’s Amoral, who I hadn’t heard of until receiving this in my review stack this month. I like to do my research though, and so I found that they used to be a pretty sick melodic/technical death act. Used to be. With the release […]

You’d expect competent Opeth worship to come from Sweden and such, but not necessarily from the US, however as bands like Daylight Dies, Iron Thrones and Gwynbleidd showed on 2006 excellent Amaranthine EP back in 2006, Opeth worship can come from anywhere. In the case of Gwynbleidd, the depths of Brooklyn, NY (albeit by way […]

People tagging Redemption as another Dream Theater copycat seem to be out of touch with reality when it comes to maligning this inexcusably underrated and yet outstanding Progressive Metal outfit from LA. When talents such as Ray Alder (Fates Warning), Nick van Dyk (Fools Game) and Bernie Versailles (Fates Warning, Agent Steel) are joined together […]

The anticipation level is high, adrenal glands working overtime, then the first song starts…. I find my mind wandering and playing “Cryptic Winterstorms” internally, so hit stop, pull up Diabolical, listen in its entirety, put All Shall Fall back on and hit play, now where were we… halfway through the first song I have the […]

My only real knowledge or experience with Boston’s Doomriders is that they feature Converge bassist Nate Newton and Cave In Drummer JR Conners, two bands I like but aren’t awfully obsessed with, so when I gathered that this outfit was a more rock based band to boot, my hopes weren’t extremely high. That all changed […]