Despite being world’s apart musically, there is one thing that ties Earth Crisis to the band of one of my previous reviews (Victims’ Killer), this being honesty. It’s a quality that has been apparent in Earth Crisis since their inception, even when they besmirched their legacy musically in 2000 when they put out Slither they […]

Cryogen’s last release, This Nightmare EP, was one of the first I reviewed for this site, back when it was still Digital Metal. In the two years since, not much has changed in the camp musically – they still play a slightly Americanized brand of melodic death metal, drawing influence from In Flames and the […]

So here is album number two from the UK’s Trigger the Bloodshed who along with the likes of Sarpanitum, Detrimentium, Man Must Die (and since, Ignominious Incarceration) have recently resurrected the British death metal scene and with a slight line- up change, Trigger the Bloodshed remain as technical and visceral as the debut. Of course […]

The original tech-death players have been coming out of the woodwork these past few years, haven’t they? We got an Atheist reunion that has gone over a storm and a new Cynic album that pissed off the diehard death metalers. Now Patrick Mameli has resurrected Pestilence all these years after the release of the critically […]

For reasons beyond my comprehension, the second full length album from Funeral Mist (now comprised solely of Arioch) has received a large amount of criticism and negative response. Whether it’s the fact the album was unleashed without warning 6 years after the highly regarded Salvation, that Necromorbus is no longer on drums, or that Arioch […]

Super group Birds of Prey consisting of Ben Hogg (Beaten Back to Pure), Erik Larson ( The Mighty Nimbus, Alabama Thunderpussy, Hail!Hornet), Bo Leslie (The Last Van Zant, Throttlerod), Summer Welch (Baroness), and Dave Witte (Municipal Waste, Burnt by the Sun, Discordance Axis, Human Remains) have always been promising with their Southern take on groovy […]

Just imagine if there was some form of accolade such as a cup, a medal or a trophy of any form in the hardcore universe for possessing a diverse roster. If such an award existed then Deathwish would be a serious contender for the title as they show once again the breath of their artist […]

After the surprising excellence of the recent Odium album, I thought I’d delve back into the Year of the Sun Records pool, only this time with different results. Never have a band been so appropriately named (at least until a band comes out called ‘Annoying Fucking kids Playing Shitty Deathcore’, but I digress). Canada’s Misguided […]

Who among you doesn’t now realize that Slough Feg is one of the best bands on the planet? They do in fact rule; always have and always will. Through all the discussions of a sound that is slightly askew in a cult NWOBHM kind of way with a Celtic folk thread that always simmers just […]

God Dethroned is a band that we’ve witnessed in either one of two forms: “on” or “off.” It’s a little harder to prove when God Dethroned is “on” nowadays, considering many of their detractors haven’t thought them good since 1992’s Christhunt. That said, it’s terribly easy to point at the bad in the God Dethroned […]

You’ll have to excuse me in advance, because this is gonna be less a review and more the journalistic equivalent of a blowjob. Seriously, this really is that good. This is retro Thrash done right, peppered with a gnarly Black Metal edge. It’s nasty, it’s mean, it’s raw – it’s about as raw as Mike […]

Over the past couple years, Cruz Del Sur has done a good job of establishing themselves as a top flight powerhouse of power and traditional heavy metal with the likes of Pharaoh, Slough Feg, Icarus Witch, and now with the addition of Pennsylvania’s Crown the Lost, their run of dominance in the genre(s) continues. Now, […]

Ok, there is something to be said for band’s who play this sort of Melodic Screamo music. The musicians can play, the vocalist (when he’s not enducing his own anyerism) can carry a tune and the musical arrangements take chops. So, I don’t want to sound like I can’t at least appreciate what they’re trying […]

Two dudes walk into a bar…no, seriously…two dudes walk into a bar what what happens? Well, if they’re musicians they’ll likely talk about forming a band. Get two people together who both play music and the conversation will inevitably meander into “We should do something together…”; it’s artistic nature. Anyway, such is the case with […]

Unless it’s a play on Hellhammer, Hellsaw has to be one of the most unoriginal, ‘scary’ black metal band names I think I’ve ever heard. And then to call the album Cold, well, I wasn’t expecting this be a very inspiring listen. But surprise surprise, these Austrians have delivered a really solid, enjoyable example of […]

I thought this band was called Infernal Folklore, ‘cause that’s the only readable text on the CD. No help from that logo, either. Had to do a bit of research to find out that it’s actually called Infernal Scourge – how’s that for obscure underground status? A bit more research revealed that this is the […]

You’ve got to give Chris Bruni and Profound Lore Records some credit – Krallice? Cobalt? Hammers of Misfortune? Portal? Alcest? Amesouers? Tell me that isn’t an elite label based on those releases alone. Well, after raising some eyebrows with the debut EP from this Irish black metal act, Profound Lore has raised the bar again […]

I’m not gonna lie- there isn’t one single original note on the debut from Baltimore’s deathccore/metalcore kids Whisteria Cottage- not a single one. However, they do deliver the expected deathcore stylings with a level of confidence and skill that should make them appeal fans clamoring for this stuff. The band that immediately came to mind […]

Utah’s Chelsea Grin are the US equivalent of Bring Me the Horizon – visually I want to punch repeatedly them in the genitals and ensure they never breed- but musically they aren’t actually too bad and are one of the heavier deathcore bands I’ve heard. If you recently enjoyed the likes of Oceano, then this […]

San Francisco’s reputation as a hotbed for forward-thinking USBM and post-black metal continues with Saros, featuring Leila Abdul-Rauf of Amber Asylum and Blood Eagle (formerly of Weakling) on drums. Abdul-Rauf’s dual vocal duties (rasped and ethereal) can’t help but bring up citymates Ludicra, and there’s a heavy dose of Agalloch-style neofolk in here as well. […]

Funny that a band from San Antonio should be named after the Norse god of winter, don’t you think? Hod takes their moniker from blind Hodur, the son of Odin who murdered Balder, a god most often likened to the sun. So what happens when crushing Texas brutality meets cold Norse mythology? You get Serpent, […]

Here’s another album I was anticipating, but ultimately found boring. I remember buying their debut, Inside the Machine and thinking they had some potential, but after four or five spins, I shelved it and eventually sold it. So now, two years later we have Dead Harvest, and nothing more than another serving of potential unrealized. […]

After the clinical tech death assault that was Of Fracture and Failure, New Zealand’s Ulcerate has made a few changes to their sound and thankfully replaced vocalist Ben Reed (bassist Paul Keland now performs vocals) and the end result is yet another simply killer Willowtip release and one of the most striking death metal albums […]

Launched as a Dream Theater cover project back in 2001, Italian Progressive Metal five-piece Astra eventually grew into a self-reliant act and started writing and recording original material. Unfortunately, I haven’t heard their 2006 debut About Me – Through Life And Beyond, but I’m keen to do so after getting acquainted with their newest disc […]

A 20-part, hour-plus epic concept album mixing virtuoso progressive metal, blistering melodic death and symphonic grandeur? Sold. This French band comes off like the glorious blend of Scar Symmetry, Symphony X and Nightwish, with plenty of other influences – Cynic being a big one – popping up throughout. As you’d expect from those references, the […]