As the opening tones of introductory number “The Slaughter of Baby Jesus” opens up Necrophobic’s fifth effort, I literally got goose bumps from the mix of epic choral arrangements, chants and menacing delivery. It’s a pity the rest of the album never reaches that same level of tangible musical wickedness, instead plying a solid if […]

When a band compares itself to the likes of Nevermore, Symphony X, Iced Earth and Iron Maiden (especially Nevermore), I tend to get somewhat interested (to the point where the expectations rise up quite dramatically). And such is the case with Chicago’s Twelfth Gate who continue their metallic deeds on “Threshold of Revelation”.Did I get […]

Ever grown tired of those commercials, where some attention whore from Hollywood―looking all serious and shit, drinking highly expensive bottled water made out of elephant’s testicle sweat―asks for a hefty donation to help some unfortunate motherfuckers who’ll use the money to fund their next home-made genocide? At the same time, MySpace-age teenagers are wearing corpse […]

Armed with a shiny new deal with Relapse and riding acclaimed criticism of their self released Dissent EP, which hinted at a legendary follow up to the scene shaking Retaliate, Misery Index appear ready to conquer the extreme metal world…Then why is it that Discordia underwhelms me? Why am I mildly disappointed? Did Retaliate and […]

I always thought it was a little silly when I saw people crying their eyes out over a celebrity that they’d never even met. I’d never mourned a celebrity, even ones I really liked and respected. But that changed on Dec. 8, 2004. It was my birthday, of all days, in one of the shittiest […]

Aeturnus’ past achievements hold little comfort in this release of uninspired mediocrity. Sounding washed-up without remorse, the Bergen-based band’s sixth-full length can only appeal to bargain-basement shoppers. This album is a grindy, dull affair which sounds more like sophomoric hopefuls than the original veterans who brought forth …And So the Night Became and Beyond the […]

When metal-archives.com went online I started systematically entering bands in alphabetical order with a few exceptions for some of my favorite bands that no one else had submitted yet. Among the first was Kampfar. I remember where I bought the Kampfar mcd back in 1994, one of those defining moments like where were you when […]

As if Candlelight wasn’t already having a great year with the likes of Daylight Dies, Enslaved, Ihsahn, Keep of Kalessin, Zyklon and Bal-Sagoth, here is arguably one of the most anticipated ‘reunion’ albums of the year within its respective genre. I wont bore you with the history of Starkweather, but one could argue that without […]

I can’t be the only one that thought these guys broke up years ago, can I? Understandably I was rather shocked to receive in the mail Metal Black, the latest album from metal’s original satanists Venom. I was even more shocked to find that it didn’t completely suck.This year commemorates the 25 th anniversary of […]

Belenos is back with their 4th crusade of brutal Pagan black metal. Chants de Bataille has been finally released by Adipocere after the last several releases on Sacral Productions. Other than a jump from one French label to another French label, not much has changed. The most obvious change is the inclusion of seven interludes. […]

Do not click off this review, you will miss one of the most surprising and stunning albums of the year from a completely unknown band.The first release from the longtime hardcore webzine, and by god it?s a fucking scorcher. I initially saw Lye By Mistake at a local show in St. Louis and I was […]

Though most think Metal Blade are more miss than hit with their recent metalcore offerings (i.e Phoenix Mourning, Machinemade God), their sub label, Ironclad have had a little more success (The Classic Struggle, If Hope Dies) and continue that with this debut album. Though named after a bee farm, not a very metal moniker I’ll […]

Helrunar hails from Munster Germany and formed in spring 2001. They play Heathen black metal and Frostnacht is their debut album for a record label, with Gratr being self released. If I was in the habit of offering quick and dirty comparisons to known bands I’d say Enslaved meets Immortal circa 1994 with Frostmoon Eclipse […]

The first time I put in this record it was my first experience with Decapitated. This very young band from Poland has created some major hype since their first release Winds of Creation in 2000. And even though this was my first Decapitation album, I sensed the stir in the death metal world over this […]

Let’s put aside for the moment the overly complicated concept about DNA mapping and molecular regeneration on Vision Divine’s fourth album and just focus on the music. Timo Tolkki of Stratovarius fame steps into the producer’s chair here and takes the band in more of a prog direction than their previous power metal outings, and […]

“The Heaviest Album of the Year. Period” – from Prosthetic’s promotional sheet. Folks, there is not denying that the ‘heavy’ in heavy metal takes many form; the blazing speed of Nile, the rumble of Bolt Thrower and the dirge like oppression of Catacombs; all heavy in their own right, but regardless of what you term […]

Though this is the fifth outing from the Swedish power metal act Steel Attack, it’s my introduction to them, and my first impression is pretty good. Diabolic Symphony features some nice, cutting power/traditional metal that’s not overburdened with keyboard flourishes or overbearing vocal harmonies. Singer Ronny Hemlin reminds me a little of Tim Owens (in […]

People, pay attention. What we have here is a very, very special US Black Metal record, a landmark even. While Wrest has been sucking up all the USBM glory with his well-deserved plethora of EPs and splits, no band has truly challenged the USMB throne occupied by Leviathan. Until Now.While most USBM seem to try […]

Certainly, Twin Method is by far the most commercially oriented act on the roster of Crash Music. Listening to this single, which is intended to build anticipation for the band’s forthcoming summer release, The Volume Of Self, it’s pretty apparent that Twin Method has a certain affection for Mudvayne. Toss in a touch of Linkin […]

Once upon a time, I valued technical proficiency above all other musical attributes. It probably had something to do with the musician crowd that I was hanging around with. Then one day, I was sitting in my room and the sad truth struck me. I’m a lousy guitar player, and even though I love playing, […]

Now that the post-Bloodbath, Stockholm homage glow seems to have passed, with even Bloodbath moving away from their Entombed/Dismember/ Grave worship for Nightmares Made Flesh, here comes Lord K (The Project Hate) and his second super group of old school Swedish death mongers featuring Emperor Magus Caligula – Vocals (Dark Funeral, Hypocrisy, Dominion Caligula), Tomas […]

Apparently Myspace has some uses other than unsolicited porn and self promotion (my main use) as out of the blue I get a message from Kostas, the main man of Pantheist, who has read my reviews of Amartia and O Solitude on this very site and asked me to review their latest release. Don’t get […]

I‘ll admit, I’m not the biggest Emperor fan in the world as only Into the Nightside Eclipse still gets any regular play from me, however I can appreciate the artistry and elegance of the band’s last three efforts, especially the swansong Prometheus. Now as far as Ihsahn’s first post Emperor side project, Peccatum, I think […]

Those that remember the formative years of the death metal underground will have no problems differentiating this collection of early material from Vital Remains from the modern day, Glen Benton-fronted Vital Remains. As the death metal style has matured and evolved into a more horrific beast, recordings such as these are as critical to understanding […]

I’ve found myself listening to a lot of 1970s Aerosmith lately, so it’s really probably not fair to review this album at this point. It’s hard to judge a blues-based hard rock band with the echoes of the best still rattling around in your head. But Sweden’s The Quill manage to stand up to the […]