You’d think an epic, symphonic death metal band named after Icarus’s father would deliver a Greek mythology-based album. But what we have here is a concept album about Sir John Franklin’s ill-fated, 1845 artic expedition where two ships, Erebus and Terror, and their crews of 129 went missing (also the loose basis of the excellent […]

France has a dark history. Uprisings, wars, and more wars; have left the countryside pockmarked with craters, and flowers grow in the places where blood had been spilled. It makes sense that France has a solid Black Metal history steeped in that revolutionary blood. Deathspell Omega, Mutiilation, Aldaaron, and the infamous Black Legions; forged a […]

Austrian technical deathcore/technical death metal outfit Spire of Lazarus has been on my radar for a bit now since they released two video game-themed albums under the moniker Dayum. Both 2017s Dark Souls and 2019s Ghost of Sparta (which is being re-released at the same time as this album, under the new name with Reality […]

Bjorn? Sven? Sylvain? David? Bastian? Rasmus? Good, you’re all here. Before we get started; Take off the chauffer’s cap, please Bjorn. We’re talking about Soilwork, not The Night Flight Orchestra. You should have known that. I thought I put it on the Outlook Calendar invite. Anyway, I’ve gathered all of you here to let you […]

I imagine being a Swedish death metal band, playing Swedish-styled, HM2 death metal AND hailing from Stockholm carries a little weight with it, what with Entombed  Grave and Dismember all hailing from your hometown. However, youngsters Katakomba are up to the task and have delivered a fine, if not damn brilliant homage to their hometown […]

Misgivings is yet another damn fine French band label owner Alex Dolorem has sent to me. Interestingly enough, this self-titled album is their debut yet they’ve been around since 1991. The band has released many demos, went on hiatus but returned a few years ago. This is 9 songs in 35 minutes and the band […]

At the risk of coming off a little too right-wing, conservative lunatic – I’m getting goddamn sick of the world we live in today. I’ve had it! Of course, there’s a delicate balance of “the way things used to be” and progression that needs to be struck, right? Civil rights, LGBTQ+ rights, Women’s rights – […]

In the history of Death Metal, a solid debut album is a must. Bands have lived and died on the quality of that crucial first release, and luckily for international, all-female collective Castrator, they have a brutal as fuck first release that is like a Venom Prison-styled punch to the gut. Not a knockoff by any […]

Ho hum, album number 12 from these now fully established scene veterans, who have blown up in one of metal’s most consistent and best-selling acts. And if past logic shows us anything this should be a better Amon Amarth album based on the band’s affinity for good, then not as good, then good then not […]

I grabbed this promo to review as I dug the 2020 debut from Germany’s Eisenkult, …gedenken wir der finsternis back in 2020 ( though I somehow completely missed last year’s Von Himmel, Hoch Herab) as it was a super melodic, medieval black metal release, and I love that shit. So it appears somewhere between the […]

Norway’s four-piece Kryptograf return with their second album, The Eldorado Spell, after their scorching self-titled debut from two years ago. Chalk this band up to another new favorite Rini band. Kryptograf play a heavy doom with psychedelic moments. I’d say throw classic Sabbath in a blender and mix in Trouble, Khemmis as well as the […]

Let me just say straight away that this is not a metal album. Its hard to describe what it is, exactly. Argh! Ok, its fair to say I have never done any sort of Classical music review… ever. While this is a Satyricon album, and their name is on the tin. This is part of […]

While I have an affinity for every single metal sub-genre in some way, it’s safe to say some are less “my thing.” Grindcore is one of those, but I do enjoy some once in a while. Some bands just do it right. Some bands are also from my local scene, or more specifically the scene […]

In my ongoing quest to discover symphonic death metal of any sort here in 2022, I’ve stumbled across some awesome, obscure stuff this summer alone,  like Japan’s Imperial Circus Dead Decadence ( whose 殯――死へ耽る想いは戮辱すら喰らい、彼方の生を愛する為に命を讃える―― might be my album of the year- which was just going to be too much of a challenge to review/type), The […]

New Jersey’s doom death band Disma return with an ep full of new material with three great songs. I’m still hoping there’s a full length in the works as their 2011 debut Towards the Megalith was released some time ago. As an ardent Disma supporter of a rack of their merch, all their music and reviewing their last several eps/comp […]

I’m always on the lookout for heraldic, medieval black metal in the vein of Véhémence, Eisenkult, Sühnopfer, Abduction, Ungfell, Hanternoz, Passéisme, Heltekvad  and such. And here we have the debut EP from one-man band, Frenchman Alexis Chiambretto, and this 4 song 22-ish-minute debut is a must-have if you enjoy any of the above bands. You […]

Thank you to the SBDC (Slamming Brutal Deathmetal Community) Instagram for this discovery.  Their label and promotion account is regularly posting the newest brutal death metal.  As much as I like the genre a ton of the stuff I see is rather indistinguishable from the next.  Maybe 1 in 50 has either a unique take […]

What the heck is this? Christian Deathcore? Good Christian Deathcore even? What is it……. 2010 or something????? It’s been a while since I covered and enjoyed a Christian metal record, let a alone a Deathcore one that recalls a peak of the genre and bygone era when the likes of Earth From Above (still the […]

As a listener and certainly as a reviewer, there’s always a certain point when you are checking out a potential album where you say to yourself “Nope, I don’t like this” and move on ” or say “Yep, I’m digging this” and keep listening. On Seraphic Punishment, the debut album (though they have been releasing […]

Texas brutal death metal newcomers Visions of Annihilation drop their debut album The Inception of Chaos on Brian Ferrell’s Ossuary Industries label. Brian knows good homegrown brutal American death metal and as a huge supporter of the scene he snatched up this band. They use a drum machine but don’t let that dissuade you. It’s programmed quite excellently […]

Listen, when it comes to power metal, like my porn tastes, I have very specific, odd niches that I enjoy. For some reason, I skip right past the ‘normal’ power metal like Primal Fear, Firewind, Hammerfall, Iced Earth and such and dive headfirst in with unfettered glee into the uber cheesiest, symphonic cosplay-loving, LARPing, cape-wearing […]

Werewolves don’t like you. In fact, they fucking hate you. They said so on the first track of their last album What A Time to be Alive, and on track 2 of this new one, they flat out say they are better than you and are genuinely shocked that you think you’re worthy of buying […]

One-man bands are sometimes a hit-or-miss affair. I often picture one dude frantically recording everything at the same time, which I know isn’t true (looking at Burzum). Turm is a singular affair conceived by Tyrst and I have got to say it’s not disappointing at all. This has a classic Black Metal feel, and from […]

Long Island NY’s Artificial Brain returns with their third album, a self-titled one. Prior to the release vocalist and my friend Will Smith announced he was leaving in order to focus on being the singer for Afterbirth, also Long Island natives. Will’s departure and vocal style will be missed but I’m not sure who the […]

This review has had several different openings (like your mom). At first, I was disappointed with the new Deathwhite. Maybe it’s because of lofty expectations, being a big fan of their previous gothic-tinged doom. Think modern Katatonia with better choruses. Yeah, I said it. However, after a very short amount of time, I found myself […]