I’m not overly familiar with Dutch black metal duo Fluisteraars, (“dreamers”)  as Bloem is my first real exposure to the band, even though it’s their 3rd album. Their 2014 debut, Dromers was reviewed in these pages, and that’s where I started my research and decided to give album number three a go. I’ve since promptly […]

Popularity and/or notoriety are definitely elusive attributes when it comes to extreme metal trying to branch out to a larger audience. Trying to build a band legacy while making an actual financial living from it is indeed the epitome of extreme metal being a ruthless and fickle bitch. What is it that gains one artist […]

I had high hopes for the second effort from Pete Helmkamp’s latest post Angelcorpse endeavor, especially after the nasty little slab of black/death filth that was the debut, Larvae Offal Swine. But alas, Proselyte Parasite Plague is a disappointing, flat (literally) follow up. The main reason for the album’s failure is the guitar tone and production. […]

Ok folks so this year of 2020 you will see some new and expansive reviews from yours truly.  I do not claim to be a Black Metal expert by any stretch of the imagination, however that’s not to say I do not like Black Metal.  My origins with Black Metal are rooted in more of […]

You know the whole “Glow Up” thing? Basically, people on social media post a side-by-side photo comparison of themselves when they were younger, more awkward, and not quite fully developed – next to a recent photo of their more grown up, mature, and (assumedly) more attractive selves. A modern-world representation of The Ugly Duckling, if […]

For a while there, in the mid /late 00s, at deathcore’s peak, Suicide Silence were mentioned in the same breath as genre darlings the likes of Whitechapel, Oceano, All Shall Perish, Despised Icon and such. Even after the tragic death of vocalist Mitch Lucker in 2012, the band were joined by Eddie Hermida (ex-All Shall […]

So Jeff Waters is still slinging the crap out of his guitar?  I had no idea.  Canada’s speed metal veterans return with their 17th, yes you read that correctly, 17th full length album, Ballistic, Sadistic.  Of course you had the classic Alice in Hell album in 1989 and really after that I kind of lost […]

I have not been a big thrash guy since my teens (Sabbat, Metallica, Toranaga, Slayer etc), and none of the ‘nu thrash’ (Municipal Waste, Toxik Holocaust etc) has really grabbed me. The only 2 ‘new’ thrash bands that I have really enjoyed have been Germany’s Mortal Infinity and The Netherlands’ Anger Machine, as they have […]

Necropanther? NECROPANTHER! Hell-fucking-YES, Necropanther. Be honest, you’re only here because of that name. Don’t be ashamed! It’s sure as hell the reason they caught my attention. You see a name like that, and you pretty much HAVE to see just what the hell that’s all about. It’s really a bold, but risky strategy. Yes, the […]

I’ve been listening to New Jersey’s Lorna Shore since 2013/14’s EP, Maleficium,  and 2015 debut full length Psalms . And while I enjoyed the band’s synth tinged take on deathcore, I never expected them to blow up into the full on symphonic blackened deathcore act that delivered Flesh Coffin in 2017. Well, after some delays […]

Holy crap did this come out of left field or what?  Released last year, this promo was just sent to me by the label recently and literally I had to get a review out.  Never heard of this dude, this release and or band and Ian has been in the metal industry for over 3 […]

Do you like the Alien film franchise? I like the Alien film franchise. It’s a mixed feelings type of thing when it comes to these films. Some people like them all, some people hate them all, some people like a few and hate a few, while others couldn’t care less. Me though, I dig ’em, […]

From the label that brought you last year’s excellent Dauþuz album, Monvmentvm, comes the debut of Finnish trio Marrasmieli (‘death of the mind’) and you can go ahead and block a spot for your 2020 year end list, because this is going to be on it. This isn’t just a good album, or a great […]

If you were to ask me where Infirmity was from, based solely on their sound, I’d be hard pressed to come up with an answer. The band and their full-length debut, Descendants of Sodom, is brimming full with influential might. A journey of brutal, melodic, and even blackened tinged death metal groove, Descendants of Sodom […]

They say imitation is the greatest form of flattery. If that’s the case Chris Reifert and Autopsy should be flattered as fuck by this German trio and their second full length album, Outcome of Obnoxious Science. If you like Autopsy and their sinewy oozing ilk like Slaugterday (also from Germany), Nailgun Massacre, Obliteration, Execration and […]

Baltimore’s brutal death metal band, Visceral Disgorge, burst onto the scene in 2011 with their scorching debut album-Ingesting Putridity.  I was an instant believer and reviewed the album, gave it high marks and interviewed the singer Travis Werner.   After meeting Travis at a local show and witnessing their brutal live performance we struck up […]

The last time I checked in with Indiana’s Psychomancer was 2015s Inject the Worms EP, And I wasn’t that impressed with the band’s generic and forgetful if competent American death metal. But it appears  as if some HM2 boss pedals have found their way to Michigan City, Indiana as the quartet has developed what was […]

Infidel Reich burst on the scene in 2016 and a year later they unleashed their scorching self-titled ep and now they are back with their debut album Reichenstein which came out at the tail end of 2019 and is just a monstrous and full throttle pedal to the old school metal albums. The supergroup of […]

When Massive Assault vocalist Fredde Kaddeth reaches out to you directly, asking if he can send you Massive Assault‘s, 2 song, 7″ limited edition single for review, you say ‘yes’. Especially when you have been a fan of the band’s Dismember meet Grave Swedish styled goodness since 2012s Death Strike and 2017s Mortar. Side 1 […]

Switzerland’s Algebra’s debut album, Polymorph was released in 2012 and from that moment on I became a fan and interviewed drummer, Tony Sharp.  In 2014 they followed up their debut with Feed the Ego-yet another raging slab of well played thrash metal that harkens back to the Bay Area scene of the 80’s, a little bit of death/thrash, but infusing the […]

Poland’s Deivos have returned with their 6th full length album Casus Belli.  I must say I was quite please and hooked with their 2017 effort Endemic Divine.   Their 2019 effort follows a lot of similar elements and expands upon some. Deivos play a form of brutal, groovy technical death metal that is a bit in […]

One of the more under the radar reunions of late is the reformation of Germany’s Fleshcrawl, one of the country’s early 90s death metal bands along with Morgoth (who ironically shared the same band name with Fleshcrawl at the outset) , who seemed to get the lions share of the attention. Fleshcrawl eventually settled into […]

I had no idea New York’s awesome Mortician finally released an album after all these years…..oh wait…this is not Mortician????  Fluids-what the hell??  New to the scene, forming in 2018 from Arizona, Walter Hale on Drums/Synths/Programming, Jan Grotle on Guitar/Bass and Cole Jacobsen on Vocals, this trio of stoolbags have put out their debut Exploitative […]

I’m always up for some bombastic, symphonic black metal, but other than maybe False, Belzebubs, Northwind Wolves and Kull (if they don’t really count as ‘new’) and some other Black Lion Records bands, there are few new, exciting young purely old school bands in the genre, as I typically rely on the old guard of […]

Germany’s and personal favorite Revel in Flesh return with their 5th long player and The Hour of the Avenger shows a more mature Revel in Flesh where they continue to allow their riffs to breathe a little longer.  I’ve been in touch with their singer, Ralf for years now and consider him a friend.  We […]