Well this album can definitely be called an “onion” album, meaning it has many layers, and I’ll be damned if each one of them are an absolute joy to explore.  Moving away a bit from the previous punishing sound of their last (phenomenal) LP, Monarchy, this 3rd output is an absolutely brilliant album from top […]

Trimming down to a lean duo formation Oakland, MD’s Cavern offer up their best work to date on their third LP, Eater, and fourth release overall for the Grimoire Records annals.  The band was fearsome as a trio and a stellar live show that my eyes bore witness to as well as the classic instrumental […]

The side (now also virtually a solo) project from Marduk’s Arioch isn’t very prolific. But when he does release an album, the world listens as it usually commands your attention. A 6 year wait lingered between the debut full length Salvation, and its follow Maranantha, and now a 9 year wait for the sudden and […]

Inverted were a Swedish death metal band who released 2 full-length albums in the 90’s. Long out of print, Marquee Records brings us an excellent sounding reissue of Inverted’s debut album, The Shadowland. Originally released in 1996, The Shadowland has a lot of good elements. I remember hearing about them years ago, but this is […]

Ill keep short and sweet, like the 11 songs on the third album from Dave Ingram (ex-Benediction, Ursinne, Echelon, Just Before Dawn) and Rogga Johannson ( too fucking many to type). Much like their prior two albums (2013s self titled debut and 2015s Exterminate! Annihilate! Destroy!),  … And You Will Obey Me is a more crust/d […]

I jumped out of my chair the second I received notification that Construct of Lethe’s second full length record Exiler was available to review.  Having been a fan of this group since their 2016 debut, Corpsegod.   There was a bit of a shift in sound from Corpsegod to Construct’s 2016 EP, The Grand Machination.  Both […]

With Dom the bassist/vocalist for WV sludge-punks Rhin swapping to guitarist/vocalist in Gloop, I just had to check these cats out.  Rhin’s a personal favorite of mine with their varied ability to meld punk, noise-rock, sludge and sprawling album closers into one tantalizing whole.  Gloop is a different animal altogether.  Also a trio, Gloop sounds […]

Canada’s Hypnotic Dirge Records is best known for its crippling doom metal but a few recent forays into atmospheric/depressive/black metal such as Kassad, None, Kval, Mavradoxa  and such haven’t been quite as successful in my humble opinion, but a here is a glorious, rending return to from from Canada’s own aptly named “prairie doom” act Altars […]

Sweden’s Black Lion Records has developed a real ear for 90s styled melodic/symphonic black, and from the label that has released excellent albums from the likes of Northwind Wolves, Hyperion, Meadows End, Sons ov Omega, Mist of Misery, Legacy of Emptiness and Vindland, comes another winner in the full length debut from homeland act Wormlight. I’ve […]

The state of Ohio has given us everything from legendary hardcore bands to the filthiest sludge bands to sickening grindcore and a little bit of anything and everything in between.  Latest to the lineage is pummeling doom-toned, 70s proto-metal hard rockers Fuzz Lord.  After a killer LP release in 2014 (The Key in Silence) the […]

Brazil’s Attomica have been around since 1985, stayed around for a bit and then reformed in 2004, went on hiatus again in 2009 and in 2015 came back. I have seen the band logo before but never heard them before. The Trick is their 5th album and they play speed/thrash metal, the way it was […]

You’d think the UKs Memoriam, featuring Bolt Thrower’s own Karl Willets and Andrew Whale would be the natural heir apparent to Bolt Thrower and their trundling form of war themed death metal, but it appears Sweden’s all star troupe Just Before Dawn are actually the more fitting replacement, even more so with another Bolt Thrower growler […]

German Progressive Death Metal Super Group Alkaloid have returned with the follow up to their 2015 debut The Malkuth Grimoire with Liquid Anatomy.  The brainchild of former Spawn of Possession and Aborted guitar Danny Tunker. Alkaloid also features three former members of the group Obscura in drummer Hannes Grossman, Bassist Linus Klausenister and Guitar Christian […]

2018 has been a busy year for melodic Swedish metal with releases from groups like Necrophobic, The Crown and At the Gates. Germany’s Fragments of Unbecoming make their presence felt with their fifth full length release Perdition Portal.  I must admit that it has been some time since I last heard a release from this […]

On the always esteemed Grimoire label comes the debut from instrumental doom/sludge/prog/metal weirdos Thought Eater and their full-length debut, Bones in the Fire.  These Baltimore bruisers do Maryland proud with their mash-up of influences that seem to encompass The Fucking Champs, Karma to Burn, Life is Abuse Records’ luminaries Yeti and Tarantula Hawk as well […]

I have to hand to to Travis Weickum. He has been fronting Colorado’s  Skinned now since 1995 and over the course of 4 albums, 2 splits, some demos and singles, some on labels, many independent. He has been the sole member of Skinned that’s been on all of them amid a whirlwind on members that has […]

About muthaeffin’ time Brazil’s Psychic Possessor’s 1988 debut, Toxin Diffusion, was finally released on cd. Thank you to original label Cogumelo and Marquee Records for finally getting this done. In the 1980’s I fell in love with the Brazilian metal scene. I used to trade vinyl with Brazilian pen pals I would find in ‘zines. […]

Back in 2015, Matt Harvey of Exhumed fame gathered some of his pals from Possessed, Malevolent Creation and Derketa and released Savage Land, an  almost note for note  homage to Chuck Schuldiner,  Death and the seminal Leprosy album. He followed it up with an EP, Dimensions of Horror  a more raw release that seemed more focused on earlier Death […]

The debut EP Attendre La Mort from devastating, French death/doom crew Black Box Warning (BBW, he he!) is an utter desolation trip that’s well-worth taking for fans of the genre.  Reminding me of Winter, Coffins, Warcrab, early Morgion and Famishgod, this shit is fuckin’ sick and heavier than a cement mixer full of pre-made tombstones.  […]

India’s crust/sludge/grind punk maniacs False Flag impressed me with their rotten demo debut about 2 years back.  I’m not sure what rock I was under but since that came out they’ve release a three song shorty officially titled EP.  There’s a lot of good stuff coming out of India the past couple of years and […]

Excellent!!!! I say out loud to myself as a twiddle my fingers with euphoric glee! YES! YES! YES! New Zealand’s Organectomy make their presence felt numerous times over with their first full length album Domain of the Wretched.  Organectomy are more than a standard, run of the mill slam band.  I would consider more a […]

What grabbed my attention immediately about the promo for this initially digitally, self released (since licensed by Canada’s fledgling lack Market Metal), Swedish death metal styled album was that is was mixed by Tomas fucking Skogsberg, AND has guest appearances from LG Petrov (Entombed)and James Murphy (Death, Obituary).  That’s an instant click bait for me. […]

per the Lord of the Rings wiki compendium, Orthanc is the black tower of Isengard where resides the corrupt wizard, Sarumon.  Keys of Orthanc are an atmospheric black metal band whose identity is firmly obvious, belonging to a near endless metal museum wing of bands using the formative Tolkien universe for which to base their […]

Back in the early and mid 00s, female fronted metal absolutely blew up, especially in the melodic death metal, metalcore and screamo genres. Spearheaded by matriarchs Karyn Crisis and Angela Gossow, bands like Walls of Jericho, Landmine Marathon, In This Moment, The Agonist, Ikilledabearaonce, Hiretsukan, Undying, Eyes Set to Kill, Circle Takes the Square, Made Out of […]

Living Altar, (cool name by the way)  hail from Lithuania,  and are here to stake a claim in the metal pantheon, and with this EP they have a pretty good first effort to make their case. ( by the way, I’m not counting their demo & split ) First off, I’m really taken with the […]