A talented collective with plenty of pooled experience (Megadeth, Shadows Fall, and more), Act of Defiance made a big splash with their 2015 debut Birth and the Burial. A hard band to really pin-point Read more […]
Melding together a myriad of progressive metal and heavy/modern/alternative rock influences that encapsulate decades of music, Iris Divine aim to offer the listener a special blend of sounds rarely heard Read more […]
Someone who really needs no introduction, Doro Pesch has had a long and storied career as metal’s queen through decades at this point. While many bands celebrate 10-year milestones, she’s busy celebrating Read more […]
Last year, Italian black metal combo Falaise dropped in rather unexpectedly with its marvelous, sweeping As Time Goes By debut. Originally self-released in 2015, the Aeternitas Tenebrarum Musicae Fundamentum Read more […]
Traditional metal never dies. Legacy bands live on through multiple generations, the exposure deepening as first and second generations pass on their records and memories to their offspring – inspiring Read more […]
Still riding high from their most recent studio success, Hammer of the Witches, Cradle of Filth managed to keep the line-up intact from said session (you can realize this as more of an accomplishment if Read more […]
The remaining full month of the summer brought forth the usual array of must-hear releases (all scheduled to drop in the fall, mind you) along with a spate of questionable and/or mediocre efforts. This Read more […]
The daily grind, putting in the work, watching the slow climb, and grabbing ahold of any opportunity that comes your way. The rock and metal dreams may start in youth, but the usual success stories as Read more […]
One of those bands that you can truly examine, The Contortionist are always one to take a step forward with each album. From the blunt heaviness that defined their first release, Exoplanet, to the shifts Read more […]
While the glory days of Headbangers Ball (or MTV itself, for that matter) are far behind us, it hasn’t stopped bands from using videos as a way to release their music to the public. With many people Read more […]
A band that’s practically synonymous with folk metal at this point, Ensiferum have been one of the genre’s flagbearers since their inception in the ‘90s. Gaining more traction with each subsequent Read more […]
Lots of changes abound between last year’s Calling from a Dream until this point for the California death metal act Inanimate Existence. They switched labels from Unique Leader over to the quickly rising Read more […]
Featuring past and present members of The Chant, Rapture and Shape of Despair, Counting Hours are about as good as it gets for those who relished in the glory of not only the aforementioned acts, but dark, Read more […]
Combining multiple genres of music isn’t out of the ordinary these days. Recently discovering Italian band Elegy of Madness through their third full-length New Era, it’s obvious that this group strives Read more […]
Practical inventors of the U.K. gothic doom sound, Paradise Lost aren’t exactly ones to gather in a circle and listen to their old creations for inspiration. Rather, it’s in their DNA, a strain that Read more […]
Clocking in at approximately 37 minutes, Loviatar’s self-titled first full-length (hereby released by Prosthetic) is formatted in such a manner that you don’t understand the entire scope of the band Read more […]
Easily one of the go-to names when it comes to symphonic death metal, Septicflesh has built a growing reputation as being able integrate orchestral elements without simply abandoning their heaviness. It’s Read more […]
Whatever happened to good, old fashioned power metal? The type of music where the guitars and keyboards convey melodies as easily as the commercial-oriented choruses – encouraging unison audience participation Read more […]
Let us never underestimate the influence of nature on black metal, which has long been the style most favorable to Mother Earth and her endless beauty. Often floated as “pagan” black metal, this angle Read more […]
We may have touched on this concept earlier in the year, but in the realm of things that are both positive and negative, it seems that Bandcamp is an even harder nut to crack. Even more label-backed stuff Read more […]
The guys of German death metal act Dawn of Disease have been on a fiery kick as of late. Last year they came zipping in with their third effort, Worship the Grave, on their new label Napalm Records. Read more […]
No rest for any metal band worth their salt these days. Especially in a scene where any prolonged absence can lose listeners in droves, the choices limitless for product to consume. Which makes it all Read more […]
Based on social data and music tastes, bands can take advantage of such findings and target their products to the best potential audience. Case in point: discovering Long Island crossover death/thrash Read more […]
Xanthochroid have never been much for convention. Adding layer upon layer to the music from the beginnings, they have designed a fantasy world all to their own and each release has served to broaden the Read more […]
Never a band to sit idly by, nor content to churn out more of the same with each new release, Leprous have steadily climbed towards the top of the progressive heap. No surprise really when one examines Read more […]
In writing these short reviews, it dawned on DR that print as a medium, whether digital or physical, is having a tough time of late. With video content gaining steam and large media corporations (see Fox Read more […]
What is old and nostalgic can become new again – especially to a younger generation less fortunate to experience the wonders of a classic band in their prime. The current fervor surrounding the Keepers-oriented Read more […]
Emerging Brazilian thrashers Nervosa found themselves in a pinch last year when their drummer, Pitchu Ferraz, couldn’t commit to a round of North American tour dates. Needing someone who was capable, Read more […]
It’s often said that good things happen for those who wait. After Crimfall’s second album, The Writ of Sword, the band found themselves label-less. Instead of rushing out and trying to grab the first Read more […]
Even if, by some odd reason, you don’t recognize the name Brian Slagel, chances are you’ve heard of Metal Blade Records, of which he founded and is the CEO of (you are at a heavy metal website after Read more […]
