When looking back at the 2010’s personally, a ton of activity happened as I spent most of my 40’s in this decade. Gaining the opportunity to write for Dead Rhetoric from the start, I’ve been fortunate Read more […]
The year that was 2019 is now in the books, left in its wake countless best-of lists that pointed curious listeners in the right direction. To our eyes and ears, it is simply astounding the volume of releases Read more […]
Most musicians strive to attain a level of competence where they are creatively admired and respected. Each song and each album adding to their legacy, growing and sharing their musical ideas to the world. Read more […]
There’s a lot of power metal that deals in dragons, wizards, and other fantastical elements, but when was the last time you heard about a power metal band singing about space ninjas from the dark side Read more […]
In a decade that was defined by music being utilized by streaming services and easy access, it goes without say that there was an abundance of choice for those who wanted to do some digging. An explosion Read more […]
Certain cities in the United States naturally thrive as metal hotbeds – New York City and Los Angeles probably being in the top tier, but many would also put the Mid-West city of Chicago also in the Read more […]
Konvent may be a recent start-up (their only previous work is that of a 2017 demo), but based on the magnitude of their upcoming full-length debut, Puritan Masochism, it isn’t going to take long for Read more […]
Starting off things in a very poignant yet crushing way is that of Ether Coven. Their latest album, Everything is Temporary Except Suffering, will be coming out this Friday and ushers in the new decade Read more […]
“Past tense and future tense, let history unfold. So ends a decade now, what will the 2020s hold?” Sanctuary, in their infinite glory and unfurled wisdom, uttered nearly the same line when the Read more […]
There’s something to be said for efficiency and consistency. When it comes to German power metal band Human Fortress, it’s evident that the sextet knows how to develop material that appeases their Read more […]
Quality should rise to the top in any genre – especially heavy metal. Australian band Meshiaak in their short existence have made a solid impression, wishing to push the parameters of their heavy brand Read more […]
Fully entrenched into the old school death metal theme, Psychomancer utilizes a more ‘legitimate’ feel due to their engagement in the genre that actually dates back to the late ‘90s. There is some Read more […]
With two full-length albums to their credit in this decade, Eleine decided to close out the ‘10s with a brand new EP entitled All Shall Burn. Having stumbled upon a sound within the symphonic metal Read more […]
For 2019, sadly Bandcamp didn’t get as many features as I would have liked it to. With personal and professional responsibilities on the rise there just wasn’t enough time to go around, so the Sifting Read more […]
Shifting from a power/progressive/thrash act like Dark Empire into a death metal outlet like Sentient Horror may seem odd to some, but if you know the affinity guitarist/vocalist Matt Moliti has for both Read more […]
2019, or a very solid year for yours truly in most regards. Solid at least with musical interests and personal life, even if it was a hot garbage year for the nation at large. 2019 has also been a remarkably Read more […]
Another strong year for the metal genre for this scribe, variety continuing to be the driving theme of my top twelve albums. Doom/epic metal entries probably lead the pack this year – and not necessarily Read more […]
Canadian solo artist Leah has done some impressive things for herself since 2012’s Of Earth & Angels debut. With no help of touring, she has produced impressive crowdfunding efforts for her albums (of Read more […]
Arriving at the homestretch of the calendar year invites a deeper dive into the vast array of metal releases that so grace our inboxes. Labels used to take into consideration that releasing an album after Read more […]
Narrowing down hundreds of albums that end up getting checked out over the course of a year down to twelve of the best is never an easy thing to do. In fact, 2019 ranks as one of the hardest in recent Read more […]
Metal has a way of keeping us young. Even look at our veteran bands — they certainly don’t look their age. (Well, some of them do, but you get the idea.) This year — like so many of this decade — Read more […]
Moonspell hit it big when they first began, releasing Wolfheart and Irreligious to a very receptive crowd and erupting themselves into the ‘90s metal scene. As the ‘90s progressed, many bands sought Read more […]
It was 20 years ago now that Satyricon released their fourth full-length album, Rebel Extravaganza. It was a rather stark change to what the band had been putting out in the past and had built their black Read more […]
Developing a bluesy brand of psychedelic hard rock with prominent doom metal influences, Avatarium have quickly become a fan-favorite since arising in 2012. It also helps when you have a known musician Read more […]
With Greg Mackintosh’s Vallenfyre having served it’s intended musical purpose, it wasn’t long after it’s demise that he announced the formation of Strigoi. The next step up from that of Vallenfyre, Read more […]
Challenging conventional norms within power/progressive metal, Noveria since 2014 embody a versatile skill set when it comes to writing and performance through their discography. Incorporating a heaviness Read more […]
Dawn of Disease has made some big jumps in the last few years, but their recently released Procession of Ghosts is easily their most impressive to date. While still retaining their more brutal death metal Read more […]
Vocalist Mats Levén has been fortunate to establish himself since the 1990’s for his stellar voice in a multitude of projects or bands across the hard rock/metal spectrum. He’s done work that is well Read more […]
Over the course of this decade, few have managed to impress within the death metal scene more than Cattle Decapitation. As they moved further from straight grind and upped the ‘death’ quotient, more Read more […]
Beyond an obvious passion for heavy metal, many writers at Dead Rhetoric also appreciate diverse tastes that come from the older days of melodic hard rock/ AOR-style music – acts like Europe, Def Leppard, Read more […]
