The growing field of symphonic metal is often one that is riddled with clichés and bands content to follow the lead of others instead of choosing their own pathway. But for each band like that, there Read more […]
“My aim was to make my music as miserable as possible and to outdo every other band at that.” Sounds like a proper goal, eh? Such are the words of Forgotten Tomb leader Herr Morbid (real name: Ferdinando Read more […]
Alas, we’ve gone through almost another year of digging through Bandcamp’s best and brightest. This, as usual, will be the last ‘regular’ column for the year, as December will focus on the best Read more […]
Power metal unlocks the imagination and takes you on a journey of both sound and mind. It resonates globally due to historical, fantasy, and mythological tales where unlikely heroes reign, battles are Read more […]
While Angel Vivaldi might not be the absolute first name that one thinks of when it comes to instrumental shredding guitar acts, he has no doubt been gaining ground with each new release since his first Read more […]
UK act Skarlett Riot hasn’t been one to take the easy way out. Forming in the early part of this decade, they’ve moved progressively heavier and darker with each release. Their last EP, 2016’s Read more […]
Continuing to gain traction in the death metal realm, Throne of Heresy recently released their third full-length, Decameron. A conceptual album based on the Black Plague, a fitting topic for a band entrenched Read more […]
Two years removed from their undisputed “departure” album, Blackout Whiteout, melancholic Finnish metallers Hanging Garden are now fully on a path that will take them away from their early doom rumblings. Read more […]
While the doom genre has further morphed into segmentation that include stoner and funeral sub-categories, there’s something to be said for bands willing to develop an epic, melodic take on the genre. Read more […]
Being thrust into the limelight back in 2005 with their second album Ascendency, Trivium has been in the public eye ever since. They have long survived many of the NWOAHM acts that surfaced around that Read more […]
As far back as their first release back in 1996 with Black Earth, Arch Enemy has been a revered name in melodic death metal. In fact, it seems they only seem to grew with each new release. They’ve Read more […]
From the very start, some bands have all eyes staring at them, watching every move they make. With the combined talents of established guitarist Jani Liimatainen (Cain’s Offering, ex-Sonata Arctica) Read more […]
Some bands are critiqued for any sort of progression or change, and some bands are beloved for it. Thankfully the extreme act Entheos fall under the latter category. Being in the spotlight since their Read more […]
When you think of crossover music that takes equal influences from hardcore, thrash, and modern metal – Utah probably is not the first state that comes to mind as delivering those goods. Dig deep into Read more […]
With the unceremonious split with Sonic Syndicate further and further in the rear-view mirror, The Unguided has had little difficulty making their own name for themselves. Essentially a modern melodic Read more […]
Read Part I HERE. Dead Rhetoric: Do you believe Canadian metal has gained more respect and admiration over the decades, and what qualities do you see as distinctive in comparison to say Europe, the Read more […]
Jeff Waters is an ambassador and connoisseur of heavy metal. His guitar playing electrified the thrash community right out of the gate back in 1989 on Annihilator’s debut album Alice in Hell – precise, Read more […]
If the beauty of post-black metal material is a bit too much for some (read: not ‘metal enough’), then Nullingroots should be the band to change your mind. Taking the grace that blackgaze can provide, Read more […]
Sometimes you just have to marvel at the melting pot that is today’s metal scene. You can get some of the craziest concoctions of material, blending together genres that you wouldn’t think of putting Read more […]
When it comes to melodic death/thrash, the prevalent scene may still reside on European shores, but there is a fair amount of action bubbling around the United States. Framework represent one of the new Read more […]
Halloween and its various tricks and treats are now behind us, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have any “treats” with this month’s short review Rapid Fires column. Okay, so perhaps not all of these reviews Read more […]
Things are never easy for bands that are just starting out. When it comes to metal, things are often never easy, even for the veterans. Such is the life of a niche market, where passion has to reign Read more […]
Since the early 2000’s, Austrian act Serenity have been carving their own path up the symphonic, power/progressive metal ranks. One of the mainstays on the Napalm Records roster for over a decade, they’ve Read more […]
With cooler temperatures approaching, there’s plenty of time to sit down at the computer and check the latest videos on Youtube (surely, we aren’t the only ones sitting at computers anymore right?). No Read more […]
Caught between the edges of melodic hard rock and traditional metal, Space Vacation from California carve their own niche audience. One listen to their body of work and you’ll understand that catchy Read more […]
The taste of success often can have bittersweet ramifications. Especially when as the main songwriter of a group, you find that personal and business difficulties come into focus, soon ousting you from Read more […]
Doom, in its proper form, cannot succeed without a top-notch vocalist. If a doom band doesn’t have one, then it’s off to sludge-ville, or, obscurity, we go. Croatian ensemble Old Night hardly have Read more […]
Ever the forward march towards the end of 2017 at this point. Close your eyes for too long now and you’ll be seeing the snow fall (at least here in the northeast). But it’s primetime for Bandcamp Read more […]
Proof that you can’t keep a good band down, Threat Signal has finally returned with their long-awaited fourth album, Disconnect. Six years past their self-titled third release, and while it seemed at Read more […]
Developing a sound that has one foot in classic thrash while also stepping into groove and melodic pastures for tempos and harmonies, New Jersey’s Thanatotic Desire are a hard-working bunch that have Read more […]
