Two years after the release of the excellent yet somewhat elusive Neogenesis, Diabolical have put together the four track EP Umbra. Two years would be enough for some bands to make a full album (or two). Read more […]
Considering the headline status of symphonic and melodic death metal acts across mainland Europe infiltrating all corners of the globe (including North America), it’s natural that younger musicians want Read more […]
Always yearning to discover the latest talent bubbling underground, this scribe stumbles upon the Tucson, Arizona thrash/ heavy metal quartet Conceived by Thunder. Forming last year, this debut EP Timestopper Read more […]
Quickly rushing to the top with their celebrated Song of the Crippled Bull EP and debut full-length, The Wreckage of Stars, Black Crown Initiate sought a balance between crushing death metal and emotive Read more […]
It has been slow, but the affinity charge for the ‘90s appears to be a full go. Clearly, it’s an every-other-decade thing; the ‘80s were all the rage last decade (and still are, to some extent), Read more […]
Underling’s Bloodworship has been floating around since last year, but there’s no better time to give it a fresh listen now that it is being re-released through Neuropa Records (alongside their equally Read more […]
A pardon to the name, obviously. Slammin’ Thru hail from Spain, so we’ll take into account the good ‘ole language barrier. And yeah, at first glance, the band’s name gives off the appearance they Read more […]
Milwaukee, Wisconsin’s A Tortured Soul have been a steadfast unit in their conventional metal approach – very much sitting in an old school pocket when King Diamond, Mercyful Fate, and Helstar nestled Read more […]
Is it thrash? Is it death metal? Is it metalcore? Is it progressive? These are some of the initial questions that you might ask when King of Everything kicks into motion, but by the time the album Read more […]
Indeed we were privy to Castle’s excellent 2014 foray, Under Siege, a barreling outpost of ‘70s-inspired traditional metal with the fillings of doom. Tie it up with the charming vocals of Elizabeth Read more […]
While the bastardization of melodic death metal got many up in arms towards the end of the last decade, we seem to be getting stronger albums on both sides of the divide at this point. There’s the carriers Read more […]
It’s exhilarating being on the ground floor and watching a band move up the ranks like New York/New Jersey heavy/modern power metal oriented outfit Psychoprism. Witnessing their first ever live show Read more […]
Austria’s Harakiri for the Sky is one of those odd duck bands, who, almost purposely, defy our lovely little categorization whims. You’ll see the band and their label float around the “post-black Read more […]
If there’s one genre of metal that can emotionally flatten you, its doom metal. The best doom riffs have a way of tearing down your brightest of days, though in a way that is oddly pleasant. Minnesota’s Read more […]
Sometimes albums come out of nowhere and blow you away. Such was the case with ADE’s second album, 2013’s Spartacus. One of the finest albums released in said year, it was the band’s ability to Read more […]
Tell-tale sign we have an overseas artist on display – the imaginative, Latin-language twist for an album title. Italian symphonic power metal act Hypersonic have been in ‘existence’ since 2006 – Read more […]
No brains needed for this one, as Nuke fancies themselves as “ugly dudes” playing metal from an “ugly” city, otherwise known as Detroit. Hey, at least Detroit is catching more heat than Cleveland Read more […]
Every day, it gets a little bit harder to find some room to call your own in metal. That’s what makes bands like Synlakross all the more appealing – able to take well-worn ideas and give them a fresh Read more […]
Heroic power metal with a definite OTT meets drinking attitude becomes clearly apparent from the first fanfare keyboard run on the opening title cut Raise Your Sword for Dutch act Stàilinn Drakk. A conceptual Read more […]
The problem with greatest hits collections is that the most die-hard of fans have already heard these tracks before – they are the greatest hits after all. With metal fans having the need to collect Read more […]
Given King Diamond’s rejuvenated status as a solo artist following triple bypass surgery, those pining away for a full-on Mercyful Fate reunion probably have a long wait ahead. No matter – we have Read more […]
Invidiosus’ first album, 2014’s Malignant Universe, saw the band land on some solid footing. It wasn’t the most unique release of the year, but it had an enjoyable take on the tech death genre without Read more […]
Occult metal has yet to outlive its usefulness. While the subset never had its moment in the sun (or should we say “dark?”), probably because The Devil’s Blood never reached their full potential, Read more […]
Behind the scenes bands need time to evaluate priorities for establishing a strong discography. If that means records aren’t pumped out on an annual (or biennial) basis, then so be it. Machina Viva, Read more […]
Despite slugging things out in the death metal circuit for eight albums at this point, Blood Red Throne haven’t really been able to capture the same level of visibility as some of their peers. Why that Read more […]
Völur is a Toronto-based band with one song title in all German, another in Norwegian, who is signed to a German label (Prophecy Productions), and whose bass player also does time in prominent retro rockers Read more […]
With the deathcore train moving along at full-tilt, it’s harder and harder to get behind some of the near-blatant attempts at cashing in on the genre. It was bound to happen – just look at metalcore, Read more […]
“Brickwalled,” the term often used in correlation with production jobs that are all about winning the loudness war, certainly doesn’t apply with Defiled’s fifth album, Towards Inevitable Ruin. The Japanese Read more […]
It’s always nice to stumble upon some melodic death metal acts that have escaped this writer’s clutches until now. Such is the case for Karnak Seti, who have recently released their third album, The Read more […]
Any guesses on what a band that is comprised of 2 ex-Origin members (Jeremy Turner, Clint Appelhanz) and one current Origin member (drummer John Longstreth) is going to sound like? Well, turns out the Read more […]
