Odd name, unusual locale, and off the post-black metal beaten path, New Hampshire’s Vattnet Viskar on paper appear to be an unlikely source for quality American black metal, or whatever people are calling Read more […]
It’s not uncommon to see former or current members of extreme metal bands trickle down to more simplistic avenues. In their heart of hearts, they probably prefer to play metal that doesn’t require Read more […]
Having trudged across Europe with the likes of Agalloch, Helrunar, and Kampfar, Colorado’s Velnias seem to be one of those hand-picked bands headline acts enjoy taking out. They’re just cult enough Read more […]
With a massive assembly of splits, EPs, and demos to their name, Germany’s Front Beast (who is really one dude: Avenger), have the productivity and slinky sub-blackened thrash template to match. If you’re Read more […]
Now cast in a more revered light given Entombed’s lack of productivity, Dismember’s breakup, and Unleashed’s creative plateau, Sweden’s Grave have quietly become Stockholm’s lead dog when it comes to vintage Read more […]
The knives were out when DR was issued Hellbound for review. We tend not to form pre-determined opinions prior to listening to music, but all we could think about was Annotations of an Autopsy, and not Read more […]
Not wanting to do battle with the Bobby Liebling-act of the same name, Chile’s Pentagram have adopted the Pentagram Chile moniker, thus eliminating confusion that reigned for several decades. The band’s Read more […]
Portland, OR is a cool place right now; perhaps the Austin of the Northwest, just with their own basketball team. Diesto happen to be one of the city’s staple sludge metal acts, having been slugging Read more […]
Lots of grime-related names: Grime (who we just reviewed), Frank Grimes from The Simpsons (who was electrocuted during a rant over Homer’s ineptitude), and Miami Dolphins cornerback Brett Grimes, who Read more […]
Fourteen studio albums over 24 years, Canada’s Annihilator remain steadfast and true to their metal ways. Morphing their sound to include mid-tempo grooves and ballads over the years beyond their semi-technical Read more […]
It’s a misconception that being pissed and hailing from Cleveland is part-and-parcel. There’s some really sunny folks in that fine city, especially after one its sports teams actually win a darn game Read more […]
Nary a band like Dichotomy coming out of Ireland – we’ve largely whet our whistles (at the pub) on the likes of Primordial and their Darkest Era hatchling, so hearing their viciously modern brand of Read more […]
Bill Ward reportedly plays on the first four tracks of The Innocent, The Forsaken, The Guilty, a happening that is a mystery unless one picks up the physical version of this release for an explanation Read more […]
From the cold winter darkness in…Canada? Yes, Canada. Gevurah (comprised of X.T. and A.L.) formed in 2011, having released their first demo in the same year. Necheshirion is the band’s debut EP and Read more […]
Satyr sure sold this one like it was going to be some colossal advancement on their stoic brand of Norwegian black metal…it’s not, unfortunately. He and his cohort, drummer Frost, are still very much Read more […]
Black meta: all grown up. Sarke is a band comprised of a who’s-who of Norwegian metal, including (most prominently) Nocturno Culto- vocalist of the legendary Darkthrone and Sarke, bassist, of bands Read more […]
By 2008, symphonic black metal had already become a well-worn thing, and there we met the Netherlands’ Carach Angren. Their debut is a pretty good album, highlighted by some potent goth atmosphere, Read more […]
Lo-fi death metal doesn’t have the instantly hokey angle to it that lo-fi black metal does. Most of these guys just want to sound like demo-era Incantation or Autopsy; nothing more, while the black metal Read more […]
Frankly, the allure behind Cascadian black metal should have stopped with Wolves in the Throne Room. They’re the only band that exalts such a territory without coming across like a bunch of coffee shop-turned-black Read more […]
An unlikely success story if there ever was one, Faroe Islands’ Týr have developed from a little-known progressive folk metal to top-tier status (you better have gotten that one). The novelty of the Read more […]
Last year, shred lord Jeff Loomis said he’d be integrating some Seattle-based musicians into his solo band as means to shuffle the deck, and add a bit of death metal flavor. Being that Loomis has engaged Read more […]
Thrash metal now enters a transformative time, especially as younger bands inject cross-pollinated influences to keep the sound up t date. Take Italy’s Sawthis; founded in 2000 and now on their third Read more […]
Part of the revolving door of vocalists that has yet to derail Swedish death/doom kings October Tide, Tobias Netzell has landed in Majalis, an outfit of similar approach. Netzell, who appeared on October Read more […]
Borne from long walks in the British countryside (awesome), trips to the pub for ale (nay on ale, but the convos are probably good), and love for 70’s prog (a bit overdone), England’s Black Magician Read more […]
Katatonia has always operated with a degree of minimalism in their music – just reference how simple (but heart-wrenching) some of the riffs on Brave Murder Day and Discouraged Ones are, so the fact Read more […]
Cover albums are always unique as they can go in radically different directions depending on a particular band’s philosophy behind covering a song. Some believe they should mimic the original as closely Read more […]
Just when you thought it was safe to write off Deals Death as Sweden’s resident Children of Bodom doppelgänger, Point Zero Solution drops and radically alters that perception. Showing much more stylistic Read more […]
Interesting to hear the Japanese take on melodic death metal – it’s not like the American one, you can bank on that. These bands (Blood Stain Child, Evilchoir, and Gyze) tend to eschew major reliance Read more […]
Rather easy to figure out where these Italian lads are headed…and it’s not pristine and lean fluffy metal. Grime is an Italian trio who formed in 2010, and after a successful self-titled 2011 demo, have Read more […]
Good grief does Dez Fafara sing a lot. The off-again/on-again vocalist of nu metal jokers Coal Chamber seems to be unaware of the band he has behind him in Devildriver, for Winter Kills (the group’s sixth Read more […]
