I hate the idea of ripping into a guy, especially after he brings his family into the mix, but Steve “Zetro” Souza’s new band is a blessing and a curse. I won’t rehash all that jazz about Zetro’s Read more […]
Upon the release of Voivod’s Warriors of Ice live album a few years ago, Blistering spoke highly of freshly-inserted guitarist Dan “Chewy” Mongrain’s handle on Denis “Piggy” D’Amour’s lavish and 100% Read more […]
A bit of a notorious name (for a variety of reasons) in hardcore circles, Integrity have strapped up their boots and hiked on over to Norway’s Indie Recordings. Since Dwid Hellion and crew have never Read more […]
Illinois has certainly been a metal haven through the years. Developing a solid underground scene, bands such as Master, Trouble, and to a lesser extent Znowhite/Cyclone Temple and Cianide have found favor Read more […]
You have to admire Steve Gaines and company for their perseverance to stick to a genre like thrash metal. As a vocalist and guitarist, Gaines has served time in Tactics, Dreams of Damnation and Abattoir, Read more […]
Oftentimes, we make pleas against geographical onslaughts, only because the droves that come from the country in question are usually a bastardized version of its originators. Unfortunately, the metal Read more […]
Funny how en vogue the term “prog” has become. What was once was a tag designed to accentuate obvious non-metal bands such as Yes, The Flower Kings, and Marillion, prog’s influence on metal has grown exponentially Read more […]
Forming in 2008, the floodgates appear to be wide open creatively for releasing full length product for this UK progressive metal act. Two albums within two years, as well as a prime support slot for the Read more […]
Satyricon should be bigger, and we’re not saying that because there’s a squishy soft spot for Satyr to snuggle in Blistering’s black, cold heart. As in, if you’re looking for a real commercial black Read more […]
I feel like I missed something here with Dutch trio Vanderbuyst. First of all, I had no idea they even existed and secondly I just found out that this is their third release as a band. I must have been Read more […]
Blood of the Sun have gone through some changes since their previous release (Death Ride) in 2008. The band signed to a new label in Listenable Records and changed their lineup with vocalist John O’Daniel Read more […]
Here’s one thing Defeated Sanity’s Passages of Deformity has going for itself: It’s devoid of song titles that only a death metal band would fall prey to, i.e. “Consumed by Repugnance,” “Engulfed in Read more […]
If our corpse-painted Norwegian buddies aren’t hiding behind trees, they should be now. In what is arguably the most interesting movement black metal has seen in recent memory (sorry, North American “Cascadian Read more […]
When it comes to location-specific genres and traditions within metal, I am without a doubt a diehard fan of the Swedes. Whether it’s the sinisterly cavernous death metal of Stockholm, the passionate Read more […]
The falsetto. When played for unsuspecting listeners (i.e. those not well-versed in metal), it usually elicits laughter, for it evokes all sorts of ball-pinching/groin jokes. Yeah, real funny. The style Read more […]
Have to tip our cap to Mexico’s The Advent Equation for utilizing the dream team combination of Jens Borgen (Opeth, Amon Amarth, etc.) for mastering, and renowned artist Colin Marks (Nevermore, All Shall Read more […]
They say you have a lifetime to write your first album, then after crisscrossing the highways domestic and abroad touring to support said product, the record label wants you to deliver a follow-up quicker Read more […]
A confession likely to draw a great deal of ire is that before coming into this release I was completely unfamiliar with Shining (this Swedish variation, anyway, I’m well-versed in the Norwegian Shining Read more […]
It’s been a long and strange journey for Antimatter over the years. What began as a direct off-shoot of Anathema during their transitional period has become the solo vehicle for Mick Moss and perhaps Read more […]
The course of time has been kind in the Andi Deris–led Helloween years. Even when the current incarnation of Germany’s long time power metal veterans make a misstep (Unarmed anyone?), it seems to Read more […]
It’s easy for some of us on the Blistering staff to go into full-coddle (or possibly even “cuddle”) mode for a band like Finland’s Hanging Garden. You see, for any drip-drop that comes from the Read more […]
Thrash needs a good lobotomy at the present time – we all know that. Luckily, the previous 12 months failed to produce the sort of unnecessary onslaught that rubbed many a person the wrong way, but Read more […]
Have to dig the Red Sonya-like cover for I Versus the Glacier. She’s basically the ultimate metal babe, you know? Adventurous, tough, to go along with the physical attributes to make teenagers in the Read more […]
The joyous world of old-school progressive rock is alive and well in 2012. Already represented well by the likes of Astra and their amazing The Black Chord and similarly with Ancestors’ In Dreams Read more […]
Comparing the age of the band (initial demo in 1996) and Teloch’s frequent session work with the who’s who of diehard Norwegian black metal both in studio and live(1349, Godseed, Mayhem, on and on Read more […]
There is a new pipeline coming out of Ottawa, ON/Gatineau, QC for bands who toe the line between death and thrash. One of these bands is Chariots of the Gods, and having just released their debut full Read more […]
The allure, or at least media-friendly story with Finland’s Mors Principium Est was that former guitarist and primary songwriter Jori Haukiohated metal. As in, hated metal like your grandmother hates Read more […]
It has taken some time, but it appears as if the female-fronted pendulum has shifted to power metal. Where once a female siren could only be found fronting a pseudo Goth or symphonic metal band, there’s Read more […]
There’s always a race – albeit sometimes pointless – to determine who’s first. As in, who was the first death metal band? Death or Possessed? Thrash metal: Did Accept start it by way of “Fast As Read more […]
Wind blowing across what is no doubt frozen tundra…sounds like a sure-fire atmospheric black metal album. The only thing missing was the sound of boots trudging through the snow, so maybe Germany’s Eis Read more […]
