Deicide – Banished by Sin (RPM)
Despite a few small bumps in the road along their very long career, Deicide are certainly one of the biggest and first names to be mentioned along with the tag of death metal. Some...
Replicant – Infinite Mortality (Transcending Obscurity)
Irony is in the name of Replicant; the New Jersey death metal troupe of which is today's subject. Their music is certainly no replica of anything, being a truly avant-garde outfit that diverges technical,...
Accept – Musical Outlaws
Photo: Christoph Vohler
When it comes to classic, traditional heavy metal, a staple in any discography has to be Accept. Beyond the benchmark albums (Breaker, Restless and Wild, Balls to the Wall, Metal Heart) they’ve...
Verberis – The Apophatic Wilderness (Norma Evangelium Diaboli)
New Zealand is way more than Hobbitses and the home of the mighty Pūteketeke. It’s also a hotbed for innovative extreme metal, and we’re all the better for it. An understated favorite of this...
Praying Mantis – Defiance (Frontiers Music)
Originating as Junction in 1973, a year later Praying Mantis would be a more fitting moniker for this UK act featuring the brothers Tino and Chris Troy who maintain the quality output as they...
Full of Hell – Coagulated Bliss (Closed Casket Activities)
Full of Hell is full of surprises for their newest record Coagulated Bliss. From the colorful artwork mistaken for an AI rendering at first, to the lyrical themes that Dylan Walker explored this time...
Ravage – Beware of the Spider
In the early 2000’s, this scribe caught Ravage at a live show opening for Lizzy Borden at a venue called Jarrod’s Place in Attleboro, Massachusetts – striking a friendship with the band that continues...
Kickin Valentina – Star Spangled Fist Fight (Mighty Music)
Atlanta, Georgia is home to Kickin Valentina – a four-piece band who incorporate a mix of sleazy hard rock with bluesy and heavy metal touches for their fourth album Star Spangled Fist Fight. Signing...
A Neverending John’s Dream – Coming Back to Paradise (Pride & Joy Music)
Sometimes we take our time to gain proper confidence in our abilities not just as a musician, but also in other extensions such as singing and songwriting. Such is the case for drummer Joan...
Inter Arma – New Heaven (Relapse)
I need to get something off of my chest first: why is Virginia's finest band, Inter Arma, so criminally overlooked? They've been at it since 2006 and yet the group's pretty much stayed below...
Suldusk – Pushing Through Musical Boundaries
Setting the underground abuzz with a potent debut back in 2019 entitled Lunar Falls, Suldusk has come a long way in the past five years. Starting off as a one-woman effort from Emily Highfield,...
Bloody Falls – Amartia (Art Gates Records)
No one can deny the depth of quality Finland has brought in all facets of the metal genre – as numerous artists have their music processed on a global scale of influence. As such,...
Necrot – Lifeless Birth (Tankcrimes)
The Bay Area may be well known for its active thrash scene, but there is also quite a potent death metal movement brewing about – especially when you look at the development of Oakland’s...
Loch Vostok – Opus Ferox II -Mark of the Beast (ViciSolum Productions)
Ambitious in execution, Swedish progressive metal act Loch Vostok continues the Opus Ferox trilogy that started in 2021 with the stellar Opus Ferox – The Great Escape record, issuing the sequel Opus Ferox II...
SETYØURSAILS – Overcoming Demons
SETYØURSAILS left a major impression with their previous album, Nightfall. A personal album that was able to hit a variety of sonic tones and avoided any one genre in particular. With their new album,...