A recent conversation with our own Matthew Bowling in regard to the passing of The Devil’s Blood’s Selim Lemouchi brought forth a salient point: Even though he died at the age of 34, he might have gone out on his own terms, however difficult that is to come to reconcile for some. Lemouchi and his sister Farida folded the band last year, citing they had accomplished everything they wanted, so The Devil’s Blood’s legacy should remain untarnished. And it’s a captivating one, from the occult splendor of the Come, Reap EP, to the mystic rock of 2009’s The Time of No Time Evermore, to 2011’s fantastic The Thousandfold Epicenter…The Devil’s Blood were the preeminent devil rock band of our time. May he rest in peace. – David E. Gehlke
General housekeeping
Our vintage video pick of the week, Celtic Frost’s “Circle of the Tyrants.”
Detroit’s Konkerer are a band you may have missed.
Caught in action: Animals and Leaders in Philadelphia.
Features
Reactivated Finnish death metal outfit Convulse are back with a new album, Evil Prevails. Read what they had to say about it here.
Get to know Greek black metal upstarts Kult of Taurus.
Finnish power metallers Sonata Arctica have made a concerted effort to return to their sounds of yore. Mainman Tony Kakko checked in to discuss that, as well as his status as a public figure in his home country.
Reviews
Long-running Louisiana mashers Thou have 28 releases to their name. Heathen is just their fourth full-length.
Vintage thrashers Hirax return with Immortal Legacy, their first with SPV.
“Happy” power metal still has its time in the sun via Freedom Call’s Beyond.
The death metal album of the year? It could very well be Morbus Chron’s Sweven.
Psalm Zero’s new The Drain is “an experiment in the realest of terms.”
More female-fronted rock getting some air-time, this time with Mount Salem and their Endless debut.
Poser-free death metal is the way to be for Philly’s TrenchRot and their Necronomic Warfare album.
Philosopher Noam Chomsky gets his own metal album (sort of), with Avram’s Metal Noam.
Shores of Null’s Quiescence debut is magnificent. Read why here.
Spazz-metal is the name of the game for Italy’s Destrage on their Are You Kidding Me? No. album.
The news in ten
1. Machine Head offers pre-studio update.
2. Vader to release new album in May.
3. Sworn Enemy returns with Living on Borrowed Time.
4. Firewind guitar hero Gus G. releases the video for “I Am the Fire.”
5. The Howard Jones-fronted Devil You Know streams a new song, “Seven Years Alone.”
6. Doom duo Castle to release Under Siege in May.
7. Sad news: Devil’s Blood mainman Selim Lemouchi passes away at the age of 34.
8. Iron Maiden’s “Trooper” beer surpasses 3.5 million in pints sold.
9. Arch Enemy to release War Eternal in June.
10. Metallica, Slayer, Anthrax, and more confirmed for the 2014 Heavy Montreal festival.