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January 7th, 2024 Features

Exit Eden – Breaking the Mold

…movies. There’s this term femme fatale in Germany and Europe, which is probably the same in the West. You have these seductive women – taking this symbol that people are aware of, and turning it into a positive empowerment. We stand together. We use our femininity in this world. We are proud to be three frontwomen in this band. That’s one of the many facets to offer with this record. Dead Rhetoric: What did you feel were the necessary ingredients…

January 4th, 2024 Features

Daniel Barkasi Best-of 2023

…time with more of a focus on atmosphere than abrasiveness, and a bit more dabbling in clean vocals and elaborate song structures. Devoid of hope, and absolutely alluring as it is destructive, Sulphur Aeon still stays a step ahead in creating illustrious death metal. 13. Serpent of Old – Ensemble Under the Dark Sun (Transcending Obscurity) Burgeoning talent in heavy music comes from all over the globe. Emerging black/death metal reptilian horde Ser…

January 3rd, 2024 Reviews

Alluvial – Death is But a Door (Nuclear Blast)

…has some eerie, ominous feelings to it as it rumbles along, occasionally dabbling in jackhammer grooves – overall it’s a slower song than the opener, but it really goes all in on delivering more of a murky, haunting atmosphere, particularly at it’s slowest. “Area Code” switches gears to showcase the more frenetic side of the band, also giving vocalist Kevin Muller a greater chance to showcase some massive growls and screams as the band stomps thr…

January 2nd, 2024 Features

Striker – Rev Up With Ultrapower

…e late 2000’s. Ultrapower is the seventh full-length studio record, and probably their most varied attack to date – incorporating everything from speed/thrash to AOR and old Wild West vibes. We reached out to vocalist Dan Cleary to catch up on the long break between full lengths, while also discussing everything from working with deathcore producer Josh Schroeder to saxophone guest spots, video making to band/music business advice, as well as some…

December 29th, 2023 Reviews

At the Plates – Omnivore (Self-Released)

…pirations in their titles, while waxing poetic about wild tales of culinary-based lyrics, it unfortunately may lead to a portion of the audience to dismiss them as a bit of a gimmick. But truth be told, At the Plates may have very punny song titles and some crazy yet fun lyrics, Omnivore is a ‘melodic’ death metal release that’s going to start your 2024 off in very satisfying ways. While it’s quite fun to look at the titles, such as “Punish My Wai…

December 26th, 2023 Features

Hyloxalus – Stare Into the Black Hole

…y song, it’s not like anyone will hear it and think it’s Queen. It will probably be a gimmick to make some memes with, but I suspect to most serious musicians it is not going to be of substantial use. Dead Rhetoric: What have you been listening to for inspiration or pleasure over the past month or two? Do you diversify your listening habits between metal releases and non-metal fare? Laderoute: I listen to bands like Tristania and Unleash the Arche…

December 24th, 2023 Features

Everdawn – Seek the Silver Lining

…nteresting you mentioned the long track “Truer Words Ever Spoken”. It’s probably the most ambitious song we’ve ever recorded, we tried to tap into more of a progressive territory with lyrical and thematical changes, time signatures, different interludes that we never attempted in the past that we are attempting now. It’s the most ambitious, and we are hoping to hear some feedback. If our fans like this direction, we will try to incorporate it into…

December 23rd, 2023 Features

Selected Singles – December 2023

…I Legion, Isiliel, Ketulo, Killt Melt Land (pictured above), Kuroguro, Ladybaby, LuciDreaM, Mana Diagram, Mellows, REIRIE, Togenashi Togeari and Yosugala. Axelight “AIMAI” Having one of my favorite releases of 2023 already in Hydrogen, Axelight recently debuted a new single in “AIMAI,” which jumps directly into the fray with intense electronics running at a blazing tempo. It’s a visceral start that maintains the tempo through the track, firing off…

December 22nd, 2023 Reviews

East of Eden – Forbidden Fruit: 1st Piece (Victor Entertainment/JPU Records)

…tively in some of Akane’s vocal performance. Truthfully, this chorus is probably her strongest in terms of sheer power of the EP. “Mujuryokuhiko” feels the most epic of the bunch, with the playful violin giving it an almost jovial feel that effectively contrasts the more rock-driven nature of the rest of the group. Ayasa’s solo in this song is a real stunner. Last in the mix is “Hanabi,” which has the most fun and rock-ish attitude. Emphasized by…

December 21st, 2023 Features

Hitten – Making Passion Last

…he mastering was done by Erik Martensson, the guy from Eclipse, who you probably know. We are very happy with the results. Dead Rhetoric: How much fun is it for the band to make videos like “Mr. Know It All” and “Blood From a Stone” for this record? Are there any special stories that took place during the video shoots, and where do you see the importance of the visual medium in generating interest/promotion for the band? Meseguer: Recording a vide…

December 19th, 2023 Features

Katarina McGinn Best-of 2023

…r a potent album that is as socially relevant as it is brutally heavy. 10. Babymetal – The Other One (Babymetal Records) I’ve never been shy about saying Babymetal’s early stuff was jarring and seemed to lack direction – shock value for the sake of it. The Other One, on the other hand, is a gorgeous trip through some jmetal done right. It brings in the heavy guitars, offers up some beautiful vocal performances, and merges it all into a futuristic…

December 18th, 2023 Reviews

Bloody Cumshot – Deflorantism (Self-Released)

…swing in a more neo-classical and power direction. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHYpaeKl9Ag https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kq37Zip9P1I&pp=ygUOYmxvb2R5IGN1bXNob3Q%3D Bloody Cumshot on Facebook Bloody Cumshot on Instagram…

December 17th, 2023 Features

David E. Gehlke Best-of 2023

…year: “Pictures Remain.” 5. Jord – Tundra (Hammerheart) A relatively under-the-radar atmospheric black metal band from Sweden, Jord deftly works in shoegaze (some nice Alcest choices here) for seven songs of cinematic bliss. 6. Imperium Dekadenz – Into Sorrow Evermore (Napalm) Perennially unsung German black metallers Imperium Dekadenz take their sweet time in releasing new material — Into Sorrow Evermore was their first in four years. But, when…

December 16th, 2023 Concert Reviews

Cattle Decapitation / Immolation / Sanguisugabogg / Castrator – November 21, 2023 – The Orpheum, Tampa, FL

…on of Monstrosity, Cannibal Corpse’s George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher, and probably others we didn’t identify, all enjoying the festivities to the fullest. Cool to see, as Tampa’s metal community is truly one-of-a-kind, and one we’re proud to be a small part of. Immolation continues to be one of the leaders in death metal, and their continued run of high quality albums and live performance continue to cement their legendary status. A lot of the old g…

December 13th, 2023 Reviews

Merciless Law – Grimoire for the Ultimate Sinner (Stormspell Records)

…his breath control and falsetto abilities set to stun mode during “Living to Die”. Prolific artistry can put musicians on the map, as long as quality control becomes paramount. In the case of Merciless Law, those who love the 80’s/early 90’s German power/speed metal sound will find plenty to devour, grinning ear to ear at the material issued on Grimoire for the Ultimate Sinner. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4t5UVwYFho Merciless Law on Facebook…

December 10th, 2023 Features

Gama Bomb – Exploring New Adventures

…I think we are really happy with it. I think it’s our best album. It’s probably the closest representation to the music that we love since we’ve made our first two albums. This album represents what we are really into musically. In terms of the creative process, it was a long road. Joe: We made the last record over a long period of time. We were able to work on this for a long time, obviously separately because of the time period. Because of the…

December 9th, 2023 Features

Kaivs – Decisively Carving Forward

…That’s always been that way! Tony Iommi used to work in a factory; Black Sabbath was just a hobby after work. We all know who they are and what they did! Every one of us hopes one day to leave our jobs instead of music. I’m just a workman by now, maybe skilled and one day, who knows? Feet on the ground by now, and necessarily don’t be fucked up. Mortician: It would be very pleasant and satisfying for all of us to make Kaivs unique from now on. It…

December 8th, 2023 Reviews

Plevail – Pancada (Vibla Music Records)

…a, Plevail is a Japanese alt idol act composed of 4 vocalists as well as a backing band. Pancada marks the third full-length album from the group in three years (their first for Vibla Music Records), though it also works as a quick collection of many of their singles that have been released over the past year or so (reaching back into 2022) alongside a handful of new tracks. That said, it acts as a perfect introduction to the group for anyone who…

December 8th, 2023 Reviews

Progeny of Sun – Throne of Desolation (Inverse Records)

…gned to Inverse Records, and eventually filled out the lineup on the follow-up 2021 Dark Wanderer EP release. While creating the next set of material, the singles “Worthless” and “Anguish” hit the streets, setting the stage for the debut album Throne of Desolation. The album title refers to someone or something that terrorizes the existence of life in multiple forms when given authority – a great launching pad for what you can expect in terms of t…

December 1st, 2023 Reviews

Miara – Hungering Inside (Inverse Records)

…Flames atmosphere throughout the record – not only from the Colony/ Clayman-eras, but a bit of the follow-up discography where they got more streamlined in terms of hooks. The record closes on another uplifting note for “Honesty Is a Dream”, the guitar work of Ruben Sanchez along with Antonio capturing the magnificence of classic Iron Maiden as easily as Dark Tranquillity or In Flames as Markus once again use his rhythmic rasp to initiate call to…

December 1st, 2023 Reviews

Swansong – Awakening (Noble Demon)

…ining a mix of melodic death with folk, heavy and old school elements, the band’s follow-up album Awakening could stir many souls through its infectious rhythms, set to stun guitar melodies, as well as the brutal combination of dark growls plus venomous screams as the eleven songs take shape. The main frame of crushing musical components that are equally aggressive as they are gallop or hook-driven allows the songs to have that retention effect fr…

November 28th, 2023 Features

Isiliel – Living for Tomorrow

…Tolkien, it seems a perfect fit for an idol whose most accomplished works dabble in the more mystical sides of black metal and folk, outside of the normal idol territory. This next step for her felt somewhat familiar to her beginnings as an idol. “When I started my solo activities, it was similar to when I first started as an idol. It just sort of started. It didn’t have this big, dramatic start to it,” notes Himari. Though this new starting point…

November 26th, 2023 Features

A Dark Reborn – Circling the Last Echo

…the first time I saw Lacuna Coil live when I was 16 years old. Cristina Scabbia has always been my greatest reference since I was little and it was a dream come true, since I was also able to talk to her and the rest of the band. Imagine, that teenage Lur seeing her idol for the first time. Dead Rhetoric: What worries or concerns do you have about the world that we live in currently? If you had unlimited time, resources, finances, and energy, wha…

November 25th, 2023 Concert Reviews

Isiliel – November 7, 2023 – PhilaMOCA, Philadelphia, PA

…where everytime she stopped to take a drink of water, people would chant “H-2-O.” That excitement led into the music itself of course, and looking across the room you could see everything from people swinging lightsticks to the music to others headbanging along. It was hard not to be pulled into Himari’s intimate performance. The heaviest moment came with the thrilling “Keisei Densetsu,” which borders on a melodic death metal rampage at points, an…

November 24th, 2023 Reviews

Cryptosis – The Silent Call (Century Media)

…former benefiting from some additional audience chants to mirror the Voivod-ish militant mid-tempo riffs against some crushing mellotron mood enhancement, while the latter showcases the group’s unrelenting speed/thrash mechanics as well as proper hook/groove knowledge to keep things somewhat grounded for retention purposes. Cryptic, thought-provoking cover art beyond the professionalism on the recording/mixing side (Unleashed’s Fredrik Folkare res…

November 22nd, 2023 Reviews

TRiDENT – Dream Up (松山制作委員会)

…panese act that skirts boundaries between rock and metal, with some light dabbling into pop as well. Their first full-length was 2021’s Advance Generation, and for the last two years, they have been releasing some singles which turned into EP efforts. Dream Up is the latest of these, a 5-song affair that follows last year’s D-X. TRiDENT’s consistent energy and knack for catchy melodies makes Dream Up an easy point to be introduced to the band, as…

November 20th, 2023 Reviews

Hyperia – The Serpent’s Cycle (Self-Released)

…nsistently taking that next step in establishing their own brand of melodic thrash/death with progressive tendencies, Hyperia through The Serpent’s Cycle should continue to make a bigger footprint beyond Canadian borders into international acclaim and appeal. Bang thy heads, grab your favorite denim jacket or bullet belt/studded arm band attire and get ready to slam hard to these tracks – it will leave you battered and bruised the right way. https…

November 18th, 2023 Features

An Introductory Guide to the Burgeoning Kawaii Metal and Alt Idol Scene

…Hanabie., PassCode (featured above), Broken by the Scream, and of course, Babymetal (whom I assume you already know so I will not waste your time below). And for some, discovering some of the larger acts is well and good, but this simple truth is that for this scribe, the surface level is never enough. Particularly as it’s been very inspiring as of late, the way many of these acts defy genre conventions and toss in a variety of influences that so…

November 15th, 2023 Reviews

Sons of Sounds – Seven (El Puerto Records)

…ythm guitars against the pulsating bass pushes “Alive” into instantly memorable territory, the reggae-like instrumental transition between 2:50-3:12 a dynamic moody surprise that works. Brighter piano passages signal a theatrical-style arrangement for “Diamond”, the vocal harmonies rich in King’s X / Psychotic Waltz-like charm, guitarist Johann ‘Wayne’ Beselt ripping out a sophisticated, measured lead break with the right melodic qualities as to n…

November 15th, 2023 Reviews

Tarja – Dark Christmas (earMUSIC)

…set-up works, so why bother to change it up – Tarja avoided the goofy, over-the-top feeling that many ‘metal Christmas’ releases go for last time, and she does so here as well. Certainly there’s some hesitance to listen to the dreaded (by many at least) Mariah Carey classic “All I Want for Christmas is You,” or Wham’s “Last Christmas” without having to shake off some annoyances, but this is exactly where Tarja shines. “All I Want for Christmas is…