Heroic power metal with a definite OTT meets drinking attitude becomes clearly apparent from the first fanfare keyboard run on the opening title cut Raise Your Sword for Dutch act Stàilinn Drakk. A conceptual Read more […]
The problem with greatest hits collections is that the most die-hard of fans have already heard these tracks before – they are the greatest hits after all. With metal fans having the need to collect Read more […]
Given King Diamond’s rejuvenated status as a solo artist following triple bypass surgery, those pining away for a full-on Mercyful Fate reunion probably have a long wait ahead. No matter – we have Read more […]
Invidiosus’ first album, 2014’s Malignant Universe, saw the band land on some solid footing. It wasn’t the most unique release of the year, but it had an enjoyable take on the tech death genre without Read more […]
Occult metal has yet to outlive its usefulness. While the subset never had its moment in the sun (or should we say “dark?”), probably because The Devil’s Blood never reached their full potential, Read more […]
Behind the scenes bands need time to evaluate priorities for establishing a strong discography. If that means records aren’t pumped out on an annual (or biennial) basis, then so be it. Machina Viva, Read more […]
Despite slugging things out in the death metal circuit for eight albums at this point, Blood Red Throne haven’t really been able to capture the same level of visibility as some of their peers. Why that Read more […]
Völur is a Toronto-based band with one song title in all German, another in Norwegian, who is signed to a German label (Prophecy Productions), and whose bass player also does time in prominent retro rockers Read more […]
With the deathcore train moving along at full-tilt, it’s harder and harder to get behind some of the near-blatant attempts at cashing in on the genre. It was bound to happen – just look at metalcore, Read more […]
“Brickwalled,” the term often used in correlation with production jobs that are all about winning the loudness war, certainly doesn’t apply with Defiled’s fifth album, Towards Inevitable Ruin. The Japanese Read more […]
It’s always nice to stumble upon some melodic death metal acts that have escaped this writer’s clutches until now. Such is the case for Karnak Seti, who have recently released their third album, The Read more […]
Any guesses on what a band that is comprised of 2 ex-Origin members (Jeremy Turner, Clint Appelhanz) and one current Origin member (drummer John Longstreth) is going to sound like? Well, turns out the Read more […]
Initially discovering this act a few year back with the announcement of Peter Tuthill (formerly of Construcdead and Carnal Forge), it seems as if it’s taken quite a bit of time to get the band’s third Read more […]
A Dutch outfit doing their best to channel the murky tones of the Norwegian black metal sound, Draugur are nothing if not stubborn in their approach as an orthodox BM band. The elements in their employ: Read more […]
Often seen as a young man’s game, the spirit of heavy metal never dies – it rejuvenates and manifests itself in wider scopes. Wearing influences through battle vest ripped sleeves, Oregon’s Spellcaster Read more […]
Always a bummer how Mordred get left out of the early rap metal equation. The Bay Area group actually started out as a straight-level thrash band before vocalist Scott Holderby began to incorporate his Read more […]
Persistence is admirable, especially in a marketplace where musicians are prone to throw in the towel earlier than ever if something isn’t working according to plan. Drummer Fernando Oster of Brazilian Read more […]
Decidedly not metal (as indicated by the accompanied bio and hereby verified by our aged, questionable ears), Portland, OR’s Muscle and Marrow are the two member combination of Kira Clark and Keith McGraw, Read more […]
As the third wave of thrash metal floods the market place, the acts with staying power plunge beyond their 80’s record collections into twists and turns that expand horizons while not forsaking the pit Read more […]
Post-metal band #4,210 in the house. (Obviously, that number is a bit of a reach, but understandably, there are a lot of post-metal bands.) Barren Heir happens to be a power trio from Chicago, with nary Read more […]
Folk inspired melodic black metal is a genre that at this point has been fairly well explored. Like any sub-genre there is still plenty of room for more bands to add something interesting and genuinely Read more […]
Here is a UK progressive supergroup with ties to everyone from Arena to It Bites and IQ among others that follow an interesting pattern through their three-record discography. Meaning- release a record, Read more […]
There are 14 studio albums to Illdisposed’s name. Unfortunately on these shores, not a whole lot of punters can name a single one, although this scribe shall never forget 1-800 Vindication. There’s Read more […]
Going back to 2009-2010, there was a rising band that combined the seething vocal display of Sven de Caluwé (Aborted) with female vocals (Miri Milman) and a modern edge that blurred lines between death Read more […]
Lots of the old school Swedish death metal continues to find its way to the inbox on an almost daily basis. Much of it sounding in such a way that it’s not even worth writing up – a simple copy/paste Read more […]
The phenomenon of one-man bands has been on the rise ever since the advent of decent home-recording equipment. While there have been some great and notable one-man acts over the years (Dan Swanö’s Moontower, Read more […]
When thinking of bands that have had their ups and downs, Deadlock is one that immediately comes to mind. Ever since the introduction of Sabine Scherer (Weniger at that time) with Earth.Revolt, they’ve Read more […]
In blazing through Anicon’s first full-length, Exegeses, the question arose: do we now have a new extension for USBM in the form of melodic USBM? Could be. The product of main constituents Nolan Voss and Read more […]
Picking up the latest EP from these New Jersey thrashers following an energetic live showing on tour up in Massachusetts recently, You Can’t Win is the second release for Paralysis. A fairly common Read more […]
There comes a point for most bands when a specific album comes to define their sound and identity; that one album that all subsequent releases will be compared to and measured by. When Sweden’s Vanhelgd Read more […]
