Still a few pegs below Nightwish, Within Temptation have gradually distanced themselves from their halcyon Goth metal days and it shows on their fifth album, The Unforgiving. Fronted by Sharon den Adel Read more […]
Considering the musical chops within the Scale the Summit ranks, it would be easy for them to go off on endless wanking sojourns. You’d do it if you could play this well. Yet, the Houston-based all instrumental Read more […]
Roger Miret and pals are still standing, still relevant, and most of all, street-ready. That’s the main takeaway from My Life My Way, which is the band’s astounding 15th studio album, not counting Read more […]
Talk about a coup. Re-enlisting current Jag Panzer singer Harry “The Tyrant” Conklin in the Satan’s Host ranks was a stroke of genius, making an already potent band, even more potent. Indeed Conklin Read more […]
Like Dark Funeral, Endstille doesn’t know how to do much else than roll out those tremolo-picked riffs, frazzled chords, and vast helpings of blast beats, but on Infektion 1813, the German black metal Read more […]
With Zero Hour on ice for the foreseeable future, the brothers Tipton (Jasun and Troy) made the wise move to re-align with original ZH singer Erik Rosvold in Cynthesis, which by all intents and purposes, Read more […]
Evolution has been a constant in this Finnish melancholic rock/metal group. Morphing from their death metal beginnings, they would introduce native traditional poetry in their lyrics and folk elements Read more […]
The face of Irish metal, Primordial are coming off a rare spell of inactivity, with Redemption At the Puritan’s Hand being their first proper full-length since 2007’s To the Nameless Dead. Not like Read more […]
One of the long-standing bands on the “true” American metal scene, North Carolina’s Twisted Tower Dire have been able to exist for so long (read: over 15 years) because of their steadfast commitment Read more […]
Can’t hurt to have Ben Weinman of Dillinger Escape Plan in one’s corner, which is the case for Of Legends, who get an instant dose of credibility from the DEP guitarist (who co-manages the band). On Read more […]
One of those mid-level Swedish death metal bands that are routinely lost in the shuffle, Diabolical have a lot going for themselves, as their un-derivative sound (think Hypocrisy, minus the melody and Read more […]
Right in the wheelhouse of Agalloch, Ontario’s Finnr’s Cane are a fresh addition to the swelling “wood” metal ranks. With the expected array of chilled acoustic guitars, dark passages, and minimal Read more […]
A New Jersey power/progressive metal band who seemed to have slipped off the radar following their 2004 Our Fellowship Eternal debut album, produced by Symphony X guitarist Michael Romeo. Touring the Read more […]
Those who have yet to bear witness to Anaal Nathrakh’s “explosive” (there’s really no other word to describe it) brand of extreme metal are missing out. The pair of Mick Kenney and Dave Hunt have Read more […]
Long one of power/progressive metal’s best-kept secrets, Pagan’s Mind should be able to ditch such a tag now that they’re hooked up with SPV. Of course, being on SPV today is a lot different than Read more […]
Independent record labels pride themselves on building up the profile of artists. I applaud people in today’s instantaneous/download-driven demographics who sign bands they believe in – irrespective Read more […]
While Heaven Wept’s 2009 Vast Oceans Lachymose was the full and unabashed portrayal of “epic” metal. Not power or doom, just flat out epic fucking metal, and it produced one of the best songs in Read more […]
The bottom of the barrel has been scraped and broken through by Winds of Plague, who on their fourth album Against the World further accentuate the notion of just how pointless deathcore is. The band’s Read more […]
A record that’s totally indicative of the retro metal boom that still has legs, Shocking Its Prey, the debut album from Richmond’s Volture is as expected, a freewheeling, substance-less good time. Read more […]
Can’t fault us Yankees for chasing down the Euro sound – it’s quite easy to do, and it lends itself to more possibilities than the standard meat and potatoes American metal front. In the case of Read more […]
Name-lifting is tolerable in metal – everyone at some point will have to do it since all of the good names are taken, but blatant sound hi-jacking is simply not tolerable…and it never will be. Asheville, Read more […]
Largely an unknown quantity outside of Finnish metal circles, Before the Dawn is poised to change that with the release of their sixth album, Deathstar Rising. Not unlike classic Amorphis, or Sentenced Read more […]
Always some type of hub-bub about how Pentagram singer Bobby Liebling is lucky to be alive, is finally clean, etc., and so on, so much so, that it nearly overshadows his music. Amazing how some people Read more […]
We don’t come out of the womb loving the fastest, guaranteed to irritate your parents music on the planet. Steady progressions of raiding album collections and personal discovery lead us to our preferences. Read more […]
The dreaded follow-up to a comeback album. It’s a tough field to navigate through, that’s for sure, especially when you’re as cult as Believer. When the band came back in 2009 with Gabriel it was Read more […]
Once in a blue moon yours truly will take a virtual stroll through Blistering’s review archives just to see what has been posted. Such a task is usually performed when trying to rack one’s brain for Read more […]
A bit misled by the cover, as it appears this fall more under the spacey black metal realm than straight, brutal death metal, but Oregon’s Arkhum like to go the unconventional route. Plus, this is a Read more […]
In an effort to not come across as sounding nitpicky, but it’s a partial waste for Vintersorg (real name: Andreas Hedlund) to sing in all Swedish. Simply put, the man has too majestic of a voice to Read more […]
Wolf’s worst day is still better than a lot of other traditional metal band’s best day, but Legions of Bastards is the first album from the Swedes that falls below their normally stellar clip. The Read more […]
Sweden’s Vomitory serve a purpose for the death metal monger who wants a certain, distinct sound to his or her favorite artist – and rarely strays from said formula. In the case of Opus Mortis VIII, Read more […]
