Better Than H.M. Dec. 26, 2016

Not the Actual Events
by Nine Inch Nails

The Pitch: Believe it or not, this is the first NIN EP since 1992's Broken. The comparisons stop there. More modern NIN featuring Atticus Ross as a full time member as well as collaborations with Dave Grohl, Dave Navarro, and Mariqueen Maandig. Summary: So after Hesitation Marks, I had pretty much ...

We Come Full Circle Dec. 26, 2016

Under The Unholy Command
by Terrorhammer

The Pitch: Let the Venom worship commence with this fusin of thrash, heavy, and black metal from Serbia. What I Like: Fantastic, memorable riffs that just scream late-80's thrash and heavy metal. The vocals are pure Cronos, in fact "Graveyard Witch" sounds like it could have fit quite easily on Bla...

2016 Part Deux: Enjoyability Dec. 23, 2016

The Whole of the Law is not the wildest thing I have heard in 2016, but I'm pretty sure it's the heaviest. Or perhapsa betterdescriptorwould bethe sharpest.Plenty releases this yearhave had a deep, crushing kind of sound, but Anaal Nathrakh prefers a razor-sharp dagger thrust repeatedly intothe fles...

2016 Part Deux: Innovation Dec. 22, 2016

Any release that manages to top out all 3 scales is one truly deserving of special accolades. So it is with much respect and pride that I am able to bestow this honor on a relatively small and unknown group of musicians, Ukraine's Balance Interruption. The songs on this release are not only fast and...

2016 Part Deux: Musicianship Dec. 21, 2016

In short, Ulcerate is possibly the fastest, mathiest metal band around. The vocals are insanely brutal, complimented by guitar and drum work that is quite simply insane. If the riffs previously drilled, here they sear; if time signatures were previously devoured, here they are consumed. Many of you ...

They Grieve: Exclusive Album Premiere Dec. 20, 2016

I Made My Sacrifice Accordingly
by They Grieve

Metal Trenches is proud to present the exclusive stream of I Made My Sacrifice Accordingly. If you like what you hear, be sure to pre-order it HERE. The Pitch: Former member of one of my favorite now-defunct underground sludge groups, Alaskan, begins anew withThey Grieve. "The personal lamentation ...

Leave The Beard Dec. 20, 2016

General Thrashing
by The Barber

The Pitch: Moscow band fuse Southern rock and hardcore (I call it "Southern-friedhardcore)" a la Every Time I Die with more than a touch of Motorhead. What I Like: The riffs! The groove! The energy! The Cowbell! This isjust one of those albums begging for a 30 rack of Keystone Light and a PA system...

Grounded In 2nd Wave Dec. 20, 2016

Wrath
by Natvre's

The Pitch: Argento Records reissues the debut album from Greek extreme and sometimes experimental metal band Natvre's. What I Like: I was sold early onby how heavy and blackened the decrepit sound is on this album. The distorted vocals are reminiscent of both Burzum and the use of filters on certai...

Thrashprogcore Dec. 19, 2016

Arctos
by Unison Theory

The Pitch: Italian band who can't seem to decide if they are thrash, prog, or metalcore...but always keep the musicianship on point regardless. What I Like: These guys really do tread the line between the above genres. It's kind of like if early God Forbid decided to write within progressive song s...

Give Into The Depression Dec. 19, 2016

Eskapisten
by Eskapisten

The Pitch: One man atmospheric black metal project from Sweden releasesdebut EP. What I Like: If you like depressive black metal, this will certainly put you in a dark mood. The guitars achieve asorrowful wall of sound, and the underproduction of the drums makes for a nice effect. The vocals are fi...

Is Gudatall Good At All? Dec. 16, 2016

Gudatall
by Murg

The Pitch: One of the finest new black metal bands to hit the scenein the classic sound returns with the anticipated sophomorefollow-up to Varg and Bjrn. What I Like: In terms of presence and production, these guys hit the nail on the head. The vocals, guitar tone, reverb levels, and general presen...

Throbbing Doom Dec. 15, 2016

III
by Herem

The Pitch: 5 piece doom band from Finland sounds a bit like Trapped Within Burning Machinery with some Sabbath overtones. What I Like: "Earworm" is certainly the key word here. Pretty much any doom band that catches my ear has a strong handle on crafting some infectious melodies into their sound. H...

Raw Death Metal Dec. 15, 2016

At the Onset of Extinction
by Sepulchral Curse

The Pitch: Finnish brutal old school death metal group with members of Solothus. What I Like: This album is just so uncompramisingly raw. The gutteral vocals and more grindcore screeches are extreme metal to the core. D-beats and melding of simple chord progressions with melodic tremolo lines fuse ...

Serpents Crawl Stealthy Dec. 14, 2016

Primordial Subjugation
by Necroven

The Pitch: Band from Spain mixing old school with blackened death metal for fans of Morbid Angel, Incantation, Immolation, etc. What I Like: Necroven manage to navigate quite smoothly between death and doom extremes. They can rage with ferocious drumming or shift gears (see "The Pyre Cycle") for a ...

Glass Shrine Dec. 14, 2016

Lapidary
by Glass Shrine

The Pitch: New label Night Rhythms Recordings (Texas) puts out their first official release from Americanpost-black metal band Glass Shrine. "An ongoing study of beauty within decay." What I Like: This is a pretty unique fusion of black metal with bright, upbeat surfer rock. On some levels it remin...

Instrumental Tech Death? Dec. 13, 2016

Magnitude of Thoughts
by Teramobil

The Pitch: Montreal "instrumental tech death" for fans of Animals As Leaders, Scale The Summit, Archspire. What I Like: This is just plain madness. I was skeptical of the whole "instrumental tech death thing." My thinking was "wouldn't that just be progressive metal?" Nope, this is about asheavy as...

Stocking Stuffer Dec. 13, 2016

Astrophobia
by Youdash

The Pitch: Polish progressive, technical death metal with the mind-bending chaos of Gigan, Gorguts, and Mr. Bungle. What I Like: EVERYTHING. It's like Deformeathing Production wanted to give me one last Christmas present before the year was done. These compositions are biz-onkers. Not only do the t...

Good Thrash Dec. 12, 2016

Demon
by Maligner

The Pitch: Sweden-based, Latin American death thrash trio channels Slayer and other old school influences on their latest tape release. What I Like: The racing riffs channel elements of both Kerry King and Anders Bjrler; with a similar melding of American and German thrash groups with Swedish death...

The Next Gojira Dec. 12, 2016

Talks to Innerself
by Karma Rassa

The Pitch: Russian prog band Karma Rossa channel Tool, Gojira, and others on Talks To Innerself What I Like: These compositions are gorgeous. There are so many great hooks and killer drum patterns that if you blink you might miss one. This album isvaliantly true to the prog label in that they don't...

The Most Beautiful Suicide Dec. 12, 2016

Empire of Nothing
by La Fin

The Pitch: Italian band combines elements of post-metal, post-hardcore, sludge, and black metal to create some crushing and compelling compositions inspired by by the famous picture of Evelyn McHale after she leapt from the Empire State Building. What I Like: That first track hits like a ton of bri...
PREVIOUS
Page 172 of 208 NEXT