Abyssus Abyssum Invocat Jan. 13, 2016

Pugnare In Iis Quae Obtinere Non Possis
by Absolutus

Absolutus are a Belgian band whose content deals primarily with nihilism, metaphysical journeys, eerie experiences, psychology, and the works of E.M. Cioran and F. Nietzsche. This is their second album, following 2005's Ostendit quam nihil sumus. Recorded at Blackout studio with help of Neraath and ...

Passion Project Jan. 12, 2016

Iron Sun
by Red Skies

Iron Sun is a concept album of sorts from deathcore/metalcore band Red Skies. To hear it from the band: Iron Sun is a metaphor for the state of decay that our society is presently in. While exaggerated and slightly fictional, the idea is still relative to our reality. Imagine you are among the la...

Hardcore Smorgasbord Jan. 12, 2016

The Guilty Poor
by Kennedy

Put everything great about the early days of Every Time I Die, Converge, and Norma Jean in a bowl, melt that sh#t together, and bake at 350 degrees. This is Kennedy out of Montreal. Even if you are not well-versed in the aforementioned bands (for shame), those who enjoyed releases from more recent a...

Issue #2: Fister, The Lion's Daughter, Hell Night, Black Fast Jan. 11, 2016

Welcome to the second installment of Rager Reviews, by Matt Bryan. And so tonight's story opens at Firebird... ...

Right at Home, but Not Quietly Jan. 11, 2016

Soul Harbour
by Silent Homes

Silent Homes is metalcore from a place I don't think I have heard the genre before: Budapest. I never would have guessed listening to Soul Harbour, as it bares all of the marks we find from it here in the states: solid production, killer melodies, and of course the English language. Which leads me t...

We Are Slaves No More Jan. 8, 2016

Ride Forth
by Exmortus

Exmortus was another band I was not familiar with. As such, I listened through Ride Forth with zero context, and let me tell you that I was sure this had to be a bunch of Swedes. They're from California, but you never would guess it from these old-school death howls and riffage normally resevered fo...

Prog BM meets Funeral Jan. 7, 2016

Maieutiste
by Maieutiste

More interesting black metal I missed originally in 2015 and wanted to make sure I covered more fully now. Maeutiste (written here with the appropriate accent) is a French BM group out of Lyon whose sound could be more fully described as a collision of progressive black and funeral doom. Each song c...

Flash Flood Warning Jan. 6, 2016

Aether
by Deluge

It's fitting that as I wrote this, there were flash floods happening all over my city. I already talked about one album around this time that got me pumped up to go on a very wet jog, now it's time to talk about music that encapsulates the storm itself. Meet Deluge, a post-black/post metal/post hard...

Welcome to my... Jan. 5, 2016

Legions Awake
by Inner Sanctum

Another excellent, imposing intro. They are done to death, but a good one still very much gets my motor going. Such is the case with Inner Sanctum from India. Fans of death and groove metal rejoice, with guest appearances from James Murphy (Death, Testament, Disincarnate), Christopher Amott (Arch En...

With Teeth...3 To Be Exact Jan. 4, 2016

3TEETH
by 3TEETH

There is a real lack of solid industrial music these days. Maybe I'm just not plugged in to that scene enough, but besides the excellent electronica coming out of Blood Music, there's really not much to be found on this front. 3TEETH is here to change all of that. Despite this album coming out back ...

Bag of Potato Chips Jan. 1, 2016

Happiness in Self Destruction
by The Plot in You

As has been true of their previous releases (at least in my expeience), The Plot in You have dropped an album without an ounce of fanfare in the process. Not a trailer, not an ad, nothing. I wouldn't even have known they existed if I hadn't happened upon their debut album in a record store display c...

Top 10 Black Metal Albums of 2015 Dec. 31, 2015

Im not quite part of the inner-circle when it comes to Wrest. People have recommended plenty Leviathan to me and I have always walked away fairly indifferent. Not anymore. Between the solid production, stellar atmosphere, and gritty guitar-work; Scar Sighted is a monster to be reckoned with. Its fun...

Top 10 'Core Albums of 2015 Dec. 31, 2015

Lovely post rock instrumentals give way to frenetic mathcore; with alternating post-hardcore and death metal vocals. The resulting effect conjures loving memories of one of my favorite underground bands: The Number 12 Looks Like You. Like the now-defunct group from New Jersey, Wrvth employ use of ge...

Top Fusion/Experimental Albums of 2015 Dec. 31, 2015

This is another one of those albums that defies traditional description. There are blasts of discordant guitars, changing time signatures, and sickeningly grim vocals that occasionally reminded me of Absu. The wretch is so restricted in the throat as to sound inhuman. The churning, slower arrangemen...

Creeptastic Dec. 30, 2015

Sentient Village // Obsolescent Garden
by Dendritic Arbor

Dendritic Arbor are a group of madmen from Pittsburg intent on destroying our eardrums and challenging the concepts of what "metal," "heavy," and "music" really mean. You might have already caught a dose of what these talented musicians have to offer earlier this year with possibly my favoirte EP of...

Top 10 Sludge/Doom/Industrial Albums of 2015 Dec. 29, 2015

One of the many great things about this album are the minimalist lyrics. Author Punisher has developed a mastery of shocking with a few very visual words, not unlike the work of Lord Mantis. "The Barge" repeats the cryptic mantra of "No peace, no faith." Messages like this leave you in a cesspool o...

Top 10 Progressive Metal Albums of 2015 Dec. 29, 2015

Let me begin by saying that the cleaner prog-rock sections here are masterful. And to any detractors (I myself was worried) regarding the decrease in pure metal, breathe a sigh of relief. For it is precisely the improved builds of Rush-influenced rock that makes the explosion of harsh vocals and dis...

Top 10 Death Metal Albums of 2015 Dec. 28, 2015

"I Am The Alpha and the Omega" may be one of the most appropriately named tracks this year. From Revelation 22:13: I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End." Abyssal ain't Jesus, but when it comes to death metal, this is some end of days-sounding stuff. "The Co...

Nostalgic Organ-Driven Doom Dec. 28, 2015

The Deer Woman
by Funeral Marmoori

Time to throw a little more doom into the mix. Funeral Marmoori came about in 2008 from an idea formed during work as another Stoner/Sludge project "GUM". The group's aesthetic is heavily inspired by bands like Saint Vitus, Paul Chain, and Cathedral. Rounding out their sound is an ever-present ba...

Mors Principium Ensiferum Dec. 25, 2015

To Deliverance
by Sound of Memories

Sound of Memories was formed by guitarists Alain and Lucho and bassist Fabien in Paris in 2010. While their sound is described as a "symbiosis of thrash and death metal merged with heavy metal," a more simplistic summary would be extreme folk. Songs vary in style, but the vast majority fit the bil...
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