The Haves and Have Nots July 21, 2015

The Ache of Want
by Anopheli

From the first moments of “Awoken,” I could hear that this was something a bit different. Primarily, the vocals are deeper and bit more hardcore and black metal compared to the previous demo's preference towards post-hardcore shouting. The shrieks and growls help to differentiate, but also only fu...

Gave me the DT's...Dark Tranquillities that is. July 20, 2015

Future: The Return
by Silence Lies Fear

When MetalSucks posted Silence Lies Fear on their list of underlooked albums, they had me at "Dark Tranquillity." The comparison is more than fair, with this album's somber take on melodic death metal that feels more about scope than aggression. Insomnium seems like another strong parallel and ope...

Dagobah System? July 19, 2015

Enter the Dagobah Core
by Umbah

Umbah is a...um...we'll just simplify for now and say progressive industrial act from the UK. Arranged and performed entirely by Cal Scott, this is extreme music with a penchant for the avant garde. Ministry riffs crash into electronics, often bizarre vocal outbursts, and sporadic pace changes. T...

Overwhelming Isolation July 18, 2015

Vermis
by Ulcerate

What is the sound of bones crunching? Complete annihilation? The planet imploding in on itself in a blaze of hellfire? Ulcerate. And what a great name. Few bands truly capture their sound so well in a single word, but on their 2013 album, Vermis, and virtually their entire discography, Ulcerate...

A Dark Future July 17, 2015

Vorage
by Vorage

If it hasn't become blatantly obvious, I have come to really love Portal. Something about the tightly coiled tentacles of choking, blackened, technical death just does it for me. It seems pretty clear that Vorage shares my joy in Lovecraftian black holes. This self-titled EP is chock full of diss...

Instrumental Post-Indietronicore July 16, 2015

The Debutantes
by Cotillion

I'm a fool for genre fusions. Yeah, thrash metal is cool, but what happens when you throw a little jazz in the mix? Or smash black into baroque? It's these fun retreats from the norm that separate a good act from a fresh one. Cotillion may have the the marks of something in its infancy, but that...

By Power of Grayskull... July 15, 2015

Bastards of the Universe
by Skeletor

Remember when thrash metal didn't have to be deadly serious all the time? If like me you yearn for the days of party-time bands like Exodus, you need to get in here. Skeletor (nuff' said with that name), including self-described Paul Baloff worshiper Bram Peters, are here to drink cheap beer and t...

Oomph Factor July 14, 2015

Negate the Infinite and Miraculous
by Pale Chalice

It’s USBM time again, and this one is fast and hard. At full speed, Palice Chalice can sound a lot like early Enslaved, as with the opening of “Shaking Nerves and Vacuous Spheres.” With their new album, Negate the Infinite and Miraculous, the group rises from the vile depths of unlikely Oshkosh, W...

A Calmer Approach July 12, 2015

In Times
by Enslaved

It is truly amazing how much Herbrand‘s clean vocals have evolved and improved with each release. As much as I love their dark, depressive qualities on Isa, that was the voice of a boy. With RIITIIR and now In Times, these are the mature tenors of a man. Whether it is the result of some professional...

Riffage July 11, 2015

Bloodshot Dawn
by Bloodshot Dawn

After listening to (and loving) Bloodshot Dawn's 2014 release, I was encouraged to check out their debut as well. With all of the new music constantly flying by, I was not incredibly enthusiastic about this at first, but right about the time that “Godless” kicked in, I had very few regrets. The ri...

Set Sail July 10, 2015

Despair, Erosion, Loss
by Alaskan

How about taking a journey today? Drive with the windows down on a desert highway. Set sail through an ocean storm. Climb to the peak of an icy mountain to witness the sunrise. Alaskan provides the soundtrack to all of these things. It's sludge for the meditative type. But you can skip the y...

Inked With the Blood of Their Enemies July 9, 2015

Rite of Ascension
by Vacivus

So you really like Portal, but you either need more or want something a little more straight-forward? I got this. Hellish death vocals from the abyss? Check. Blackened take on technical death metal? Check. Soul-sucking atmosphere? Double check. Just unravel those snake-like compositions and ...

No Wannabes Here July 8, 2015

Black Flesh Redemption
by Demonical

Leave it to the Swedes to keep the oldschool alive. Between the raw distortion, larger than life hooks, and crushing drums; some of these tracks could have been At The Gates outtakes. Such is the sound of Demonical's latest EP, Black Flesh Redemption. After dropping a few well-recieved albums, th...

Google Translate... July 8, 2015

De Doden Hebben Het Goed
by Wiegedood

I assure you, I don't normally listen to this much atmospheric black metal, but it just keeps coming through the cracks this year. No matter how much I caulk, it just keeps seeping through. Oh well. What keeps filling the buckets is mostly quite pleasant. Enter Wiegedood. I am surely mispronoun...

Be One With The Groove July 7, 2015

Painless
by Sanzu

Sanzu is Australian death metal with a touch of djent and deathcore. The vocals are half Jens Kidman, half Wayne Static. The compositions may sound a bit chuggy on the surface, but there is plenty technical going on with the timing. The very modern production fits the somewhat robotic-sounding qu...

Curtain Up July 6, 2015

Ghost Chants
by Outre

I’ve often said that metal and stage performance go together like nuts and bolts. Hell, the next natural progression for Dimmu Borgir is to go ahead and put a musical on Broadway. The same might be said of A Forest of Stars. The point is, there’s plenty of room for theatrics in extreme music; e...

Those Drums... July 5, 2015

All Fours
by Bosse-De-Nage

Foregoing the usual introductory wankery, if there was one reason to listen to this album, it’s the drumming. Sweet zombie Jesus, the drumming. Not only is it impressive in sheer speed and technical showmanship: it’s goddam inspiring. I feel like I should build a house or cure AIDS. It’s punk, i...

Tardy to the Party July 4, 2015

Söngvar elds og óreiðu
by Misþyrming

Söngvar elds og óreiðu has been making rounds in the underground circuit since early this year. It took me until now to jump on the bandwagon, but it was worth taking the time. This album has a lot you can miss the first time around. On the surface it's your typical black metal, but there are all...

Genre Jumping Journey July 3, 2015

WRVTH
by WRVTH

WRVTH, formerly Wrath of Vesuvius, may hail from California, but there is nothing sun and beaches about their third album, self-titled WRVTH. Says the band, “We get a lot of inspiration from the experience of just being in a band. All the conflicts and resolutions throughout the years have all mo...

Well...Mine Was Sated July 2, 2015

A Hunger Rarely Sated
by Anopheli

I freaking love punk music. Like, the real stuff: Dead Kennedys, Bad Religion, etc. Unfortunately, it's a genre that's been more diluted than melodeath. Pop punk saw to that. Don't get me wrong, I listen to my share of Blink 182 behind closed doors, but there is a void left for that raw anarchy....
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