Transcendental Meditation Jan. 25, 2017

Takitum Tootem!
by The Ruins of Beverast

The Pitch: In another case of ol' Flight being out of touch with a group that has already gained tractionover the last few years, he pops his Ruins of Beverast cherry on whatisdescribed as the"initial part of a bipartite meditation and celebration in euphoria for manhood's loss of the crown of creat...

Beastly Blackened Jan. 23, 2017

Beast Incarnate
by Beheaded

The Pitch: Beastly blackened death metal from the Mediterranean island of Malta. What I Like: Fast, primitive, and brutal.The vocals remind me a bit of Piotr Wiwczarek in their gruff intensity. Thrashy tremolo lines and battering drums really keep the energy levels up. The alternation of blastbeats...

I Bring You Hellfire Jan. 23, 2017

Temple of the Adversarial Fire
by Shaarimoth

The Pitch: The second album from Norwegian blackened death metal trio, Shaarimoth, after a decade of silence. FFO Behemoth, Sulphur Aeon What I Like: This entire album is cloaked in hellfire. I can almost feel the heat on my face. The gargly, blackened take on Morbid Angel-influenced vocalsis simpl...

Raucous Converge Worship Jan. 20, 2017

Plevre
by Plevre

The Pitch: More unsigned mathcore from Lyon, France. This time it's some Converge love in the form ofPlevre. What I Like: The demented, distorted vocals on this album definitely remind me of Jacob Bannon.The approach can be a bit ofa gamble in terms of who iswilling to listen to that level of disso...

Alive and Well Jan. 20, 2017

Weapons of Thrash Destruction
by Terrifier

The Pitch: Vancouver's Terrifier reminds us that classic thrash metal is still alive and well if you just know where to look. What I Like: This album brings me back to a time where galloping triplets were a standard. The guitars are complete insanity that never stop, and the vocals run the gamut fr...

Some Great, Some Not Jan. 20, 2017

Thron
by Thron

The Pitch: Highly aggressive black metal with some thrash influence from the debut of German band Thron. What I Like: The tracks I enjoy have some really great riffs that pull from Dissection and Venom with plenty of speed and ferocity. The drums, guitars, and vocals have plenty of energy. What I ...

Indiana Black Metal Jan. 19, 2017

Shamaniacal Essence
by Ecferus

The Pitch: Hellthrasher Productions unleashes the latest release from Indiana black metal project Ecferus on CD. Solo work "influenced by evolutionary anthropology and primitive myth, ECFERUS explores the psyche of early humans through a vehicle of exciting and unpredictable black metal." What I Li...

9 Minutes of Brutality Jan. 19, 2017

Gouged
by Gouged

The Pitch: 9 minutes is all you need when it comes to the uncompromising grind of SLC's Gouged. FFO Vermin Womb, Pig Destroyer What I Like: Feels like it's been a while since I covered a straight-up grindcore release. This EP is just the thing to break the drought. Seriously, these guys accomplish ...

Old School Thrash Jan. 19, 2017

Styx Demon: The Master Of Death
by Impalers

The Pitch: Teutonic thrash from Denmark for fans of Sodom, Kreator, and Destruction. What I Like: The first two tracks of this EP are some truly bludgeoning offerings that border on blackened thrash. The vocals are absolutely vile and the riffs are not only treachorously fast, but highly engaging. ...

I'm Underdressed For This Jan. 18, 2017

Speak Not Of The Laudanum Quandary
by Ashenspire

The Pitch: "A harrowing, yet distinctly human odyssey through the absurdities and tragedies of British imperialism, voiced in an appropriately deranged sprechgesang by the bands creative director, Alasdair Dunn." FFO A Forest of Stars. What I Like: I adored AFOS's album Beware the Hand You Cannot S...

The Best Kind of Blasphemy Jan. 18, 2017

Impaled Beneath the Pentagram
by Blasphemonger

The Pitch: L.A.-based blackened death metal band lives up to their name and album title on this release from December. FFO Portal. What I Like: Sometimes you just press play on an album and it takes hold right away. For me, this was one of those albums. The vocals are absolutely primal in their gut...

Mapping The Sonic Terrain Jan. 18, 2017

Cartographer
by Chronologist

The Pitch: Largely self-produced album from Boston/Austin instrumental progressive metal act. FFO Animals as Leaders, Mendel What I Like: Gorgeous. You've got plenty of that djent heaviness to get you headibanging, but Chronologist is much more than that. They craft intricate fabrics of sound via a...

Let the Darkness Come Jan. 17, 2017

Hail Death
by UR

The Pitch: Minimalistic, highly abrasive black metal from Poland FFO Taake, Mayhem, Satyricon. What I Like: The straight-forward, rock-oriented approach captures the viciousness and rebellion of the early 2nd wave perfectly. The growls are grating to the senses while the occasional semi-operatic cl...

Killer Melodeath EP Jan. 17, 2017

Let There Be Light
by Parius

The Pitch: Philly melodeath band releases new EP featuring guest solos from Ryan Knight (ex-The Black Dahlia Murder) and Michael Keene (The Faceless)and Michaela Nachtigall on violin. What I Like: Fun riffs, nice balance of thrashy speed and melody. Some of the guitar hooks have a The Haunted vibe ...

I Know Kung Fu (Exclusive Stream) Jan. 17, 2017

Karate Karnage
by Dead Kiwis

The Pitch: Lyon, France's Dead Kiwis split heads with Chuck Norris-style roundhouse kicks set to a Botch worship soundtrack. Amusingly I came up with that comparison before I even realized there is a track named after him. What I Like: If math wasas fun asmathcore, everyone would be a freakin' prod...

Fresh Take On Hardcore Jan. 16, 2017

Forever
by Code Orange

The Pitch: Pittsburgh hardcore outfit has a few curveballs in store on its latest outing, Forever. Produced by Will Yip (Circa Survive) and Kurt Ballou (Converge). FFO Trap Them, Nails, Left Behind What I Like: Heavy as f@#kwith a metric ton of attitude. This makes Stray From the Path look like Bri...

Familiar Blackened Death Jan. 16, 2017

Black Serpent Rising
by Balfor

The Pitch: "Barbaric black metal" from Ukraine featuring members of Hate Forest, ex-Raventale, andKhors. Blackened death metal with a touch of folk for fans of more recentRotting Christ and Behemoth. What I Like: Balfor havea strong presence about them. The production is clean, the riffs ominous, a...

Not Quite As Is Jan. 13, 2017

As Was
by Black Anvil

The Pitch: New York modern progressive black metal band delivers 50 minutes of dark, atmospheric music. What I Like: The clean vocals have an interesting vibe that provides a nice counterpoint to the grim growls. Some of these tracks have a vague Enslaved vibe flowing through the background. The at...

Two Enormous Tracks Jan. 13, 2017

Rite of Inverse Incarnation
by Fides Inversa

The Pitch: Italian black metal duo-now-quartet Fides Inversa continue to prove the worth of the short EP with two crushing new songs better than most full length albums. What I Like: This band is another group to fall under what I usually classify as the "German blackened death metal sound" found i...

Textures and Cambria Jan. 13, 2017

Enigma Infinite
by Memories in Broken Glass

The Pitch: Texas-based progressive metal that channels both Textures and Coheed Cambria. What I Like: Takes soaring CC vocals and djentify it with the sounds of Textures and you'd get Memories in Broken Glass. It's hard to find high pitched clean vocals that don't come off as whiny and lame, but t...
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