Carrying the Torch June 30, 2015

Ex Metallo
by Gladius Sky

For fans of blackened folk metal, there are quite a few noteworthy names that get thrown around. But perhaps none come with such a sense of pride as the cult following of Windir. Not as well known as groups like Enslaved or Borknagar, Windir was no less deserving of praise. They had an approach t...

Negative, I am a Meat Popsicle June 29, 2015

The Filth Element
by Trapped Within Burning Machinery

I normally cannot stand funeral doom. I have a hard enough time with any doom at all, but it's this particular subgenre that most frequently bores me to tears. I just lack the patience. My loss, but not so in this case. Like any skilled drug dealer, Trapped Within Burning Machinery planted just ...

Far More than its Singles June 28, 2015

Found in Far Away Places
by August Burns Red

If you are like me, the singles released for the latest output from August Burns Red did not fill you with great confidence. For me, they were enjoyable, but underwhelming. I recognize the reasoning behind these very safe choices, but let me tell you that they do little to share the real wonders t...

"#!%16.7" Indeed June 28, 2015

#​!​%​16​.​7
by Ketha

Like Primus? Like Meshuggah? Well I may have something for you. I never thought I would put those two bands into a description of a singular entity, but there you have Ketha. The aptly-named #!%16.7 is an 18 minute progressive sweet broken into several small movements. It opens with wonky bassl...

Sickening Blackened Hardcore June 27, 2015

Osculum Infame
by Bastard Feast

It can be difficult to get the ratio of black metal to any other subgenre just right, but hardcore poses its own challenges. While the two share some punk roots in their sound, hardcore is more of a boisterous outburst of in-your-face fury. BM, at least traditionally, seeks to terrify from the sha...

The Alpha and the Omega June 26, 2015

Antikatastaseis
by Abyssal

"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...

A Blaze of Modern Black Metal June 25, 2015

Near Death Revelations
by Blaze of Perdition

Blaze of Perdition is a group I was not familiar with, but they have already released two albums to positive acclaim by both critics and fans. After hearing the two songs available on bandcamp, I was very happy to see this end up in my mailbox. Blaze of Perdition shares some strong similarities to...

Hail Poland June 24, 2015

Pod niebem utkanym z popiołu
by Jarun

Extreme folk is a genre that I am always quick to explore. Not only is the alternative instrumentation and historical basis interesting, but it is a style full of flexibility when it comes to execution. You’ve got the bombastic, progressive approach of Moonsorrow, the theatrical antics of A Forest...

Science is Metal June 23, 2015

Multi​-​Dimensional Fractal​-​Sorcery And Super Science
by Gigan

When I was growing up, death metal was happening all over the place. You had the continuing explosion of brutal death metal, the hay-day of melodic death metal, and the development of technical death metal. With such exponential growth, the bubble is always bound to burst. And it did. Oh how it ...

A Grand Departure June 22, 2015

Wretched Host
by Dystrophy

Dystrophy: a disorder in which an organ or tissue of the body wastes away. Wretched Host is the soundtrack to organic collapse and liquifying organs. A celebration of rot and decay. When I get depressed about aging, this is the sonic equivalent of those thoughts. The electric violin that bookends th...

Colors Was But The First Summit June 20, 2015

Coma Ecliptic
by Between the Buried and Me

Between the Buried and Me. For the fans, simply stating the name is a point of reference to what heights metal can climb. Since the first time I heard The Silent Circus in high school, I have been glued. What started as a morbid fascination with a sound I was not familiar with grew into a massive...

Industrial Nerdgasm June 19, 2015

Melk En Honig
by Author & Punisher

Author & Punisher is more than your average solo metal project. It's the industrial equivalent of the very literal one-man bands you see on the street corner. Yeah, those dudes with the drum rigged to their back, cymbals triggered by their feet, and an accordion. Except Tristan Shone commits this...

Doomy 90's Nihilism June 18, 2015

Malice
by Decibel

Decibel approached me interested in a review. I never shy away from a chance to listen to a group I have never heard. Death doom? Why not. Then I saw it: 3 albums. Which one would I choose? Where would I begin? Then the OCD vortex took hold. I listened to them all in a single marathon. My s...

Plant a Seed, Watch the Metal Grow June 16, 2015

Path to Ruin
by Path to Ruin

It was around “Stitched Shut” that I realized something: these guys can really play their instruments. This ain't some watered-down Cannibal Corpse with a few kids playing power chords to 4:4 time. Path to Ruin seem particularly fond of 3:4, actually, but the technical f#$kery happening on most o...

Tasty Sludge June 16, 2015

Apnee
by Valve

Blackened sludge. What would be a repellent descriptor of my lunch translates to one of my new favorite genres. French group, Valve, represents my most recent foray into the misanthropic world of thick, heaving riffs and shrieked vocals. So what does Apnee have to offer? Quite a bit, actually....

Drone Yourself to Death June 15, 2015

Autokrator
by Autokrator

Sorry about all the death puns. I watch a lot of Metalocalypse. Anyways, remember the climax to Raiders of the Lost Ark? Just put that on loop and it would be a fitting music video to this album. Extreme drone. Two things that shouldn't work together, but do when done right apparently. It's li...

The Gift of Death That Keeps On Giving June 13, 2015

Hail Mary
by iwrestledabearonce

Alright, I didn't want to take up any weekday slots for the little guys, so it's time for a special weekend edition review. Slipping in another major label act here, but like with Vattnet Viskar, it's for good cause. Ask the average person for a mathcore band and 9 times out of 10 it will be Dilli...

Brutal and Consistent June 12, 2015

Woes of Mortal Devotion
by Mefitic

It used to be that if one wanted some cavernous, black-hole of a death metal album, the only real option was Portal. But competition continues to grow stauncher as more and more groups emerge from the depths: Abyssal, Malthusian, Gigan, Ulcerate…and now, Mefitic. From Italy, this is another group ...

Nightmares June 11, 2015

The Dreaming I
by Akhlys

Atmospheric black metal is a bit of a mixed bag in my opinion. While this can be said of most genres, I find there to be a particularly large number of bands that seem to think they can just howl over 3 tremolo notes and a few chords ad nauseum and call it “atmospheric.” If you allow me to get on ...

Grim Grindcore June 10, 2015

Romantic Love
by Dendritic Arbor

Make no mistake, there is nothing romantic about this album. I am still in the process of truly digesting all that is going on. What genre is it? At times I feel like I am listening to a particularly grimy grindcore act, others I am thinking about black and death metal in the vein of Malthusian or P...
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