Generally Impressed With Riffs
Before black metal was so often equated to frozen winds, icy tundras, and frosty landscapes, it was a style of fire. Sarcófago, Blasphemy, and the earlier works of Beherit evoked a humid, claustrophobic atmosphere seared by the thick flames of …
“Why do these silly guitarists get all the glory? I can slay just as many notes as they can!” Presumably, this is the driving thought behind any person learning to play a fretless bass. Damon Good – alongside drummer Charlie …
[Artwork by Paolo Girardi] Let’s gather ’round and throw a few more reams of newspaper and some decayed office chair cushionry into the burning barrel and speak of sprinklers, “The Jacket” episode of Seinfeld, and notably complex equations. And let …
The Belgian collective Neptunian Maximalism is not, apparently, interested in half-measures. Éons, their full-length debut, spools its more than two hours’ worth of music across three conceptually separate discs which span genres and blend improvised instrumentation with hypnotic, repetitive, and …
Metal may have sprouted from just a few places on the globe, but it’s been decades since it became a truly global phenomenon. As it grew and spread, clearly identifiable sounds and scenes popped up …
The year was most likely 1968. I was working as a traveling salesman in the Bible Belt, selling vacuums and encyclopedia sets to unsuspecting Southerners. Sales weren’t great; I am not going to lie to …
At the center of the kingdom there is a castle. At the center of the castle there is a fortified keep, from whence the kings of metal reign. Within these sacred halls, an eternal fire …
We’re all born from a Blood Chasm, but these Indianapolis miscreants just so happened to enter the world under that moniker. Much like when you shed the shredded womb, Obscene truly began to form their …
[Artwork by Jan Meininghaus] One could certainly argue that the writing was on the wall back in 2014 when, three months after releasing album number eight, Black Moon Rising, Falconer announced they would no longer …
People find solace in the strangest places. Heavy metal fans, in particular, must seem to the outsider at least a card short of a full deck when they describe the grounding and centering comfort of …
In just a few short years, the German duo Dauþuz has established itself as a powerful voice in atmospheric black metal. Since its start in 2016, the band has released three full-length albums and two …
For those who have spent any substantial amount of time in graveyards, you’ll know what I mean when I say every cemetery has its own personality. Some are pleasant and inviting, others morose and forlorn. …
