Generally Impressed With Riffs
Three years, perhaps more. That’s how long it’s been since my copy of W.A.I.L. Vol. II arrived from a far away place—a place I had never been but had always wanted to go. There’s something about receiving a personalized letter …
Sulaco is the name of a port city in a fictitious South American country in Joseph Conrad’s 1904 novel Nostromo. But I haven’t read that. So, to me, Sulaco is the name of the starship that transports Ripley and the …
If you’re at all familiar with Last Rites, you know we spend an undue amount of time reviving Ye Olde Fires of yon 80s heavy metal. What we generally neglect, however, is putting much effort toward reminiscing and detailing one …
When a promotional electronic missive arrives in the Last Rites mailbox (we only accept physical mail, obviously) and it’s recommended for fans of Rippikoulu, the Board of Directors knows to immediately get it into safe hands. Void Rot was one …
In some ways, it must be exhausting being part of some legendary group. Everything Anders Jakobsen does (or has done since 2005) is and will be inevitably compared to his time in Nasum, and he’ll …
It’s that time of the month again, friends. No, not that time of the month—it’s time for Staff Infections, wherein the Last Rites staff members share what they’ve been listening to over the last lunar …
“Album Of The Day” is a Last Rites Facebook feature we started whose purpose is quite straight-forward: highlight one album per day and say a few words about it. Understanding that not everyone chooses to …
I must admit, Toll the Hounds, although not my favorite book, left its fucking mark on me. Erikson’s father, R.S. Lundin, died while he was writing that book, so it focuses so much on the …
Seems music buffs are always looking for better, especially when we’re having new albums tossed at us like the old man’s bread crumbs to the ducks (fuck off, pigeons). And metal music is oh-so-happy to …
Not only do the people of Finland have intimate knowledge of sentient life outside of our planet, they have been cavorting, colluding and, yes, even cohabiting with beings from beyond this sphere for over a …
A lot of extreme metal isn’t particularly, well, extreme. Melody, sheen, and progressive elements might end up dominating, or maybe there’s a tendency to lift a bunch of NWOBHM riffs, leaving some screeching dude as …
I’m probably repeating myself, but the warm, fuzzy tones of the Boss Heavy Metal pedal don’t set my heart aflutter like they used to. I’ll always have a soft spot for the originators of the …
