Generally Impressed With Riffs
[Album artwork by Aaron Turner] Neurosis’s willingness to push past the boundaries of metallic hardcore early in their career has influenced scores of bands across a wide range of subgenres. Hardcore, metal, and untold strains of avant-garde and experimental music …
[Album artwork by Lena Richter] “Nostalgia is probably overrated, at least the most common notion of it, the poignant sense that ‘what was’ is somehow inherently better than ‘what is’. It’s a lie of which we are well aware, if …
[Album artwork by Shindy Reehal] Back in 1978, upon the release of their self-titled debut, Village Voice rock critic Robert Christgau panned Van Halen for making music that “belongs on an aircraft carrier.” It’s one of those lines that was …
Death metal’s primary function is, or perhaps should be, to whip the listener into a good old-fashioned frenzy with riffs aplenty. On Longing Voracity, their sophomore effort, Germany’s Teratoma zealously commit to and meet this core purpose. Longing Voracity is, …
[Cover art by Eliran Kantor] What exactly do we expect from Immolation at this stage of their career? This is a band whose legacy was set in stone decades ago by their impeccable early run …
Oh, it feels like a million years ago now, but way back in January, I wrote this one up as one of our (meaning, in this instance: “my”) most anticipated releases of 2026, and here …
1. “Stilllllllllaaaaaaaamennnnnntum.” If you love it when a band sings the album title, you’ve hit the jackpot with “Nimbus,” the opening song of Gorrch’s second album, Stillamentum. At the very top of that first track …
To this day, because of the Murderer’s Row of ’80s Bay Area thrash masterpieces, someone, somewhere, is plugging a cheap guitar into an old amplifier for the first time. And someone, somewhere, is cutting the …
[Cover art by STRX Art] If you listen to metal for long enough, you will inevitably encounter at least one of a plethora of solo projects. The modern state of recording tools has only made …
[Cover artwork by Trash Bandicoot] Aotearoa New Zealand is often trumpeted as a clean, green utopia. However, the truth is, plenty of New Zealand is a rotting dungheap. In fact, here’s a recent story from …
Alright, ladies and gents, maybe the empire is falling, maybe we’re on the verge of World War III, maybe the end-times are upon us. But through whatever may come, by the grace of Lord Anthony …
[Cover art by Vince Locke – Duh] KIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIILLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!! My apologies if that triggered your PTSD for that time you started your day with a cup of coffee and a pressing of the play button on Kill, …
