Generally Impressed With Riffs
[Artwork by the unrivaled Eliran Kantor] If humankind ever ends up with a tombstone somewhere out there in the great beyond, a solid argument could be made for the following words to be written across the front: “They Judged Every …
Once upon a time long ago in a land of reefer madness, radio play that mattered and VW buses, the idea of a band jamming was considered a good thing. Its two greatest references were to a loose style of …
Consciousness attaches to reality like the grape to the vine, the tendrils clinging to the flower of sanity that springs from the plant that connects us all to the collective rationality. But sometimes grapes fall. Amongst the soil in which …
At some point in every human’s existence, we discover the value of “not worrying about it.” Our parents hammer the lesson home early when we first start wondering about life’s less attractive elements—undue illness, death, and what happens once we’re …
Greetings once again, dear readers. It’s time for another edition of Staff Infections, wherein we examine the listening habits of the Last Rites Staff over the past 30 days or so. Normally we’d take the …
Fast Rites: because sometimes brevity is fundamental. Our beloved Ryan has dubbed 2021 the year of the Thrashening. With excellent releases by Cryptosis, Paranorm, Obsolete, Demoniac, Speed Command, Terminalist, Spellforger and about 100 others I’m …
Bloodbound have quietly amassed a good but not great discography. So while Creatures of the Dark Realm is the band’s ninth full-length album, experience speaks less to quality than to commitment to craft. That isn’t …
Whatever fires were relit somewhere around the self-titled record; whatever mystical chalice was drunk from to restore the waters of life; whatever devilish bargain was struck to recover the spark of a long-lost youth… …it’s …
[Cover art by Alex Eckman-Lawn] When you see a movie like Annihilation, it tends to stick with you. Its desire to put horrifying images in the brightness of daylight and rainbow shimmers added an extra …
[Artwork by Mors Ultima Ratio Art] Code has always been a little unpredictable for a variety of reasons (lineups, stylistic choices, timelines), but the choice to never make the same album twice is easily the …
Generally speaking, “stupid” means “unintelligent,” and then again, I’ve also been known to use it as a superlative. And sometimes, it works both ways, like when I say “Fluids is stupid heavy.” This Arizona-based trio …
[Cover artwork by the peerless Michael Whelan] Friendly greetings from the mouth of madness that is the collector’s music room, fellow accumulators of all things heavy duty, underground, and…well, collectible. Please wind your way through …
