Sanhedrin – Lights On Review
[Artwork by SeventhBell / Jack Welch] We all have those certain bands we champion like heroes and attempt to push into the lives of virtually anyone lucky enough to coexist in our sphere. And when …
Eight Bells – Legacy Of Ruin Review
[Artwork by Tom Roberts] Have you had the pleasure of meeting Eight Bells yet? If not, allow me the honor of a formal introduction. Eight Bells is a metal band that’s apparently not quite metal …
Diamonds & Rust: Voivod – Dimension Hatröss
Side…Prolog… 1. Experiment [6:10] 2. Tribal Convictions [4:52] 3. Chaosmöngers [4:39] 4. Technocratic Manipulators [4:35] Side…Epilog… 5. Macrosolutions to Megaproblems [5:33] 6. Brain Scan [5:08] 7. Psychic Vacuum [3:49] 8. Cosmic Drama [4:54] We all …
Amorphis – Halo Review
[Cover artwork by Jean-Emmanuel “Valnoir” Simoulin] Comfort is an underrated and often unexpected trait of heavy metal that’s largely eclipsed by the conventional “brutal,” “crushing,” “razored,” “evil” et al. that largely dominates the lexicon of …
Kontact – First Contact Review
[Cover artwork by Héloïse Merlin] Where were you when the world’s hottest new doomsday cult slipped into their fresh Keds and velour tracksuits, shimmied down an obscured underground passageway into the basement of the Great …
Best Of 2021 – Captain: I Am My Vow Incarnate
Dark forces would likely prefer me to use this platform to complain about how life & times in 2021 decided to increase the pressure of its boot compared to 2020, but I ain’t that guy, …
We Have The Power – The Top 30 Power Metal (And Power-Related) Albums Of 2021
Hails and good fortune, heroes! Welcome to the launch of List Season here at Last Rites. As has become tradition, we kick things off with brand-spankin’-new edition of We Have the Power, our annual roundup …
Memory Garden – 1349 Review
[Cover artwork by Gyula Havancsák] “It’s all fun and games until someone gets the Black Death.” ~ Albert of Saxony circa 1346, probably I’m not sure if any of you were there, but the early …