All posts by Captain

Last Rites Co-Owner; Senior Editor; That was my skull!

Ottone Pesante – Scrolls Of War Review

[Album artwork: Alessandro Canu & Davide Chiussi] When you have as much experience with the full depth of heavy metal as does the Last Rites collective, with a few of us tallying four decades of

Diamonds & Rust: Asunder’s A Clarion Call – 20 Years Of Dooming You To Death

[Cover image by Keith Evans] 2004: For me, life and times were pretty much firing on all cylinders. I was entering my fifth year of living in the Bay Area; I had a wide net

Grendel’s Sÿster – Katabasis Into The Abaton Review

Would we even have heavy metal today if it weren’t for folk music? Let’s just go with a hearty “NO, BY HELL, WE WOULD NOT,” considering that our genre’s golden architect—Black Sabbath—was certainly influenced by

Scald – Ancient Doom Metal Review

[Album artwork by Andrey Andreev] A unique form of hype surrounds Scald and Ancient Doom Metal because, despite the fact that it stands as one of the more anticipated records of 2024, its imminent arrival

Noxis – Violence Inherent In The System Review

[Cover artwork by Jerry Hionis] Here is a random drawing intended as a crude visual representation of Violence Inherent in the System: «» If you, like me, were lucky enough to grow up in Cleveland

Diamonds & Rust: Sabbat – Dreamweaver, 35 Years Of Reflecting On Our Yesterdays

[Album artwork: Tim Beer] Metal freaks have and indeed always will burn infinite hours debating what should be considered “The All Time Greatest Year for Heavy Metal.” If you’re like me, a prehistoric beast perilously

Mortal Wound – The Anus Of The World Review

[Front cover artwork by Karina] A depiction of a Mortal Wound super-fan: If you are lucky enough to have parental units that counted your safety and prosperity as a top priority amidst your youth, then

Coffin Curse – The Continuous Nothing Review

[Cover artwork by Daniel Hermosilla / Nox Fragor Artworks] Before moving forward, please consider the following statement: The Continuous Nothing is a notably serious death metal record made by two veterans of the genre who