All posts by Dan Obstkrieg

Happily committed to the foolish pursuit of words about sounds. Not actually a dinosaur.

Darkest Era – Wither On The Vine Review

We here at Last Rites Music Listening (And Sometimes Writing But Often Yelling About Seeming Minutiae) Emporium HQ strive for accuracy and timeliness. We aim to stay abreast of consumer trends. To anticipate the discerning

Devin Townsend – Lightwork Review

Years ago, in another life, I remember talking about the philosopher John Rawls with a grad school classmate. Having read too deeply in poststructuralism and critical theory, I made some sneeringly insufferable attack on Rawls,

Worm – Bluenothing Review

Despite slithering out of the Floridian murk close to a decade ago in demo form, Worm’s last five years have been marked by several rapid metamorphoses (from black metal to rotted doom/death to a statelier,

Avantasia – A Paranormal Evening With The Moonflower Society Review

Though it was originally formed as a side-project of Edguy’s vocalist Tobias Sammett, Avantasia has since surpassed Edguy’s reach and popularity. Although the project was initially intended only as a vessel for the two-part Metal

Autopsy – Morbidity Triumphant Review

Here is a curious and potentially self-defeating opening for a review of a new Autopsy album: Do you need a review of a new Autopsy album? Don’t misunderstand: the question is not, “Do you need

Sigh – Shiki Review

Genre Funeral Theatre Heavy metal is about a lot of things. I guess you can try to bang out a list of restrictive musical requirements, but in the lyrics department, heavy metal music on the

Lathe – Tongue of Silver Review

Sound has a mind of its own. That’s a pretty thought, isn’t it? It’s completely wrong, but maybe an easier pitch is that sounds can become so freighted with contextual baggage that they summon entire

Defect Designer – Neanderthal Review

Here’s an undeniably sexy way to start a review of some heavy metal music: sometimes what ends up shaping one’s impression of a piece of music is dictated much more by the frame of reference