Falconer – Armod Review
On the whole, Falconer halves me. The idea behind their folk-laden power metal is quite literally a grand one, and yet, in practice, it’s been one I’ve found more clinically interesting than emotionally resonant. Somewhere …
Red Fang – Murder The Mountains Review
Northwestern stoner act Red Fang first crossed my radar brilliantly with the comical video for “Prehistoric Dog,” a send-up of Ren-Fair faux-fencing types with a killer riff-driven stoner-metal tune to match. But while “Dog” was …
Hell – Human Remains Review
A childhood spent over-indulging in the royal bombast of the King (Diamond) and Queen has left me with a long-lasting love of the theatrical; years of love for prog-rock have given me a liking for …
Weekend Nachos – Worthless Review
Worthless is the Relapse debut for Chicago-area power-violence outfit Weekend Nachos, and worthless it is not. With appropriately thick-toned guitars and ever-shifting tempos, the band lurches through fourteen tracks as indebted to tar-coated sludge as …
Haemorrhage – Hospital Carnage Review
Alongside Americans Exhumed and Impaled, Spain’s Haemorrhage is among the first bands that spring to mind when I hear the term “Carcass worship.” Between the medical-dictionary gore themes, the gruesome death / grind and the …
Novembers Doom – A Bright Spot In The Darkness
Chicago-based death/doom maestros Novembers Doom released their eighth full-length record on May 10 — the beautifully crushing Aphotic. The album continues down the band’s path of top-tier dark metal, with some of their best and …
U.D.O. – Rev-Raptor Review
Consistency, thy name is Udo. For twenty-five years, under his eponymous faux-abbreviated band name, Udo Dirkschneider has cranked out a series of quality traditional metal records, thirteen of them now, all deeply rooted in the …
Summon The Crows – One More For The Gallows Review
Norway’s Summon The Crows is another band crossing the streams of metal and hardcore — less filthy and black than Dishammer and less grind than Trap Them, Summon The Crows prefers their punk with a …