All posts by Spencer Hotz

Admirer of the weird, the bizarre and the heavy, but so are you. Why else would you be here?

Changeling – Changeling Review

[Cover art by Aaron Pinto (Gutslit) / KidSquidy] In unleashing the catchphrase “treat yo self,” Parks & Rec created a pop-culture reminder that indulgence can be a good thing. Taking time to focus on doing something just

Industrial Puke – Alive To No Avail Review

One of the greatest things about heavy music is that despite its name, there are tunes under its umbrella to fit any mood or preferred listening experience. There are enough weirdos from every walk of

Cryptosis – Celestial Death Review

[Cover art by Eliran Kantor] You like thrash metal, right? And you love all things space, don’t you? Of course you do, you fucking nerd. Look where you are right now. If the idea of

Saor – Amidst The Ruins Review

[Cover art by Julian Bauer] If you live in the upper half of the northern hemisphere, then February is the perfect time for a sojourn. The weather creates a cold you can feel in the

Relics Of Humanity – Absolute Dismal Domain Review

[Cover art by Sergey Liakh aka Siarhei] If you prowled around these parts last year, you may have noticed our collective fell deeper into the corpse-clogged abyss of brutal death metal a bit more heavily.

Best Of 2024 – Spencer Hotz: Do It Animal Style

2024 was a year that happened. Working on a list like this inherently pushes me to reflect on the year that was, which typically leads me to discover some sort of throughline that summarizes the

Diamonds & Rust: Cryptopsy’s Blasphemy Made Flesh Celebrates 30 Years Of Getting Thrown Out Of Windows

[Cover art by Dragon Design (RIP)] Developed From Memories of Blood By 1994, death metal was a firmly established genre with expected parameters in place for what did and did not qualify. In fact, one

Bedsore – Dreaming The Strife For Love Review

[Cover art by Denis Forkas Kostromitin] Bands often telegraph when significant shifts in their sound are imminent. No one who truly paid attention to Ghost Reveries and Watershed was particularly shocked by the full dive into 70’s