All posts by Spencer Hotz

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

Hebephrenique – Decathexis Review

[Cover art by Grellach] One of the great joys of heavy metal is how often it forces you to learn random things. A little peek behind the Last Rites curtain for you: we have a

Blast Rites: Scalp – Not Worthy Of Human Compassion Review

[Cover art by Ricardo Bettazzoni] I bet you were expecting Albert Pecans, or whatever that idiot’s name is, but he’s not the only one who listens to grind around here. Sure, he’s the only one

Castrator – Coronation Of The Grotesque Review

[Cover art by Jon Zig] Despite forming in 2013, this NYC-by-way-of-global members quartet didn’t fire off their debut, Defiled In Oblivion, until 2022. Rather than continue to roll with a slow build, they’ve struck while

Car Bomb – Tiles Whisper Dreams Review

[Cover art by Greg Kubacki] Sometimes, one of the greatest hooks a band can have is simply how they sound. Look to a group like Meshuggah, whose thick, hefty and elastic guitar is often copied

Mortual – Altar Of Brutality Review

[Cover art by Marcelo Almeida] Happy birthday, America! Lets celebrate by talking about how Central and South America are making the U.S.’ OSDM scene look like a bunch of little baby bitches. Today’s case study

Turian – Blood Quantum Blues Review

[Cover art by Diske Uno] Sometimes you’ve gotta just let your freak flag fly. Since 2017, Seattle quintet Turian has had no qualms about playing with their sound, regularly injecting numerous disparate sounds into their

Weeping Sores – The Convalescence Agonies Review

[Cover art by Caroline Harrison] It’s always a nice little treat when a lyric feels capable of summarizing an album. For Weeping Sore’s sophomore album, the line “The sludge in my veins, the color of

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