All posts by Zach Duvall

Last Rites Co-Owner; Senior Editor; Obnoxious overuser of baseball metaphors.

Mourning Mist – Mourning Mist Review

If their self-titled debut is any indication, Italian newcomers Mourning Mist must surely subscribe to the notion that it’s better to be distinctive first and extremely refined second. After all, the album is often more

Dwell – Vermin And Ashes Review

Despite Vermin and Ashes being the full length debut from Denmark’s dastardly doom/deathers Dwell, the band brings with it a curious type of minor underground pedigree. Among their ranks are members of such bands as

The Crown – Death Is Not Dead Review

By this point, most are familiar with The Crown’s history and legacy. This is a band that hit an absolute bottom-of-the-ninth, game-seven-of-The-World-Series home run in 2000’s Deathrace King, a blistering fireball of rollicking death/thrash that

Barrowlands – Thane Review

Barrowlands is a black(ish) metal band from the Pacific Northwest (Portland). Barrowlands sounds like a black(ish) metal band from the Pacific Northwest. The sprawling atmosphere, brooding melodies, and largely restrained nature for which the scene

Zach Duvall’s Best of 2014: Santorinian Poetry

If you follow along with a lot of the heavy metal blogosphere closely, you might get the impression that 2014 was a down year for heavy music. I absolutely, positively refuse to accept that notion.

A Decade Without Dimebag

It has been 10 years since “Dimebag” Darrell Abbott was brutally murdered on stage during a tragic scene at the Alrosa Villa in Columbus, Ohio while performing with his post-Pantera band Damageplan. Ten. Years. If

Dimesland – Psychogenic Atrophy Review

Oakland’s Dimesland raised some eyebrows with their debut EP, 2012’s Creepmoon. It was a thrashing, technical mix that landed somewhere between Atheist, Voivod, Martyr, and even the more adventurous Pestilence material, pleasing a lot of

Bhleg – Draumr Àst Review

On debut Draumr Àst, Sweden’s Bhleg isn’t out to redefine anything; they both understand and revel in this. Despite their country of origin, they take a decidedly Norwegian approach in their black metal, looking to the