Category: Features

A Devil’s Dozen – Katatonia

With apologies to the poet Wallace Stevens, one might think about Katatonia’s career as something like thirteen ways of looking at melancholy. Few bands have been more single-minded in their pursuit of gloom and creeping

Battle Royal: Judas Priest vs. Iron Maiden – Two Bands Enter, One Band Leaves

Battle Royal is back and more unfair than ever! In the first installment, we cruelly pitted Metallica against Slayer based ONLY on their 80s output. The result was a dirty tie amongst the LR crew

View Gallery

Sunn O))) on a Stage – Two Hours of Transmutation

You don’t write a report on a Sunn O))) show. You try to write about what is today a unique kind of performance by established musicians who, at one point, decided to do something different,

Diamonds & Rust – Exploring Metal Classics: W.A.S.P. – The Headless Children

When Last Rites did it’s Most Essential Albums of the Eighties Feature, there was a fairly vigorous debate as to whether W.A.S.P.’s debut record belonged on the main list or if it should be relegated

Valborg-Werwolf

Fast Rites – Volume 11

Maybe ‘Back To The Future: Part II’ was merely off by one year? Defying all sound reasoning, the Cubs are the best team in baseball, and good metal releases continue to fall through the cracks.

A Tale Of Two Drudkh (Splits)

Most long time Drudkh fans seem to agree that the band has not quite been the same since the masterful four year, four album run that began their career. Sure, 2009’s Microcosmos and recent albums

A Devil’s Dozen – Vader

Vader. It takes guts to give your band a name like that. Death? The most common thing in the world. Grave? Yeah, everybody has one. But naming your band after the Dark Lord of the

Gems from the Back of the Fridge, Part 2 – Albums You Might Have Missed in 2016

You again? Hath ye already fully osmosed the first ten treasures imparted upon thine hallowed pates by way of Part 1? Of course you have. Plus, it’s 2016 and our mutual noise addiction requires a