Category: Reviews
Cattle Decapitation – The Anthropocene Extinction Review
Originally written by Chris Redar Starting with 2009’s The Harvest Floor, San Diego’s Cattle Decapitation effectively jettisoned their loose, somewhat unlistenable brand of deathgrind in favor of a more streamlined and polished brutal death sound. …
False – Untitled Review
For as much as the genre flaunts its supposed nihilism and negativity, at its best, black metal produces a sort of ecstatic trance in the listener. Thus, although the style is easy enough to muster …
Midnight Odyssey – Shards Of Silver Fade Review
The collapse of the record industry and the proliferation of inexpensive tools for independent recording and distribution have meant, in many ways, a liberation of artistic expression. On the whole, then, that’s a good thing: …
Sacri Monti – Sacri Monti Review
The psychedelic heavy rock revival out of SoCal may have some people sneering with the same kind of skepticism caused by other retro explosions (“occult rock,” the thrash revival, etc.), but hidden in the clubs …
Humanity Defiled – The Demise Of The Sane Review
I know that I shouldn’t, but as soon as I hear “one-man band,” I tend to assume that we’re talking about either suicidal blackened monotony or maybe some atmospheric acoustic-augmented snoozefest. Oh, it’s not black …
Bone Gnawer – Cannibal Crematorium Review
Until last year, Bone Gnawer was most notable as a collaboration between vocalist Kam Lee (ex-Denial Fiend, ex-Massacre, ex-Mantas) and guitarist Rogga Johansson. But Johansson departed in 2014 – presumably to form another seven bands, …
Vanum – Realm Of Sacrifice Review
The seed is a simple, descending tremolo line, a riff repeated in slightly different ways over the course of a phrase, but arriving at the same destination each time. It is featured in an obvious …
Immortal Bird – Empress/Abscess Review
Originally written by Chris Redar Chicago’s Immortal Bird wasted very little time crafting a full length after their late 2013 EP Akrasia took a swing and a miss at most critics’ EOY lists. Here’s a …