Category: Reviews

Dold Vorde Ens Navn – Mørkere Review

Do you ever get the feeling that the idea of discrete musical genres is more useful to fans and critics than to musicians themselves? The reason I’m asking is that Dold Vorde Ens Navn is

Gaahls Wyrd ‒ The Humming Mountain Review

Gaahl has been around the Norwegian black metal scene a very long time, and for a guy that once fronted among the more stubbornly traditional acts in Gorgoroth, he has shown a notable willingness to

Mortal Vision – Mind Manipulation Review

Without playing a note, Mortal Vision accomplish what even the most veteran bands often fail at—wearing band shirts that serve as semi-appropriate reference points for its sound: Sadus, Sodom, Voivod, and Cannibal Corpse. OK, so

Cognos – Cognos Review

One of the perks of writing reviews is that you end up being exposed to a great number of oddities in the heavy music world. Among the pile of 700 OSDM records that come out

Upon Stone ‒ Where Wild Sorrows Grow Review

Fast Rites: because sometimes brevity is fundamental. LA’s Upon Stone prefer their melodeath the way it was originally played in Sweden in the early and mid-90s: equal parts classy and brutal, haggard in the vocal

Knife – Knife Review

Knife’s Knife is as succinct as it is, well, cutting. And while the Motörhead, Midnight, and Venom comparisons will take few by surprise, there’s an undeniable vigor and charm to “Inside the Electric Church,” “K.N.I.F.E.,”

Cradle Of Filth – Existence Is Futile Review

[Cover art by Arthur Berzinsh] First loves are a wild thing. Each experience is brand new, particularly if you find it in your teen years and elicits extreme positive and negative emotions. With nothing to

First Fragment – Gloire Éternelle Review

[Artwork by Adam Burke / Nightjar Illustration] It’s probably not the best idea to kick things off by making an outlandish claim concerning First Fragment guitarist Phil Tougas being a shadowy villain bent on provoking