Generally Impressed With Riffs
[Cover art by David Preissel] The sounds of Neurosis’ “Locust Star” emanate from a desktop speaker wired to an iPod Nano via ⅛-inch cable “Hey maaaan … is that Ponderous Post Metal?” “Yeah maaan …” “Well turn it up MAAAN!!” …
[Artwork by Vicky “Liddo” Morales] In a soak-your-underwear sweaty, tetanus-to-the-touch warehouse in the middle of Skid Row, Raw Addict played its first show. Weeks earlier, drummer Isaac made the irresistible sales pitch, stating that the multinational band connecting grind lifers …
Picture this, brah brah: You’re out enjoying a nice meal with the in-laws. It’s a pleasant setting—a beach vacation, let’s say. The sun gently peeks above the horizon, illuminating the tides as they roll in and wash away the footprints …
[Artwork by Pierre de Palmas] When revealing Melting Rot as the first band booked to play at Revenge of the Corpse 3, festival organizer Isaac Horne wrote on Instagram that the Aurora, Illinois, trio was “the closest you’ll ever get …
[Artwork by B. Mollema] “Time was standing still The meeting is over Their journey is on Oh, they should have known Not to play… With the powers of Hell Some people have lost their way …
Everything old is new again. Case in point: I’m pretty sure I’ve used that opening line about five times over the past fifteen years. Second case in point: this sophomore full-length from Finland’s Galvanizer. This …
[Cover art by Mark Riddick] Supergroups are certainly a common occurrence in the world of music. Granted, the term is often bandied about more generously than it should be. Just because two members of a …
The first sound heard on The Ancient Spells Of The Past is the switching on and casual strumming of an electric guitar. It may seem a small, humble beginning, however, anyone who’s heard Nattens Madrigal knows …
Friend, I don’t know how your brain works. For me, the most unsupported, errant thought will sometimes get stuck up in there like Phineas Gage at a magnetic cocaine party. A lyric reminds you of …
Heavy metal and gimmickry have had a complicated relationship since the very day the genre first crawled from the primordial soup. When the strategy has worked, the results have been remarkable: KISS, Mercyful Fate / …
New York’s Tombstoner delivers crushing death metal and pummeling breakdowns in near equal measure. It’s not an unfamiliar combination, but one that requires careful execution. And execute it Tombstoner does with Victims of Vile Torture, …
Have you ever been glad that a release was only 15 minutes long? Not because it was bad, but simply because it was so damn heavy that to experience even a minute more was to …
