Generally Impressed With Riffs
[Album artwork by Maciej Kamuda] I’ve always been fascinated by Japanese culture, but more importantly, I admire its people. That fascination has persisted throughout my life, stemming from childhood when I was just captivated by the beauty and courage of …
It’s been a minute since I’ve committed any significant amount of time to listening to doom. Any doom, really. From anywhere. Of any type. And not because there hasn’t been great doom the past few years. Rather, my attention has …
[Cover Art by Daniel Karlsson] Februus is a one-man project driven by the prodigious and still developing talents of Sweden’s Andreas Karlsson. His latest, Construction of Conflict, delivers 40 minutes of guitar-centric death metal that, despite being packed to the …
There’s much more than this plane of existence. Are you willing to listen? A few years ago, one of the more obscure bands on my year-end list happened to be Germany’s Ch’ahom and their debut full-length LP Knots of Abhorrence. …
A long time ago in this very same galaxy, Last Rites was a website named MetalReview, and for several of MetalReview’s early years, the policy was to review everything that was sent our way. Like …
What’s in a name? I don’t recall precisely when I first heard Darkthrone’s name – unfortunately I was a pitiful excuse for a metal fan at four years old when Soulside Journey was released. I didn’t …
Tech-death is a monster with many forms. Sometimes the monster takes the form of a juggernaut, come to bludgeon you to death with brute strength, its fists the size of asteroids attached to arms with …
Fast Rites: because sometimes brevity is fundamental. Norway’s Lord Mortvm plays the type of metal that was best back when dirtbags knew they were dirtbags. Back when Saint Vitus was adding the punk grit to …
Barring the self-titled historic release from the masters themselves, Helloween, 2021 has not been kind to the sunnier, slightly breezier corner of power metal. Sure, there’s been some stellar stuff in the form of Warrior …
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Just recently, one of our fearless leaders began a glowing review for Diabolizer with a very important question: “When was the last time a death metal album ripped your head off and kicked it directly …
A common criticism of progressive or avant-garde music is that it’s too busy, too clinical, too academic, too self-indulgent. And if that criticism is itself a somewhat lazy cliche, it nonetheless also has the virtue …
