Generally Impressed With Riffs
[Cover art by Noah Cutter Meihoff] It’s been more than 40 years since Watchtower really ushered in the age of tech metal with their debut Energetic Disassembly, and in all those years, the techy arms race has impacted nearly every …
[Album artwork by Tomáš Mitura] What I love most about Sněť is that it dips its toes into but never fully commits to doom. That is, Sněť is not a death/doom band. Rather, Sněť is a riffy Czech death metal …
Here’s one for the “two things can be true” files: Death metal, in its purest, most feral, regular-assed form, can be the most thrilling, primally satisfying music out there, AND Death metal, in its purest, most feral, regular-assed form, can …
[Album artwork by THEE Travis Smith] If you manage to get old(er)—and I sincerely hope you do—and you also happen to be music-obsessed and surrounded by like-minded chums, you will likely notice that at some point a number of people …
[Album artwork by Jean-Pascal Fournier] In order to fully appreciate the impact of a record like The Longest Night, we really need to hop into our handy Bill & Ted’s phone booth and dip back …
[Album artwork by Mario López] You would never know the very USPM-sounding Leatherhead are Greek. Yet here we are, reviewing Leatherhead’s sophomore effort, the bluntly titled Violent Horror Stories, which is … you guessed it, …
Monolith Of Ephemerality is the ambitious debut of Italian quartet Dwellnought, which formed in 2023 and released one prior demo last year. The band proclaims it blends black metal and doom, but you’ll find moments …
Howdy, friends. It’s time for your monthly insight into the Last Rites staff’s listening habits with a little feature we call Staff Infections. February finds most of us here deep in the heart of Winter, …
[Cover art by Jesse Jacobi] A recent conversation among friends – all current or former Last Rites writers – discussed Opeth’s (in)famous song “Black Rose Immortal,” and its merits and pitfalls. Some friends love the …
After a particularly strong 2025, the bar is high for traditional metal in 2026. And the debut from Turbo’s Tribunal, Mills of Tribunal, just clears it. The band Turbo’s Tribunal is but one Danish man, …
[Cover artwork by Juanjo Castellano] I dove into Nocturnal Visions – Invictus’s sophomore effort – having heard zero seconds of the Japanese death metal band’s debut, The Catacombs of Fear. In some ways, it’s an …
Artwork by Robin Mckenzie Do you like beautiful things? Your answer to that question is surely “yes, of course,” but also likely involves some concept of “beautiful” that might be up for discussion between individuals. …
