Generally Impressed With Riffs
[Cover artwork by Michael Cloutier] Prog, of course, is known for technical musicianship and songwriting complexity above all else, a reputation well-earned by the early giants of the genre and happily maintained by their progeny ever since. It’s also true …
[Cover artwork by Timbul Cahyono] In the interest of full disclosure, I will admit that I’ve always found the concept of the split to be flawed. It works best when there’s a shared theme or the band’s involved cover each …
[Cover art by Mars Triumph] Petrichor, the sixth full length album from Greece’s epic metal stalwarts Battleroar, commences with the sound of rain and an invitation to reflect. That word, “petrichor,” is a relatively new one (coined by scientists in …
To start, let’s acknowledge that you and I don’t really know each other. This means, among other things, that I can’t say what “war metal” means to you. To some extent, maybe you just throw your hands in the air …
Earlier this year Ihsahn, the immortal, ever-evolving genius of Norwegian prog, released Telemark. That EP saw Ihsahn dialing back the clock and bringing the raw fury that made people love his solo records such as …
[Artwork by Greg.Fate] Salutations, heavy metal traveler. Do you like Hell? Goodness, what an absurd question. Of course you like Hell. Even if you don’t believe in its proper existence (despite the fact that we …
[Artwork by Lauren Gornik] Yes, this slice of Chicago-styled awesomeness came out three months ago, but 1) we didn’t cover it for reasons of insanity, and 2) it was only available as a digital download, …
DEATH METAL DOSSIER: BACK FOR THE ATTACK EDITION “We tried swinging, but realized we were all we need.” An apt title and something Ryan texted me late one night from his Lisa Frank phone. The …
Kia ora, comrades. Welcome to In Crust We Trust: Vol 19. Apologies for skipping last month’s edition—I was busy enjoying my annual mental health meltdown, which required fistfuls of Seroquel and a nice long lie-down …
In his book American Zombie Gothic, author Kyle William Bishop unveils his theory that the walking dead standout as the pinnacle American monster among their legendary peers like vampires, mummies and so on. While the …
</INITIATE.PROTOCOL: (coverART.Awesome!) Music always comes first, here at YourLastRitesCorp, Inc. (GIWR on the heavy metal stock exchange; available in units of RiffCoin only.) But we also recognize that the right image will hook us before …
Fast Rites: because sometimes brevity is fundamental. A confession: I saw this name and immediately thought of Cannabis Corpse’s Tube of the Resinated and got really excited for some sort of stonery death-sludge, then I …
