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 …
Even a cursory glance at the band details for Germany’s Lord Vigo ought to tell you that this trio of dudes likes having fun. They take their band name from the villain of Ghostbusters II …
Compliments and congratulations on enduring, fellow bubble beings! The 100 Essential Albums of the 2010s is pulling into stop #4 this week. CAN YOU HANDLE THE PRESSURE? We’re certain you can, because this is nothing …
What a year it’s been for Hällas. First they drop an incredible album in Conundrum and then they embark on a European tour to support that album. Then all gosh darn hell breaks loose and …
The importance of Bathory to black metal can never be overstated. By 1990, Quorthon had already laid out the blueprints for every black metal scene of any major relevance, and this was three years before …
Fast Rites: because sometimes brevity is fundamental. Evidently the sessions that created last year’s The Door to Doom didn’t just lead to the best Candlemass record in over a decade – and the first with …
When it comes to meltdowns / freak-outs / upheavals / hysterics / blowouts or any other common fit that leads to destruction, it’s best to look toward nature as the master designer, because despite the …
Greetings and felicitations, children of technology! Not much has really happened in the weeks that have passed since Volume 1 and Volume 2 dropped, right? RIGHT?? We soldier forward, we denizens of the heavy metal …
I’m not 100% sure what “architectural genocide” is… But I know what Architectural Genocide does. For their debut full-length, this quartet brings the brootal, bro, taking cues from the usual Suffo-spects like the US Disgorge, …
