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 …
Every passionate music fan has a litmus test band or artist, the one that, when mentioned, signifies the speaker’s legitimate expertise in that area. For a lot of progressive metal devotees that band is Psychotic …
Did heavy metal begin with Black Sabbath, or were the young Brummies behind that grim denomination simply the optimal vessels at that very moment for an entity perhaps as old as the Earth itself? Few …
[Cover artwork: Fluisteraars] There are no rules in an art world where a banana duct-taped to a wall hauls in $120k and receives extensive press, and that’s a beautiful thing. Art is here to explore …
[Cover artwork: Nighjar Illustration with Photos by Broken Int and Layout by Branca Studio] Here’s a question you’ve probably asked yourself: “Can I pull off a cape?” Here’s an answer: “No, you cannot pull off a …
The ups and downs of Annihilator’s 35-plus year career are dizzying on every level, from lineup churn, label changes, and good old fashioned album quality. The one consistent, of course, has been mastermind Jeff Waters, …
Welcome, friends, to another edition of Staff Infections, wherein the Last Rites staff share what we’ve been listening to for the past month or so. And Christ on a pony, what a horrible god-damned month …
Howdy, comrades! Welcome to the first volume of In Crust We Trust for 2020. Thanks to everyone who paid a visit to In Crust We Trust’s end-of-year double-feature back in December. If you were kind …
Black metal is an abomination and a leech of a genre—an unholy bastard of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal where Venom emerged almost as a joke with over-the-top aesthetics and attempts to be …
