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 …
[Artwork by Luciana Lupe Vasconcelos] There are few bands in the history of humanity that can change crucial members and move forward seamlessly. The group becomes even more narrow when the member being spoken of …
Surprise! You’re getting an extra volume of In Crust We Trust this month, because the end of the year is fast approaching but there’s still a mountain of raucous releases left to shout about. Next …
If you can decipher precisely what the plop is happening on the cover art for Scissorgod, the third full length from Sweden’s Reveal!, then you either have a keener artistic eye than most or you’re …
We here at Last Rites are eternal musical explorers. We are constantly looking for our next fix, whether they be warm embraces from established bands like Opeth and Insomnium, the excitement of being on the …
Over a full decade and just a few albums, Minnesota’s Obsequiae has carved out quite the successful micro-niche in metal. Their melodic black metal is self-described as “medieval metal,” and the combination of Old World-y …
First of all, apologies for this review coming after the release date, but with Silence Lives Out/Over Whirlpool, slow is the name of the game. The Belgian one-man act has been on a bit of …
Anxiety has become something of a very public topic as of late (slide over to Lone Watie’s brilliant review of Leprous’ Pitfalls for a brief discussion). As mental health falls into focus and our darkest …
Being named Year of the Cobra (and writing some bitchin’ tunes) means that with every new release, you have to see “20__ is totally the year of the cobra, bro!” as often as a boy …
