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 …
I don’t recall exactly when I first purchased Ozzy Osbourne’s Tribute, but I bought in on cassette, so that would mean early 90s. I wasn’t into metal when the album was first released in 1987, …
How do you put a band like Phobia in context? Nearly three decades old, with a single/split catalog that makes it almost impossible to really dig in deep to their whole career–at least if you …
There is only so much that one person can take. Apply enough pressure, be it physically or emotionally, and that a person is bound to crack along some biologically predetermined fault line. Inevitably a person’s …
Sports website Deadspin recently posted an article about the NYC Hot Sauce Expo, where hot chili farmers and makers of spicy sauces come in droves to show off the fruits of their various labors. The …
“Album Of The Day” is a Last Rites Facebook feature we started whose purpose is quite straight-forward: highlight one album per day and say a few words about it. Understanding that not everyone chooses to …
Friend, I was just as surprised as you when I learned that Turilli / Lione Rhapsody, the imaginatively named new group bringing together Luca Turilli and Fabio Lione, was trading in their bombastic, symphonic-leaning power …
Several of us here at Last Rites share an affinity for castles, whether it be sprawling towers lunging towards a moonlit sky on an album cover or tales of laying siege to a mighty fortress …
Welcome to In Crust We Trust Vol. 6, which is brought to you this month by Shut Up, Grandad, Inc. Thing is, I’ve been thinking about crotchety old punks—you know, like me—and why we’re such …
