Generally Impressed With Riffs
[Cover art by Jef Whitehead] Cognizance’s In Light, No Shape serves as a useful reminder that when it comes to our musical preferences, our whats are subservient to our whys. If, for example, you are a fan of the early …
[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 …
Ah, death / doom… When it comes to this heaviest of low and slow amalgamations, the Finns don’t necessarily have the market kornered, nor are they the originators… But nevertheless, they are simply goddamned great …
Old age, or even the precipice below it, distorts time. You spent most of your life in the first 18 years, where moments were moments, then seconds, then minutes. But over time the moments can …
Back in 2017 Fetid came on the scene with a demo entitled Sentient Pile of Amorphous Rot. Fans of sewer-originated death metal flocked to the internet to order cassettes of this absolutely putrid little demo. …
The prime motivator for releasing new material is pretty straightforward for a significant portion of legacy metal acts with decades of labor under their belts: touring. Why sit at home staring at your bills through …
The first time I heard a band take death metal ethics and use them to create a more accessible “rock” feel was Entombed’s forever entertaining Wolverine Blues album. It was a record packed with cool …
“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 …
Class is back in sessions, students of the riff. For this lesson, we will be examining some riffs from the Sepultura classic “Dead Embryonic Cells,” from 1991’s Arise. Arise might be the last great thrash …
Tucked away at the arse end of the world, Aotearoa New Zealand is home to plenty of noisy bands and appreciative fans. Over the years, a number of local punk groups have managed to infiltrate …
