Generally Impressed With Riffs
[Album artwork by Harshanand Singh] The third album is in some ways a litmus test for a band’s longevity. Three albums is a sufficient sample size—you can generally tell where a band is headed, whether they’ll last, whether they speak …
[Pre]-historically speaking, the boys, Nocturno Culto and Fenriz, have always been influenced by the likes of Celtic Frost, Bathory, and all things ‘80s. In fact, they don’t shy away from the fact that it’s always been about that era. After …
[Cover art by Quinn Henderson] You’re familiar with the term, “unc,” right? If not, it generally refers to a washed up older feller whose personality in large part revolves around extravagantly performing confusion and/or displeasure at the mere notion of …
[Artwork by Caroline Harrison] “Nonsense” opens with a slow fade-in of distorted guitars and seismic drums — the chaos before the swarm. It’s a trick of the trade, the extreme metal equivalent of a camera operator calling out “speed” before …
Fantasy is escapism. Like dirt and rot below our feet, metal and fantasy are symbiotic. Works of fiction, imaginary realms, allow us to detach ourselves from the often-discouraging sites of reality. Whether it’s the dark …
[Cover artwork by Alexandros Vasilopoulos] Founded in 1992 by guitarist Stathis Pavlantis in Athens, Greece, Reflection has released five albums (and a split) of epic heavy metal celebrating the spirit of the titans of the …
So hey, what the hell, let’s kick things off today with an old chestnut: “Hegel says somewhere that, upon the stage of universal history, all great events and personalities reappear in one fashion or another. …
[Cover art by Diske Uno] Sometimes you’ve gotta just let your freak flag fly. Since 2017, Seattle quintet Turian has had no qualms about playing with their sound, regularly injecting numerous disparate sounds into their …
[Cover artwork by Hugh Syme] I am an easy mark for a band like A2Z (also known as A-Z, AthruZ, etc.) First, the project involves two players I’ve followed basically since time began: 1) Mark …
Pardon the somewhat philosophical question, but why do we yearn for artists to return to the familiar vision, or in this case, sound, that we often associate with the pinnacles of their careers? Now, that …
After a decade or so of bouncing around the underground, Bay Area mince-masters Haggus found a new home with Oakland’s venerable Tankcrimes last year, and promptly released two surprise EPs in the process, both of …
[cover artwork by Isak Lønne Emberland] In the perennially cute n’ sassy world of chemistry, there are two types of mixtures: heterogeneous and homogeneous. Either type could be up your alley, depending. Sometimes you want …
