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 …
Getting to Wars In The Unknown was no short journey for Twisted Tower Dire, nor was it ever a guarantee. The band’s first four albums all brought a more reserved but no less powerful form …
[Warning: In case you remain unaware, the album artwork for this record is extremely NSFW (and outside of work.)] The world is your oyster. If you like oysters, that is. Hell, the world is your …
Welcome back. I hope you got some rest since my last article. You will need it—this is a fucking Proust-level word grinder. Last Rites better be grateful they don’t pay me by the word. Or …
Heavy metal is not, nor has it ever particularly been, a single thing. Those in search of some mythical heavy metal purity, some Ur-text that forms a blueprint from which all deviations are heretical, are …
Though Nostradamus’ masterwork Les Propheties has come under heavy debate concerning the accuracy of his prophecies, there is no denying that, even with the stretch of mistranslation and the intentional vagueness of the original author, …
“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 …
A great many Candlemass devotees point to full-length number two when discussing “the ultimate jewel” in the band’s discography, and it’s easy to understand why—Nightfall is a paragon, and no doom record is likely to …
No, really, I’m not here to make you care about Cradle of Filth. If you’ve wandered the dusty hallways of heavy metal for even a relatively scanty amount of time, Cradle of Filth has been …
