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 …
[Cover artwork by Angus McKie] As a result of punk rock’s penchant for speed and aggression that eventually fueled the fires of the NWOBHM, we are all well aware that punk and heavy metal have …
[Artwork by Louis Daguerre] If Esoteric’s guitar leads are the sound of the stars, Coltsblood’s echo the Earth’s interior, at least a subterrain pulled straight from Jules Verne’s fantastical imagination. The quintessential Coltsbloodian lead is …
If you’re anything like me, sometimes you find yourself a little bit down. Stuck in a routine, frustrated by a mountain of small problems, unable to get out from under that weight. I don’t have …
Howdy, friends. I’m a little (a lot) late this month, but just in time for Memorial Day weekend, here’s the May edition of Staff Infections. Here’s hoping you and yours are enjoying some fun in …
[Cover art by Caroline Harrison] It’s always a nice little treat when a lyric feels capable of summarizing an album. For Weeping Sore’s sophomore album, the line “The sludge in my veins, the color of …
Ah, the life of the grinder, where you wait patiently for one of your most-anticipated releases of the year… and it’s finally here… and it’s fourteen minutes long. But hey, at least, these are fourteen …
[Artwork by Santiago Francisco Jarramillo] Drummer Trynt Kelly’s feet are flying. That’s one point of interest on Devouring Darkness, Unmerciful’s fourth full-length, and that point is like an industrial sewing machine needle turbo-embroidering your ear …
There’s a short story by the English author P.G. Wodehouse called “The Purity of the Turf” that I think about a lot. Well, to be honest, it’s mostly the title of the story that frequently …
