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 …
News flash: Last Rites loves lists. Hell, we might as well refer to ourselves as List Rites come December because by then we’ve already spent weeks compiling lists, comparing lists, tweaking lists and, most importantly, …
“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 …
Nobody knows who Sweet were or what they were doing. Sorry, I can’t look at pictures of Sweet without thinking of Spinal Tap. In discussing the interchange between hard rock and heavy metal, there are …
If you haven’t gotten the memo yet, you should know that the fine, handsome and well-educated folks at Last Rites really enjoy some high-quality deathrock. It also seems like Los Angeles, for all its eternal …
“You’re nothing but a vindictive miscreant!” spit-snarls Master mainman Paul Speckmann to open this one, his primary band’s 14th album in twice as many years. And if you know Master, if you’ve been keeping up …
In some ways, Bloodbath wasn’t a band that should’ve lasted this long—begun as a side project; focused entirely on regurgitating a classic sound; born of members occupied with other, bigger, more serious endeavors. Bands like …
With list season getting into full swing, we find ourselves going back and looking for things we may have missed or overlooked earlier in the year. Sometimes, in this process, a discovery just stands out …
“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 …
