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 …
I had trouble sleeping the other night. I woke up in that barely pre-dawn window where it’s getting light enough that you know you probably won’t be able to get back to sleep, but still …
With both a quality demo and EP under their belt, Malthusian has been one of the more promising acts out of Ireland in the past decade. Further, they’ve been hailed as one of the better …
The temptation when writing about a band like Hungary’s Sear Bliss is to obsess over what is so unusual about them (a horn section in a metal band) and neglect explaining how they excel at …
Death is, to most metal fans, the most important band in death metal, but just as Judas Priest rivals Black Sabbath in its influence on metal as a whole, Morbid Angel rivals Death in its …
“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 …
The ancient, hallowed halls of heavy metal are filled with grotesque statuary and portraits of the elders. They speak to us of a time long since passed when our religion was still just a cult. …
A seeker of truth risks life and limb to make their way up a sacred mountain in hopes of eventually reaching a solitary guru for consultation and enlightenment. After a treacherous journey, the mountain’s peak …
If you were to assemble a couple teams of metal fans for a game of Family Feud, and the reanimated corpse of the late, great Richard Dawson asked the contestants to name an adjective that …
