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 …
Here at Last Rites, we listen to a metric shit-ton of heavy metal—it’s just what we do. But even then, every year, there’s so much great heavy metal that gets released that we simply don’t …
“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 …
FAST RITES: because sometimes brevity is fundamental. Sweden’s Blood Worship comes to you from the mind, guitar, and voice of Martin Andersson, also of Astrophobos. And if you’ve spent time with that band, you’ll know …
In a perfect world that embraces the ludicrous and terrifying with equal enthusiasm, everyone has a guy similar to Olve “Abbath” Eikemo in their crew of friends. Well, at least the version of Abbath the …
Few would argue that death metal has enjoyed an impressively strong run recently; best-of lists from recent years have been dominated by it, and death metal has already left a conspicuous mark on 2018, with …
At the intersection of Blind Guardian and Manilla Road lies Greece’s Battleroar—epic paeans to battle and heroes, historical tales of Ye Olden Days, infectious guitar leads, soaring melodies, bombastic choirs… Codex Epicus is the band’s …
If you want to get all scientific about it, music is just physics. “Just physics,” of course, is a silly statement, as physics is the vast study of about everything, and the tiny vibrations that …
I’m an old fart now—I remember the late 1980s. I remember running across Lizzy Borden when they were featured in Penelope Spheeris’ classic The Decline Of Western Civilization, Part 2: The Metal Years, prancing about …
