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 …
FAST RITES: because sometimes brevity is fundamental. Reaping What Is Left, the third full length from Austrian thrashers Deathstorm, sounds almost exactly like Slayer. And not the clearly-influenced-by-but-bringing-a-little-something-new type of sounding almost exactly like Slayer, …
Tomb Mold took the death metal scene by storm last year with their debut full length Primordial Malignity. Carrying an instantly recognizable sound and more than solid riffing, it’s no wonder the Canadian two-piece appeared …
Music of any kind is not just the sounds you hear. The intangibles matter. The context matters. No one will understand exactly why I love Harry Nilsson’s The Point, and I don’t expect anyone to, …
I was a big fan of Savage Land, the debut from death metal supergroup Gruesome, because the early era of Death to which the album pays tribute is my favorite era of Death’s music. Death …
Eighteen songs in eighteen minutes. There’s a balance in that, a certain perfect economy. No time for funny business, so give none; no time for prisoners, so take none. Get in; kick ass; get 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 …
Who would’ve guessed that the key to making a top-shelf death/thrash record might involve fun. You remember fun—that thing that occasionally happens after getting yelled at by your boss, getting yelled at by the internet, …
Portland is a land known for a few things. You’ve got gray weather, rain storms, the occasional forest fire, boutique/artisanal/bespoke type crafts, that show Portlandia which makes fun of all the aforementioned things and, of …
