Generally Impressed With Riffs
[Artwork by Petri Ala-Maunus] There’s nothing quite like that sense that you get as a listener that you’ve fully connected with an artist through their music. There’s about a million ways it can happen, from simple appreciation of the music …
[Cover art by Christian Ward] No one has ever accused Dreadnought of being doggedly orthodox in any respect. Their music is a product of the watercolored mishmash of monoculture in which it was and is created, a world of intrusive …
[Album artwork by Maciej Kamuda] I’ve always been fascinated by Japanese culture, but more importantly, I admire its people. That fascination has persisted throughout my life, stemming from childhood when I was just captivated by the beauty and courage of …
It’s been a minute since I’ve committed any significant amount of time to listening to doom. Any doom, really. From anywhere. Of any type. And not because there hasn’t been great doom the past few years. Rather, my attention has …
Let’s nail something home right from the jump: Amidst the ever-expanding ranks of heavy metal groups currently and constantly competing for collective ears, Amorphis ranks at or very near the top with regard to those …
Legendary psychonauts Hawkwind formed in 1969, and after 49 years and a roughly equal number of line-up changes, vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Dave Brock is the only original member left in the band. Of course, Hawkwind …
While it gains less attention than its Scandinavian parallel, the Hellenic black metal scene has been one of the most creative and daring over its nearly 30 year existence. Hungry and experimental projects pop up …
More tragic news came yesterday as former Forbidden and Nevermore guitarist Tim Calvert lost his battle to ALS at the age of 52. Calvert replaced Glen Alvelais in Forbidden before the band’s second album, 1990’s …
Demilich, the quasi-legendary Finnish quartet, was perhaps the first really weird death metal band. The group’s only album, Nespithe, was a murky boondoggle of mind-bending riffs, ridiculous burping vocals and absurd song titles. To some …
Greece’s Melan Selas was just formed back in 2016 by instrumentalist D.K. and vocalist/lyricist Astraea – Oletir, but they already show not just a very promising level of songwriting and riffcraft, but a true understanding …
Coming off two of their strongest records, our Christian friends are courting some controversy with this one, their twelfth full-length — the title alone was enough to get the record banned from Wal-Mart. They partially …
“Album Of The Day” is a new Last Rites Facebook feature we started recently whose purpose is quite straight-forward: highlight one album per day and say a few words about it. Understanding that not everyone …
