Generally Impressed With Riffs
[Album artwork by THEE Travis Smith] If you manage to get old(er)—and I sincerely hope you do—and you also happen to be music-obsessed and surrounded by like-minded chums, you will likely notice that at some point a number of people …
[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 …
Some are born sad, some achieve sadness, and some have sadness thrust upon them. In the case of West Yorkshire’s incurable sad sacks My Dying Bride, it could be that all three are true. Formed …
The clearest way to sum up power metal in 2017 is to relate it to the abundance of superhero movies and shows from 2017: it’s out there in numbers and desperately craves broad appeal; it’s …
Have you ever wondered what Helloween would sound like if Michael Kiske sounded more like Michael Sweet of Stryper? No, you didn’t. Because why would you? Hell, I adore both bands, and I’ve never once …
This Ram is sometimes a confusing beast. On paper, their fiery trad metal sounds perfect – it’s heavily indebted to Judas Priest, and nods to Mercyful Fate, Accept, and Omen float around in the periphery. …
There are many types of homes. You’ve got saltboxes, colonials, federals, a-frame, shingle, Victorian, foursquare, lodge, gablefront, storybook, split-level, etc. But, there’s really only one desirable way to live, and that’s definitely inside a cavernous, …
Class is back in session, kids. You’ll have to excuse my lengthy absence; I was on a lengthy research sabbatical. I don’t know how often class will meet in the future, but, for now, we’ve …
If you’re among the cherished tens and tens of regular readers we have here at Last Rites, you might notice something about us as a group: we aren’t particularly negative. This isn’t because we simply …
I’ve had my ear on Germany’s Wojczech since their 2005 full-length Sedimente. That one hit the right spot for me back then, with its crust-fueled riffing, grindcore dissonance, balance of punk drive and outright blasting, …
