Generally Impressed With Riffs
[Album artwork by Harshanand Singh] The third album is in some ways a litmus test for a band’s longevity. Three albums is a sufficient sample size—you can generally tell where a band is headed, whether they’ll last, whether they speak …
[Pre]-historically speaking, the boys, Nocturno Culto and Fenriz, have always been influenced by the likes of Celtic Frost, Bathory, and all things ‘80s. In fact, they don’t shy away from the fact that it’s always been about that era. After …
[Cover art by Quinn Henderson] You’re familiar with the term, “unc,” right? If not, it generally refers to a washed up older feller whose personality in large part revolves around extravagantly performing confusion and/or displeasure at the mere notion of …
[Artwork by Caroline Harrison] “Nonsense” opens with a slow fade-in of distorted guitars and seismic drums — the chaos before the swarm. It’s a trick of the trade, the extreme metal equivalent of a camera operator calling out “speed” before …
There’s something to be said for a band knowing their strengths, forming more strengths, and then really leaning into them. In the case of Auckland, New Zealand’s Exordium Mors, those strengths include mastery of multiple riff …
[Cover artwork by Lena Richter] Just last month I offered up Dust Age as one of my most anticipated albums of 2025, owed largely to the fact that the prior Vultures Vengeance album, The Knightlore, …
The world of black/death metal (which isn’t to be confused with blackened death metal, I think…) has loved its black and red album art ever since Fallen Angel of Doom…. dropped the first of its …
“Mephitic” is a word the definition of which, were I not into this crazy world of ugly music, I would quite likely never know. Turns out it means “foul-smelling” or “noxious,” and it also turns …
Alright, friends, It’s February, and to be honest with you, I’m having some trouble processing the amount of bullshit going on here in the good old U.S. of A. It’s raining planes and helicopters, we’re …
The forests endure the human experience—life, death, and the pages between. Each river, tree, peak, and valley tells a story. That tale is that of nature’s inevitable victory through it all. And victorious it shall …
[Cover art by Waltteri Lahti] Albums hitting in December and early January almost don’t have a chance in the floodwaters of List Season, so Katoaja’s debut record, What We Witness, was already struggling against the …
[Cover art by Julian Bauer] If you live in the upper half of the northern hemisphere, then February is the perfect time for a sojourn. The weather creates a cold you can feel in the …
