Generally Impressed With Riffs
[Cover art by Aaron Pinto (Gutslit) / KidSquidy] In unleashing the catchphrase “treat yo self,” Parks & Rec created a pop-culture reminder that indulgence can be a good thing. Taking time to focus on doing something just for yourself is incredibly valuable, …
Me: “You know what the world definitely does NOT need right now? Another modern throwback metal band with a singer mirroring Bruce Dickinson, Rob Halford or King Diamond.” Friendly dog: “I hear you, brother. But how about a modern throwback …
Because I love few things more than an absurd challenge that requires no physical effort, one of my goals in 2025 is to listen to the entire Agathocles discography, or at least, as much of it as is readily available. …
Put down that chainsaw and listen to meIt’s time for us to join in the fight —”Weird” Al Yankovic I gotta say, I’m pretty envious of the little band of musicians from Australia that make up the likes of Tarot, …
[Cover artwork by Loni Gillum of Minerva’s Menagerie and RWAKE] There are lyrics in “The Return of Magik,” the title track of Rwake’s sixth album and first in almost 14 years, with variable payloads. Two …
[Cover artwork by Jared Fleming] “One of the great things about New York is that if you ever need dead baby eels, you can get them here. Also, there is opera.” – Dave Barry Full …
When was the last time you felt powerful? I’m not talking about anything grandiose or world-historical; think of a time you opened the pickle jar on the first try, or a time when you did …
Absolutes are dangerous. The rhetorical logic of “all or nothing” is a violent assault on the beautiful heterogeneity of the world. Taking any position to its extreme endpoint risks gross oversimplification and infantilizing generalization. That …
Welcome, dear friends, to another edition of Staff Infections, wherein the staff here at Last Rites share what they’ve been listening to for the past month. Everything is still terrible here in the U.S.A., so …
[cover artwork by Adam Vick of Dark Meditation] Everyone you know and love is a shambling whole comprised of smaller and smaller parts. You can drill down through the cutaneous, into the tissue, within the …
“Way back in 2022” feels like about a million years ago, doesn’t it? We live in strange times, my friends, when time itself is strange… Back then, Belgian grinders Days Of Desolation released a record …
[Cover art by Eliran Kantor] You like thrash metal, right? And you love all things space, don’t you? Of course you do, you fucking nerd. Look where you are right now. If the idea of …
