Generally Impressed With Riffs
[Cover artwork by Old Hag] When I initially realized that Arckanum’s first album after a long hiatus—and, technically, its breakup—would be released on All Hallows’ Eve, I devised this rather cutesy and far-fetched idea to compare the entire album to …
[Album artwork / art direction by Joseph Niet / The Creative Corporation] Offering up a textbook definition of “holy crap, time flies,” Black Sabbath’s swan song, 13, was released 13 years ago, on June 7th, 2013. In a curious move, …
If you’re just now catching up, well, we’re just now catching up. Seth Buttnam and I (plus one uninvited guest) are rounding up some of our favoritest grindcore (or grind-adjacent) releases of the past however many months, since we (read: …
[Album artwork by Truls Espedal] It’s 17 albums for Enslaved now, comprising a discography I find exceptionally challenging to wrap my arms around. What’s going on here? Does anyone else forget that the relatively rote and by-the-numbers Frost is actually …
Even on their earliest official release – the Hordanes Land half of the now-legendary split with Emperor – Enslaved were looking down a different path from that of their Norwegian Second Wave brethren. The longer …
When I reviewed Black Breath’s last record, Sentenced to Life, I expressed some disappointment with its relative brevity in both individual track lengths and overall run-time. I felt like I didn’t get my full Black …
I hope you like Deceased, and for two reasons. The most important is simply because Deceased rules. I’ve said before, many times, but one more won’t hurt: They’re one of extreme metal’s most fun bands. …
Back in 1998, I found myself in a hoity-toity bar in Park City, Utah on a night when a band called Whiskeytown was due to play a show in support of an album called Strangers …
What happened in 2013 was not supposed to happen. The script never reads like this: “Long defunct band from great era of music reforms better than ever, topping their long-beloved classic material.” Typically, we are …
“Dickheadedism is humankind’s greatest vulnerability.” ~ Alexander the Great Pretty sure it was Big Al who said that, but it might’ve been someone equally as great or even GREATER. Point being, everyone has the capacity …
So after taking it “easy” the past couple of times out, tackling new releases from familiar acts like Lamb of God and Fear Factory, I thought it would be good to step out of that …
Riverside has always been known as a progressive metal band. In truth, that’s always been a bit of a stretch, and to no one’s surprise, their sixth long player, Love, Fear and the Time Machine, …
