Generally Impressed With Riffs
[Cover artwork by Subhuman at Desert Dungeon] Let’s talk about our love for quirky metal. Okay, sure, any definable level of ‘quirk’ is obviously subjective, but I’m guessing you know we’re not talking about the guy who loves The Black …
[Cover art by Mister Curse] Stack Overflow In Corpse Pile Interface. Stack Overflow in…Corpse Pile Interface? “What’s in a name? That which we call a corpse pile, by any other word would smell as putrid” – billy shakes Forgive my …
[Cover art by Jef Whitehead] Cognizance’s In Light, No Shape serves as a useful reminder that when it comes to our musical preferences, our whats are subservient to our whys. If, for example, you are a fan of the early …
[Cover artwork by Michael Cloutier] Prog, of course, is known for technical musicianship and songwriting complexity above all else, a reputation well-earned by the early giants of the genre and happily maintained by their progeny ever since. It’s also true …
A solid entry in the regular-assed death metal category is Tyranny, the debut full-length from Phoenix Arizona’s Lago. Lago eschew both the processed-to-shit trappings of modern tech-death and the ever-popular, retro-as-fuck, early-nineties death metal sound. …
You know you’ve got a winner of a record when the best thing about it is the thinly-veiled pun in the title, this one of course alluding to the fact that this band’s primary appeal …
I know this may sound crazy, but this is a Southern Lord release. And it’s crusty hardcore. (insert the sound of an audience gasping) Sure, son, whatever. Next you’ll be telling me Blake Judd never …
Two years ago, the eponymous Unisonic album marked the first time that guitarist Kai Hansen and vocalist Michael Kiske had worked together since the former departed Helloween after that band’s landmark Keeper Of The Seven Keys, …
There’s a fine line between being a tourist and an accomplished jack-of-all-trades. Take the latest from Germany’s long-running blackened act Dark Fortress, Venereal Dawn. (That title, by the way, refers to the goddess Venus, not …
Crossover may well be the most fun of extreme metal subsets. There’s just something in the tried-and-true combination of thrash and hardcore that, even when lyrically serious, feels irresistibly spirited, perfectly energized and yet possessing …
I won’t pretend I’ve kept up with the wave of female-fronted doom bands over the past few years. I won’t pretend I’ve even cared enough to try. But what brought me to Death Penalty is …
“We must use time as a tool, not a couch.” – John “What the” F. Kennedy The above quote is relevant to Ótta for a couple reasons. First, as some of you are likely already …
