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 …
I’m afraid I’ve got some bad news: You’re going to Hell. Really didn’t take that much, either. Turns out, it was the “sleeping with someone before marriage” deal. Huge bummer. All those hours in our …
For a while there, Venom really was the most dangerous band in the world. Not simply because they had the balls to print statements like “we’re possessed by all that is evil. The death of …
Inarguably one of the greatest heavy metal bands the world has ever known, Iron Maiden needs no introduction. Thirteen songs being woefully insufficient to capture the breadth of the band’s greatness, Last Rites has chosen …
Hulk Hogan tells a story wherein he gets a voicemail from his agent saying that he has two products up for endorsement – a grill and a mixer – and to call him back quickly …
Look, I love the bestial black/death symposium that’s in full swing right now as much as the next guy, but it’s gotten to the point where the blowout is stacked to the rafters with enough …
Originally written by K. Scott Ross. The Concept Album is a tricky beast. On the one hand, having a unified theme or story for an album can take already mighty music to the next level …
Originally written by Chris Redar Paris, France’s Whyzdom is the kind of project that would happen if six strangers answered one of those “MUST HAVE PRO GEAR” ads that are always littering the bulletin board …
Friends, I have gone on record as a doofus, and I do not intend to recant. Generally speaking, I am no great defender of musical orthodoxies: I like folk in my doom, ambient in my …
