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 …
Originally written by Jordan Campbell What better way to cap a slow news week than with a vacation, eh? I’ll be abandoning the comfy climes of Minnesota to spend a long weekend in the bastard …
Grave Digger is as Grave Digger does. With Return Of The Reaper, as with any new Grave Digger album, the primary musical template has been long established. Fitting in the cracks between Accept, Blind Guardian, …
originally written by Kyle Harcott Mortals recently released their Relapse debut, Cursed to See the Future, to a rumbling boil of acclaim. The Brooklyn trio plays a churning, slightly-unhinged brand of metal that PR types …
Originally written by Ramar Pittance Necrophagist is a name that has stirred up a lot of underground buzz in recent years, due in large part to their highly acclaimed debut Onset of Putrefaction, and the …
Sometimes, a guy needs to turn his brain switch firmly to the “off” position. While there is no shortage of music to fit such times (pretty sure Judas Priest just released a song called “Metalizer”), …
Redeemer Of Souls is Judas Priest’s best album in nearly 25 years. Reeling from the near-universal disdain for the ambitious Nostradamus, Redeemer is straightforward, the sound of Priest returning to form, cherry-picking stylistic highlights from …
Shadow Kingdom Records, as is becoming habit, has dug up some more obscure 80s recordings and given them the spiffy reissue treatment. This time around beneficiary is Chicago death metal outfit Terminal Death, whose entire …
Black metal, with all of its offshoots, movements, and ideologies, lends itself to some creative descriptions. The easiest way to describe Sweden’s Nidsang on sophomore effort Into the Womb of Dissolving Flames? A violent churn. …
