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 …
That the mighty Vader has built a monstrous legacy is a rather inarguable point. As the undisputed kings of Polish death metal – and quite possibly Slayer’s greatest disciples – Piotr “Peter” Wiwczarek and company …
There was a healthy stretch of years where I fell mostly out of love with death metal. Two primary reasons behind this: First, a discovery of a true kinship with the more artsy-fartsy realm of …
Let’s be real. The word “dirge” isn’t all that appealing. Setting aside it’s aethestic ickiness, it’s also a bit, well, literal, at least when applied to our little corner of the universe. While brothers …
Here’s a melancholy truth: Most lusters fade. Sparks cool. Sheens dull. Some things, though? They stick with you. Such has been the case with The Last Caress of Light, Darkest Era’s 2011 debut album. Too …
“No eternity was ever promised to you, child…” Music that is existential in nature has an immense tendency to transport listeners into its own world. Like dead flies sucked through a vacuum, we are, if …
Insomnium has long held the status as being one of the best melodic death metal bands to not emerge directly or indirectly from Sweden’s Gothenburg scene. While always owing a ton to Dark Tranquillity, these …
For the most part, I am a fan of hybrids. Keep the hulkish corn and a huge portion of the other genetic hybrids away (apart from the Liger, obviously), but much of the rest of …
Originally written by Jordan Campbell This is an album about nothing. Wait…how can that be? This is The Necrotic Manifesto, after all. Setting aside the book of Death Metal English for a moment, let’s pick …
