Generally Impressed With Riffs
[Cover art by Jeff Gibson] During an early spin of Paired Sentinels, the fifth full-length album from Chicago’s Anatomy of Habit, a question-so-stupid-I-now-must-ask-it-in-public occurred to me: Does post-metal have anything to do with post-punk? If we really want to turn …
[Cover art by Clare McCarthy] A brutal death metal album with a beautiful cover? Consider me intrigued by the contrast alone. Brutal death metal, despite its typical gory imagery, lyrics, and tone, has a peculiar charm. But it’s not just …
[Cover art by Adam Yates] Look, I’ll freely admit that I listen to and love some truly pretentious death metal. Hell, I ranked Ingurgitating Oblivion’s last album as my seventh favorite in 2024, and that album has its head so …
[Cover Art by Kristian Valbo] I love the story behind the music. Not that it has to be some dramatic, sensational, or lurid tale. Rather, I just really appreciate how a little window into the artistic process can color one’s …
Howdy, dear readers. It’s time for our monthly review of the Last Rites staff’s listening habits—a little feature we call Staff Infections. Here’s hoping September finds you and yours in fine health and spirits, but …
Some things age gracefully, and get better with time. Wine… Cheese… Me… We can add Phoenix-based thrashers Flotsam & Jetsam to that list, especially now that they’re four albums into a third act that sees …
Wolfbrigade (formerly Wolfpack not to be associated with the atrociously hateful movement of the same name) just continue to pump out high-level d-beat hardcore punk rock that will get you angry, worked up, hot and …
Cover artwork by Eduardo Ver Papangu’s debut album, Holoceno, was a resounding success in 2021, even making that year’s Last Rites Combined Staff Top 25. Four longtime friends from João Pessoa, Brazil, had somehow found …
[Cover image by Keith Evans] 2004: For me, life and times were pretty much firing on all cylinders. I was entering my fifth year of living in the Bay Area; I had a wide net …
What do you do when a band masters a particular sound, moment in time, and vibe, but eventually abandons it for other styles? Do you seek out someone else doing it, even if you know …
[Cover artwork by Christopher Diaz] A gust of wind hurls a pocket of dirt into the boiling western air, and a tumbleweed scurries inches behind two boots planted firmly in the ground. The silhouette of …
A Time To Be Laid To Rest The late 90s into the early 00s was a rather peculiar time in the realm of heavy music. The likes of Korn, Limp Bizkit, and Linkin Park were …
