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 Craig Hayes If you took the time to read Part One of this Mad Max on the Autobahn feature (and danke schön! if you did), then you’ll be aware that part two …
originally written by Craig Hayes Metal has cooked up plenty of hearty musical combinations over the years, and some of the most tempting have resulted from peppering the sonic stew with Krautrock. This year, Finnish …
Originally written by Chris Redar It’s not a great idea to lead a review with a terrible joke. The indication is that the critic didn’t take an appropriate amount of time with the material and …
Originally written by Chris Redar Current Decibel cover model Joel Grind is nothing if not prolific. In the fourteen year tenure of Toxic Holocaust, the former one-man thrash tank has been responsible for no less than eight thousand splits, singles, …
Anyone who believes being in a long-established metal band is in any way glamorous should probably have his or her head examined. As if the current state of the industry and its paltry payouts aren’t …
Originally written by Ian Chainey Thunder Tribe, a Kentuckian power metal/smooth-prog quintet turning in their long-player debut, has got riffs. Lots of them. They’ve got a similar tonnage of solos, too. Great vocals? Of course, …
The (surely) bullet-belted noisemakers in Nocturnal Graves play such a heavily blackened thrash that one could wager a life’s savings on a bet that they hail from Australia. And, lo and behold, Nocturnal Graves do …
originally written by Erik Highter There is an art to a music press release. Certain information must be conveyed; a brief bio, record label and release date, any possible tours, lead singles, etc. But after …
