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 …
Just to be clear upfront: Yes, I previously gave Faroese folk metallers Týr the dubious honor of crowning them “World’s Most Boring Band.” Having not heard any of the band’s albums since 2006’s Ragnarok, I …
One of the signs of a truly intriguing band – and that’s intriguing – is the ability for a new album to both provide new perspectives on their previous releases and to retroactively enhance those …
originally written by Ian Chainey I wonder what Luc Lemay sounds like… After we set a time to talk, it was the only thing I could consider for the rest of the week. It …
Originally written by Matt Longo There are all sorts of deities to whom we in the Metal realms pay homage. Many are underworldy (Satan, Baphomet, Hades, etc.) but others regale in the mortal plane. Some, …
Originally written by Chris Redar “Today we look up in the sky and we see just fantastic things; galaxies, clusters of galaxies stretching out all over the sky. But if the expansion is going to …
Originally written by Chris Redar Ladies and gentlemen, after weeks and weeks of forgettable-to-painful albums making their way onto the docket and infecting these ears with the sort of malaise reserved for those in solitary …
Alexander von Meilenwald, sole originator, songwriter and performer of all instruments for The Ruins of Beverast is the most creative artist in black metal today. Before examining his latest work, a brief overview of his …
Fans of the classic Stockholm / Sunlight Studios death metal sound have had no shortage of new music to chew on in recent years. Grave is still going quite strong, the reborn Entrails has put …
