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 …
It’s only halfway through the year, but it might not be too early to hand 2013’s grindcore crown to Antigama. These Polish tech-grinders dropped one of 2012’s best EPs in Stop The Chaos – one which …
In the interest of full disclosure, it must be stated that I had about zero interest in really giving the subject of this review much of a chance. After all, an album named The Killer …
Originally written by Chris Redar Time to dust off your leather wristbands and fill those steins high with the mightiest of mead: Amon Amarth is back with another ten tales of bloodshed and war! That’s probably how …
If we’re being honest, Immolation’s days as a ground-breaking death metal band are long past. The band has not really pushed the envelope of death metal or even its own sound in over a decade. …
originally written by Jordan Campbell There’s always a certain amount of skepticism that haunts a band that attempts to merge seemingly divergent styles. And when one of those styles is heavy metal, people transform …
originally written by Chris McDonald Initial impressions of Australia’s Denouncement Pyre had me expecting them to fall in line with the war metal sound that has been gaining notable prominence in the underground alongside the …
Originally written by Chris Redar A proper introduction is a tricky thing. No matter one’s intentions, all it takes is a limp, sweaty handshake or an off-timed downward glance to potentially sour a relationship permanently. Black …
Ask just about any young band what they believe to be a principle advantage to knocking about in our current era and they’ll likely concede that it centers around the fact that it’s a hell …
