Generally Impressed With Riffs
[Artwork by Caroline Harrison] “Nonsense” opens with a slow fade-in of distorted guitars and seismic drums — the chaos before the swarm. It’s a trick of the trade, the extreme metal equivalent of a camera operator calling out “speed” before …
[Cover artwork by Luca “Zeero” Zironi] There was always something uniquely charming about Konquest’s brand of traditional heavy metal—an almost whimsical breeziness that still felt like a near perfect balance of playful and substantive. A long-lost Italian cousin to Sweden’s …
[Cover art by Beyond Art] There are bad musical moods, and then there’s Mylingar. Over the course of the last decade this group of anonymous Swedes has concocted the type of ill-meaning black/death that makes Diocletian seem like a Care …
[Cover artwork by Subhuman at Desert Dungeon] Let’s talk about our love for quirky metal. Okay, sure, any definable level of ‘quirk’ is obviously subjective, but I’m guessing you know we’re not talking about the guy who loves The Black …
Originally written by Jordan Campbell When it comes to Halloween vibes, few bands could nail ’em like Type O Negative. Nearly every one of their albums offered a nod or three to October 31, whether intentional …
Really, what is Halloween but classic horror and the chance to be a punk? I mean, some kids dress up like ghosts by tossing a sheet over their head, and some dress up like witches …
Originally written by Jim Brandon. 1985: The Bay Area / West Coast thrash metal scene was fully emerging from its cocoon in most heinous fashion. As chronicled in Oimoen & Lew’s Murder in The Front Row, …
Ahhh, 1986: Americans were sailing hiiiigh and happy, thanks in a large part to an aggressive pursuit of ‘faith and family values’ and bloated Reaganomics debt. But hey, at least the Contras loved us. And despite Ron’s wildly successful War …
Originally written by Ramar Pittance Steeped in early 80s Gothic, death rock and post-punk conventions, Alaric’s self-titled debut is the type of album that features such an expert execution of a specific sound that it warrants …
About a year ago I was introduced to the 2009 offering by Hungary’s Thy Catafalque, Róka Hasa Rádió, an outstanding combination of black metal, post-everything-but-Ulver recklessness, prog structures and many of the freakish elements that …
Yes, Iced Earth’s 2001 album Horror Show is probably as obvious a choice for a Halloween album as one could ever hope to find, but here’s the thing: it’s also a pretty kickass heavy metal record. Having capped …
Originally written by Jordan Campbell If you’re a ‘head of a certain age—the first wave of Generation Y—there was a trifecta of post-thrash bands that led the recovery effort in the wake of the Nevermind …
