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 Erik Thomas I’ll try not to rehash the last 20 years of Pestilence and death metal, as I assume if you are here at this site reading this review, you are at …
Originally written by Jordan Campbell Honestly, you’d be forgiven for dismissing Cannabis Corpse before hearing a single note. Such judgment wouldn’t be rash or irrational; of the numerous, not-at-all-universal truths that have been kinda-proven throughout the course …
Originally written by Rae Amitay Simen Hestnæs, also known as ICS Vortex, has achieved metal notoriety through his work with Arcturus, Borknagar, and of course, Dimmu Borgir. His abilities have always been apparent, and his recent …
Move over, female-fronted occult doom/rock, there’s a new old thing in town, and its name is obnoxious throwback NWOBHM (or should that be OTNWOBHM, then?). (Sidebar: the fact that Christian Mistress neatly evades both of …
Portland’s Spellcaster is a new act that likes to walk the tight rope between tried-and-true and tired-and-true, merging influences such as Iron Maiden, Metal Church, and Armored Saint into a fairly effective trad/thrash combo. Debut …
Though they bear different names and a few different members, Death Strike and Master are largely the same, with the former serving mostly as a brief mid-1980s departure from the latter for Master-mind Paul Speckmann, whose distinctive …
Saviours is one of those sneaky bands that you might not be sure if you’re supposed to like or not. Of course, if the music speaks to you, then let it speak, but this Californian …
Assuming that one was ever able to stomach grown men tromping around in full-on chain mail, constantly poised as if to spring from the bow of a longboat and onto the unspoiled shores of a …
