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 Chris McDonald Turkey’s Raven Woods is yet another modern, technically inclined death metal band with a solid grasp of dynamics and a lot of different ideas to offer. The last few years …
Originally written by Erik Thomas It takes balls to name your band Dishammer, but when you pull off a Discharge / Hellhammer combo of crusty, primal blackened punk noise this convincingly, you go right ahead. …
To celebrate the recent reactivation of legendary New York doomheads Winter, Southern Lord has reissued the band’s sole full-length album, 1990’s Into Darkness. Yes, folks, you read that right: little Into Darkness is now old …
Singaporean grindcore act Wormrot was picked up by Earache for their last record – 2009’s Abuse, which achieved the band’s stated purpose of grandly celebrating classic grind whilst bringing nothing new to the table. That …
Note: Those who’ve wandered into this room in hopes of discussing the Orchid of Massachusetts origin (1997-2002), you’ll find a door down the hall clearly marked Screamoholics Anonymous that will be much more suited for …
originally written by Jim Brandon Back when compilation albums actually mattered, the 1990 release of At Death’s Door, Volume I was quite the revelation for many of us. Although focused mostly on the rapidly rising stars …
Having been active all the way back in the early 90s, Graveyard Dirt quickly disappeared, leaving only a single demo consigned to the lusting pursuit of salivating doom fiends. In something of a small miracle, …
originally written by Chris McDonald Personality is not necessarily one of the typical selling points of quality black metal, as generally the style’s aesthetic is at least partly based around anonymity and an inhuman tone …
