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 …
So, as it turns out, all that worrying was largely for naught. After the bickering between the Negru and Sol Fraur / Hupogrammos camps, the former’s continuation of the Negura Bunget name (more a brand …
The better part of seven years as a staffer at MetalReview has given me lots of occasions for regret. Just for starters, there’s botched reviews, missed opportunities… And near the top of the list is this: I …
originally written by Chris McDonald Some bands take a little while to reveal their charm. In the case of Total Fucking Destruction, the long-running side project of Brutal Truth drummer Rich Hoak, I found their …
Trap Them returns with their third full-length, the first for Prosthetic and the first with new drummer Chris Maggio, formerly of Kentucky hardcore outfit Coliseum. Continuing the trend of 2008’s Seizures In Barren Praise, Darker …
Goddamn, Negative Plane’s second record, Stained Glass Revelations, had me pulling myself in forty different directions looking for purchase on some pertinent perspective. This is one of those toughies to evaluate, because it will be …
I’m going to be very honest here. As much as I’ve always tried to give Xasthur a chance, I’ve never been able to get through entire album of theirs until Portal of Sorrow. Unfortunately, I …
Recently in the metal world, there have been many discussions about musical atmosphere and its place in any given album. Although many see this as merely a matter of personal preference, there are some interesting …
There’s plenty room in my life for black metal that branches into all sorts of progressive styles, but by hell, I love kicking through the rude, crude face-on-fire variety when I’m in an ugly mood: …
