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 …
I’ve never really considered Place of Skulls to be outright “Christian metal,” despite the candidly pious slant to the lion-share of their lyrics. Sure, there’s plenty nods to theologic affairs, but it’s always been the …
Originally written by Jordan Campbell A consistent thread has been running throughout black metal culture since its inception: A perpetual crisis of identity. Not artistically, of course, but it terms of presentation. Somehow, somewhere, it …
If Blutmond is willing to name their album Thirteen Urban Ways 4 Groovy Bohemian Days, then perhaps they’re willing to try anything. Experimentation is certainly something this Swiss outfit isn’t afraid of, but their latest …
Not long ago I found myself in the gorgeous Outer Banks region of North Carolina, a trip that rejuvenated my unending love affair with Mother Ocean. It was mid-September, but summer lived on, and the …
Despite that they share a name with a character from Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Fargo’s Gorgatron doesn’t seem to embrace the same silly humor. As near as I can tell on the humor front, Torturetorium …
originally written by Jim Brandon It didn’t take much for former and current Katatonia members Fredrik Norrman and Jonas Renkse to capture a fair share of attention back in 1997 when they released the very …
Originally written by Doug Moore. Sometimes it’s good when things go badly. Unearthly Trance has been plugging away for ten years. This Brooklyn doom outfit has gigged incessantly and put out four full-length albums, along with …
Ah, the time-honored tradition of mimicry. Countless bands forge a decent career despite much of their sound being a carbon copy of former heroes. Pencil in Allegaeon as a possible addition to this list. Their …
