Generally Impressed With Riffs
[Album artwork by Harshanand Singh] The third album is in some ways a litmus test for a band’s longevity. Three albums is a sufficient sample size—you can generally tell where a band is headed, whether they’ll last, whether they speak …
[Pre]-historically speaking, the boys, Nocturno Culto and Fenriz, have always been influenced by the likes of Celtic Frost, Bathory, and all things ‘80s. In fact, they don’t shy away from the fact that it’s always been about that era. After …
[Cover art by Quinn Henderson] You’re familiar with the term, “unc,” right? If not, it generally refers to a washed up older feller whose personality in large part revolves around extravagantly performing confusion and/or displeasure at the mere notion of …
[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 art by Lars Bigum Kvernberg Most of us must have core memories of grand plans we made with our best buds in school. To grow up and all be cops or robbers or sports …
Howdy, kids. it’s time for Staff Infections. You know the drill. I was going to put this piece out last week, but I blew it off because I was tired. Tired from what, I don’t …
[Cover art by Vince Locke, of course] Few bands can claim to have the type of impeccable track record as that of Cannibal Corpse, who for over three decades may never have written even a …
[Cover art by Randy Ortiz] The current kings of heavy noise last graced our ears not even a year ago with NULL, which served two purposes: first, to continue KEN mode’s pretty flawless track record, …
Release #2 from Aotearoa New Zealand trio Unruly traverses the same horrible ground as the band’s 2020 debut. In this case, though, similarity is no bad thing. Reinvention isn’t on the agenda, but nor is …
In the pantheon of “ways to reveal oneself as ill-qualified to tell strangers how to feel about the latest Hexvessel album,” telling you that I last checked in on the band at the time of …
Germany’s Defeated Sanity remains one of the heaviest and most brutal death metal acts currently lingering on our pissed off planet. As such, I wish I had a dramatic story to unfurl concerning my first …
Fuck me, there is a LOT of music out in the world. Oh, hello. I didn’t see you come in. Why not sit down and stay for a spell? Or don’t. I’m clearly not your …
