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 Sasha Horn Stab stab stab. Stab chop chop stab. Punch. Stab stab swing. Chop swing chop. Stab. Fall down. On my way home from seeing the new Friday the 13th remake, I …
Originally written by Erik Thomas With last year’s best of/collection 13 Years of Celtic Wartunes, not only did Germany’s Suidakra put themselves back on my personal radar, they cemented the fact that they are one of folk metal’s …
These Swedes are quickly becoming one of the more prolific acts in the epic doom metal genre. 2008 not only saw the release of Bliss of Solitude, but Bryntse and Olsson’s epic doom take on …
Returning Brazilian thrashers Vulcano originally released this one back in 2004, their first release in nearly fifteen years at the time. (Since then, they’ve also unleashed a split with Nifelheim.) Back then, Tales was released on …
Originally written by Erik Thomas One of the more less ballyhooed reunions or comebacks of late, Sweden’sSéance return a full 16 years after their seminal Saltrubbed Eyes, though members did stay busy with Witchery during the absence and it …
It is at the risk of repeating myself that I state the following: if you had told me nine years ago that I would be here about to write a new Lamb of God album …
Originally written by Sasha Horn We’ve played this game before, Mal and I, but with a different album title. In 2007, their debut, Entities, took on “deathcore” while clutching every single cliche in the book …
originally written by Chris McDonald Despite featuring numerous traits that I generally find deplorable in extreme music, something about Psyopus’ off-kilter instrumental prowess and peculiar sense of almost sarcastic self-awareness has held on to my …
