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 Doug Moore. Wow. When people ask me why I like metal, I rarely know what to say. Often I give them an answer that’s true for a lot of the metal I …
When it comes to non-King Diamond b-movie-themed horror metal, one never needs to look much further than Razorback Records. Mr. Nocera and company have made a stellar name for themselves with (ahem) a killer batch …
Originally written by Michael Roberts. That The Axis of Perdition have gone down this particular path isn’t all that surprising. After the cyber-black metal blitzkrieg of The Ichneumon Method, this British act has become steadily more abstract, with …
Originally written by Erik Thomas They Called Me Mad! is a frustrating album. On one hand, at times it delivers a crusty Stockholm-ish take on old school death metal with a robust, rough guitar tone and pacing …
Originally written by Erik Thomas When you have a voice as distinct as Andreas Hedlund (Vintersorg,Borknagar, Oytg, Cronian), the problem is every project you are involved in tends to sound like the other, and while Fission is in itself …
Originally written by Jordan Campbell The realization strikes quickly; A Spell For The Death of Man is an atypical force. The haunting, oddly naked guitar that opens the record–perfectly painted in the “Solitude” referenced in the track’s …
Originally written by Jordan Campbell If you’ve been hip to Satyricon’s post-Rebel Extravaganza method of madness, you’ll certainly know what to expect from The Age of Nero. Satyr and Frost’s “arena black metal” is in full effect, and …
After thirty-odd years in the music business and five bands (including numerous versions of The Obsessed) Scott “Wino” Weinrich has finally issued a solo album entitled Punctuated Equilibrium, and I for one could not be …
