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 …
In a perfect world, the record-consuming public would be as excited about a new Master record as they are about Death Magnetic or Warbringer or whatever banality Trivium will unleash upon us soon. For twenty-five …
Originally written by Jordan Campbell Unleash the cavalcade of clichés – there’s a kickass, unsigned band on the loose. Boston, MA’s Revocation are running amok in the streets, naked if not for the ultra-sexy packaging they’ve shrink-wrapped …
originally written by Chris McDonald If you are big into black/death/thrash hybrids a la Bestial Mockery, you’re probably already plenty familiar with Impiety. This barbaric outfit from Singapore has been churning forth relentlessly intense extreme …
Originally written by Sasha Horn I was about four songs into Teloitus when I realized that I didn’t really want to be sitting here listening to this anymore. Sotajumala’s previous (and only) full-length was titled …
Chris McDonald’s take: As reliable as ice cream cake is delicious, Amon Amarth may not be the most technical, inventive, or progressive metal band around, but damn it if they aren’t as consistent as anyone …
Somewhere, a Renaissance Faire is missing its minstrels. When last we checked in with Falconer, it was for the 2005 release of Grime Vs. Grandeur, which saw the Swedes scrap their folky/medieval tendencies in favor …
originally written by Chris McDonald One of many classic Nuclear Blast releases to receive the “Reloaded” treatment, Meshuggah’s landmark sophomore effort is easily the best and most historically important of the bunch. More direct and …
Originally written by Sasha Horn Evergrey: When they don’t sound like a Foreigner for the jet set, they make like a Nevermore trying to get into your pants, and god bless ’em for the perversion. …
