Generally Impressed With Riffs
[Album artwork by James Koehnline] As much as I love and appreciate the fact that my metal foundation was fortified by growing up alongside the genre in the ‘80s as a youth, I owe a great deal of my undying …
[Cover art by Fenomeno Design] Did you know that Chile is pretty darn good at death metal? If not, you must be new around these parts, in which case, I say, welcome friend! We’re glad to have you here and …
It’s a magical corner of the musical world where a band can combine an infectious nature with extreme oddness, and it’s in that corner that Idaho’s Seven Chains makes their home. Make no mistake about it, third album Swollen, In …
[Cover art by Claudio Elias Scialabba] Italy’s Into Darkness has been a band for approximately 15 years but is just now releasing its first full length album, Route to the Other Side, but all that time has been greatly beneficial …
Like Clutch themselves, Full Fathom Five has no frills. It’s packaged in a simple digipack case, with space-rock artwork that just as easily could’ve adorned a Hawkwind record in 1971. There are no bonus features, …
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 …
