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 Brady Humbert. Ah, Motorhead. Though the argument for Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, and Iron Maiden can certainly weigh in with much clout, the impact Lemmy and co. have made since 1975 cannot be denied by any stretch. There …
There is not a whole lot to say about Italy’s Tystnaden that would be of significance to the average metal fan. Their sound leans towards the Finnish end of the Scandinavian spectrum, a la bands …
Originally written by Jordan Campbell This may be wildly off-the-mark, but I’m willing to bet that there isn’t a high demand among discerning music fans to hear a Christian metalcore version of Widow. Shit, there isn’t …
Originally written by Doug Moore. I’m not entiiiiiiiiiiiiirely clear on the story behind this particular iteration of Ulcerate’s The Coming of Genocide. As near as I can tell, the original The Coming of Genocide was a four-song EP that …
Originally written by Jordan Campbell Off the bat, Denounce are rocking three stylistic shortcomings, all of which are superficial. First, their name isn’t going to grab anyone by the throat. Secondly, the block-lettered logo isn’t doing much …
Originally written by Brady Humbert. U.S. Christmas hails from Marion, North Carolina and are on Neurot Recordings, even though their retro sound would make them sound more like a band suitable for Meteor City. There is nothing …
Darkthrone. Death Metal. Probably not an association you would normally make. Most fans of underground metal probably know that Darkthrone started as a death metal band, but they went on to far greater fame for …
Originally written by Michael Roberts. I’d heard and read good things about this UK band’s sophomore effort when it was originally released last year. Now that Century Media have kindly taken on Architects for wider distribution, we can now …
