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 …
Madman’s take: What a long strange trip it’s been for Testament to get to this point. It started back in 1999 with the release of The Gathering, a snarling beast of a thrash album that was …
Originally written by Erik Thomas. Synopsis: I’ve never been a real power metal fan. My only passing interest is that I am going to patent the name “Dragonsex” to form my own mock power metal …
Originally written by Jordan Campbell After what has seemed like an eternity, the shroud of Minnesota’s prolonged winter is finally lifting. Within these northern climes, there are precious few months where the sun shines brightly …
Pssst! C’mere, I have a little secret… Not all hippie music is bad. Sure, I’d rather eat a box full of rotted tacks than subject my ears to Phish, but as is often the case …
originally written by Chris McDonald I was more relieved than a fat kid who got out of gym class when I found out that Southern Lord was finally re-releasing the lone Lurker Of Chalice album …
Scottish pirate metal? Awesome. It’s been interesting to see Running Wild get some competition in the pirate metal realm over the past couple of years, first with U.S.-based Swashbuckle and now Alestorm. This is still …
Originally written by Dan Staige. Bury Your Dead have been a guilty pleasure of mine since I heard a few samples off of Beauty & The Breakdown. I didn’t hear technical mastery or airtight speed, but what …
Originally written by Sasha Horn So I’ve been written off as a repeated sixual offender. I have been throwing them around, true, but carefully. Catching them, cushioning their fall, and yes, planning on giving them a good …
