Generally Impressed With Riffs
[Album artwork by Truls Espedal] It’s 17 albums for Enslaved now, comprising a discography I find exceptionally challenging to wrap my arms around. What’s going on here? Does anyone else forget that the relatively rote and by-the-numbers Frost is actually …
[Cover art by Per Spjøtvold] Want a fun way to acknowledge your own mortality? Think about how many years you’ve been listening to certain bands or albums. Of course, you, a distinguished devotee of this publication, surely engage in this practice, …
To put it mildly, I’ve been a bit sidetracked this year, so I apologize to all zero of my readers for not keeping them informed on the state of grindcore as I see it. Thankfully, I have some conscientious compatriots …
[Cover Artwork by Julia Proszowska] Something about the internet that only occurred to me recently is that it’s changed the way we think about death. Like just about everything else, the very notion of death has lost so much of …
Originally written by Jordan Campbell An overtly misanthropic black/death/funeral doom hybrid, Sol is the twisted vision of one Emil Brahe. Let There Be A Massacre is an extremely draining, totally nihilistic labor of hate, driven by a vehement disdain …
Some two decades and several thousand imitators later, Hellhammer exists outside of judgment or critique, not because they were really all that awesome, but because there’s a big disparity between their importance and their actual …
Dawn Of Demise are heavy; they definitely have that going for them. This heaviness is not the heaviness born of sheer blasting force, nor of abrasive chaotic clamor. This heaviness is the heaviness of a …
To be honest, I have no idea how the hell to label a band like Germany’s Island. Progressive death metal? The Orakel side of this release certainly maintains a number of death metal elements, but …
originally written by Jim Brandon As spring draws near, I’m reaching back into the bag o’ tricks to grab onto some cold, frosty Scottish black metal to indulge in as the season that best suits it …
Originally written by Jordan Campbell According to the soft-spoken word on the street, Machinae Supremacy were/are a melodeath-styled outfit with a serious SidStation fetish. Those without extensive knowledge of computer history or Timbaland’s exploits in noisemaking probably …
Originally written by Chris McDonald Few bands active today, if any, polarize the metal community quite like Meshuggah. Throughout the band’s existence, the Swedish outfit has inspired as many adoring fans as vehement, and I …
Originally written by Jordan Campbell Alright, Ekser. This is some peppy, new-school, Americans-channeling-Sweden execution. It’s punchy, precise, and…ah, predictable; extremely predictable. In spite of their skill, this band’s straightforward, paddleslap melodic death metal attack cannot overcome a huge hurdle: …
