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 Ian Chainey Okay, so, if the first words you read in regards to A Second from the Surface were, say, “The band is trying to figure out how to fuse grind with …
Originally written by Chris Chellis. After a looooong wait that included postponing the album’s release due to a stint on Dave Mustaine’s Gigantour, we finally have Symphony X’s seventh full-length, Paradise Lost, and what an album this …
originally written by Jim Brandon Yakuza’s 2006 album, Samsara, was their best release yet, and brushed closely with greatness, but didn’t quite have the legs to stand above other awesome albums by the time the …
Originally written by Erik Thomas. Synopsis: There’s a lot of reason for me to feign liking this five song demo: former Metal Review scribe Alex De Moller is on guitars (who also does session guitars for Mithras), …
There is a very wise Chinese proverb that states, “If you must play, decide on three things at the onset: the rules of the game, the stakes, and the quitting time.” Ancient Chinese secret, huh? …
Originally written by Ian Chainey Stick with me on this one. So, I had this dream. In this dream, I’m driving around with my lone metal friend (Reality: I don’t have friends) and we’re listening …
Originally written by Erik Thomas. Synopsis: After the slight letdown of Shadows Are Security, God’s warriors of commercial metal return with an improved and enjoyable but formulaic metalcore record for the masses. Review: To me, a band …
OK, kids, here’s your damned Paradise Lost review. I defaulted into this one because either the rest of the staff had no interest or too much bias. Why am I giving away this little secret? …
