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 Erik Thomas. Synopsis: While most of the metal media seems content to lose their shit over big name records from Shadow’s Fall, Sanctity and Dark Tranquillity, how about an equally deserving record that combines the three into …
Originally written by Erik Thomas. Though I’m far from a Therion fan, I yet again find myself signed up to review yet another two disc offering from Christofer Johnsson and the overblown musical manifestations of his ego. And …
I like my death metal how I like my cavewomen: filthy, filthy and fil-thay. Give me death metal that sounds like it was birthed from a flat-headed, hammer-jawed mongoloid from Hell who spends half his …
originally written by Chris McDonald I have a feeling most readers of this site are familiar with the sound and style of Finntroll, whose meteoric ascent to fame since the 2001 release of their breakthrough album Jaktens …
Originally written by Ramar Pittance I’m always disappointed by new Dimmu Borgir albums. Not because they’re particularly poorly written, played or produced albums. Ironically, it’s because they never live up to the titillating negative press I read …
Originally written by Tyler Wagnon. Damn. Has Pro-Pain really been around for 15 years? Age of Tyranny: The Tenth Crusade is their (you guessed it) tenth full-length release and has a loose concept linking the current war on terror …
It has only taken a mere three tracks for Nashville’s Totem to make a name for itself as doom debutantes of enormous potential. Er, except that it seems that Totem isn’t the name to watch after all, as the band …
originally written by Jim Brandon It begins with the sounds of whips slicing through air and striking raw flesh, followed by gasps of pain. Chains bind arms, hands are nailed in place and Glen Benton …
