Generally Impressed With Riffs
[Cover art by Quinn Henderson] You’re familiar with the term, “unc,” right? If not, it generally refers to a washed up older feller whose personality in large part revolves around extravagantly performing confusion and/or displeasure at the mere notion of …
[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 …
Originally written by David Ochoa. It’s no secret that death metal is facing stagnation on all fronts. With myspace ‘deathcore’ exploding and increasing numbers of previously established bands reforming and retreading old ground, a comparatively …
Originally written by Tim Pigeon I was deeply disappointed when I first heard that Sentenced had decided to retire from the game. They have been a favorite of mine for years, and the primary reason why I …
Jim Brandon’s take: Change is essential for progression, even if the foundation remains the same. For instance, the lead-off track to The Ritual Fires Of Abandonment by my Chicago neighbors Minsk, instantly separates itself from …
I’m not going to lie – I’ve never heard Onslaught before. They came and went long before I started listening to metal and nobody I talked to ever said I had to check them out, …
Originally written by Erik Thomas. Synopsis: I hope you have some “Tucks” medicated anal pads handy folks, cos’ Trap Them is going to tear you a new asshole. Review: I had zero expectations for this record after …
Originally written by Erik Thomas. Synopsis: The Finnish darlings of melodic death metal appear to have hit a plateau of sorts… Review: Arguably responsible for giving melodic death metal CPR with their first two albums, Inhumanity and …
My first exposure to Furze was through 2003’s Necromanzee Cogent – a delightfully quirky, eerie record that fused elements of psychedelic rock, proto-doom and black metal, all delivered with an atmosphere similar to a wacky …
Originally written by Jason Jordan. During April of this year, Psyopus will hit the road with Behold…the Arctopus and Dysrhythmia – a fitting tour package simply because all the bands involved are technical, spastic, and overly knotty. In fact, it’s a …
