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 Jason Jordan. Following Pale Folklore and The Mantle is not an easy task – much less improving on them – but Agalloch have done both. Ashes Against the Grain is the band’s finest full-length: a classy, pristine offering of atmospheric, …
originally written by Jim Brandon Formed by members of Manngard, Gorgoroth and Audrey Horne, Bergen, Norway’s Sahg are poised to become the next buzz band that people will get tired of hearing nothing but praise …
originally written by Jim Brandon Since becoming a contributor to this site, as well as the site I previously wrote for, it’s become apparent to me just how impossible it is to be totally aware …
I admit it. I’m a Rhapsody fan. I’ve taken a lot of crap for it (and given just as much back), but it’s worth it – and I refuse to call them Rhapsody of Fire. …
I very, very much dug the early nineties. I loved the old death metal scene, I loved the original grunge sound, and I loved the Nine Inch Nails/Ministry industrial metal movement. I especially dug NiN …
originally written by Jim Brandon There’s a lot of shit coming out in August & September, and those of us on a budget need to think wisely as to where we put our money. I’ve …
Brendan Kyle’s take: Let’s be honest here: Slayer hasn’t had a truly classic album since South of Heaven way back in 1988. That’s not to say they haven’t written some great songs since then but …
Originally written by Doug Moore. Ever hear that old football platitude about being able to defend the perfect pass? The idea is that you can’t—even if the defense figures out exactly what’s coming, a pristinely-delivered …
