Generally Impressed With Riffs
[Album artwork by Harshanand Singh] The third album is in some ways a litmus test for a band’s longevity. Three albums is a sufficient sample size—you can generally tell where a band is headed, whether they’ll last, whether they speak …
[Pre]-historically speaking, the boys, Nocturno Culto and Fenriz, have always been influenced by the likes of Celtic Frost, Bathory, and all things ‘80s. In fact, they don’t shy away from the fact that it’s always been about that era. After …
[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 …
Have you ever stubbed your toe and then cursed so violently that you accidentally opened a portal to an alternate universe where it’s always raining and everyone scowls at you like you owe their grandmother …
[Album artwork by Zbigniew Bielak] Since at least 2012’s Phantom Antichrist, Kreator has been an arena metal juggernaut. No matter how one feels about the releases that followed, we can agree that record, for better …
[Album artwork: @maldoillustration (drawing) and @branca_studio (concept)] It’s been four long years since we last heard from Sweden’s self-proclaimed ‘adventure rock’ outfit Hällas, and that time away has given the band ample opportunity to explore …
[Cover art by Ryan T. Hancock] Boy, that New Wave of Traditional Heavy Metal just keeps on rollin’, don’t it? Which is great since, in these times of shitty shittiness, it remains imperative to remember …
A well-executed death metal riff or blastbeat provides a satisfaction comparable to savoring a cup of coffee on a quiet Sunday morning by the fireplace. So, whenever I stumble upon a killer new record, it …
We’re covering some of our most anticipated albums of 2026 all week. This is the third part of this series. The first is located HERE and the second HERE. GORGUTS – TBA It’s been 13 …
We’re covering some of our most anticipated albums of 2026 all week. This is the second part of this series. The first is located HERE. IMMOLATION – DESCENT Not too long after 2025’s balls dropped …
Greetings and welcome back, readers and friends. We know you’re still recovering from about 10 tons of 2025 year-end lists, but there truly is no rest for the wicked, and we’re hopping right into 2026 …
