Tag: Relapse

Graves At Sea – The Curse That Is Review

Graves at Sea is the kind of band that’s tailor-made for heavy metal hype: The Curse That Is represents their first full-length after being together for fourteen years; what the band’s managed to produce –

Black Tusk – Pillars Of Ash Review

Sludge, especially southern sludge, is in a strange place right now. Since 2010, the current standard bearers of the region (Baroness, Kylesa, Mastodon) have eschewed traditional sludge sounds and lyrical themes in favor of exploring more progressive

Obscura – Akroasis Review

Listening to Obscura is a little bit like standing in front of a smooth, rotating metal sculpture glinting in the sunlight. It looks different from every angle and feels impressive, but it remains slippery and

Agoraphobic Nosebleed – Arc Review

I’ve always thought Agoraphobic Nosebleed and KISS™ were eerily similar. Actually, that’s not at all true. I’ve never once thought that. Well, not until now. In KISS™ fashion, ANb’s 2016 release schedule includes a solo

Lycus – Chasms Review

With Chasms, Oakland quartet Lycus has presented us with a rarity in the highly specialized sub-genre of funeral doom. The record deals in the usual shades of brown, grey, and otherwise grimey tonal and lyrical palette that’s become

Cretin – Stranger Review

Cretin is not exactly prolific. It’s been eight years since this California collective’s first album, their only previous full-length, itself delivered a decade after the band’s initial run ended in 1996. That earliest attempt netted

Christian Mistress – To Your Death Review

Interrogate yourself: love and hate are easy, but tepid enjoyment or moderate disappointment? Your book club doesn’t give a shit about that kind of weak sauce. Point being, it’s a hell of a lot simpler

Hooded Menace – Darkness Drips Forth Review

Nostalgia is big business. In the time it takes you to read this, probably a dozen bands have formed out of nothing other than the desperate urge to make something new. Their songs – and