Friday, April 17th @ House of Blues, Chicago, IL It took us nearly 8 hours to get to Chicago with a couple stops, and a couple more stops to take pics of some really ridiculous things you see in the rural midwest areas. Epicurean was already playing as we walked in, and we managed to […]

March 18, 2009, The Riot Room, Kansas City, MO It was a night of firsts at the tiny Riot Room; my first pagan/Viking/folk metal show, my wife’s first metal show after 12 years of marriage and my first ever in person meeting with another member of the metal media-Blabbermouth and Outburn’s (and now our own […]

While the very concept of melodic death metal is somewhat of a paradox, and one could argue what exactly it entails, I think most readers of this site at least have some general idea of what melodic death metal is, so rather than try to dissect the genre and possible entries, I’ve listed 10 melodic death metal albums that A) fit the genre in my eyes, and B) would be the 10 must have examples of the genre I would choose to take on this forsaken sand dump. Now, I’m sure I’ve missed a bunch, especially from the 1997-2004 range, so feel free to chip in and tell me how wrong my personal opinion is…

In a year that saw vast amounts of turmoil for many of us here at teethofthedivine as we made a transition from the previous site, one thing kept us going-the huge amount of great metal that was released. So here it is-the first annual teethofthedivine year end list! Feel free to comment and post your own year end picks, hurl insults at us or sell us Viagra!

Until recently the metal singer was simply the the ugly, male dominated voice of metal. With female singers being almost common place nowadays, I thought I’d take a lot of some of my favorite female vocalists in metal, both old and new and the bands they play or played. Once considered merely eye candy for Goth metal bands, female singers are now growling screaming and rocking as hard as thier male conterparts, and far easier on the eye. The ones listed below deserve more than “hottest chicks in metal” spread in Decibel Magazine as they bring the vocal thunder and have helped bring women further into previously un-thought of territory.

Whats next? Allowing them to vote?

Do palm tree leaves turn and fall?

Who cares. The leaves have turned, trees stand barren and wasted, the shadows lengthen and the chill of cold breath fills the air. Autumn, the most metal of seasons is upon us and while I’m sure there’s hordes of obscure black metal albums I’ve never heard that fit the bill, here are some albums (in no real order) I think signal the dawn of winter and bring in the grimmest of seasons as good as any:

I have to admit, I’m starting to get a little cranky on this island. My balls are chaffed raw from the sand, I’m sick of eating fish and my mind is playing tricks on me: For example, yesterday I hallucinated that Anna Nicole Smith gave me a Cleveland Steamer.

Still, I’m allowed these CDs though, and this time it’s death metal albums that were simply overlooked, under-rated or under appreciated for whatever reasons. Sure everyone knows of the seminal Entombed, Morbid Angel, Suffocation, Deicide, Dismember, Pestilence, Carcass, Nile and other band’s albums that are widely known and considered certified classics within the death metal pantheons. But here are some albums that while nor genre defining or legendary, are certainly kickass albums in their own right, but for a plethora of circumstances, just seemed to slip under the radar when they were originally released. Some got renewed interest via re-issues, but for the most part, these albums simply did not get the audience they deserved.

Yeah, I knows there’s 11 albums here, but fuck you!-my island, my rules, Wilson!

While the blog title might lead you to believe that this post is about the young pretty-face “metal bands” that sell their souls to be in goddamned L’Oreal commercials (Oh, you’re so totally worth it, like!) While such bands do fester within our so-called metal scene, this blog post isn’t about them. Even though it […]

What are all these lists without a thrash version? Since I seem to be the resident thrasher here, I put it upon myself to compile a list of personal favorite thrashtastic albums for you all to debate over. As others have stated, this isn’t meant to be some sort of definitive list of greatest thrash […]

Damn this island. After two lists of positive albums, I came up with 10 albums that almost made me lose my faith in metal. In most cases, these aren’t necessarily bad albums per say, especially as I listen to them now and my tastes have evolved and grown, but at the time of their release, […]

In the past few years, it seems that everyone and his brother has cranked out a covers record. They’re an easy way to make a quick buck or get out an album as an excuse to go on tour. Most of them are absolutely awful, but every now and then, a band will take a […]

First off if I’m to be stranded anywhere it has better be cold, so if I were stranded on an arctic Island, what ten essential albums would I have with me. Obviously these are essential albums that I can not live without so I don’t need to worry about electricity to power the cd player […]

So here I am again stranded on a desert Island and despite the fact there is no food electricity or porn, I can have 10 albums with me and this time, I have come up with 10 albums that changed the way I listened to metal; Albums that to me, truly thought outside the blast […]

I’m assuming that my desert island would allow me to have 10 CDs in every genre I like. A big assumption perhaps, but then, I don’t intend to be in a boat at sea any time soon, and if I am, I’ll take a wider selection of CDs with me – either that or an […]

Usually, no one likes a major shift in the lineup of their favorite band. Even though a changing guitarist or drummer can make just as much difference in sound, a change in singer seems to be the most visible and often the hardest for fans to accept. Occasionally, though, there’s a replacement singer that actually […]

Everyone loves lists right? Especially metal heads, so hopefully as part of a continued series of blogs here at teethofthedivine, is the first in what I have called ‘Desert Island Discs’. Growing up back in the UK, every Sunday morning I listened to a radio show called ‘Desert Islands Discs’, where various celebrities from the […]

I have to admit I’m suffering a bit of an internal dilemma. Being an casual UFC/MMA fan I’ve seen the sudden abundance of Affliction/Extreme Couture shirts that’s flooded the scene as well as the malls of late, and I’m slightly torn if I like them on not.On one side-they are pretty metal. I mean what’s […]

We were late getting into the venue, as we decided to eat before going in and as a result, missed Soilent Green unfortunately. I’ve never been a big fan of the band, but yet I wanted to see them, as seeing a live band can sometimes sway my opinion of them – oh well. While […]

In Thrash We Trust Tour – St. Louis, MO June 4th 2008 The two hour drive from my home to Pop’s in St. Louis (Sauget, Ill to be exact – right across the river from Downtown) is always a long one, but I’m more than willing to make it to see a good show. Death […]

For my 13th birthday, my best friend John Doyle gave me a vinyl copy of Rush’s Moving Pictures. Being a very young drummer myself, this album of course changed my life, as I began my lifelong Rush obsession on that humid July afternoon. Quickly buying up their back catalog, I had a special affinity for […]

They took my pens. While being re-admitted for Day 2 of the 10th annual New England Hardcore & Metal Festival at the Palladium in Worcester, Mass., the frisker at the door takes my ballpoint pen and black Sharpie out of my pack and unceremoniously throws them away. “Hey, are you serious?!?” I state. “Yeah, they […]

Can you be too into music? Music’s always been an extremely important thing to me, but I’ve been pondering that question quite a bit today. The reason? I’ve been sitting here all day stupidly staring at the new single from Iced Earth with anticipation and a very real sense of dread, unwilling to push play. I’ve been […]

The discussion on Erik’s recent blog post about promo CDs made me start thinking about a prospect that I find very troubling. The discussion came down to the way that younger fans consume music, and whether or not the physical product matters. I grew up in the 1980s. I’m a material guy, for lack of […]

Recently, Napalm Records started using voiceovers on their promotional CDs. Granted, voiceovers are not quite the full on FUCK YOU METAL MEDIA!!! that digital downloads are, but it’s certainly a tip of a finger gently circling around the rim of my anus. Listen labels, I guarantee (and this isn’t directed at just Napalm Records), screwing around with your promotional […]

Asia were the prog supergroup responsible for such bloated AOR standbys as “Don’t Cry,” “Wildest Dreams,” and the tune that propelled the Steve Carell vehicle The 40 Year-Old Virgin into the home theaters of…well, 40 year-old virgins, “Heat of the Moment.” They’re also on tour now with the original line-up, boasting a free show at […]