Afflicted debuted when the Swedish metal scene was crawling with Entombed and Unleashed clones, all far from any originality. The Stockholm five-piece had a different approach towards death metal – they offered complex and intriguing music, reaching far beyond the typical Swedish school of metal. Their first and most acclaimed album – Prodigal Sun – […]

If early christians had witnessed Belphegor they would not have had to demonize pagans, the truth would have been enough. Someone had to try to live up to the biblical descriptions, why not Belphegor. The bible insists all pagan rituals are abominations and claim pagans are not only apostates and blasphemers but fornicators and baby […]

After boldy claiming their Victory Records debut Goodbye to the Gallows was the ‘most brutal CD of 2007′, Emmure return with their more humble, yet equally devastating follow up. And while admittedly, most metal heads will turn up their nose at this group of cocked hat, short haired kids and their hoodies, but truth be […]

If Joe J. Fogarazzo were to walk into a headhunter’s office one day in search of a job, the agent would likely ask what his skills and qualifications are. And he would be able to list off his audio engineering degree, his music degree – and his three years spent studying mortuary science. And of […]

I’m a big enough man to admit when I’m wrong, but in this case, I’m not. Tim Owens owns Matt Barlow in Iced Earth, and this EP is the absolute proof. Those of you who have read my blog and talked to me on the forums won’t find any surprises in this review. It’s no […]

Dear Metal Friends, As many of you are well aware of, the Goodfellow Records band CURSED was robbed on the second-to-last day of their recent European tour of all of their tour earnings, some of their passports, etc. This included the money that was set aside to pay for all costs of the tour (backline […]

“The fans have spoken and we delivered it.” – Jon Schaffer, Iced Earth guitarist. Since the December return of Matt Barlow to the Iced Earth fold, fans and critics have speculated the ‘classic Iced Earth’ vocalist’s ability to bring back both the noise and the funk of previous releases, perhaps moreso one than the other. […]

Finnish band Saattue (meaning Procession, in their native tongue) have certainly taken their time coming upon the scene. With two independent EP releases, in 2004 and 2006, their debut album Jäähyvästi (translated as Farewell) comes 7 years after the band first formed in 2001. Thank you, Spikefarm. Playing a tried and true form of Gothic […]

Across Tundras‘ name is a bit misleading – you might expect this to be another band of corpsepainted warriors, howling about the frozen north and the cold, cold, cold. It’s mournful and somber alright, but their inspiration is rooted much further south, in the American Southwest. Hailing from Denver, Colorado, Across Tundras plays a psychedelic […]

A few months ago, I reviewed the excellent debut full length album from Kansas City’s black metal act Lo-Ruhamah, entitled The Glory of God. The review was well received by the band and subsequently I have stayed in touch with the band and eventually an interview with another publication was set up. However, understandably, the […]

I’ve spent a lot of time listening to this album. I’ve started this review 2 different times, only to trash it. You see, this album has caused a plethora of different emotions. At first, it sounded creepy…the acoustic guitar/violin combo has a certain ominous air. After a while, it struck me as almost comical…like Black […]

The metal underground is a pretty huge place, and although I’ve been aware of German black/thrash warriors Desaster for some time now, I’ve never gone out of my way to check them out. With so many bands straining against the ragged boundaries of the genre, mutating and splintering and recombining elements to create something fresh […]

Stockholm, Sweden-based heavy metal powerhouse GRAND MAGUS has completed work on its long awaited new album, Iron Will. The record will see a July 8, 2008 North American release date via London, England based label Rise Above Records. Boasting an epic sound that melds sledgehammer metal with triumphant, soaring melodies, a fist-pumping gallop and the […]

Lead guitarist/vocalist James Malone offers this band update: “Although we had a great run over the past year and a half with drummer Darren Cesca [whose work is featured on the band’s latest album, We Are The Nightmare], we have decided to stop working with him in Arsis. The reasoning behind this decision is simply […]

This companion EP to last year’s terrific Fear of a Blank Planet has been accused of being a tack-on, due to the fact that it’s priced as a full release, but only features 4 songs. Those naysayers are even more sour than Steven Wilson’s mood – this is a fantastic release, and definitely not just […]

UK grinders BRAINCHOKE have set the release date for their new album, ‘Introspective’, for July 7th. The album is self released and will be officially distributed by Grindethic Records and Code 7 via Phd. The release is an idiosyncratic blast of old school grindcore mixing the traditional sound of bands like Napalm Death and Nasum […]

Harsh, fast, repetitive, slow, haunting, grim, raw, distorted, minimalist, rhythmic, this is the definitive remastered director’s cut of prolific Malefic’s 2001 demo A Gate Through Bloodstained Mirrors and 2001 promo A Darkened Winter. Unfortunately the promo copy that I am reviewing only includes disc one of the two-disc set so I still have not acquired […]

It’s a well-worn horror cliché that no matter how far or how fast you run, the hulking, machete-wielding murderer behind you will somehow always manage to catch up with you – even while trudging along at a much slower clip. This pretty much sums up Paganus, an extreme-doom act hailing from Finland who’ve crafted an […]

Trees seems an odd choice of name for this Portland quartet, who ooze a ponderously slow brand of psychedelic black doom. When paired with a different act, the name Trees would conjure up images of graceful boughs, sheaved in green and waving in the wind, or shaggy willows, drooping to brush their tendrils across a […]

Following intense and very constructive discussions, Steamhammer/SPV have announced their future collaboration with Swedish dark melodic metal act, Evergrey. The deal includes not only the group’s brand-new studio album, Torn, which will arrive at the stores at the beginning of September, but also Evergrey’s complete back catalogue. SPV Head of Labels, Ulrike Rudolph says: “We […]

Kolossus, the new album from Norwegian metallers KEEP OF KALESSIN, is available for streaming in its entirety at the band’s MySpace page. Due in Europe on June 6 and in North America on June 10, the CD will feature the following track listing: 01. Origin 02. A New Empire’s Birth 03. Against The Gods 04. […]

Churn out as much quality as Opeth, and each album will be studied for the slightest inclination of a flaw. Truth is, Mikael Akerfeldt and his mammoth baby Opeth have no flaws and are literally, in this reviewers eye’s, perfect. Say what you will, Watershed proves without a doubt that you don’t mess with Opeth. […]

After a three year absence Opeth return to us and somehow they manage to get even more bizarre yet again. I’m not going to compare this to older Opeth as I am a latecomer to the Opeth phenomenon myself. I only started a bit before Blackwater Park, thanks to a friend of mine who could […]

It’s a good thing I got the recent Day Without Dawn album around the same time I got the debut release from this Italian post rock band, because now I have something to compare At The Soundawn to; shimmering, delicate, acoustic heavy, artistic post rock. While more of a long EP (7 songs) than a […]

Although it sounds like an ominous technological term, the word Synastry actually comes from astrology, and refers to the concurrence or connection between two different signs and their influence on two individuals in a relationship. I’m not sure why the band chose this name – maybe it just sounded cool – but perhaps it’s a […]