Independent Band Plans to Set the World of Music on Fire HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA – Independent Goth Rock/Metal up-and-comers, Ellsbeth, have finally released their first studio album “Well Dressed Killing Machine” on ITunes. The album, which came out on April 1st, was co/produced by Chris Spilfogel (Dreamgirls, Hairspray), as well as Ellsbeth’s guitarist, Sean Lacefield. “Well […]

My only previous exposure to this grinding Swedish trio was their 2007 split with Relevant Few, and I immediately thought the likes of Gadget and Rotten Sound finally had some competition to be Nasum’s heir apparent. Now I have not heard the full length debut Svarta Dagar, so I can’t compare Vid Helvetets Grindar, but […]

Slick, sick, catchy and hook-laden songs swollen flush with incisively razor-sharp riffs, wailing leads, crushing breakdowns and vicious vocalizations spewing acidic critiques of this mediocre and moronic zeitgeist. 53 of them. In 22 minutes. Thus the epic saga of “Japanese Action Hero Fighting Game” (still my favorite translation to date) continues, a journey in which […]

Arkaea has premiered their first video LOCUST from their debut album YEARS IN THE DARKNESS Saturday night, 6/20 on MTV’s Head Bangers Ball. If you missed the premier take a look here http://headbangersblog.mtv.com/2009/06/18/video-premiere-arkaea-locust   “LOCUST was our first pick for a music video and as the opening track for the album because it really sets the […]

British thrash masters EVILE are ready to reveal to the world their brand new album, INFECTED NATIONS, which is due to be released on September 21st in Europe and on September 22nd in the USA. Following EVILE’s 2007 debut, ENTER THE GRAVE – an homage to the thrash of past – the band are now […]

One only need look at the Jon Baizley-ish artwork, the Scott Hull mastering and the label to have a guess as to the style of this solid full length debut from this Florida duo: droning, psychedelic, doomy post rock styled sludge cut from the same cloth as Deadbird, Rwake, Samothrace, Minsk and such. While hardly […]

Funeral doom is a disturbing catharsis and artistic reaction to despair. It creates a violent and oppressive landscape with a melodious undertone. Canada’s Longing for Dawn are a miserable bunch that have been releasing quality material under the radar for sometime now and on this their third release, the apocalypse sounds closer than ever. Between […]

Curiosity got the best of me when I signed up for this one, the third full length from The Legion. Their drummer, Emil Dragutinovic, is also in Devian (and once in Marduk), a band who I’ve had my eye on the past couple years. All I really knew of them is that they were more […]

If These Trees Could Talk return with their long awaited full length album “Above the Earth, Below the Sky.” Recorded during the summer of 2008 under the watchful eye of Tim Gerak (6P7), the album is a dark emotional journey that picks up where the debut EP left off. With the roots of the album […]

Highly respected Japanese doom metal band CHURCH OF MISERY will release its long-awaited new album Houses of the Unholy in North America on July 7 via Rise Above Records. First formed in 1996 by bassist Tatsu Mikami and guitarist Tomohiro Nishimura, the Tokyo-based band’s formidable sound melds early-era Black Sabbath style doom with powerful psychedelic […]

Give yourself over to space. Aran of Lunar Aurora fame formed Trist back in 2000 as a side project but like most people I never ran across any of his recordings until much later. His first album was released in only 500 copies. Being a long time Lunar Aurora fan I like to see what […]

American stalwarts Cage return in 2009 with yet another lesson in aggressive, rip-it-to-shreds, speedy Heavy Metal. Now, a lot of people file Cage under the Power Metal tag but, while not entirely untrue, it doesn’t quite cover it. Don’t come here looking for the epic grandeur of a Rhapsody (Of Fire) or Fairyland. This stuff […]

Death metal icons MASTER will play Philadelphia’s Hostile City Death Fest to be held on July 4-5, 2009 at The Arena. MASTER will perform on July 5, 2009 with the likes of Absu, Total Fucking Destruction, Kult ov Azazel, and Ibex Moon artists GOREAPHOBIA. Ibex Moon label mates DREAMING DEAD will perform on July 4 […]

Once I heard that Amorphis’ ninth album once again delved into Finnish folk literature a la the legendary Elegy as well as Eclipse (Skyforger, like Eclipse is based on the Kalevala poems, this time focusing on Ilmarinen, one of the central characters), I had my hopes pretty high. Even more so when you consider that […]

There’s nothing more juicy than a good old FATTOOTH! as the Montreal punk/metal thrashers announce their “Natural Disaster” North American Tour that will see them cross eight Canadian provinces, nine American states and 28 cities. “I hope the riot squads in these cities are ready for some testosterone fueled rock n’ roll! It’s a punch […]

Rampaging Oakland, CA metal quartet SAVIOURS have entered San Francisco’s Lucky Cat Recording Studios with Producer Phil Manley (of Trans Am / The Fucking Champs) to begin work on the follow up to its critically acclaimed sophomore LP Into Abaddon. Set for an October 13, 2009 release date, the as-yet-untitled SAVIOURS album is said to […]

Translation Loss Records is extremely pleased to announce the signing of San Francisco’s GIANT SQUID. Translation Loss Records will release The Ichthyologist this summer in correlation with the bands summer tour alongside label mates GRAYCEON (*TL has a Giant Squid / Grayceon split planned for 2010). Engineered, mixed and produced by Matt Bayles (Mastodon, Pearl […]

Evangelical Christians are a productive lot – perhaps it’s something about building God’s kingdom on earth. Hack writer and huckster Tim LaHaye cranks out a kitschy Left Behind novel each year and ascends the bestseller list. It’s a different story for team Satan – perhaps it’s the time necessary to properly apply corpsepaint or elude […]

To tell you the truth, I’ve been just about “progged” out in recent years. I’ve reviewed stacks and stacks of predictable prog, but just when I get to the point where I groan when I pull a new one out, I find a record that renews my hope in the search. The latest from Spheric […]

I literally knew nothing about this Nevada band before seeing this suddenly appear in Metal Blade’s digital promo site, apparently their second full length album – no press hype from Metal Blade, no other inklings about the style or substance of the band before I pressed play. And when I did press play I was […]

After more than a decade of aggression, the time for divine intervention has arisen. After the blood sacrifice was deemed properly performed, selecting just the best pieces of babies, “In darkness thou shalt worship me,” so states the sacred text of Synagoga Satanae, Tom G. Warrior answered the call to the old gods and appeared […]

I’ve been trying to get on AFM Records’ mailing list for a while because they do carry several bands that I like. So I finally get three AFM releases in my hands, and after these reviews, I’m afraid my chances may be shot. First there was Elvenking’s latest, then Magica, now Exilia, and unfortunately, it’s […]

The Germans have a similar problem as the Americans. The term metalcore gets thrown around like a whore in a bukkake circle and deprives some bands of the obvious melodic death metal moniker they deserve. Despite comparisons to heavy weights Heaven Shall Burn and Caliban, bands like Neaera along with Fragments of Unbecoming lean considerably […]

With thier 3rd release for Austria’s Napalm label, French Symphonic Metallers Fairyland have delivered an absolutely fantastic album. Score To A New Beginning is loaded down with soaring, melodic vocals, epic keyboard/string layers, huge choirs, speedy drumming and ripping, virtuouso guitars. Led by keyboardist and sole composer Phillippe Giordana, Fairyland hold high the flame of […]

One of Germanic heathenry’s newer voices is also one of it’s most skilled. Just because a band releases a disc on their own does not mean it is a demo.  Some bands release a demo and call it a self released full length, implying quality, other band release a full length and call it a […]