As you’d expect from a band with the word Militia in their name (guys c’mon, Hell’s Militia would have sounded much better), this French outfit belongs to the conservative party of black metal. Conservative as in discordant, primitive, mostly amelodic – and to these ears, totally fucking boring. Too bad, considering the pedigree: members of […]

Generally when a beloved classic gets the reissue treatment I don’t take notice since I’ve already got an investment with the original version. Add the fact that there are no bonus tracks, so why take notice? First off the great new cover art, second the promo sleeve announcing not remastered but “mastered for the first […]

The title, artwork and full tracklisting of the first part of a groundbreaking BLUT AUS NORD trilogy are finally revealed. Recorded, mixed & mastered at Earthsound Studio, 777 – Sect(s) represents BLUT AUS NORD’s most nightmarish voyage yet . The amazing artwork is courtesy of gifted Chilean artist Daniel Valencia from Fenomeno Design and can […]

Texas brutal death grind band Diminished are back with another album chock full of slam riffs and gurgling vocals. With an album titled Rectal Torment, one should know what kind of genre they’re getting into but truth be told, I had a blast listening to this album. Blasting out of nowhere like your fat girl […]

While labels like Deathwish Inc, Bridge 9, Epitaph and Victory are often considered the preeminent contemporary hardcore labels, the fact remains that Halo of Flies actually has one of hardcore’s very best bands tucked away on their label;  Milwaukee’s DIY act, Protestant. Having released numerous vinyl, splits and 7” records I was happy to see […]

Her laugh is infectious, her spirit is addictive, and her stage presence is second to none. The person to whom I refer is Veronica Freeman, a heavy metal icon and an incredibly powerful singer that deserves far wider recognition than she’s gotten, as does her band, U.S. traditional metallers Benedictum. Witnessing Benedictum bring the house down at the 2007 edition of Chicago PowerFest in support of debut album Uncreation was by far the most pleasant surprise of that weekend and I’ve been a fan ever since.

NEXT CHAPTER IN AWARD-WINNING BAND’s STORIED CAREER SET TO UNFOLD Celebrated progressive rock / cutting-edge metal band BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME (also BTBAM) has inked a worldwide recording deal with Metal Blade Records. The award-winning North Carolina quintet will kick off the partnership with the April release of its new album The Parallax: Hypersleep […]

The band Chastain, home to virtuoso guitarist and label owner David T. Chastain, and female vocal goddess Leather Leone, was one of the most grossly overlooked, underappreciated heavy metal bands of the 1980s. Combining US power metal along the lines of Sanctuary and Metal Church with a neo-classical flair, they released five albums by 1990, […]

The important thing to remember is that there’s no such thing as progressive metal, rock, jazz or anything. You’re more likely to find something truly ‘progressive’ in anything by Janelle Monáe than anything by Opeth. Reason: ‘progressive’ is a just another genre, which means its hellbound to laws and rules, like any other genre. So now that we’ve got that out […]

The dis on the ‘net is that Kryoburn are Fear Factory clones and so much for them. Well, I just want to say this is really unfair.  Kryoburn are Fear Factory clones that clone a whole mess of other bands as well, okay? Now that that’s cleared up, what separates this New Mexico band’s brand of industrialized metal from […]

As most of you know, I’m a sucker for old school, Stockholm-styled Swedish death metal. And with the recent resurgence of the genre, I’ve very much enjoyed nostalgic acts like Axis Powers, Interment, Entrails, Fatalist, Brutally Deceased, Morbider and Evocation bringing back the glory. Not forgetting the slew of re-issues of previously undiscovered, obscure or […]

GOD DETHRONED calls it quits! Might Dutch Death Metal warriors GOD DETHRONED have announced to call it quits by the end of this year. Read the statement of GOD DETHRONED mainman Henri Sattler: “For a Nihilist, nothing is at least something. 2011 is GOD DETHRONED’s final year in existence. We could have spent another year […]

(Montreal, QC) – Canada’s RAZOR are announcing their first show in Montreal in over five years at Foufounes Electriques on Friday April 29th, 2011. Playing only a few shows a year they are also set to headline the 2011 ‘True Thrash Festival’ in Osaka, Japan on February 11 and the show in Montreal will be […]

Glendale, AZ extreme metal band JOB FOR A COWBOY have entered Florida’s Audio Hammer Studios with producer Jason Suecof to record an EP of all new material. The as-yet-untitled EP will feature the first new music from the band since 2009’s Ruination LP which landed at #42 on the Billboard Top 200 chart. A spring […]

Willowtip is very pleased to announce the signing of Dallas’ BARING TEETH. Their debut album, Atrophy, will be released in early-Summer 2011. The band comments, “We are thrilled to be working with Willowtip. We have been fans of the label for years and are excited to be part of such a great lineup of bands.” […]

It’s 2011, and more than two decades after black metal first slithered out of the darkness, it’s still shifting and changing into surprising and unexpected new forms. Recent mutations include the rambling, crystalline majesty of Pacific Northwest acts like Agalloch or Wolves in the Throne Room, or the unexpected fusion of black metal and shoegaze, […]

Stratovarius is iconic within the power metal scene. Having released their first album, Fright Night, 22 years ago, they have been a near-constant presence releasing 13 studio albums, a live album and no less than five (5) compliations in that time. Founding guitarist Timo Tolkki left in 2008 after a good amount of dramatic press. […]

When I first read about Kauan, there was something strange about it. A young fellow from Chelyabinsk, Russia doing neo-folk/ambient/post-rock in Finnish. He was no doubt inspired by Tenhi. My prejudice was proved wrong as the band’s latest output, ‘Aava Tuulen Maa’, became THE album of 2009 for me. After spinning it more times than I or iTunes could count in 2010, I decided to check up on Anton Belov ― the primus motor behind the music ― to see if I could become any wiser about what lies behind Kauan and Belov. Aside from the fact that Kauan’s upcoming album ‘Kuu’ is coming out soon on Italy’s Avantgarde Music.

I enjoyed this one. How’s that for a bare bones, straight forward assessment devoid of all the fluff and metaphor of the typical critical review? But I’m sure I’ll still end up tossing in some metaphorical blather anyway in some desperate attempt to be clever. Singapore’s uniquely <ahem> named Pyscho brings an effective mix of […]

Macabre and Willowtip? Now that’s a pairing that took me by surprise. The Impaled signing and subsequent release of The Last Gasp seemed a tad askew too, though not in any kind of a shocking way. None of that should be taken to mean they weren’t smart signings though; only that Macabre in particular is […]

Starting out originally under the name Etna, the Swiss group Breach the Void takes on a style of synth infused Cyber-Metal that brings them into the ranks of bands such as Sonic Syndicate, Mnemic, Threat Signal, In Flames, Scar Symmetry and Fear Factory. The band’s inception came with Alex Anxionna, whom after his time drumming […]

Okay, so I’m a few months late on this one, but it’s still the right weather outside to grab your headphones and take October Falls’ newest for a wintry walk. As with 2008’s excellent The Womb of Primordial Nature, A Collapse of Faith doesn’t rush headlong through the forest – it explores, wanders and breathes […]

Ten tracks of aggressive, yet technical Swedish death metal with thrash elements. That’s what VOLTURYON’s Coordinated Mutilation is all about. What more could you possibly want than one well written song after the next with cool riffs, solos, intensely growled vocals and a tight rhythm section. Coordinated Mutilation will be released on February 25th via United Guttural […]

Despite having plied their brand of Eastern European folk metal since 1995, I’m still relatively unfamiliar with Latvia’s Skyforger, having only heard the Paragon Records 2006 re-issue of their 1998 debut, Kauja Pie Saules (The Battle of Saule). I’ve missed the three albums and a compilation that have been released since 1998. When hearing the […]

Melodic death metal tyrants AMON AMARTH are proud to announce their 2011 U.S. headlining tour. Simply dubbed “An Evening With AMON AMARTH,” this very special trek will find the band touring without support and instead performing two separate sets each night! One set will feature upcoming album Surtur Rising in its entirety. The Viking-inspired festivities […]