Jamey Jasta never seems to slow down.  From his success with Hatebreed, to hosting Headbanger’s Ball, to owning his own record label, to his partnership with Kirk Windstein in Kingdom of Sorrow and now to his self-titled, self-funded album, the guy is always up to something.  This solo gig is what Jasta has described as […]

Metal Mind Productions is proud to present the exclusive re-release of three albums by the British band Bal-Sagoth: “The Power Cosmic”, “Atlantis Ascendant” and “The Chthonic Chronicles”. “The Power Cosmic” – Bal-Sagoth’s fourth full length album from 1999. Focusing on an intergalactic tale of war, cosmic empires, and celestial gods, the album pushed the band […]

I didn’t have high hopes for this record. First, there was all the drama surrounding it. They bring in new singer Dan Nelson. The album’s recorded and ready to go when Nelson is canned, so it’s shelved. Then, much to my pleasure, John Bush is performing with the band again. But, wait a minute, he […]

It’s been a while since I heard a quality, old school, pure modern melodic death metal album  — and no, In Flames does not count. Here is Poland’s Made of Hate attempting to solve just that with their sophomore effort and they meet with a measure of success. Though glossed with a little thrash and a little, dare […]

I really wanted to like the debut from this doom sludge act from Portland more, but despite a sickly hue and oozing pallor, I can’t bring myself to be as impressed as I am by other like minded acts (Cough, Thou, Highgate, Coffinworm). It starts out well enough with a throbbing patient lope and fuzzed, […]

Yup. You read right. This death metal/grindcore band from Finland is called Blastanus. Luckily, their second, self-released album is more impressive than their moniker as Collapse delivers 11 songs and 43 minutes of punchy Euro sounding death/grind that should please the fans of Aborted and maybe newer Cephalic Carnage and such. There’s thick, beefy guitars, […]

It’s been four years since we’ve heard anything from Seven Witches, but Jack Frost is back with a new lineup and a familiar voice. James Rivera of Helstar, who sang on two of the band’s earlier albums, returns to record Call Upon the Wicked. There’s a very heavy Judas Priest flavor early in the record, […]

If you are the kind of a person that thought the 2011 releases by the likes of Ana Kefr or Unexpect were just too much, too chaotic and too avant garde, just go ahead and leave now. Go on! You’ll be doing yourself a favor. On the other hand, if you thrive on those sort of […]

They took their sweet time, but Brainoil have finally unleashed the follow up to their 2002 debut. Their self titled debut was an intelligent mix of Eyehategod’s southern rock grooves, Buzzov*en’s coked up outbursts of speed and the Melvins off kilter riff structure and the result was a concise, straightforward album of pummeling grooves. Death […]

Dutch newspaper are reporting that SOLE REMEDY guitarist MIKKO LAINE, while on tour, has died last night in The Netherlands after he was accidentally run over by the band’s own touring truck–loaded with PA equipment and other gear–only few hours after a successful show. The accident took place around 1.30 AM local time, when the […]

APMD (All Pigs Must Die) is a band committed to uncompromising sonic warfare. Its sound and lyrics assault the listener in a fury of blackened death filled anthems.” Yep, I lifted that straight from the band’s Facebook page, thinking it a perfectly apt description of the aural terror inflicted upon the listener by All Pigs Must Die. One of a growing number of bands that blend gnarly death, d-beaten crust, and vicious hardcore in a way that is somehow fresh and exciting, APMD swoops in like an elite commando unit, executing its mission with deadly efficiency, leaving as quickly as they arrived, and with not a soul left alive in its wake. That’s what is in store for you with each and every spin of Southern Lord full-length debut God is War. Featuring members of Bloodhorse, The Hope Conspiracy, and Converge, this is one band does not – in the most direct way I can put it – fuck around. Adam Wentworth provides the debriefing.

I’ve been a big Mastodon fan since Remission, but even I have to admit that I was surprised to see Crack the Skye named Time magazine’s #3 album of 2009. Of course, it was a terrific release, full of hypnotic, proggy epics and three of my favorite minutes of metal that year (all packed into […]

White Wizzard’s last outing, Over the Top, was my favorite record of last year. It was a great fun throwback record that hit me immediately, and some of the songs from that record are still on my everyday playlist. I gushed about it every time I got the chance. So Flying Tigers was one of […]

It makes sense that Agoraphobic Nosebleed did a split with Despise You. The band has worn proudly on their sleeve their love for grinding power-violence through the shirts they wear, songs they’ve covered, and singer Jay Randall’s very own free record label, Grindcore Karaoke. But they didn’t just have a flavor-of-the-month powerviolence band to do […]

Listen, a s much as I’d like to, I rarely review 3 track demos- I simply don’t have the time considering all the other stuff we get here to review. However, I will make a few exceptions; 1) if you are really fucking good, 2) if you are really fucking good and local and 3) […]

Xibalba are five-piece from southern-california who play a slightly throwback inspired take on metallic hardcore. Fortunately that throwback flair is drawing inspiration from some incredibly heavy acts such as Disembodied and Bloodlet. A sound and delivery where the common thread is in their use of down-tuned, simple chugging riffs, with a dark and menacing motif. […]

Rising from the filth-lands of Uddevalla and Ljungskile, Sweden, NECROCURSE was spawned in 2004 with a penchant for all things brutal and ugly. Featuring current and past members of Nifelheim, Necronaut, Runemagick, Deathwitch and Swordmaster (among others), the band is now ready to unleash their chaos upon an unsuspecting underground via Singapore’s Pulverised Records in […]

Here’s some of that sweet hot fire I glimpsed while reviewing Highgate’s sophomore album Shrines to the Warhead. This collection of demo and live tracks compiles the band’s 2005 and 2006 demos along with an unreleased track and two live recordings. Normally this type of material dump is only interesting to established fans but Black […]

Candlelight Records today unveils a special remix version of WOE’s acclaimed second album Quietly, Undramatically. The album is available now for streaming and download via the label’s exclusive Bandcamp page. In addition to the new mix, Candlelight has posted the debut album from Falloch, a special reissue of Extreme Noise Terror’s A Holocaust In Your Head, and […]

It never ceases to amaze me how many bands have managed to incorporate the word ‘gore’ into their name. From Gorefest to Gorguts, to Gore Story and Dr. Gore, it just never seems to end. I’m still waiting for ‘Gorecornflakes’… or ‘Gorepaperclip’… or… never mind. Anyways what we have in Germany’s Goregast is an old […]

Candlelight Records today confirms the worldwide signing of thrashers RUMPELSTILTSKIN GRINDER. The Philadelphia-based band is already working on their new album, titled Ghostmaker, expected for release early spring 2012. The four-piece tested some of their new material via a string of regional shows this past weekend and expect to tour in support of the album […]

What’s this? A new giveaway? That’s right, folks and what a giveaway it is! We’ve got no other than one of rock and roll’s legends and shock rock originators on board: Mr. ALICE COOPER! The man of horror has just released his latest album ‘Welcome 2 My Nightmare’ and to celebrate the occasion—and the fact that it’s a great record—we’re giving away two copies of the album on CD format. But that’s not all as one of the copies is signed by Alice Cooper! So come on up and take part in Teeth of the Divine’s ALICE COOPER horror madness!

Alice Cooper promised a sequel, and he delivered in a surprising way. The shock rock pioneer went into the studio with the intention to record a follow-up to 2008’s creepy serial killer concept album Along Came a Spider. Once he got in the studio with long-time producer and collaborator Bob Ezrin, they decided to delve […]

I heard Moab’s Dimensioner demo earlier this year and walked away unimpressed. It was decent enough spacey stoner doom, just nothing too exceptional or interesting. Round 2 is here with the release of their first full length, Ab Ovo, and the band fares much better with some very solid stoner doom that, unfortunately, features some […]

Up until I heard this 10 song, 7″ release from Atlanta’s Dead in the Dirt, God Is War from All Pigs Must Die was my favorite crust release of 2011, and before that, Nails and their Unsilent Death release was my favorite crust release of the last decade or so. But once the needle hits […]