Reviewing a Christian metal album is always like swimming in shark tank with a chum jockstrap on. Well…IT’S FEEDING TIME BOYS!!! But I try to stay the course and be objective as I can, and most readers probably don’t realize that I’m actually a devout (?) atheist, so my many Christian reviews aren’t some thinly […]

Obsequiae, a duo black and bold Crafting melodies from cent’ries of old The mists of time unfurl and flicker past And echoed rasps begin their – Eh, enough of that. Writing a review in iambic pentameter is damn near impossible. These guys do a much better job with the medieval slant on their craft. Minneapolis’ […]

I’ve followed the UK’s The Belonging for a while now, from their slightly forgetful 2005 debut, Setting the Scene, to 2009’s Ashes of a Fallen Throne, where the band took an improved step into impressive blackened war metal. And now, in 2011, with their third follow up, we’ve got yet another quality self-released album. Continuing their […]

Goddammit! Yeah, the summer vacation is over and it’s time to return back to the routines; work, natural disasters, war, famine and whatever else plagues y/our mundane lives from 9 to 5. Luckily for you, Underworld Records have hooked us to provide you with an opportunity to make your fall play out on with a positive note: Three bands. Six CDs. Two lucky winners. We’ve got SLIME IN THE CURRENT, we’ve got KILLGASM and we’ve got EXCOMMUNICATED CDs ready to go.

I really like what former doom merchants, Southern Lord, is doing with their crust/hardcore of late;  excellent releases from the likes of  Nails, Acephalix, Masakari, Black Breath, Planks, Summon the Crows, Sabarante, and this, the fucking blistering debut of All Pigs Must Die. Featuring Kevin Baker (The Hope Conspiracy) on vocals and Ben Koller (Converge) […]

Despite all the attention that post-rock influenced black metal or East Coast and Pacific Northwest black metal gets, there’s a few nice little unsigned, independent, more obscure USBM bands lurking in the sunny depths of California. Notably Lake of Blood and this mysterious new act, Leucosis. With only six myspace-friends and three of them notably […]

I’m not entirely sure how to describe the second, self-released album from Italy’s Laetitia In Holocaust. I mean, if the moniker and the cover art–a group of giant insects gang banging the planet earth–doesn’t clue you in the level of weirdness contained on Rotten Light, I’m not sure I can help. Falling ever so generally […]

If you need something to tide you over until Entrails‘ new album comes out later this fall, you have two solid options right now: Demonical‘s Death Infernal or the debut from Italy’s Undead Creep. Both will satiate fans of classic Swedish death metal, rendering damn fine examples of mid-range, buzzing, d-beat, Stockholm styled death metal. […]

Everything about this band and release initially screams utter pretentiousness; the moniker, the EP title, the artwork, the song titles, the horn rimmed glasses and hipster looks and the limited vinyl only release — though a mp3 download code is included. None the less, contained withing this 16-minute little gem could be the start of […]

Kansas City’s got a lot of good things going for it in terms of heavy metal these days.  Locals such as Meatshank, Vanlade, and Ancient Creation (among others) are bringing the metal proper, the latter being the subject of this review.  With the members of Ancient Creation having been involved in various heavy metal outfits […]

Ever wonder what happened to supreme death metal vocalist James Lee after his departure from Origin? Here is your answer. Lee swings the microphone with authority on The Embers of Man from Mankato, MN’s Face of Oblivion, an album on which he is also credited with lyrics. No big surprises here; just a solid tech-death […]

Lavadome productions is proud to announce the signing of Slovakian Death Metal marauders, PERVERSITY, for the release of band’s upcoming fourth album, “Ablaze”, due out on August 31, 2011. “Ablaze” is about to prove what PERVERSITY’s revitalized and exhilarating line-up is capable of. An intro plus nine tracks deliver skillfully executed, unrelentingly bludgeoning death metal […]

When I first got this EP for review, I wasn’t overly excited; rather uninspiring band name, silly EP title, from a label known for brutal death metal. Then I discover that the vocalist and founder of Mordbrand is non other than Per Boder. Yes, the same Per Boder who formed the short lived  God Macabre. […]

Man! It’s been just a killer year as far as Swedish, Stockholm styled death metal is concerned! Not only do we have 2011 releases by the likes of Brutally Deceased, Revolting, Ribspreader, Miasmal, Feral, Morbus Chron and Undead Creep, but we’ve seen reissues from Furbowl, Toxaemia, Utumno, and Uncanny too. Also, I’ve been going back and discovering other recent […]

After nine years of splits and EPs, Southern sludge stalwarts Sourvein have returned with their third full-length album Black Fangs. T-Roy and his revolving door cadre of dirt merchants have been one of the most consistent outfits in sludge and this release is exactly what fans have come to expect; tar-like riffs, subsonic bass, plodding drums […]

Norway’s FESTER has just completed the recording of their first studio album in 17 years! EntitledA Celebration of Death, the album is targeted for a late 2011/early 2012 release through Abyss Records. This is FESTER as you’ve come to know them: Cold as ice and mean as Hell! Original member Bjørn “Tiger” Mathisen has recruited […]

American black metal outlaws BAHIMIRON are ready to unleash their wolves to the flesh of Christ with Rebel Hymns of Left Handed Terror this fall on MORIBUND RECORDS. Set for release on October 25th, BAHIMIRON‘s Rebel Hymns of Left Handed Terror will contain nine hymns of rabid bestial nightmares, all in devotion to total death and the fiery […]

I’m thinking this is the third interview I’ve done with Billy Nocera of Razorback records over a time span of what must be approaching 10 years, maybe eight. Heck, I don’t remember precisely, but I know that up until now I hadn’t interviewed him for Teeth of the Divine. Given some changes in Billy’s life on both the domestic and label fronts, it seemed a good time to check in with this long-time lurker of the underground. In this installment of the, uh, Razorback interview series Billy talks about the label’s doomier end, his marriage to Vanessa and their relocation to Kentucky, the world of underground distribution, and various other Boar-ing topics. If you’ve any interest in acts like Wooden Stake, Fester, Crypticus, Hooded Menace, Mausoleum, Church of Misery, Coffins, Blizaro, Revolting, Scaremaker, Mausoleum, Decrepitaph, and Fondlecorpse (to name a handful), then you should probably take the plunge and read on. Have horror will travel. Can you dig it? The grave I mean.

I love the idea that there’s such a thing as “traditional black metal”. I like the idea that tortuous tritone riffing, compulsive blast beating and hell-rasping-reports from various levels of Hell can now be wrapped in such a cuddly honorific as “traditional”. I mean, “traditional” is a word I associate with folk music, with things […]

The debut EP from Finland’s Gorephilia was a victim of circumstance. Released earlier this year around the same time and on the same label as Corpsessed‘s debut EP,  it got kind of steam rolled by The Dagger & the Chalice. Which is actually a bit of a shame as Ascend to Chaos, while certainly not […]

Try as hard as I may, I simply can’t get into California’s Gravehill and their brand of blackened thrashy death metal. Even residing on Dark Descent and featuring an ex-member of Morgion/Keen of the Crow and current members of Exhumed (Matt “Hellfiend” Harvey to be specific, whose recently reissued thrash death project, Dekapitator shares a […]

Old school, heavy, rock band VALIENT THORR has released their debut music video for their song SLEEPER AWAKES, which can be viewed below: The band will also be on tour with PENTAGRAM and JEFF The Brotherhood (on selected dates*) Aug 16 – Columbus, OH – Ruby Tuesday Aug 17 – Toledo, OH – Frankies Aug […]

Another “super group” of sorts, World Under Blood is the product of CKY guitarist Deron Miller and skins beating journeyman Tim Yeung (Divine Heresy, Morbid Angel, ex- Decrepit Birth, ex- Agiel, etc), . Along for the ride is ex-Decrepit Birth four stringer Risha Eryavec and guitarist Luke Jaeger, who has done time in All Shall […]

Pyramido’s 2009 debut Sand was a decent, if repetitive, exercise in heavy rock sludge. Salt, their sophomore release, improves on Sand in nearly every way, featuring a wider array of influences and more variety. There’s still a problem of running riffs a little too long and the throaty, hoarse roaring vocals are at times overbearing […]

The Beaumont Club is a good-sized venue (1000 capacity or so) in Kansas City, Missouri’s Westport area, an area sometimes considered to be Kansas City’s birthplace but that now mostly houses good eateries, shops and nightlife options. The Beaumont’s rectangular shape— with the stage at one of the small ends, the bar at the other, and a long-ass walk in between—usually makes it difficult to traverse in the midst of a packed show. But when the place is mostly empty, the difficulty’s not there. Such was sadly the case of the Forbidden, Revocation, White Wizzard, Havok and Vanlade show held at the venue on Monday, June 27th.