I know it’s a broad, sweeping generalization, but it’s a pretty common phenomenon for metal, and death metal in particular to have a geographical sound or recognizable style. You’ve got Sweden’s buzzsaws, Florida’s punchy technicality, New Yawk’s groove, Finland’s filth and Canada’s uber complexity. But what is Norway’s know death metal sound? It’s not really […]

Montréal, Quebec’s ultra-brutal tech-death/deathcore act Beneath The Massacre return with their fourth album, Fearmonger.  The band seemingly going into a hibernation for some years, as their last album Incongruous, was released in 2012.  Much of the band has remined intact, the newest member is Anthony Barone, on drums.  When bands are so over-the-top brutal I […]

I’ll make a full confession so you know where I stand. I am a Lamb of God fanboy. I have the Wrath era logo tattooed on me in what was, at the time, the most painful place I had yet to receive a tattoo (I will not confirm or deny if it was my b-hole). […]

I’m a big believer in being honest with yourself. Knowing who, and what you are (and just as importantly, aren’t) goes a long way towards helping you build a happy, successful life for yourself. That’s not to say that personal growth and exploring new things is by any means a bad thing or useless endeavor […]

Epic doom isn’t really my thing. Well, it never used to be. Sure, one of my favorite vocalists of all time is Ronnie James Dio. I have no children, so the closest I have is my black cat and his name is Dio, so that’s the best tribute I can give. Side note: I picked […]

For years I have seen the Collision band logo and never investigated them until now. They hail from The Netherlands and stated in 2000. They have several albums under their belt and The Final Kill is their newest release-a 7 song ep. Collision plays a hybrid blend of thrash-crossover mixed with brutal grindcore. When I […]

I know this review is a month or so late but it’s been 18 years since the last actual…And Oceans album so, I think I’m good So, after 18 years, … And Oceans are back and not just back, but back to their symphonic black metal roots that they abandoned when they became more industrial […]

I once read a review regarding Belgium’s Pestifier and their then, sophomore release, Reaching the Void, where the group was described as sounding like a collision of Obscura, Beyond Creation, and Vektor. I’ve always like that analogy of the band. It’s true, clean, concise, and includes by association other influential acts such as Pestilence, Death, […]

There must be a huge Finnish or Scandinavian poplace or cultural influence in Canada right? Other wise  why is there such a surprisingly  large amount of solid Finnish sounding epic/folk/viking bands there? Blackguard/Profugus Mortis, Crimson Shadows, Vesperia/Bolero, Battlesoul. Will of the Ancients, Nordheim, Valfreya just to name a few. Well, add Vancouver’s Atavistia to that […]

All hail Hail Spirit Noir who hail from Greece. These gentlemen caught my ears and eyes when they released Oi Strigoi all the way back in the “before times” in 2014. I was, and remain a big fan of that album, so I was excited when they released Mayhem in Blue in 2016. While I […]

As I peruse through albums I might consider year end candidates I see a lot of black metal; …And Oceans, Abduction, Kryptamok, Aara, Afsky, Eisenkult, Glaciation, Marrasmieli  to name a few. But there is very little truly special  death metal.Sure there’s some good stuff like the always reliable Abysmal Dawn,  The Project Hate‘s Purgatory or […]

When I heard a few months back that Ulcerate was working on a new album, I couldn’t have been more excited.  I own their entire LP catalog, and after seeing them live in San Antonio 4-5 years ago, I was floored at the atmosphere they create and the fact that they were able to produce […]

Christ this is the 13th full-length Sinister album.  I really don’t count Dark Memorials as a 14th album because that was an album made up of cover songs. I’ve been a long time fan of the band ever since I heard the debut Cross the Styx and first saw them on tour in support of […]

Well, imagine my surprise when I was perusing the promos and found a new release from one of my most favorite bands, Behemoth. It’s not a new full length, unfortunately, but an EP titled A Forest, which has two versions of the song by the same title originally recorded by The Cure. There’s a recorded […]

I’m not sure what to make of the U.K.’s Lucid Conformity and their debut album, Architects of Madness. While it’s definitely not a bad album per se, I’m not willing to throw out heaps of praise or vital recommendations for it either. The fact that the group/duo employs more than a few, i.e. way too […]

I’ve been feeling a bit… contemplative, lately. Join the club, right? We’re all finding ourselves in a world that just sorta… isn’t the one we knew it to be. And all this time in quarantine has given everyone time to really think about their lives. Are you happy with the way that it’s going? Are […]

As I mentioned in my Glaciation review, Ive been on a French metal kick and the third album from Abduction might be the best of the bunch so far this year. One of my cohorts reviewed their prior album A L’heure du Crépuscule, and succinctly threw around bands like Borknagar, Arcturus, Ved Buens Ende, and […]

In 1989 Sepultura’s Beneath the Remains solidified the band as being able to compete with the bigger thrash metal acts as this was a ferocious death/thrash metal assault.  To this day my favorite Sepultura album is their second album, Schizophrenia, from 1987.  I was a fan since Morbid Visions, from 1986.  And I missed meeting […]

Werewolves is a new blackened death metal super group of sorts from Australia featuring Sam Bean (The Berzerker, The Senseless,The Antichirst Imperium ) on vocals/bass, Matt Wilcock (The Berzerker, Abramalin, The Antichirst Imperium) and most notably drummer Dave Haley (Abramelin, The Amenta, Psycroptic, Ruins). According to the promotional materials , the album was written and […]

When I discover a new act that I really connect with musically, as a completist, will get their discography and study their albums.  With today’s ever evolving and oversaturated metal scene a band must never forget to create real music, which incorporates great song writing, catchy guitar riffs and great vocals with well-placed vocal patterns. […]

I’m not sure what to think about this. Bourbon Souls is the debut from Helsinki six piece Stråle (shimmer/shine/glow), and it’s a pure hard rock/alternative record, the first such that I’m aware on the usually death metal orientated FDA Records. The thing is, it’s kinda fun. This is open window, driving own the highway, singing […]

Imagine for a moment Abysmal Dawn were your average, every day, 9-5 productive cog in society. It’s not too far from the truth. After all, they do make death metal for a living (although, let’s face it, they probably need other jobs, too). They get up, go to work every day, do a great job, […]

Formed way back in 1983, Polish juggernaut Vader are rightfully held in high regard in the death metal scene. A pillar of consistency since dropping their 1992 debut, The Ultimate Incantation, Vader keep on kicking out reliably strong death metal jams, with the past decade showing no sign of decline. Although Vader has dabbled with […]

Jacob Bannon. Sean Martin. Mike McKenzie. Greg Weeks. Jon Rice. A musical collective combining parts of Converge, Wear Your Wounds, Twitching Tongues, Hatebreed, The Red Chord, Stomach Earth, Job For A Cowboy, and Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats together under one banner. So, rather than waste any more time talking about the checkered history of […]

Singaporean death/black/thrash/war metal blasphemers Impiety have been around since I was about 6, but my introduction to them was much later. If you have paid any attention to my words on this site at all, you have no doubt noticed I have picked up quite a few albums on a whim. While I am unsure […]