OK, this is an odd, but intriguing one. ( and for clarification its Wood-Scream, not Woods-Cream) Hailing from Russia, with a few releases under their belt and playing folk metal and being female-fronted, I was hoping for some sort of epic eastern European folk romps akin to Dalriada or Grai. But instead, I got a […]

HM 2 pedals have started to pop up in the unlikeliest of places it seems. From right here in the US/Indiana (Psychomancer), France (Nuisable), Venezuala (Nocturnal Hollow), Russia (Wombripper, Pyre), Greece (Abyssus, Wreckage), Australia (Earth Rot),  Croatia (Herzera) and now Belfast, Northern Ireland of all places by way of Marty Robinson and his one man […]

I’ve been on a bit of a new-ish British black metal kick of late with the likes of Wolvencrown, Drakonis, Vegard, Ante-Inferno,  Nefarious Dusk, Sleipnir,And Now the Owls Are Smiling, Shadowflag, The Dying Light and the debut from this Manchester based, symphonic black metal act . Of note to British black metal fans is that […]

Starting 2020  with the same productivity (Myth of I, Aronious, Sutrah) as they ended 2019 (Immanifest, Singularity, Flub, Equipoise, etc) The Artisan Era is quickly rivaling Unique Leader Records when it comes to tech death, even if The Artisan Era seems to have a a little more focus on symphonics. However, there may be some […]

Germany’s FDA Records has stepped out of their comfort zone for a couple of their early 2020 releases. One is weird goth doom (Hraun), another, Stråle , is a Finnish melodic hard rock band , and the other this one, originates from Japan, the first release on the label from there after a pretty consistently German/European […]

Ante-Inferno is a new black metal act hailing from the moors of Yorkshire, England, and has former and current members of other UK black metal acts like Petrichor and Sathamel. But don’t go expecting a band like either of those bands or like other recent UK black metal like the symphonic Argesk or Darkthrone worshiping […]

It’s been 7 years since super group Hail of Bullets called it quits after a solid run of three war mongering albums of trundling death metal. But fear not, Germany’s Scalpture is here to revive the ghosts of the past with their second effort of World War One themed death metal. That should be enough […]

I’ve been digging what Germany’s Purity Through Fire has been releasing of late, especially when it comes to quality black metal. Notably releases from Greve, To Conceal The Horns, Nefarious Dusk, Noidva, The Dying Light and this one man act from Bavaria, who has been super prolific since 2015 with 2 splits, 2 EPS and […]

Do you crave Dimmu Borgir’s last few albums? Especially craving 2010s Abrahadabra, and notably the single “Gateways”? Want fur, frosty armored outfits and face paint? Want some really good symphonic, bombastic black metal? Check out Russia’s veteran act Welicoruss. Apparently one of Russia’s more respected and biggest symphonic black metal acts, these guys have certainly […]

Released at the tail end of 2019, Decision Code is the fourth album from this Russian industrialized death metal act, and if you are worried of Fear Factory and their apparently many and long running legal issues will prevent any future releases, Conflict will be solid stand in. In fact, ol’ Burton C Bell makes […]

After Swedish Death Metal, my favorite kind of death metal is that burly, chunky blackened death metal,. Big beefy riffs, commanding deep vocals, and a pretty strong militant vibe. It’s a sound Behemoth perfected in the mid 00s, (with Zos Kia Cultus being the arguable apex of the style) and recently bands like Poland’s Hate, […]

Occasionally, I need a break from the cacophony and brutality of black and death metal, and need a little respite from the more noisy end of the metal spectrum. Enter the UK’s long running, but hardly prolific doom act, The River, whom I have a very vague recollection of hearing back in my Digitalmetal/Metal Maniacs […]

Way back in 2005, I reviewed the third album from Poland’s Trauma, Imperfect Like a God. It was a killer Polish death metal album culling from all the usual Polish death metal peers. In my opinion, it was as good as many of Poland’s larger, better known bands, but at the time like Country mates […]

Oh shit. So I’ve been on a bit of a blackened death metal kick lately, but also still riding last years symphonic black metal wave that had me impressed and littered my year end list. Well outta nowhere come Australia’s Oath of Damnation with a sophomore album with a violent double penetration of both styles. […]

Before Khold, there was Tulus, who released 3 albums in the late 90s. When Khold, one of the 00s most consistent (some would say annoyingly so) Norwegian black metal bands went on hold in 2006, Tulus was reformed with 2 of the original Khold/Tulus member Sarke (drums) and Bludstrup (vocals- also known as Khold’s distinctive […]

At this point in My Dying Bride‘s 25 year career do you really need a review of album number 13? Let’s be honest, you are simply checking this review out to see if, 1. Aaron Stainthorpe is still growling, and if the 2 released singles  (“Your Broken Shore” and “Tired of Tears”) are the best […]

I said it before and I’ll say it again, if you or your PR folks go through the time and effort to send me a physical CD, there is a pretty good chance I’ll review it. If I don’t its normally due to the old adage about saying something nice. Even if the CD is […]

I’m not overly familiar with Dutch black metal duo Fluisteraars, (“dreamers”)  as Bloem is my first real exposure to the band, even though it’s their 3rd album. Their 2014 debut, Dromers was reviewed in these pages, and that’s where I started my research and decided to give album number three a go. I’ve since promptly […]

I had high hopes for the second effort from Pete Helmkamp’s latest post Angelcorpse endeavor, especially after the nasty little slab of black/death filth that was the debut, Larvae Offal Swine. But alas, Proselyte Parasite Plague is a disappointing, flat (literally) follow up. The main reason for the album’s failure is the guitar tone and production. […]

For a while there, in the mid /late 00s, at deathcore’s peak, Suicide Silence were mentioned in the same breath as genre darlings the likes of Whitechapel, Oceano, All Shall Perish, Despised Icon and such. Even after the tragic death of vocalist Mitch Lucker in 2012, the band were joined by Eddie Hermida (ex-All Shall […]

I have not been a big thrash guy since my teens (Sabbat, Metallica, Toranaga, Slayer etc), and none of the ‘nu thrash’ (Municipal Waste, Toxik Holocaust etc) has really grabbed me. The only 2 ‘new’ thrash bands that I have really enjoyed have been Germany’s Mortal Infinity and The Netherlands’ Anger Machine, as they have […]

I’ve been listening to New Jersey’s Lorna Shore since 2013/14’s EP, Maleficium,  and 2015 debut full length Psalms . And while I enjoyed the band’s synth tinged take on deathcore, I never expected them to blow up into the full on symphonic blackened deathcore act that delivered Flesh Coffin in 2017. Well, after some delays […]

I last heard this Swiss band back in 2014, with their debut Morning Wood. It was a solid if forgetful stab at 00s American metalcore/ groove metal with songs like “Big Dick”, “Sex For Free”, Cock n Bulls”, and “Welcome to the Stud Farm”, it all seemed a bit tongue in cheek. Well the band […]

From the label that brought you last year’s excellent Dauþuz album, Monvmentvm, comes the debut of Finnish trio Marrasmieli (‘death of the mind’) and you can go ahead and block a spot for your 2020 year end list, because this is going to be on it. This isn’t just a good album, or a great […]

They say imitation is the greatest form of flattery. If that’s the case Chris Reifert and Autopsy should be flattered as fuck by this German trio and their second full length album, Outcome of Obnoxious Science. If you like Autopsy and their sinewy oozing ilk like Slaugterday (also from Germany), Nailgun Massacre, Obliteration, Execration and […]