Despite the fact this is pretty obvious The Black Dahlia Murder worship a la Wretched, Mirror of Dead Faces, Sons Of Azrael etc, but it’s better than those bands and I have to say I’m kinda digging this- a lot. From the killer cover to the injection of some excellent Woe of Tyrants – like […]

As regular readers of this site may know, I’m generally not a huge fan instru-metal or instrumental metal as I feel vocals are an integral part of metal. However, with the likes of Scale the Summit, Animals As Leaders, Shelter Red and North Dakota’s Sleeping In Gethsemane, my stance may be softening a little. Admittedly, […]

A Canadian band playing bouncy, synth filled, epic, Finnish styled folk power/black metal on Sumerian Records (though Nuclear Blast did do the European release) with a female drummer? Yup. Culling from the likes of Ensiferum, Wintersun, Turisas, early Children of Bodom and such, Blackguard (formerly known as Profogus Mortis) give folk fans another solid entry […]

I have to admit, my expectations weren’t to awfully high for this. An English tech-metal/deathcore band on Earache, but Fetish actually ended up being a surprisingly solid release that will appeal to fans of recent releases by Burning the Masses, Within the Ruins and such. Straddling the line between atonal, grinding, spazzy, metal, tech death […]

So after my review of Finsterfirst’s latest album, Einheit Produktionen were kind enough to send me a trio of the labels releases from the tail end of 2008, and all three warrant your attention, especially the 5th full length album from this long running German folk/Viking metal band. Much like Heidevolk, there’s a huge Vintersorg […]

So here is album number two from the UK’s Trigger the Bloodshed who along with the likes of Sarpanitum, Detrimentium, Man Must Die (and since, Ignominious Incarceration) have recently resurrected the British death metal scene and with a slight line- up change, Trigger the Bloodshed remain as technical and visceral as the debut. Of course […]

For reasons beyond my comprehension, the second full length album from Funeral Mist (now comprised solely of Arioch) has received a large amount of criticism and negative response. Whether it’s the fact the album was unleashed without warning 6 years after the highly regarded Salvation, that Necromorbus is no longer on drums, or that Arioch […]

Super group Birds of Prey consisting of Ben Hogg (Beaten Back to Pure), Erik Larson ( The Mighty Nimbus, Alabama Thunderpussy, Hail!Hornet), Bo Leslie (The Last Van Zant, Throttlerod), Summer Welch (Baroness), and Dave Witte (Municipal Waste, Burnt by the Sun, Discordance Axis, Human Remains) have always been promising with their Southern take on groovy […]

After the surprising excellence of the recent Odium album, I thought I’d delve back into the Year of the Sun Records pool, only this time with different results. Never have a band been so appropriately named (at least until a band comes out called ‘Annoying Fucking kids Playing Shitty Deathcore’, but I digress). Canada’s Misguided […]

You’ve got to give Chris Bruni and Profound Lore Records some credit – Krallice? Cobalt? Hammers of Misfortune? Portal? Alcest? Amesouers? Tell me that isn’t an elite label based on those releases alone. Well, after raising some eyebrows with the debut EP from this Irish black metal act, Profound Lore has raised the bar again […]

I’m not gonna lie- there isn’t one single original note on the debut from Baltimore’s deathccore/metalcore kids Whisteria Cottage- not a single one. However, they do deliver the expected deathcore stylings with a level of confidence and skill that should make them appeal fans clamoring for this stuff. The band that immediately came to mind […]

Utah’s Chelsea Grin are the US equivalent of Bring Me the Horizon – visually I want to punch repeatedly them in the genitals and ensure they never breed- but musically they aren’t actually too bad and are one of the heavier deathcore bands I’ve heard. If you recently enjoyed the likes of Oceano, then this […]

After the clinical tech death assault that was Of Fracture and Failure, New Zealand’s Ulcerate has made a few changes to their sound and thankfully replaced vocalist Ben Reed (bassist Paul Keland now performs vocals) and the end result is yet another simply killer Willowtip release and one of the most striking death metal albums […]

It was recently discussed over at the teethofthedivine forums what “Evil Death Metal” is and examples to recommend. Seven Chalices, the debut full length album from Spain’s Teitanblood was one of the recommendations. And rightly fucking so, as Seven Chalices literally reeks of pure, ritulaistic evil and debased, chaotic misanthropy. For those of you sick of […]

As much as I like The Funeral Pyre and respect Creator Destructor Records, this stop gap EP reeks of contractual obligation or a favor to the band’s former label. Heck, even the artwork seems rushed and obligatory. Continuing the sound on 2008s Wounds, the now synthless California black metal act blaze lazily through 5 rather […]

Here’s a promising, nicely packaged, self released, 5 song EP than will not only appeal to you retro thrash fans out there, but maybe fans of modern thrash like Trivium and Cerberus (US). Hailing from Tempe, Arizona, Hemoptysis (coughing up of blood or of blood-stained sputum from the bronchi, larynx, trachea, or lungs), have all […]

I could be lazy and simply tell you if you like Equilibrium, then you will like Finsterforst (Dark Forest) and be done with it. After all, they also hail from Germany, play lavishly produced, epic, bombastic synth laden folk metal that culls heavily from Finntroll, Turisas and Ensiferum and they are fuckin’ awesome. However, I’ll […]

Holy sh– No that wont work. Jesus Chri– That wont work either. God damn– Crap. Well roger me with a Yorkshire terrier and call me Sally- man this is good. Those Christians sure are bringing the pain this year. Not only is the debut from California six piece Earth From Above arguably the heaviest Christian […]

Burning Human is the classic death metal band that was originally formed in way back in 1995, but they never officially released anything. Of note though is that Burning Human (then and now) features current Shadows Fall and former Crisis drummer, Jason Bittner. The band recently re-united and with the help of producer James Murphy (who […]

There’s been an almost Bring Me the Horizon/Bullet For My Valentine like buzz in the British media about this Brighton metalcore act and their third release- on Century Media records no less. However, after absorbing Hollow Crown for a while, it’s really nothing too special in the realms of noisy, occasionally melodic metalcore/hardcore and nothing […]

Folks, THIS is how clean vocals on a metal record are done right. Plying a familiar form of modern metal that will appeal to fans of Killswitch Engage, All That Remains and such, Canada’s Odium add a couple of things to spruce up their sound: some heavy handed but well placed, dramatic orchestral synths that […]

I decided to review this self released Italian metalcore effort and the debut, At The Bottom from Canada’s Odium on the same day so you readers could get two slightly different examples of how clean vocals affect the totality of the album. In the case of Inside Process, their heavier, meatier take on metalcore (a la […]

Listen -I love metal. I grew up on metal and have listened to metal for the better part of 25 years. I live, breath, eat, shit and ejaculate (much to my wife’s chagrin) metal. It’s part of my being, part of my personality and part of my soul and never in a million years could I see myself listening to any other music as I grow even older. Nope – I’m going to be in the old person’s home, drooling and shitting all over myself, listening to Deicide on headphones while on my death bed. When I do croak, my hands will be stuck in the shape of the ol’ horns.

That being said, there are some things about metal and all of its many sub genres that annoy the ever loving shit out of me. Things that grate my nerves, mildly irritate me, some things I just flat out hate and few I’m even embarrassed to be associated with. So I thought I would share a few of them in no real order. And as always feel free to add your own or comment on mine.

Of course, please remember this is for mild entertainment and very weak humor purposes only….. Don’t get all butt hurt.

With 2007s debut, Nailed. Dead. Risen, California’s Impending Doom rustled some feathers and raised some eyebrows with their attempt at  pure, brutal death metal from a Christian viewpoint. On some levels it succeeded, but it also felt a bit forced and gimmicky. So here is the follow up, and I’m glad to say, that for […]

Like this record, I’ll get xstraightx to it: 9 songs, 22 minutes of very impressive, incredibly hefty, heaving Straight edge hardcore/metal that’s some of the most impressive of this style I’ve heard since Black My Heart and Redline. Also, because some of the huge, open note breakdowns, this will appeal to the likes of The […]