The Pacific Northwest gets a lot of USBM love – all those towering primeval forests, rugged coastlines and deep, billowing fog banks conjure the same fascination and mysticism as the old country (i.e. Norway). But what about the Great Northeast? There’s more up there than just Martha’s Vineyard, dropped r’s and lobster rolls. They’ve got […]

Metal fans listen to their favorite genre for many different emotional responses. Some of us seek an exhilarating high from its more epic and powerful expressions. Others find an outlet for frustration and aggression from its visceral, blackened and bludgeoning strains. And some enjoy the intellectual immersion and awe that comes from its most ambitious […]

It’s been 4 years since Mithras‘ stunning last album, Behind the Shadows Lie Madness, so rather than prolong the agony, the guys have dropped this quick little EP. Two new tracks and three live songs. Not a ton of material, but Mithras doesn’t just write songs – they write galaxy-destroying, mind-warping, all-consuming astral death metal […]

Germany’s Klabautamann wowed me with their 2009 release Merkur, which featured a surprising Opeth-meets-Enslaved progressive black metal sound. I was particularly impressed by the soft, jazz/lounge-inspired interludes and the inventive compositions. The fact that the vocalist sounds like a dead ringer for Grutle was a bonus as well, so I slotted the album in at […]

Ghost may be snagging all the headlines in this whole retro ‘70s occult/Satanic revival thing that’s been going on (which also includes Blood Ceremony, Jex Thoth, Year of the Goat; call it the NWOSHM if you like), but when I think of mysterious Dutch act The Devil’s Blood, I recall the immortal words of Keyser Soze: […]

Hi there. It me Bigfoot. I ready to come out and show self to public. Not because I need money but because I sick and tired of stupid beef jerky commercials. I so angry from ads make fun of Bigfoot that I write death metal album to show everyone I not hairy clown. I get […]

One of the things I love most about metal is that it’s so diverse and far-reaching that I’ve been able to amass a United Nations of a collection. And sure, we probably all have our share of classic American thrash, British heavy metal, Swedish melodic death and Norwegian or French black metal, but how about […]

Blut Aus Nord’s Memoria Vetusta II is one of my favorite black metal albums of all time – an odyssey both terrifying and graceful, with masterful compositions that flow as much as they rage. So when I heard that Blut Aus Nord’s next releases would be an epic trilogy, I was naturally very excited to […]

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 […]

As a longtime Opeth fan (my favorite band for almost 14 years), I can’t say I was that surprised when Mikael Akerfeldt announced that the new album would be a completely prog rock affair. No growls, no thick, distorted guitars, no death metal at all. Yet it’s a natural transition for a band that, from […]

Correlation does not equal causation, but I’m going to say what everyone is thinking anyway: that Mike Portnoy’s departure from Dream Theater has let the band take a big, deep breath of fresh air. Now look, we can’t fault the guy for wanting to experiment over the years. Dream Theater is a progressive metal band, […]

Up until a few months ago, I had never heard of ‘slam death.’ Not a big surprise, since my death metal tastes run more towards tech or melodic, and I was never that into Suffocation to begin with (who, I understand, are kind of the granddaddy of the subgenre). Yet, out there are entire blogs […]

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’ […]

Although the kvltest of the kvlt may gnash their teeth and tear their hair, black metal has truly spread its wings since its early days. Yet no matter the subgenre – symphonic, Viking, folk, progressive, post-black, depressive/suicidal, bestial, orthodox, blackgazer, and on and on – there are certain hallmarks of the genre that remain in […]

Not to be confused with Sutter Cane (“Do you read Sutter Cane?”), Finnr’s Cane is a three-piece hailing from the frozen wastes of Canada (yeah, they have those there too), and if you’ve never heard of them yet, take note, because you’ll be uttering their name alongside other naturalistic black metal luminaries in years to […]

Right-wing yahoos in this country may still hold the French in contempt, but those of us in the underground know better. Not only has France been dominating horror the past few years with brutal films like Inside, Martyrs and the work of Alexandre Aja, but it’s also got its share of stylish, unfuckwithable metal acts. […]

Two years after their dizzying third album Process of a New Decline, French tech-death sorcerers Gorod return with this 5-track EP of inspired remakes and re-imaginings, plus one epic of a closer. First off is “Earth Pus,” a new recording of a track from their 2005 release Neurotripsicks. It’s a blustery, groovy beast, all spidery […]

I covered Gigan’s debut, The Order of the False Eye, back in 2008, and I remember it being a difficult write-up. Describing music is hard enough, but when it’s complex, undulating tech-death, it really does become a you-have-to-hear-this-to-understand-it kind of deal. The Obscura review I wrote up a few weeks ago was a challenge as […]

I’ve been extremely grateful for each new Amorphis album since Far from the Sun, considering that I basically gave up on the band with that one. Luckily for us, they realized how to play up their strengths and deliver what the fans want, and they’ve done a fantastic job of it ever since. And now, […]

If you like electronic music, particularly proggy synth music, and especially synth-based horror and sci-fi soundtracks from the late ’70s and early ’80s, then you’ll love Zombi. Simple as that. Cosmos, the Pittsburgh-based duo’s 2004 debut, was heavily influenced by Goblin (Dawn of the Dead, Buio Omega, Suspiria) and Italian giallo horror soundtracks in general. […]

I’ve been able to assemble a hell of a KMFDM playlist over the years, yet I don’t think the band has ever released a truly perfect album. NIHIL comes really damn close, but the rest usually play out the same way: a few awesome tracks of propulsive, riff-fueled industrial dance/metal, some solid filler, a couple […]

I really enjoy Edguy, but can’t stand Helloween. Same thing with flowery goth-metal – Nightwish is great, but Epica doesn’t do it for me. And as for Blind Guardian, man, do I really want to love that band. They pen catchy, soaring epics, scored by tasteful orchestration and the right amount of power metal crunch. […]

I usually cover a lot of black metal, tech death and the like for this site, but finding a great power/progressive album is a real treat. It’s also rare, because I tend to be pretty picky about the vocals. I like a strong balance between beauty and brawn, with just the right amount of bravado, […]

The human brain excels at patterns. It does this all day long, interpreting and rendering an endless flood of sensory signals into a cohesive and constant presentation of reality. A large part of this process involves prediction, based on past experience and feedback, so that we have a natural sense of the next step in […]

As you’d expect from a band with the word Militia in their name (guys c’mon, Hell’s Militia would have sounded much better), this French outfit belongs to the conservative party of black metal. Conservative as in discordant, primitive, mostly amelodic – and to these ears, totally fucking boring. Too bad, considering the pedigree: members of […]