Milwaukee hardcore/crust band Enabler have said about their new full length – the world is fucked, and this is the soundtrack to its demise.  Based on their lyrical themes it’s a pretty accurate description, albeit a bold one.  With bleak artwork and song titles such as “Fuck Today” and “Save Yourself”, you can tell these […]

Death metal will always be my passion, and there has been some really good stuff dropping as of late (Amon, Tombthroat, Miseration, Relics of Humanity). But there does come a time where one can get death-metalled out so to say, and a break can sometimes be in order. That prompted me to grab the second […]

Grindcore mainstays Phobia are back with their 6th full length, and on this newest one they made the odd choice to introduce… clean vocals and female gothic influences?!? Ummm… No. This is straight up ass-melting grindcore, and it’s what these guys have been pummeling eardrums with for over 20 years. When you can personify the […]

Evolution in metal is an interesting beast, and one that has three distinct paths for bands who decide to travel down its twisty road. Evolve too far and you risk alienating your fan base, and in extreme cases become a virtual laughingstock (Morbid Angel, Machine Head,  Cryptopsy – you all should know exactly which albums […]

Old school death metallers Cardiac Arrest are back for their fourth album, and it’s old school death metal as you would expect it. Semi-decipherable death growl? Check. Buzzsaw guitar tone? Check. Raw production? Check. Horror/death themed lyrics? Check. It’s all here, and that’s all that can be said about this album – it’s just  ‘there’. […]

Cattle Decapitation is a band that has grown a lot on me the past few years.  I wasn’t keen on their early work, but starting with Karma Bloody Karma and continuing with The Harvest Floor, this vegetable-loving four piece have continued to flesh out their crushing style on Monolith of Inhumanity. What is so interesting […]

Catheter?!?  What the hell?!?  It’s been seven years since these guys have dropped a full length, and having not heard much from them at all since then I had written them off for dead.  After doing a little research I found out that they have released two or three splits in that time (depending on […]

After six long years, Spawn of Possession are back to toss their hat into the tech-death ring with their third full-length – Incurso. The band has gone through a lineup change since the last album, with drummer Dennis Rondum trading in his sticks for a microphone, and Obscura’s Christian Munzner taking over on guitars. Right […]

It has been a killer first part of 2012 for metal fans, with the godfathers of grind and death, Napalm Death and Cannibal Corpse respectively, both dropping new albums. The new Napalm Death absolutely slayed, and proved once again who still carries the grindcore crown. The questions when a legend comes out with a new […]

Ladies and gentlemen: Napalm Death have entered the building. This is their new album, Utilitarian. It kicks ass, just like their other albums. Go download it, stream it or steal the money from your grandmother to get your hands on a copy. End of review. So what more is there to be said? Why are […]

Technical death metal is a unique beast. When pulled off well (Origin, early Neuraxis, Decrepit Birth), it is one of the few genres that can make you stop and go – “Whoa… what the hell was that?!?”; leaving you reaching for the rewind button on your cd player to re-listen to what you just heard. […]

What better way to celebrate Valentine’s Day than with a good slab of old school death metal? The debut album for Zombie Inc. was released to the world on February 14, and I am sure it was the soundtrack for many a candlelight dinner. Well ok probably not, but it definitely reeks of ironic humor […]

Their press info lists them as a metalcore band, but to lump these Germans into such an oft-hated genre does a bit of a disservice. These Germans play a form of thrash/death/punk with a large dose of early Napalm Death for good measure. So if you do want to put them in the metalcore genre, […]

Few bands can lay claim to the fact that their guitar style spawned a whole genre, but Meshuggah is one such band. Their heavily palm-muted, distorted guitar style known as “djent” has spawned many a copycat. Some bands such as Periphery, Animals as Leaders, Putrescent Secretancy, Textures and others have done a good job of […]

With bands like Krisiun, Blood Red Throne, Decapitated and other top-level death metal bands putting out new releases this year, I had high hopes for Vile’s new one – Metamorphosis. With six years between full lengths you would expect somewhat of a style change, and their flashy new artwork definitely hinted at these guys going […]

Now this one is definitely interesting. As someone who tends much more towards the death/extreme end of metal, I signed up for this one having no idea what to expect. Based on what I have read, this band falls under the post-black/folk/shoegaze brand of metal. Being unfamiliar with this genre I have no comparisons off […]

Jamey Jasta never seems to slow down.  From his success with Hatebreed, to hosting Headbanger’s Ball, to owning his own record label, to his partnership with Kirk Windstein in Kingdom of Sorrow and now to his self-titled, self-funded album, the guy is always up to something.  This solo gig is what Jasta has described as […]

It never ceases to amaze me how many bands have managed to incorporate the word ‘gore’ into their name. From Gorefest to Gorguts, to Gore Story and Dr. Gore, it just never seems to end. I’m still waiting for ‘Gorecornflakes’… or ‘Gorepaperclip’… or… never mind. Anyways what we have in Germany’s Goregast is an old […]

Norwegian black metallers Svarttjern (which means ‘black tarn’) are back with their second full-length, Towards the Ultimate, a follow up to 2009’s Misanthropic Path of Madness.  The band is the brainchild of vocalist HansFryste, who is also the front man for Ragnarok.  In addition to taking a lot from that band, if you’re a fan […]

Before I get into this review I have two confessions/disclaimers to make. One – I love deathcore, and I love breakdowns even more. I think there are few things more enjoyable in the extreme metal realm. Two – I can’t stand raspy, screamy vocals. CAN’T FUCKING STAND THEM. They can ruin a promising album quicker […]

What is in the water in Canada? Between Gorguts, Kataklysm, Cryptopsy, Beneath the Massacre and numerous other, the hockey-loving country to the north has turned out a veritable who’s-who in the death metal world. And does anybody remember an unsigned band named Vengeful that dropped one of the best death metal albums of the year […]

Extreme metal has many sub-genres. Some would say too many. One that has always seemed to be kind of an anomaly is the sludge metal genre. It’s a genre that’s not tossed around too often, and it seems that one really has to be in the mood for it to really enjoy it. But if […]

Ahhhh… Unearth… one of the pioneers of the modern metalcore scene. Every time these guys come out with a new album it’s like an old friend you haven’t seen in a few years coming to visit – you think they might have changed but you’re hoping not by much. How does this, their fifth full […]