When it comes to progressive metal/rock I’m usually pretty careful with my selections. As much as I enjoy the stunning musicianship and fluid yet unpredictable arrangements, too often prog sacrifices actual songcraft by over indulging, or is simply too bombastic or cheesy for my tastes. Fortunately when the genre hits the spot it can also […]

The whole female fronted doom/occult rock format has reached saturation point in recent years, with it becoming more and more difficult to isolate the more credible bands with some actual decent songwriting talent amidst the scores of pretenders. Birmingham’s Alunah have been kicking around on the doom scene since 2008, but up until now have […]

Autumn’s Dawn is the relatively new project from Australian duo Tim Yatras (drums, guitars, vocals) and Matthew Bell (bass, guitars, keyboards), better known by their stage names Sorrow and Anguish. Furthermore, one or the other has been involved in various metal projects, including Germ, Austere, Rise of Avernus and Woods of Desolation. Autumn’s Dawn represents […]

Prolific and consistent are two words that spring to mind when assessing the career thus far of Boston’s Revocation. Finding cunning ways to manipulate and expand their signature technical death thrash formula has been a key to much of the band’s success and creative progress. Yet when it was announced that their year-by-year release trend […]

Bondage babes, leather, chains, beer, sleaze and hellraising riffs are just some of the things that spring to mind when jamming the sophomore full-length from retro metal fiends, Midnight.  No Mercy for Mayhem might channel very similar territory to its much praised predecessor, Satanic Royalty, but it does so with such infectious energy and skin […]

Through tremendous work ethics, perseverance and a non-stop willingness to break down and twist the conventions of the doom genre, Eugene, Oregon’s YOB are deservedly regarded as one of the most innovative and revered bands in the modern doom landscape. The formidable trio, led by mastermind Mike Scheidt (vocals, guitar), disbanded following 2005’s excellent The […]

It’s amazing how drastically Opeth’s revered status in the wider metal community has been skewed and distorted in recent years following a nearly unprecedented run of critical acclaim that catapulted Opeth to a rare level of bulletproof stardom and respect. During a prolific career spanning over 20 years it was of course inevitable that Opeth’s […]

Norwegian oddballs Diskord pull off a tricky double act with their quirky brand of warped death metal madness.  By blending a decidedly old school and unvarnished aesthetic with highly innovative and forward thinking songwriting, Diskord have cultivated a unique formula of raw prog and tech infested old school death metal, so masterfully nailed on their […]

When weighing up my options of which album to cover for my first contribution to The New Classics feature I was pleasantly surprised by just how downright overwhelming the task of narrowing down a pivotal album to highlight. Not through any shortage of quality options, but rather the sheer magnitude of landmark and game changing albums that have dropped during a very fruitful post-millennium decade. Personally, when the year 2000 rolled around I was still in my late teens and on an upswing of discovery since breaking my extreme metal cherry a couple of years prior. Of course I had plenty of catching up to do as my appreciation for heavy metal took on an entirely new dimension, with one ear scouring the landmark early wave of extreme metal, and especially death metal’s storied past, while the other was planted in the (then) here and now.

Amidst the always evolving and mutating landscape of modern metal there will always be room for retro minded bands that eschew the notion of breaking new ground and instead cast their blackened eyes back to the roots of any given genre to unleash their own fresh interpretation. Of course any band aping a particular sound […]

Gruff, groovy and packed with their endlessly inventive weed puns, death metal parodies and demented lyrical tales, Cannabis Corpse are well and truly in the zone on their fourth full-length album, entitled From Wisdom to Baked. After kicking around on Forcefield records and Tankcrimes the band’s hard work and genuine scene cred has culminated in […]

Germany’s Vehemenz is one of those rare and exciting ‘diamond in the rough’ discoveries lurking in relative obscurity in the metal underground.  Hopefully this enticing debut self-titled EP will boost the band’s profile, because it’s an utterly enthralling, haunting black metal experience that is not easily forgotten. Despite Vehemenzsignalling the band’s debut release, they’ve been […]

Tremendous energy courses through this excellent sophomore LP from Norwegian melodic black metal four-piece Vinterbris.  Although Vinterbris sit comfortably in the melodic black metal category, instead of retreading the past they offer a fresh, vibrant take on the style, crafting a modern black metal album of enormous depth and quality.  The band’s distinctive riffs and […]

Despite their ever snowballing popularity, Mastodon has gained their fair share of detractors during the post-Leviathan phase of their career.  The bombastic showmanship and scattershot songwriting of Blood Mountain proved a bit too left field for some listeners, while the tangled prog-rock odyssey of the brilliant Crack the Skye no doubt left some portions of […]

Poland’s Vader is a death metal institution, long ago confirming their status as one of the genre’s true legends and most durable bands. Over 30 years have passed since the band’s formation and Piotr “Peter” Wiwczarek and co are showing no signs of weariness as they soldier on with their 10th full length album, entitled […]

A couple of years ago I stumbled across a reissue of a lost gem from the classic early 90’s death metal scene. The album in question was Inside the Unreal, the debut full-length and until now sole album from Italy’s Electrocution. Apparently it was well received back in the day but perhaps due to their […]

A fair amount of controversy has followed Chicago’s Lord Mantis upon the release of their third album, entitled Death Mask. The subject of art verses shock value has been debated at length, with frontman Charlie Fell in the firing line over the symbolic meaning of the disturbed image donning the cover art, created by Jef […]

Bite Your Head Off, the debut album from Australian extreme metal troupe King Parrot, was released domestically back in 2012 amidst largely positive reactions. Now after deservedly landing a multiple record deal with Candlelight Records, and currently carving their path through a string of shows in North America, King Parrot are making significant waves and […]

Death By Burning, the debut from Hamburg-based German/Turkish duo Mantar, is an arresting album of raw power, electric energy and ironclad riffage. Hanno (vocals/guitar) and Erinc (drums/backing vocals) showcase the intuitive chemistry and songwriting gift of any great duo, delivering colossal sludge rock grooves reminiscent of classic Melvins, coupled with the blackened attitude of later-era […]

Aeon of Horus is a progressive metal band that has built a solid reputation on the Australian metal scene in recent years.  Formed back in 2006 the band released their solid yet understated debut, The Embodiment of Darkness and Light in 2008, and despite a rather limited recorded output (their debut is wedged between a […]

Cynic’s polarising shift away from their technical death metal roots has created enormous debate since they reunited with the largely successful but divisive Traced In Air in 2008. The trio of Paul Masdival, Sean Malone and Sean Reinhert made their new found intentions very clear with the increased experimentation, strong melodic sensibilities and progressive bent […]

Firstly, my apologies to the band for not punching out the review of this early year release a little sooner. Tardiness aside, the debut album from Sweden’s Astrophobos taps into the melodic black metal vein, championed by the likes of Dissection and Naglfar in the 90’s, and does a very capable job of refreshing what […]

Heavy metal, and its various extreme offshoots, can be a serious game.  Searing bouts of rage-filled abrasiveness, disenchantment with society, bleak subject matter, and of course unrelenting aggression are some of the defining attributes that we associate with the backbone of extreme music. And really, we wouldn’t have it any other way, which makes the […]

Perhaps it’s a cynical viewpoint, but it seems thrash metal as a whole is languishing in the midst of a creative rut, with the bulk of bands more content on rehashing the nostalgic 80’s period of the genre’s definitive days rather than pushing the envelope and taking the genre into fresh new territory. Whilst acknowledging […]

Between this release and their recent blockbuster split between Cannibas Corpse and Ghoul, Tankcrimes has been on an early year roll.  This latest offering teams-up gore metal vets Exhumed with up and coming hardcore/punk/metal destructors, Iron Reagan, for an enticing cocktail of old school death metal and thrashy hardcore punk. They each supply four songs, […]