Portugal’s Major Label Industries is hardly prolific with their releases, but when they release something it’s usually something creative or unique like Crushing Sun, The Firstborn or Before the Rain. However, with the release of E.A.K‘s second effort, the label appears to have succumbed to releasing an underwhelming home grown effort that does not match the […]

Portugal’s Crushing Sun opens their newest album Tao with a Nevermore-ish riff, pummeling the listener right off the bat. While that’s pretty much where all the connections to the Seattle-band end, Tao is heavy – and by heavy, I mean crushingly so. On all of the promo sheets, the music’s being labeled as ‘progressive death […]

How many genres fold in other cultural sounds and themes as energetically and creatively as metal? We’ve got it all: Ancient Egyptian death metal (Nile) and Christian progressive black metal (Extol). Metal from both the Middle East (Melechesh) and Middle Earth (Summoning). An entire seagoing army of epic Viking folk bands (Thyrfing, Aes Dana, Moonsorrow, […]

Here’s a pleasant little surprise from Portugal’s long running Simbiose; classic Discharge, Doom, Extreme Noise Terror, Driller Killer, Terrorizer and Righteous Pigs styled grindcore/crust with no frills, no pig vocals, no squawking chaos, no breakdowns, just earthy, punky power chords, grooves and a hint of catchiness. Granted, this is far from earth shattering, but it […]

With only a handful of artists to their roster (3 to be exact), Portugal’s fresh little label Major Label Industries has been delivering the goods in their first year of existence. Last year’s post-doom newcomers Process of Guilt yielded a healthy slab of death doom with loads of atmosphere and enough sparkle to keep this […]