Pittsburgh’s own Vicious Blade is finally releasing its debut, Relentless Force, which is as apt a title as I’ve ever heard. I say finally because they’ve released two sizzling EPs/ cassettes and contributed 3 tracks to Faster Than the Devil 2. One of those tracks, “Scorched,” appears here as well. It’s been 4 years since […]

Guitarist/Vocalist Tim Rowland’s Alchemy of Flesh album returns with By Will Alone.   A big change in terms of sound on this record is that he strictly uses six-string guitars tuned to D Standard.   The last album was a bit of a tribute to Morbid Angel, and it was noted that Rowland was trying to use […]

What the hell is going on over in Indiana? Seriously, I can’t bring to mind anything notable about the Hoosier state, aside from one day a year when a bunch of the world’s finest racecar drivers go to press their lips against some disgusting bricks so they can go around a circle a billion times, […]

Man, I don’t know what it is with some of these small European countries. How are they able to produce such great metal? Take Finland for example, be it doom, death, black metal, or anything in between, and you can bet your sweet ass that there is a Finnish master of it. So I guess […]

“Kill Division’s Peace Through Tyranny is so damn catchy, expertly played and ferocious, which makes this one of the best grind albums I’ve heard in decades”.  This was the ending part of my blurb when reviewing the debut from Kill Division in 2022.  With members from Inhuman Condition, Gruesome and Megadeth; Kill Division once again […]

Swedish death metal played in the USA is more of a needle in a haystack type of deal.  California’s now-defunct Fatalist was one of the better USA type of bands and they had a short run, with minimal output but their material still owns. Trying to find another band that, captured that buzzsaw Swedish sound, […]

“Sweden’s Wretched Fate is a new band formed by members of melodic death metal band Non Divine Sun, and their debut album, Fleshletting is the album that Bloodbath should have released last year.” That paragraph above was the opening paragraph from my review of the 2019 Wretched Fate debut, Fleshletting. And with the band’s second album, Carnal Heresy, I’m feeling […]

Once upon a time, back in the early days of extreme metal, geographical location seemed to play quite a significant role when it came to describing and/or making a statement about one’s band. Not that it still doesn’t, but nowadays, influence is globally well traversed and those stylistic tropes just don’t ring as true or […]

One of the great things about being somewhat close to two scenes is that you just might see the same band in two different places. This is the case with small/death metal newcomers Mulciber, having seen them in Pittsburgh once opening for Castrator, but eating pizza and unable to take videos or photos. Then, not […]

Imagine yourself being attacked by a shirtless man wearing a neon green ski mask. Then, imagine liking it and hoping he decides to do it again. Maybe some of you in our readership don’t have to imagine it because it’s your kink. I’m not one to kink shame. Whatever floats your penis, I always say… […]

My favorite grindcore album of all time is Napalm Death’s From Enslavement to Obliteration. Has been since its release over 3 decades ago. A close second would be Terrorizer’s debut World Downfall. The list of grind bands with terrific albums is endless. Every once in a while, a grind album is released that blows my […]

I imagine being a Swedish death metal band, playing Swedish-styled, HM2 death metal AND hailing from Stockholm carries a little weight with it, what with Entombed  Grave and Dismember all hailing from your hometown. However, youngsters Katakomba are up to the task and have delivered a fine, if not damn brilliant homage to their hometown […]

As a listener and certainly as a reviewer, there’s always a certain point when you are checking out a potential album where you say to yourself “Nope, I don’t like this” and move on ” or say “Yep, I’m digging this” and keep listening. On Seraphic Punishment, the debut album (though they have been releasing […]

“Everyone’s Doing Shitty” says my home state’s own Mutilatred in the opening track to their new album Determined to Rot. I concur. Everyone except for the band, it seems as the hype with their new release is somewhat strong. This is another one of those bands like Sanguisugabogg and Undeath, who gets a lot of […]

New Jersey’s Sentient Horror, previously called Sentience, return with their third album-Rites of Horror. Their 2016 debut, Ungodly Forms, is still their finest and I saw them perform on that tour and they killed it. I love American bands who can emulate the classic Swedish death metal sounds of yore and Sentient Horror do it perfectly. The Crypts Below ep and Morbid Realms album […]

I was just recently randomly listening to  Unsane, Insane, and Mentally Deranged, the debut album from Sweden’s Murder Squad, an early 00s supergroup featuring members of Grave, Entombed and Merciless with a guest appearance from Autopsy’s very own Chris Reifert. And I thought to myself, ‘Man. I have not heard a homage to Autopsy delivered […]

Guys! Guys, you are not going to believe this. Jonny Pettersson (Ashcloud, Berzerker Legion, Gods Forsaken, Heads for the Dead, Henry Kane, Human Harvest, Massacre, Monstrous, Nattravnen, Pale King, Rotpit, Syn:Drom, The Hangman’s Sorrow, Troikadon, Ursinne, Vholdghast, Wombbath, Wormveil)… *catches breath* … Has ANOTHER fucking band! WHERE THE FUCK DOES THIS GUY GET THE TIME […]

A love of Video Games, Lovecraft, and Morbid Angel.   An Interesting mix.  Tim Rowland’s solo Alchemy of Flesh project is one of the biggest surprises of the year in my opinion.   The attention to detail in gear selection and sound is quite impressive here.  Something else that catches my attention is the killer artwork by […]

This past year has been a tough one for… well, so goddamn many reasons. But in particular, the last year has seen the Metal community lose a heartbreaking amount of legendary and highly influential artists. LG Petrov (Entombed, Firespawn), Alexi Laiho (Children of Bodom, Bodom After Midnight), Sven Gross (Fleshcrawl), Mike Howe (Metal Church, Heretic), […]

That album cover… I mean, BRA-FUCKING-VO. The mighty-as-hell Manowar-esque dudes holding various severed heads, the barely-clothed dusky maidens gazing upon our heroes here in awe and wonder. I mean, it’s just a thing of goddamn beauty. A modern classic in the realm of retro metal. I’ve been an absolute glutton for all these newer bands […]

Infestation were a rather short lived, but no less important, death metal band from Massachusetts in the early – mid 90’s.  With the death metal scene in New England putting out some killer bands, such as Tyrant Trooper, Scattered Remnants and Desolate, that entire area were also competing with the Boston Hardcore scene as well […]

Kryptik Mutation are a new upcoming Texas death metal band and Pulled from the Pit is their debut album.  Short little ditty of a full-length – 8 songs in 23 minutes.  Before I get to the review I have to comment how much I love the album cover.  It has a nostalgic late 80’s flair […]

Thrash is off to a flyer in 2021. The classic metal genre has dished up numerous quality releases in the first chunk of the year, headlined by top notch releases from Enforced, Demoniac, Demiser and Cryptosis. Young guns rising to ensure it is not left to the old dogs and veteran warhorses to keep the […]

Throne is a relatively new blackened death metal band (2017) from the depths of Michigan with members from other local acts like Winterus, Mourning Wolf and Inevitable Frost. But Throne is clearly the new prime focus of the members, and deservedly so, as it’s a blistering debut album of searing, militant and commanding black/death metal. […]

It’s inevitable. At some point you will (listen up you little shits), YOU WILL get to the point where you look down at “kids today” with absolute puzzlement and dismay. It’s just a part of life. There will come the time when you’re just totally beyond the point of comprehending youth culture, and you WILL […]