In 1989 Sepultura’s Beneath the Remains solidified the band as being able to compete with the bigger thrash metal acts as this was a ferocious death/thrash metal assault.  To this day my favorite Sepultura album is their second album, Schizophrenia, from 1987.  I was a fan since Morbid Visions, from 1986.  And I missed meeting […]

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 […]

The self-titled album. A tradition as old as almost metal itself. There are several reasons for the eponymous album title. An introduction, by which the band simply says “We are Iron Maiden. We are Black Sabbath. We are Bathory. And this is our sound.” Or a re-introduction, where the band has undergone some significant change, […]

When Nightwish’s Imaginaerum came out in Europe back in November, I didn’t pay much attention. I had a fling with Nightwish quite a few years back, but it didn’t last long. I know it will be sacrilege to a certain segment of the band’s fans, but it was really Tarja Turunen’s vocals that did me in. […]

When it comes down to the new Megadeth album TH1RT3EN, there’s one thing people can agree on: At least it’s not ‘Lulu’. Click on to read our review of Mega Dave’s latest opus.

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, […]

If you’ve followed the career of Max Cavalera, you won’t likely be surprised by what you hear on Cavalera Conspiracy’s latest outing, Blunt Force Trauma. It’s the same blend of Sepultura-style thrash and groove metal he’s delivered since leaving Sepultura, minus the world music influence. His second reunion with brother and drummer Igor Cavalera is, […]

For those who have ever wondered what Killswitch Engage would be like―and I know every fan has―if original vocalist Jesse Leach had stayed with them, you may finally get a little bit of an idea with the release of Hymn of a Broken Man by Times of Grace. It’s the creative collaboration of lead Killswitch […]

After ripping my face off with 2009’s Unconsecrated Australia’s The Red Shore return with a new label, a new vocalist and a new drummer ― yet none of those changes stop The Avarice of Man being as completely devastating as the band’s debut. Despite the fact the band will be lumped in with the current trend of […]

In the 11 years since Ratt‘s last (and quite poor) album, the band has had several up’s and down’s. Lead singer Steven Pearcy has been in and out with Jizzy Pearl taking his seat in his absence(s), a few guitarists have attempted to take Robbin Crosby’s place (may he rest in peace) including ex-Motley Crue […]

When Sepultura and Max Cavalera parted ways in 1996, fans were the ones who got the shaft. Instead of the thrash powerhouse we’d had up to that point, we got two mediocre acts that, while both having their moments, never came close to delivering anything with the power of Arise or Chaos A.D. Over the […]

Today we offer you a thorough look at Korn’s―yes, Korn’s―latest album ‘Korn III: Remember Who You Are’. Have we gone insane? Is our belief in Heavy Metal faltering? Lack of judgment? Are the recent heat waves to be blamed? Or perhaps, just perhaps, we actually have something worthwhile to say? See for yourself!

Many of Porcupine Tree’s recent albums have centered around a theme or mood, but it’s been quite awhile since Steven Wilson and crew have delivered a full-on concept album. Here, it’s not just a narrative concept album, but a structural one as well, as The Incident is less a collection of songs than a loosely […]

I think Dave Mustaine might be trying too hard. Don’t get me wrong – Endgame, his twelfth studio album, isn’t a bad album, but it’s also not the epic-return-to-form masterpiece that he’s been peddling it as over the past several months. This isn’t Rust In Peace Part 2, no matter how bad he wants it […]

Devildriver is a band that gets a lot of shit from the “troo” crowd, mostly because of frontman Dez Fafara’s previous band Coal Chamber it seems. Supposedly that band called it quits because Mr. Fafara wanted to pursue heavier sounds while his bandmates wanted to head in a more mainstream direction. If that’s the case, […]

I’ll make a confession and tell you that I hadn’t had much faith in Dream Theater since they brought out their timeless masterpiece Metropolis Pt 2: Scenes From A Memory back in 1999. While its successors Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence and Train Of Thought both had their moments of brilliance and assured the listener […]

I had an axe to grind with this album before I even heard it- not only was it a self titled album, which is one of my pet peeves, it was the second time the band has released a self titled album- are you kidding me? Also, with the band basically writing the same album […]

Based on the My Skin is Cold EP earlier year, I had hopes that perhaps Satyricon would start stepping out of the sterile little comfort zone they’ve created for themselves of late. Maybe a little more textural or structural variety, or perhaps just something with a faster tempo. I wasn’t expecting the return of The […]

It would seem that every time I come across a Cradle of Filth CD, I feel slightly more inclined to school people. Not proverbially school them, but literally. I cast aside grammatically challenged losers like moldy bread, begin using more sophisticated words like “assuaged” and “indubitably” in daily speech, and resume my lifelong quest to […]

I always thought Trivium was a decent band, but I just couldn’t get past Matt Heafy’s monotonous screams. It’s no surprise then that their last record, The Crusade was one of my favorite releases of 2006. The screams were pretty much gone, there were better hooks, and despite being complete Metallica worship, I thought it […]

One of the most anticipated records of the year for me was Cavalera Conspiracy, reuniting Sepultura vocalist/guitarist Max Cavalera and drummer Igor Cavalera. Though it’s been eclipsed in my mind by records released since, it was an outstanding effort, and I thought it would be tough for Max’s other band, Soulfly, to compete. So I […]

I remember seeing some pretty wretched reviews for Now, Diabolical when it was released – claims that Satyricon had finally deconstructed and dumbed-down their sound to a simplified parody of their once-feral greatness. I didn’t think so – sure, it was minimalist, but not toothless – it still seethed in the right places, and rocked […]

Churn out as much quality as Opeth, and each album will be studied for the slightest inclination of a flaw. Truth is, Mikael Akerfeldt and his mammoth baby Opeth have no flaws and are literally, in this reviewers eye’s, perfect. Say what you will, Watershed proves without a doubt that you don’t mess with Opeth. […]

After a three year absence Opeth return to us and somehow they manage to get even more bizarre yet again. I’m not going to compare this to older Opeth as I am a latecomer to the Opeth phenomenon myself. I only started a bit before Blackwater Park, thanks to a friend of mine who could […]

I think from the time that Max Cavalera left his brother Igor and Sepultura behind in 1996, the entire metal world knew that at some point the two would reunite, either in Sepultura, or in a new project. In his absence, Max spent his time in Soulfly, a band that I was never really sold […]