The funny part is that it did not even occur to me that Necrology was the new album from My Own Grave; guess I didn’t recognize the indecipherable logo. “What a hearty meal of Swedish death metal these ‘Necrology’ fellows have served,” I thought to myself. Then upon perusing the Pulverised website I see that […]

Credit the Czech Republic’s Lacerated Enemy Records for nabbing the license for this Skull and Bones Records released debut from these young (and now split up) Australian upstarts Hiroshima Will Burn, a modern tech-death act that came along just soon enough to catch what is looking like the tail end of a minor trend of cherubic […]

It is a good thing my opinion of Soul Control’s choice of band name is not the same as that of its debut full-length on Bridge Nine, Cycles. If that were the case, I would be ripping the album to shreds. As it turns out, I just find Cycles to be a decent enough album […]

The first couple of spins of Sanctification’s Black Reign brought to mind two parallel thoughts: it is rather redundant and it borrows heavily from the Cannibal Corpse sound, especially the vocals of George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher. As it turned out, neither of those were bad things and Black Reign has grown on me, mainly because the […]

Even though European heavy metal fans have always trounced their stateside counterparts in terms of dedication to their bands, it still puzzles me that so many folks on this side of the pond bypass Novembers Doom. Not only has the Chicago act perfected a unique brand of doom/death, but they’ve improved and expanded their sound, resulting in albums like The Pale Haunt Departure, The Novella Reservoir, and Into Night’s Requiem Infernal that are filled with quality metal and memorable songwriting from top to bottom. That Novembers Doom can play a Minneapolis festival with the likes of Primal Fear and Atheist and be lucky to draw 100 people, then turn around and fly to Spain to play a show for 800 people that sold out in advance speaks volumes about the difference between European and U.S. punters. In the interview that follows I discuss that contrast, the new album and generally all things Novembers Doom with guitarist Larry Roberts.

What’s the first thing that comes to mind about Grey Metropolis from Denmark’s Sanctus Daemoneon? With Halloween coming up, it might be one to consider as the soundtrack to one of your morbid holiday gatherings. That statement is not intended to sound like I’m making fun of Grey Metropolis; it is just recognizing the fact […]

In the deep south of these United States of America a man known as Mortigan stands defiant in the midst of trend whores and mall metal junkies, opting instead to (basically) go it alone and make raw, minimalist black metal rife with sordid tales of sadomasochism and bizarre fetishes. Performing under the moniker Octagon, new […]

Do you see that grainy picture of a creepy looking forest on the cover of Tarm’s Nad Tulevad Kääpaist? Well somewhere in there is bound to be a dilapidated old farmhouse converted into a makeshift analog studio where these Estonians recorded this platter of Pagan black metal. I’m telling you, there seems to be a […]

Did you know that New Jersey’s Whiplash formed in 1984 and went on to release a handful of albums during thrash’s heyday in the 80s and a few during thrash’s mere existence in the deep underground during the 90s? I did, and that’s about all I knew. One of a slew of lesser known, but […]

Acheron is one of those bands that has been making quality death metal for a long time, yet has remained far underground. Whether due to the overtly Satanic/anti-religion themes – which I find odd, considering that this is death metal – or vocalist Vincent Crowley’s sometimes controversial views and comments (or, rightly or wrongly, the interpretations of such), Acheron has never gotten the level of acclaim that its peers have, yet continues to give the fans what they want. The Final Conflict: Last Days of God has been a long time coming, but it has been worth the wait. Released on Displeased Records, the album is proudly rooted in the old school with an organic sound (from Bill Korecky), beefy riffs, strong arrangements, and a songwriting approach that is pretty damn catchy (in a death metal sort of way). I spoke to Mr. Crowley by phone, but failed to ask him whether he rode his white horse or spoke to the dead. It’s still a good read though, helped in no small way by the guy’s affable nature and willingness to leave it all on the table.

I think I liked Threat Signal more when they were basically a Fear Factory clone (right down to Christian Olde Wolbers producing). Yeah, ok, shades of Soilwork’s melodic thrash/death and Strapping Young Lad’s atmospherics were present as well. But the point is that I didn’t find the mimicry on Under Reprisal to be a problem; […]

I say “goddamn, I like it!” When I noted that the astutely named Blood I Bleed would be unleashing 23 songs in 17 minutes I wondered, “Can they pull it off and make the arrangements come alive?” The answer is a resounding “yes,” by grindcore standards anyway. Like the best grinders, in my humble opinion, […]

The little bit I did gather from the long-ass, convoluted bio for Italy’s Carnal Rapture is that they’ve been around in one form or another since 1992. What they play on the mysteriously titled Promo 2008 is a mid-paced, jazzy tech death that is all twisted, turning, and lopsided with mid-range scratchy growls that fall […]

What to make of Brazil’s Dark Celebration and its sophomore full-length, Phlegeton: The Transcendence of Demon Lords; that is indeed the question. It’s actually not that complicated. First and foremost, the vibe is one of vintage death metal with blackened edges and an atmosphere that approaches that whole Latin American dark ‘n dirty death metal […]

Those zany Poles in Dead Infection are at it again, this time bringing the high-speed muck in the form of new MCD Corpses of the Universe. The term “Goregrind” gets utilized so much now that it has lost some of its descriptive appeal, but there is no mistaking it, Dead Infection is goregrind. Yeah, I […]

I guess I missed the debut album from Italy’s Malfeitor, but I sure am glad I got a copy of Incubus to review. It is one hellishly righteous cauldron of boiling black metal. Featuring bassist/vocalist M. Fabban (Aborym), Malfeitor play in a traditional Scandinavian style, in this case one that crosses the ferociously fast and […]

Man oh man; Australia produces some great extreme metal acts, especially those of the black, death, and war variety. The fertile down-under breeding ground has given us another righteous death metal act in Defamer and its first full-length release, Chasm. This one is all about evil atmosphere and old school spirit, but damn, it takes […]

Attention all extreme metal record labels, Milwaukee’s Burial Ritual deserves a spot on your roster. Check out the precision death metal execution and memorable songwriting of Tower of Silence and I defy you to disagree. That’s not to say that self-released albums aren’t typically worthy of your time, but it is still a pleasant surprise […]

Well, this is it, folks; the last of the Voivod material. As you’ve probably read in every single review of Infini, these were the riffs recorded by the late/great Piggy and turned into the 13 songs comprising this final album. It is the capstone to a quarter century of greatness. Keep in mind that the […]

Don’t ask Mike Scalzi about the true metal scene or his presumed secret formula for penning Celtic inflected “cult” heavy metal. A shit he does not give, as such conjecture presupposes premeditation. As guitarist/vocalist/leader of Slough Feg he simply writes what comes naturally and the “secret” is no secret at all. The inspiration comes from the Big Three of Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, and Judas Priest, and the delivery just happens to have a unique, Celtic folk slant. It really is as simple as that. Just spin the outstanding new release Ape Uprising and give it some thought; you’ll hear it, trust me. As you’ll see, I didn’t have to say a whole hell of a lot to elicit a marathon response; or maybe I’m just that good. Nah, I just caught him in the right mood and moment. Onward we go.

There is no secret formula to the death metal performed by Wisconsin’s Jungle Rot. It’s about a riff, a groove, and a growl. It is what it is; always has been and always will be. Themes of battlefield horror are spat out over tight, rumbling rhythms and choruses into which you can sink your teeth. Label troubles be damned, Jungle Rot soldiers on with a new album in What Horrors Await that is even tighter, better produced, and just as memorable as anything they’ve released thus far. With the firm backing of yet another label in Napalm Records guitarist/vocalist/founder Dave Matrise brings us up to date on the war-torn world of Jungle Rot.

Death, magic, and doom; yep, sounds like Candlemass to me. And what a rejuvenated band the legendary quintet have become with the addition of Solitude Aeturnus howler Robert Lowe. It’s not like the self-titled comeback album with Messiah Marcolin is anything to sneeze at (it is indeed a great disc), but when Lowe entered the fold for King of the Grey Islands, he breathed new life (new death?) into the band, a quality that is even more evident on Death Magic Doom, an album that saw Lowe actually record with his band mates. It is certainly my favorite of the last three albums and, dare I say, one of the best albums of the group’s career. It is a grand declaration of Candlemass doom that weaves Leif Edling’s crushing, yet darkly beautiful, riffs with morose melody and a songwriting effort that is nothing short of stellar. Lowe discusses his place in the band, as well what will easily end up one of 2009’s top metal albums in Death Magic Doom.

You better be in the right frame of mind for this one. And by “right,” I mean not right at all. Kembatinan Premaster is the second full-length from Havohej (or “Jehovah” spelled backwards), the work solely that of one man, Paul Ledney (Profantica, Incantation, Toten, Abomination, etc) and it is 34 minutes – not sure […]

I hadn’t thought about this North Carolina band in years, but I do recall being impressed with 2004’s self-released debut album Lesser Traveled Waters, although I’ve had no luck locating my review of that disc. As such, let’s just say the band’s shape shifting ways on that album left me impressed and the arrival of […]

Necrophobic’s last album, Hrimthursum, threw me for a loop initially, mainly because of the stylistic expansion from the album before, Bloodhymns, which was one of my favorites from 2002. It wasn’t as though the Swedes did any kind of about-face on that album, one that I rated quite highly in the end; I just found […]