I can remember cruising through my local record store some 20 years ago as a young teenager and blindly purchasing Testaments Souls of Black solely on the cover art.  It was a rewarding purchase to say the least, and so began my admiration for one of heavy metals finest acts. What I now have […]

Germany’s Dark Suns created a minor classic to my ears with Swanlike in 2002. That album boasted gothic doom/death with ethereal acoustics so powerful for a debut, even Mikael Akerfeldt of Opeth commented on how impressed he was with the bands ability. Eagerly, I awaited more from the band, and what came over the next […]

Swedes In Mourning have made a solid impression over the past five or six years. Their brand of melodic death has matured greatly in the past three albums that they’ve released, and with The Weight of Oceans (2012) the band were being lauded as possible heirs to Opeths death metal throne. Rightfully so, because Afterglow […]

After nearly a decade of inactivity, Novembre are back with one of 2016’s most anticipated returns.  Ursa marks album number seven for the Italians and it wholeheartedly embraces everything that has made the band such a stylish international gem in the extreme metal universe. If you’ve adored the output from Carmelo Orlando and company over […]

Fredrick Norrman’s departure from Katatonia has unlocked a door that personally, I never thought we’d see open. October Tide, the revered doom/death side project once helmed by Jonas Renkse and Norrman has been reincarnated without Renkse, a new line-up has been devised, and a new album is here in all its glory. After years of […]

This Finnish outfit turned some heads with their 2002 release Binding of the Spirit. Mixing a heavy dose of synth-laced melodic black and gothic metal, Throes of Dawn seemed to be the underground band to watch. In 2005, Quicksilver Cloud arrived, and though the black metal aspects were still present, a thicker, gothic atmosphere drenched […]

I tried to forgive Eluveitie for last years Evocation I: The Arcane Dominion. Though it wasn’t a bad record, it wasn’t a metal record either. Now the band takes the obvious leap back into metal, but what we get is no comparison to 2008’s Slania. Unless you are a diehard fan of this band, Everything […]

I’ve spent a lot of time with this record. New Moon is the definition of a “grower.” Swallow the Suns’ sound has progressed since their debut, yielding dynamics in writing that ultimately has lead them to this point in their career. This band is no longer a straight up death/doom outfit. The Swallow the Sun […]

Over the last ten years, Fear Factory has tarnished even the most dedicated fans’ view of the band. Under pressure from Roadrunner, the band bridged a gap between their heavy industrialized sound and the mainstream, causing a downward spiral of events that eventually led to what we all thought was the band’s ultimate demise. Chug-master Dino Cazares left the band due to mounting tension with lead vocalist Burton C. Bell, and pursued Divine Heresy, which was a lackluster copycat of Fear Factory in most fans’ eyes. Though Bell and company kept the motor running with Archetype, 2005’s Transgression was a clusterfuck of an album that sealed the deal for most followers. Well, those days are ancient history and I am ecstatic to say that the machine has returned, and someone has switched it to kill mode.

We live in a time where certain aspects of metal music are having an identity crisis. I’m an open-minded person and I do enjoy some of these more unique sub-genres that are manifesting, but some leave me utterly confused and perplexed. Most noticeable experimentation is happening in the black, sludge/noise, and post rock divisions. With […]

Katatonia are influential. Make no mistake about it, this is an act that knows all the right moves and has been a leading entity throughout the years despite their change in sound and musical contemplation. The sheer emotion that circumvents their music is undeniable and with 2009’s Night is the New Day, Katatonia shatters the […]

As one of the European fathers of death/doom and gothic metal, Paradise Lost has had controversial ups and downs for years. Though the band has released quality music and some great albums, nothing has been quite as monumental as Gothic, Icon, and Draconian Times. If anything, the band stayed far from that chapter of their […]

I’ve learned over the years that I am too quick to judge. Actually, most would probably confess to hastily disregarding a certain CD or band, only to find down the road that you neglected something you really enjoy. This is where we start with Timeline Symmetry. This thing sat in my review pile, shunned, while […]

Years ago, when Sweden was seething amazing music, Skyfire emerged with a ridiculously good debut album called Timeless Departure that was more theatrical than anything Children of Bodom could churn out. It turned many underground heads, including mine, and gave the band somewhat of a name. The band continuously rendered enjoyable albums including 2004s Spectral, but […]

The entire package presented here is associated with beer. The name Final Gravity is a term used in brewing beer, the CD cover is a picture of the bottom of a wooden keg carved with ingredient symbols, and the band bio will not let you forget how much the band enjoys beer, even going as […]

I love to drink. I am not an alcoholic (or am I?) but I do enjoy a tasty beverage now and then. There’s never a bad time for good friends and a good game of the drink. So, naturally I should love a band like Korpiklaani with their anthems of inebriation, however this band requires […]

This Norwegian band has impressed me over the years. Making a name for themselves with brutal Americanized death metal in the vein of Suffocation, Cannibal Corpse and Deicide, Blood Red Throne have found a pocket in past releases and nailed a groove-laden, catchy approach that causes serious neck injury. If Cannibal Corpse, Decapitated and 90’s […]

Futility are an unsigned act from Australia that play an aggressive version of death/doom. For a self-released debut, this isn’t too bad but it seems amateurish in comparison to some of the other premier doom acts coming from Aussie territory.Slowly, “Failed” starts of with harmonized misery, reminiscent of early Anathema and Katatonia. With the somber […]

Remember the 90’s when Swedish melodic death metal was kicking our ass? Personally, I was a huge fan of the genre and that is actually where I started my extreme metal listening. Unanimated, who have been around since the late 80’s, graced us with a killer display in 1995 called Ancient God of Evil, and […]

Years back, most who where lucky enough to hunt this band down regarded their first record, Tears of Mortal Solitude, as an obscure gem. Best described as Opeth-like, this band mixed dreary doom with a blackened atmosphere that really held something esoteric. I was ecstatic, to say the least, when I heard they were releasing […]

France has churned out some serious experimental shit in recent years and Eryn Non Dae is no exception. Hydra Lernaia is an impressive debut album that shows promise for a young band. Armed with quality production and tight musical craft, Eryn Non Dae sounds as if they are completely comfortable with their skills. Interbreeding off […]

Celebrating 20 years in existence, Chicago’s Novembers Doom have always delivered. Starting their career in gothic/death/doom, this band has cultivated a sound and veered their career to new levels in recent years. The balance of straightforward death metal and the bands signature discouragement has been perfected in the past two releases and Into Nights Requiem […]

With only a demo in 2004 and a self-released album in 2006, Norway’s Leprous have chimed in on Sensory Records with an impressive debut album. Completely confident with their playing abilities and experimental nature, this band is going to be something to look out for in the near future. Tall Poppy Syndrome maybe the bands […]

It’s not everyday that you see a band held in high regard for immolating a sound so perfectly. General Surgery has been hailed the ultimate Carcass clone for sometime now and that’s really all I see going for them. The fact that people seem content with this bands worship is fine by me, but it […]

Maurizio Iacono and the Canadian hyper blasters Kataklysm have spread their wings in 2009 and ventured away from their usually reliable racket to deliver us a tasty concept album on the fall of Rome, dubbed Romulus. Ex Deo consists of the entire Kataklysm line-up and Jonathan Leduc (Blackguard) on keyboards. The idea was the brainchild […]