Genuine question here: how many folks listen to Death Metal strictly because of the vocals? Or let me rephrase, the growls and shrieks are the most important aspect to the listener? And no, this is not coming from the point of view of one of those “I like Heavy Metal, but not the screaming stuff” fans. Continue reading
Slugcrust embody everything – and I mean everything – that makes grindcore the most intense, most unique and most captivating subgenre in the entire scene. Having released a pair of EPs and the hellacious slab that was Ecocide (number 10 on my album of the year list) in 2022, the South Carolina-based maniacs have blessed us all with another EP.Continue reading
Day 4 – Sunday
What a difference a day makes. May 26th marked the last day of this Maryland Deathfest, my birthday, and my one-year anniversary (my fiancé flew in to join me for this day).
This was a wild day. Security was smoother but there were so many sets to see to finish the day. Some of them, legendary, and I was sure to catch a little bit of a lot today. I took my fiancé to see the marketplace lined with tents, each filled with merch and metal-adjacent goods. My fiancé had a one-day pass, which we would come to find meant she could not go inside to the two main indoor venues. We found a way to do so, however, (first accidentally, then by luck), and we caught parts of twelve different sets. It was wild.Continue reading
Sincerity is difficult to fake – ask any politician in the build-up to an election – yet post-rock Manchester collective Pijn (pronounced “pine”) keep it real on their powerful, atmospheric, heartfelt new album, From Low Beams Of Hope (Floodlit Recordings).Continue reading
Eschewing entirely the notions of guitars and bass, two-piece Industrial / Electronica / call-it-what-you’d-like outfit Bangladeafy take a less-is-more approach for sixth full-length, Vulture (Nefarious Industries), with a (pleasingly) heavy emphasis on blending songs into the next, cementing that this record should be listened to the old-school way.Continue reading
Virginia’s very own Construct Of Lethe has released three full-length albums to this day, with A Kindness Dealt In Venom being the most recent, out via Transcending Obscurity Records. The Death Metal unit seems to be fond of incorporating the lyrical themes of chaotic psychological terror into their songs, but on this album they managed to encompass an even more wider range of emotions, from suicidal depression, self-hatred and existential void. Continue reading
Spring is here and the warmer weather has numerous bands hitting the road. A multitude of metal acts have made their way to Motor City and the locals are pleased as punch to have them. The Swedish darlings, In Flames graced Detroit with their presence last week. This notorious act has been on a month-long headlining trek and they brought along the mighty Gatecreeper, plus Creeping Death with them. Saint Andrews Hall is a venue known for their affection towards heavier acts and were ready to host the considerable commotion this tour would cause.Continue reading
Like many sub-genres, Progressive Rock has seen a stylistic ebb and flow, with a few strong bands rising to set the tone that inspired those who followed in their wake.
As Metal veterans, The Ghost Next Door takes you back to prog’s high water mark in the mid-nineties when bands like Tool and Faith No More rose to prominence and broke boundaries. On Classic Songs of Death And Dismemberment (Ripple Records), they create a moody blend of post-grunge-tinged Rock that puts the lyrics front and center. At the heart of the songs are social observations and commentaries on the state of the world. Continue reading
Alcest began as a solo Black Metal project for French musician Neige at the turn of the millennium, and have since forged themselves a fine reputation as one of the pioneering bands of the Blackgaze sound. Continue reading
For their sixth full-length studio release, Swedish metallers Portrait journey to the land of the concept album in order to conjure up a tale of sword and sorcery set in the seventeenth century. Their first full-blown conceptual release, The Host (Metal Blade) is not an entirely fictional piece but also inspired partly by historic events, with the band imparting the tale of an unnamed protagonist seeking strength after encountering injustice and hypocrisy.
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