No better way than to start the year than with some new Death Metal is what I say. I’ve quit coffee and don’t touch Red Bull, so I need something to kick start the day. It’s a particularly cold winter here in New England and every time I check Twitter there is a freshly developed shitshow going on so the more extreme music the merrier. Long story short, thank you Frozen Soul for kicking in the 2021 door with Crypt of Ice (Century Media).
Not content with being hailed as one of the leaders of a New Wave of Death Metal bruisers (NWODMb anyone?) taking inspiration from the founding fathers of three decades past along with Blood Incantation and Tomb Mold – a pack that looks likely to be joined by impressive newcomers Frozen Soul and their glacial Bolt Throwerisms – Arizonian quintet Gatecreeper have taken it upon themselves to mix things up and show some gnarly dexterity in style and idea, and try and shake things up a little in response to the current COVID landscape and restrictions.
Stygian Crown’s full-length debut sits comfortably within the Epic Doom Metal niche, but their particular style comes from a more aggressive mindset than many of their peers. This is especially apparent with the guitar work, which exhibits a grainy tone and bulldozing riff patterns that are chunkier than the Classic Metal-derived fare of more conventional outfits. It never goes full-on Death/Doom but the band’s declaration of a Candlemass meets Bolt Thrower sound certainly makes sense when viewed through this lens.
Memoriam Requiem for Mankind (Nuclear Blast) is Memoriam’s third album in as many years. The first album For the Fallen was great if a bit slow, punchy drums, thick guitar tones wrapped up with some nice production. The follow-up to The Silent Vigil was personally somewhat disappointing, a lot faster and more aggressive songwriting, which is always welcome, but it failed to capitalise on the excellent ideas with a quite thin production. Continue reading
If you don’t follow The Punk Rock MBA, the YouTube channel run by music and marketing expert Finn McKenty, you are missing out! We are huge fans of his! His videos explore all of your favorite genres of music, their rise and sometimes fall. He uses the “what killed____” tag to get people interested, but clearly, he means in a commercial cultural way, not the death or a genre, as in the case of death metal. He discusses the main bands like Cannibal Corpse, Death, Morbid Angel, Deicide, Bolt Thrower, Mortician, Incantation, and Suffocation, Cynic, Suffocation, Pyrexia, Internal Bleeding, Entombed, Dismember, the cultural forces that led to its popularity (Ace Venture Pet Detective and Beavis and Butthead) and more! Watch the clip below and like and subscribe to the channel.Continue reading
With a musical heritage steeped in Indie, Alternative and Ska, Coventry has never really enjoyed a thriving metal scene. The birthplace of Cathedral and Bolt Thrower, the city has certainly contributed to the cause, but without a decent live venue for years, and with Birmingham just twenty miles down the road, most bands end up playing elsewhere. Even The Empire, the recently opened venue chosen for tonight’s darkest metal rumblings, boasts a “Ska Bar”.Continue reading
Memoriam has announced that Andy Whale is stepping down from the band due to family obligations. The band released a statement which you can read below. Whale was also a member of Bolt Thrower, which the band has its roots. Memoriam’s new album The Silent Vigil was released in March via Nuclear Blast.Continue reading
Fresh off of their appearance at Bloodstock Open Air 2018, Bloodbath has announced the release of a new album, their fifth overall, coming this fall via Peaceville Records. The delightfully evil sounding The Arrow Of Satan Is Drawn will release on October 26th. The kvlt supergroup is comprised of members of Paradise Lost, Katatonia, Opeth and Craft. The album also features guest vocals from Carcass’ Jeff Walker, Bolt Thrower/Memoriam singer Karl Willetts and Cancer’s John Walker.Continue reading
A sea change seems to be afoot in the heavy music game. Young bands like Code Orange, Knocked Loose and now Nequient’s approach to the genre is to craft albums that pull from as wide a net of influences as possible and spinning that yarn into functional songs. On Wolves at the Door (Nefarious Industries) Nequient uses d-beat-laden Crust Punk as a framework, and stacks on Thrash, Grindcore, Hardcore, Sludge and Black Metal to create a collage of brutality. Continue reading
UK death metal stalwarts Memoriam will release a new album this week, The Silent Vigil, via Nuclear Blast Records. The album is an absolute brutal banger! In this EXCLUSIVE trailer for the album, watch Frank and Karl discuss their musical upbringing in the metal scene when they were young. Continue reading