Tag Archives: Chris Tippell

The Atlas Moth – Coma Noir

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Over the course of three albums, Chicago’s The Atlas Moth have shown signs of both significant transformation, and of a band on the verge of delivering something spectacular. Where the second album, An Ache For The Distance (Profound Lore) brought the buzz with their Neurosis influenced brand of post-Metal beginning to develop from the debut release, the follow up The Old Believer (Profound Lore) firmly put them on the map, opening up to wider expanses and a greater diversity in their sound. Continue reading →


A Light Within- Epilogue

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Seeming to be a relatively unknown entity, Kansas based post-Metallers A Light Within has developed a small cult following over the course of two previous, strong releases. The closing piece of their linked trilogy, latest EP Epilogue (all self-released) takes all the foundations they built before and closes it with significant levels of improvement, and a new found production level (mixing courtesy of Acle Kahney of TesseracT fame) which shows a heightened ambition.Continue reading →


Of Mice & Men – Defy

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The climb to success is rarely without slips or derailing obstacles; a fact that Californian Metallers Of Mice & Men have recently found during what has proven to be their most successful time period, and also their most punishing and challenging. Having shared stages with absolute titans of the Rock and Metal world, such as supporting Linkin Park, they also began to show signs of wear, with previous album Cold World (Rise) highlighting frontman Austin Carlisle’s lingering health issues that led to his departure.Continue reading →


Heidevolk – Vuur Van Verzet

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In the arena of folk and pagan influenced metal, which is often (and at times unfairly) thought of as pure silliness, drinking and near cartoonish portrayals, Dutch Folk Metallers Heidevolk have always been a consistently decent outfit, but one that has never reached the mainstream dabblings of a Turisas. Perhaps this is, in part, due to their more balanced take on the genre which sits between the fun-loving, grandiose approach, thoroughbred Heavy Metal grit and a more intelligent, nuanced side; Heidevolk is a name yet to progress beyond the most ardent of Folk Metal fan-bases only.Continue reading →


Schiermann – Schiermann

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Despite this being a début release, the name Schiermann is highly regarded in the contemporary progressive metal/djent community. At the helm is guitarist Chris Schiermann, who over the course of a decade of recording and writing music has befriended many titans in the genre, with the likes of Animals As Leaders, DispersE and TesseracT, and has taken inspiration from a wide range of influences and styles from such contemporary metal maestros to the virtuoso guitar players, most notably like Randy Rhoads. A wide palette that is abundantly clear on his début solo project release Schiermann (Purple Sun), which includes a plethora of guest appearances from such alumni as mentioned and thus offers a vibrant mix and character.Continue reading →


DSKNT- PhSPHR Entropy

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Right from the offset, Black Metal has always been a genre that has championed the more esoteric aspects of art. Whether that being in the challenging music itself, or in its purveyor’s presentation, it is also a style of music has always thrived in mystique and continues to do so to this day. Shrouded in mystery with an almost hidden identity, Swiss solo musician Asknt has been (partly or wholly) responsible for a number of varied projects over the years, most recently with the full-length debut of DSKNT, PhSPHR Entropy (Sentient Ruin Laboratories).Continue reading →


Dawn Ray’d – The Unlawful Assembly

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Seemingly coming out of nowhere in recent months, Liverpudlian Black Metallers Dawn Ray’d have already made a lasting impression in such a short space of time. After a well-received EP release in A Thorn, A Blight (Moment Of Collapse), that certainly escaped much wider attention, Dawn Ray’d have generated ripples in the knowing underground; not only with signing to Prosthetic for The Unlawful Assembly, their debut full length, but by showcasing both an intensity and an urgency in their lyrical content that many more established peers simply don’t match up to.Continue reading →


Butcher Babies – Lilith

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The likelihood is, if you have already experienced Butcher Babies in any capacity, you have probably already made up your opinion of them. Always receiving a very mixed response since they made headlines due to their stage attire, critically they have either been hugely celebrated or completely panned. Regardless of opinion, Butcher Babies generate a strong reaction whatever they do, and therefore are in that sense an exciting presence. Musically, they are simply far less interesting, and third album Lilith (Century Media) is a continuation of that trend.Continue reading →


Damnation Festival 2017 – Live At Leeds University Union

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Dragged Into Sunlight, by Rich Price Photography

Over the course of its 12 incarnations, Leeds based Damnation Festival has grown into surely the most important yearly event for underground music lovers the UK has to offer. Far from merely an Extreme Metal festival, Damnation is the closest the UK has to the all-encompassing nature of Roadburn in its celebration of a wide spectrum of sub-genres. This year’s edition seemed to be especially diverse with a rich amount of Extreme Metal sitting alongside expansive entities and experimental Prog outfits. With four stages within the single complex of the Leeds University Union, and a sell-out capacity crowd (admittedly reduced to counter crowding issues from previous editions), the layout does appear labyrinthian at first, but is pretty intuitive and easy to follow pretty quickly; which with a stacked lineup from top to bottom, makes the continuous rushing from stage to stage a little more bearable at least.Continue reading →


Moonspell – 1755

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With a career that has spanned a quarter of a century, at this stage Moonspell need very little introduction. They have garnered a strong, almost cult-like, following (especially in mainland Europe) due to their gothic, melancholic yet immediate brand of metal which has never been afraid to revel in a sense of theatre and pomp. At this late stage of their career, and following the successful Extinct, which was arguably their most immediate and anthemic album to date, it wouldn’t be surprising that a follow up would tread a similar path. Instead, latest album 1755 (both Napalm) is an unexpectedly adventurous affair. Continue reading →