Given that there’s a heatwave so severe that it was still close to ninety degrees well after sundown, it’s the most appropriate time of the year to review yet another Black Metal record from somewhere in Europe (Slovakia to be exact).Continue reading
Tag Archives: Hans Lopez
ALBUM REVIEW: Bloodcross – Gravebound
Have to come clean on this one: just haven’t been feeling the Black Metal love like I used to. Don’t know, something about the genre just seemed steadfast on refusing change, aesthetically or musically. The mandate seemed to be that everyone still must slap on the corpse paint and record something with the production and mix of a VHS bootleg. That’s without mentioning certain artists and labels being complete knobs on Twitter if you dare mildly critique them in a review. Continue reading
EP REVIEW: DVRK – Infinite Reminiscence – Season Of Mist
In case you didn’t get the memo, I would like to remind you that DVRK is “a powerhouse fusion of Deathcore, Nu Metal, and Bass music elements.” How do I know this? Well, the press release that was sent to me along with debut EP Infinite Reminiscence (Season of Mist) says so. That, and I listened to the EP and was successfully able to arrive at that conclusion. Continue reading
ALBUM REVIEW: Deicide – Banished By Sin
Dear lord in heaven, it’s 2024 and we’re still talking about the fact that Glen Benton has an inverted cross on his forehead. This is not a knock on Deicide, by the way, as they have consistently recorded and toured seemingly nonstop since the early nineties, hence the new album Banished by Sin (Reigning Phoenix Music). No this is regarding a text message I received from an anonymous listener during my radio show, The Stress Factor (cheap plug), last week when I played “Trick or Betrayed.” Continue reading
ALBUM REVIEW: Mutilation Barbecue – Amalgamations of Gore
Come on, you know what this is. A band shows up with a name like Mutilation Barbecue with an album titled Amalgamations of Gore (Maggot Stomp Records)and you know the Green Day crowd’s ears perked up. This will be the talk of the town on TikTok or wherever else annoying teenagers congregate and commiserate about missing out on Hawthorne Heights’ day in the sun. Hell, this one may even make the playlist at your local Starbucks. You just get a feeling, you know. Continue reading
ALBUM REVIEW: BRAT – Social Grace
Where to start with BRAT? The potential is on the wall as I don’t recall too many bands that get to release their debut LP – Social Grace, by the way – via Prosthetic Records. And bear in mind that this is an outfit that formed right before the golden days of the Coronavirus pandemic so it’s not like they’ve been toiling away in the dark for the better part of a decade. So, therefore, these kids must have the goods. Continue reading
ALBUM REVIEW: Skeletal Remains – Fragments of the Ageless
On paper, Skeletal Remains should be on top of the mountain for many a Death Metal connoisseur. All the parts are here, really: plenty of double-kick drums, blast beats and screaming lead guitars to go around.
They’re even from California, and we all know how much of a gold mine the West Coast has been for extreme metal in the last four decades.Continue reading
ALBUM REVIEW: Hulder – Verses in Oath
Ah yes, Black Metal, the undisputed industry leader in the one-person-performs-all-of-the-music subgenre.
Not sure why that is, but it seems like you can’t swing a dead cat in a burned down church without hitting seemingly dozens of these acts. One of the latest of these projects to hit my desk is Washington’s Hulder with Verses in Oath (20 Buck Spin).Continue reading
ALBUM REVIEW: Upon Stone – Dead Mother Moon
Look alive kids, it’s time for America’s favorite game: initial impressions. Not going to lie, there was some editorial concern when noticing the album art for Upon Stone’s Dead Mother Moon (Century Media). When presented with an image depicting an armored warrior with broadsword in hand and the full moon lighting him from behind, I had some thoughts. Worst case scenario is this is some Dungeons & Dragons inspired Power Metal nonsense. Best case scenario, it’s very Castlevania by way of airbrushed art on the side of a van.Continue reading
ALBUM REVIEW: The Mosaic Window – Plight of Acceptance
Listening to The Mosaic Window’s Plight of Acceptance (Willowtip Records) I can’t help but think of a particular scene from The Crow. Yeah, the one film that depends on how you feel about Dark City may be Alex Proyas’ sole seminal work. Our antagonist Top Dollar laments that the thrill of Devil’s Night is gone and proclaims, “The problem is, it’s all been done before…” and why that’s the best reason to quit.