Holy shit, it’s been thirty years since Brujeria’s seminal – or infamous – debut, Matando Güeros? Okay, I guess that aids in understanding why we’re getting latest LP Esto Es Brujeria (Nuclear Blast) in the year of our lord 2023. Literally just realized this.
A couple of weeks ago I added Kataklysm’s latest single ‘Die as a King’ to the rotation on my radio show – The Stress Factor, Thursdays on 91.5 WUML Lowell, by the way, and a fellow DJ asked what I thought of their latest tunes. “Well, it’s definitely Kataklysm” I fired back almost automatically. He nodded and was on his way as if we both immediately recognized that was not a slight towards the band.
Here’s what I know for sure. Given a couple more years and some seasoning, Tortured Demon is going to put out some brilliant Thrash Metal. And that’s not to dismiss what the British outfit have done on Rise of the Lifeless (Self-Released) as there are very interesting aspects to discuss, but this is still a band that’s figuring out what its sound is.
I don’t want to speak too early or jinx anything, but this Heavy Metal idea has been in a resurgence as of late. Bear in mind that a lot of the old promotional tools have been inactive for years. MTV lost its ass and stopped using the first letter of its acronym long ago and whatever is left of commercial rock radio is perfectly content to spin the same Stone Temple Pilots singles until the sun or Clear Channel finally burn out. Yet here we are in the age of streaming and shortened attention spans with several young acts making headway. Continue reading
This is one of those one-man Black Metal projects, isn’t it? Figured as much. What gave it away, you ask? Well before even listening to Argenthorn’s The Ravening (Avantgarde Music) the band’s name and record label sort of told me everything I needed to know. That and there’s a track titled ‘I Incursion II A Procession of Spectres.’
Seems like we’re going to have to score another one for the bad guys. And by bad guys, I am referring to some of Thrash Metal’s pioneers who refuse to acknowledge the passage of time and are still melting amp heads like it was 1986.
I have one question for the Suicide Silence lads. Why is it that they are perfectly content to settle on terrible studio production and mix? Yes, I get that The Cleansing and No Time to Bleed were popular and well-regarded in the Deathcore circle, but in all honesty, they were never going to be considered amongst the best metal recordings ever.Continue reading
When we last heard of our New York heroes in All Out War they were still practicing a charged-up, violent brand of Metallic Hardcore on 2019’s Crawl Among the Filth. Yet it’s now 2023 and a global pandemic later and those gentlemen are again picking up that metallic mantle like it never went out of fashion on Celestial Rot (Translation Loss Records).
Imagine being a child and your buddy informs you that an outfit known as Bonecarver has a new album titled Carnage Funeral on Unique Leader. What do you do with that information? That’s like the most metal collection of words ever assembled. Carnage Funeral? Bonecarver? What in the world is a Bonecarver and why does anyone need it? So many questions trying to keep up with a rushing imagination.
