Brooklyn’s Blackout is the type of band that likes to lay it on real thick. And that’s not to be mistaken with exaggeration; if Blackout excels at one thing on The Horse (RidingEasy) it’s putting down some of meatiest riffs committed to tape. Pretty impressive for a band that hails from a borough that’s become synonymous with food trucks, overpriced coffee and just being straight up soft.Continue reading
I’ve given There is Nothing Left for Me Here (Dead Truth) a few spins now and I’m shocked that Ether has remained a secret in the underground metal community. It’s not like they’re novices to the game, these are former members of acts like Remembering Never and Into the Moat we’re talking about here. Judging by their welding of Sludge and Hardcore, it may not take long now for the secret to get out.Continue reading
I’ll preface this review by informing listeners that there’s nothing wrong with their ears or how their brain processes sound and information; upon first impression, you’re not going to catch-all of the riffs and bits that Origin will throw your way on Unparalleled Universe (Nuclear Blast/Agonia). And that’s totally fine. Origin clearly wanted it to be this way. That or they’ve tapped into the musical sensibilities of a far more advanced alien race.Continue reading
While a career in music, in general, seems to be predicated on a fickle game of risk and reward, for my money no genre has it worse than Hard Rock (Metal, Punk or otherwise). You push too far into a musical extreme and you’re considered a niche product at best. Streamline the sound and introduce a melody, and pockets of fans are deriding you as sellouts before the first check is cleared. Dubai’s Jay Wud attempts to control the chaos down the middle with their new release, Transitions (self-released).Continue reading
It’s becoming painfully aware that 2017 is a smashing year for Death Metal. We’ve had an embarrassment of riches in the form of stellar releases from Obituary, Hour of Penance and Suffocation and there’s more coming down the pike from the likes of Dying Fetus, Origin and (gasp) The Faceless. Not to be left out of this guttural gold rush, Chicago’s gore institution Broken Hope have thrown their hat in the ring with Mutilated and Assimilated (Century Media).Continue reading
I think I finally found an instance when it’s cool to use the term avant-garde. If any band falls under that most radical of musical distinctions it’s probably going to be Tombs with their fourth full-length, The Grand Annihilation (Metal Blade). I suppose Atheist or Candiria could be filed under avant-garde as well, but that’s a discussion I don’t want to find myself in, particularly with the metal élite.Continue reading
Suffocation always has been in an odd spot when it comes to the Death Metal pecking order. They’re not quite in what most observers perceive the Big Four to be (Morbid Angel, Death, Cannibal Corpse, Obituary, maybe?), but have remained one of the most consistent acts operating within extreme music. And with eighth studio album, …Of The Dark Light (Nuclear Blast), the Long Islanders continue delivering foundation-cracking noise.Continue reading
You ever hear that old adage about experience? The one that smug superiors like to toss around to mask their insecurities. There’s no substitute for experience, I believe it goes. Yeah, well Vallenfyre totally proved that right on their third full-length effort, Fear Those Who Fear Him (Century Media).Continue reading
Weirds is not a heavy band. Or not heavy in the way that I’m accustomed to when reviewing God Dethroned or Suffocation. But on their début album, Swarmculture (Alcopop!) there is certainly traceable amounts of Hard Rock in Weirds’ diet. There’s also an abundance of post-Punk, synths, and even a dash of Blues in their musical makeup. Is this a case of too many cooks in studio?Continue reading
Much like with my last review, I’m walking in cold to Malevolence’s Self Supremacy (BDHW). I didn’t even know they were British. That said, reading tracks like ‘Trial by Fire’ and ‘Spineless’ I thought I might have to find myself playing the role of lyric police… and there are lyrical improvements to be made, as we learn on ‘Severed Ties’ that “you have to cut the grass to find the fucking snakes.” Not the most enlightening sentence ever, but the superb musicianship will certainly capture listener attention. Continue reading