Disclaimer time again.
Coming into this review I wasn’t familiar with Meatwound’s body of work. So yeah, I write for a music magazine and I’m not versed in all of the current bands. Leave your pitchforks and angry tweets at the door, please. Anyways, unsure of what to expect, I cranked Meatwound’s sophomore release, Largo (Magic Bullet) on my Bluetooth speaker and well, I was surprised. Surprised in the pleasantly sort of way.Continue reading
It’s nice to have God Dethroned joining us once again. And by that I mean another reactivation of the band not unlike they had in 1996. Yeah, extreme metal is a tricky business to try to make a living in, but lineup changes and restarts aside, it seems like this Dutch metal institution is stable enough again to crank out a new LP in The World Ablaze (Metal Blade).Continue reading
I’m pretty good at separating the art from the artist. James Woods’ political leanings aren’t my cup of tea, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to change the station whenever Videodrome or Casino comes on. I can ignore his tweets and enjoy the work. That’s the approach I took with All That Remains’ latest, Madness (Razor & Tie).Continue reading
Infrared Horizon (Profound Lore) is a fine title for Artificial Brain’s sophomore offering. It’s cool in that sci-fi/horror kind of sensibility, but judging by the music other titles come to mind. I was thinking more along the lines of Machines of Hate, or Massive Ordinance Air Blast. The Long Island boys went in hard on LP number two. Hard like a cybernetic organism that just became sentient and is convinced that mankind is teetering towards obsolescence.Continue reading
Once you listen to it, it’s hard to dispute that Septic, Bitter and Hardbitten (Cavernous) isn’t a suitable moniker for Phlefonyaar’s latest LP. Lots of bands and labels describe their music in many colorful nouns such as “brutal” or “weary,” but only a select few truly deserve that kind of praise. Septic, Bitter and Hardbitten is as brutal as a murder scene. Once the mildly spooky/mostly acoustic intro, ‘The Lingering Molly’ is out of the way, Phlefonyaar sets up a world of aural pain for listeners to willingly drag themselves through.Continue reading
Alfahanne reminds me of Mötley Crüe circa Theatre of Pain. They had an edgy flair and a taste for real danger, but were a bit vacant when it came to the music. The pseudo black n’ roll found in Det Nya Svarta (Indie) isn’t as compelling or as exciting as the exterior presentation would suggest. And if any Mötley Crüe fans are reading this, Theatre of Pain ain’t that hot. The Crüe found their groove on the very solid Dr. Feelgood (both Elektra).Continue reading
I am no leading authority on Black Metal. As I stated in my review for Woe’s outstanding new album, Hope Attrition (Vendetta), I do enjoy many of the legendary Norwegian bands, but these days on the topic of Black Metal I tend to focus on the North American scene. And maybe it’s because of that Woe review that I was assigned Slagmaur’s latest, Thill Smitts Terror (Osmose).Continue reading
I can already read the social media potshots. With their latest LP, Heartless (Nuclear Blast/Profound Lore), Pallbearer are likely set to be the next whipping boy for metal elitists. It’s what happens after those trolls feel like you’ve gotten a little too much love from traditionally non-metal circles. Just look at the amount of shit Nails got for just having a brief Rolling Stone write-up.Continue reading
It’s not a bad time for the American Black Metal scene. Seems like every year we’re getting superb releases from upstarts and institutions like Leviathan, Krallice, Nachtmystium (RIP), Wolves In The Throne Room, Vattnet Viskar, and dare I say, Deafheaven. Woe, and their latest album, Hope Attrition (Vendetta) are no exception to this budding tradition.Continue reading
Darkest Hour may just have found their stride again with latest and ninth overall LP, Godless Prophets & the Migrant Flora (Southern Lord). Even from a pre-production standpoint, it seemed like these amply seasoned scene veterans wanted total control on the final product. For instance Godless Prophets… was a crowdfunded effort (in a very successful campaign, I might add) that enlisted the services and recording studio of uber-producer Kurt Ballou.Continue reading