Rather than worshiping Minor Threat, DC Punks Palladists pursue darker sounds on their new album Tenebrous Ways (Fiadh Productions). This is fitting when you are named after a satanic cult hidden within early Freemasonry. When it comes to the vocals on this album, they are still very much rooted in punk. It is the guitar tones that set them apart from the rest of the punk pack. They use more effects to add a creepy touch to the otherwise in-your-face rapid-fire attack. In terms of their songwriting approach, they are not busting out the kind of hooky anthems the Misfits are known for, nor are they dwelling in the kind of drug-induced morbid self-reflection Christian Death once lamented upon.Continue reading
Tag Archives: metal EP reviews
EP REVIEW: Car Bomb – Tiles Whisper Dreams
It’s anniversary time for New York Mathcore mob Car Bomb. Formed in Rockville Centre all the way back in 2000, it doesn’t take an advanced mathematician to work out the band is twenty-five years old this year. Their first studio release since Mordial back in 2019, independently released three-track EP Tiles Whisper Dreams is a much-anticipated short, sharp, and extremely brutal shock to the system.
EP REVIEW: Freeze the Fall – The Red Garden
Spoiler alert, this is one of the best albums released so far in 2025. If you do not know this young power trio, Freeze the Fall, from Canada, it’s time you did. This is the band’s second EP, but the path from gaming and internet buzz to the Rock perfection achieved here on The Red Garden (604 Records) found Freeze the Fall coming into their own as songwriters along the way. They went from being known as the kids who covered The Warning to being a superior band to their early inspiration in a short time. Most of this growth came thanks to the depth Quinn Mitzel sings with, in order to nail uncanny hooks in every anthemic chorus she utters.Continue reading
EP REVIEW: GEL – Persona
As the world comes to an end, one can only hope punk and metal bands will get angry regarding our collective demise to provide a decent soundtrack. Thanks to record labels who want products that can be easily marketed a more pop element has been diluting genres that should be holding the middle finger up to the imminent mushroom clouds to come. A few brave bands are shunning this kinder and gentler direction. New Jersey’s GEL is one of them. Their new album Persona (Blue Grape Music) finds the band ready to give the middle finger, as they get right up in your face with their pumped-up take on punk. 2023’s “Only Constant” had not only momentum but did not compromise when it came to the songwriting. This time around the energy leans more into the hard-core side, throwing more weight behind its punches. Continue reading
EP REVIEW: Horns and Hooves – Spectral Voyeurism
The two renowned Extreme Metal labels Stygian Black Hand and Invictus Productions are collaborating this time to release the anticipated mini-album coming from the ever-gnarly unholy trinity Horns & Hooves, entitled Spectral Voyeurism. Continue reading
EP REVIEW: Graywave – Dancing In The Dust
Starting out as a solo project for singer and multi-instrumentalist Jess Webberley, Graywave have released two previous EPs – Planetary Shift in 2021, followed swiftly by their first for Church Road Records, Rebirth in 2022. Continue reading
EP REVIEW: Escuela Grind – DDEEAATTHHMMEETTAALL
Yeah, you can score one more for the good guys up here representing extreme metal in New England. Massachusetts more specifically. And that’s not against our friends in New Hampshire, Vermont, or Rhode Island as they are also vital components of the scene, but Massachusetts just hits a little differently.Continue reading
EP REVIEW: Full of Hell and Nothing (split) – When No Birds Sing
On paper, this makes perfect sense. A collaborative effort between Full of Hell and Nothing stand as two of the most creative outliers in their respective genres, and the mission statement of When No Birds Sing (Closed Casket Activities) is to fuse the juxtaposition of their varied sonic palettes. Brace yourself, as Full of Hell is the overpowering force when the album opens.
EP REVIEW: Moodring – Your Light Fades Away
Florida/Atlanta three-piece Moodring has certainly been consistent with their output since they released showmetherealyou (UNFD) in 2021, with a number of singles and last years long-player Stargazer, gaining them some serious recognition.
EP REVIEW: Fit For An Autopsy – Thy Art Is Murder – Malevolence: The Aggression Sessions
Metal is allowed to be fun, especially when three heavyweights collide in a tri-split that not only features original songs from each, but unlikely cover tracks which allow for displays of versatility.





