ALBUM REVIEW: Rivers Of Nihil – Rivers Of Nihil


Change often comes at the most inconvenient time. Something Pennsylvanian Progressive Death Metal act Rivers Of Nihil discovered when they were forced into parting ways with enigmatic frontman Jake Dieffenbach after 2021’s groundbreaking album The Work. Hiring from within to avoid losing momentum, bassist Adam Biggs took over the now vacant vocalist position while second guitarist Andy Thomas was recruited from fellow Pennsylvanians Black Crown Initiate.Continue reading


INTERVIEW: Inside Rivers of Nihil’s Fifth Album – An Interview with Brody Uttley


Rivers of Nihil are back with a fresh perspective and a self-titled album that marks a new chapter in their journey. In this laid-back chat, Keefy sits down with guitarist and founding member Brody Uttley to discuss the band’s new lineup, the creative process behind the new record, and what fans can expect from this release. The self-titled Rivers of Nihil, releasing on May 30, 2025, via Metal Blade Records!Continue reading


CONCERT REVIEW: Machine Head – In Flames – Lacuna Coil – Unearth Live at The Fox Theater Oakland


Making my way to Oakland via the BART, I was super excited to return to the Fox Theater for a night of metal. Heading out extra early, not wanting to miss any of the Bands, I met up with my bro and one of our best West Coast correspondence Pags ,I hadn’t seen in a year and a half in person, and I am so glad we got to reconnect and hang before the big night. Picking up our credentials was a breeze, and I’m always appreciative of the fantastic staff at The Fox.Continue reading


ALBUM REVIEW: Ancient Death – Ego Dissolution


Having already dropped a handful of short-form studio releases, Massachusetts Progressive Death Metal act Ancient Death finally unleash Ego Dissolution (Profound Lore Records), their full-length debut album. Having already built up a well-deserved reputation in just a few short years, the four-piece from Walpole throw their psychedelic hat into a ring occupied by such luminaries as Gorguts and current darlings of the scene Blood Incantation.Continue reading


ALBUM REVIEW: Allegaeon – The Ossuary Lens


Revitalised and rejuvenated by the homecoming of original frontman Ezra Haynes, Colorado Tech Death act Allegaeon return with its seventh full-length studio release The Ossuary Lens (Metal Blade Records). Since Haynes’s return at the back end of ’22, the quintet has already teased fans with two singles before finally unveiling what everyone has really been waiting for. Continue reading


ALBUM REVIEW: Bedsore – Dreaming The Strife For Love


Hello friends, quick question, what do you get when you mix prog rock with metal? Well short answer, you get the Italian based band Bedsore. This statement, although true falls very short though, of defining what this band is presenting on their new cut Dreaming The Strife For Love (20 Buck Spin.)Continue reading


ALBUM REVIEW: Opeth – The Last Will and Testament


 

Rejoice, fellow death metal fans, Opeth has brought back the harsh vocals! That’s right. Mikael Ackerfeldt and company figured now was the time, as their new album, The Last Will & Testament (Reigning Phoenix Music), has the perfect concept to complement it. The reading of a post-World War 1 patriarch’s last will and testament that spills out family secrets, track by track, section by section of the document (the first seven tracks are named simply after which paragraph is being recited). In terms of instrumentals, this album is my favorite mix of the melodic death metal era of Opeth and the more recent prog-rock era of the band.Continue reading


SPLIT REVIEW: DISKORD/ATVM – Bipolarities


I’ve been finding lately that splits coming out in the last several years have been reminding everyone why they are a cool, and slightly more affordable, way to showcase music for the masses. DISKORD and ATVM teamed up to put together thirty-five minutes of their brands of death metal on this collective effort, forever known as Bipolarities (Transcending Obscurity Records). Continue reading


ALBUM REVIEW: Piah Mater – Under The Shadow Of A Foreign Sun


The answer to the question “What if Opeth were Brazilian and even more progressive?”, Rio de Janeiro act Piah Mater return after a six-year absence with the genre-bending Under The Shadow Of A Foreign Sun (Code666 Records).Continue reading