Tag Archives: USBM

ALBUM REVIEW: Abigail Williams – Walk Beyond the Dark

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God bless – or Satan, we don’t discriminate here – Ken “Sorceron” Bergeron because despite all the lineup, location and style changes, Abigail Williams is still a functioning outfit. Walk Beyond the Dark (Blood Music) is the follow-up to 2015’s The Accuser which caught many by surprise considering that 2012’s Becoming was supposed to be the last hurrah after another band implosion. Abigail Williams has had more members drift in and out than the Church of Scientology and yet it still stands.

And that’s without counting Bergeron’s brief stint as vocalist for another lineup chewer, Michael Keene‘s The Faceless.

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Obsidian Tongue Streams New Single, New Full-Length Album Due Early in 2020

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North American Atmospheric Black Metal band Obsidian Tongue has shared a new single, their first for their new album due in early 2020. ‘Return to the fields of Violet’ is the first track from Volume III, due out January 31st via Bindrune Recordings. The track is the first new music from the band since the band released a single a few years back, two 2015 split EPs, and 2013’s epic full-length A Nest of Ravens in the Throat of Time. Jam the new track right now! Get hype as this will be a major underground release on the schedule for us, and should be for you as well if you love high-quality USBM. More info and pre-orders are coming soon about the album! Continue reading →


False – Portent

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Minneapolis is not a frigid northern waste year-round, but it’s a good stand-in for Scandinavia on a frosty winter day. The music that comes from there often conjures the heartless sounds of the birthplace of Black Metal. While also being home to the funky sex god Prince (RIP), the region has notably given us many great modern USBM bands to hand our hats on. The greatest may very well be False, as the sextet continues to hone their sound to perfection. I won’t event front, I have been a huge fan for some time and while they are “emerging” to mainstream ears, I have been down since the beginning, with several EP’s and splits most prized among my collection. So of course, I was amped for the release of Portent (Gilead Media), their new full-length album, so I got ready to dive in hard. Continue reading →


Wolves In The Throne Room Signs New Deal With Century Media Records

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Century Media Records and USBM band Wolves And The Throne Room have announced a deal to release WITTR albums outside of the USA. The deal extends to the Artemis Records imprint as well. The band had an enormous year performing on the Decibel Tour last spring and just finished opening for Behemoth and At The Gates live in the USA. The same tour is about to hit Europe next winter. Continue reading →


Skeletonwitch – Devouring Radiant Light

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For many years Skeletonwitch has been a band on the cusp of the elite of American metal bands. From their early blackened thrash era, they earned an army of fans thirsting for some grimness with their circle-pits. A no-nonsense approach and the beer-swilling Berserkers pillaging your town every tour vibe built a reputation of a bunch of guys you not only wanted to support but felt like they could be your friends.  Over the course of the last few years since adding vocalist Adam Clemans, their more kvlt musical tastes have refined and now come to the forefront. They have taken great care to remain true to their high standards of writing, lest they let themselves, or the fans down. Continue reading →


Mutilation Rites – Chasm

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Brooklyn, New York, based black metallers Mutilation Rites are a name that have been making somewhat of a buzz in some extreme metal and underground circles. Far from being a necessarily revolutionary band, Mutilation Rites’ sound has been predominantly old school based; being raw, frantic and evil sounding; but they have always felt genuine and backed up with quality.Continue reading →


Prophecy Productions Signs Xasthur, New Music Incoming

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Prophecy Productions, one of the leading underground heavy music labels in the world has announced a partnership with USBM legend Xasthur! In addition to their upcoming US tour and an appearance at Shadow Woods Metal Fest IV, new music will eventually see the light. Starting as a one-man black metal band, Xasthur has evolved into an unconventional, but incredible live entity with other players. Prophecy will launch this partnership with a new, limited edition EP, an exclusive preview of Xasthur’s upcoming full length, building on his new doomgrass style. The EP, Aestas Pretium MXVIII, will be sold exclusively on his forthcoming, extensive US tour.Continue reading →


The Decibel Tour Live At Irving Plaza

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Much like the magazine that spawned this annual trek of the best in metal, The Decibel Tour has officially become an institution for our scene. I look forward to the announcement every year, it’s a given the lineup will rule. This year was stacked as one of the best with Enslaved, Wolves In The Throne Room, Myrkur, and Khemmis. Continue reading →


Archgoat –  Svartidauði – Bölzer: Live At Het Bos

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On Saturday October 7th 2017, almost exactly a year after hosting the excellent Mannveira/Wormlust package, Het Bos has another delectable line-up for anyone into the dark and destructive. Opening the night are Eggs of Gomorrah, the Swiss band has a fat and muddy sound, with lower end vocals, and a clear dose of death metal influence and while the performance doesn’t have major mistakes it just fails to capture me as anything inherently special. Visually, while it’s clear the band put their most into the performance, there’s not a clear idea how to present it all. The band is relatively young though, having dropped their début in 2016, so who knows what they will develop into.Continue reading →