News, Reviews and Interviews
Heavy Metal Around the Globe
Kool Kieth x Thetan – Space Goretex
A reality TV star is president, an extremely infectious disease is ravaging the entire earth, and an old rapper makes new music with a noisecore band from the south. You couldn’t make this shit up.
Sovereign – Neurotic
The result is a record that you WANT to revisit again and again;
156/SILENCE – Irrational Pull
Overall, the Irrational Pull album is a solid addition to the hardcore genre that may not reinvent the wheel, but definitely polishes the hubcap some.
INTERVIEW: JOSEPH SCHAFER – Northwest Terror Fest
Joseph Schafer has a cool thing going on. Leveraging his connections in music and journalism, he’s managed to put together one of the country’s biggest metal festivals in the form of NorthWest Terror Fest (NWTF).
Swamp Witch – Dead Rituals
It’s nasty, caustic stuff, and really I mean that in the best way possible.
Moto – Underground
On Underground, Moto continue to create unique music that is so much greater than the sum of its parts.
Yaldabaoth – That Which Whets the Saccharine Palate
That Which Whets The Saccharine Palate ramps up the tension of existence by carefully weaving strands of dissonant mysticism into murky fog of blackened horror. Take heed. This is not a light listen, nor is it for the incautious.
Violent Opposition – Utopia/Dystopia
Utopia/Dystopia makes me feel out of control, off balance, angry, lost, belligerent, and more, all at once.
Deathstorm – The Unfathomable
…a triumphant masterpiece, drawing the listener forward in a measured way, all while also channeling the utter chaos of the void.
Laurentian Tides Interview and Live Footage
Interview with Laurentian Tides and their full set from the In The Wake Of The Great Collapse album release show.
Misanthropic Rage – Igne Natura Renovatur Integra
The rest of the album, and the rest of the opening track, is this weird hybrid of experimental Black and Death Metal.
Decoherence – Ekpyrosis
Ekpyrosis rises from the deepest pit of the void, a creature unleashed to slither forth upon the unsuspecting masses.
Verano’s Dogs – Summoning the Hounds
The band does not reinvent the wheel, but firmly implants themselves as a worthy entry into the annals of grindcore done well, done in an interesting manner, and done with fury and passion.
Gourmand – Blossoming From The Grave
What Gourmand do so well on this album is to seamlessly mesh weirdo, technical death metal with strange time signatures, bizarre riffs, and the like on one hand, and seriously emotional, passionate music on the other.
MAZIKEEN – The Solace of Death
With this invitation, so begins the profound existential apocalypse of The Solace of Death…
Dark Fortress – Spectres From The Old World
Dark Fortress both digs deep and imagines large on this hour long effort. With black metal as their vehicle, they ride through the cosmos and traverse the wide spaces between atoms, all of it in the service of understanding our insignificance.
INTERVIEW: Lychgate
The theme of the release can be summarised as a series of ideas on transhumanism stemming out of an initial inspiration from the Fritz Lang film Metropolis (1927).
Atavisma/Void Rot Split
Unlike many splits, this particular one shows consistent excellence. Kudos to Everlasting Spew for recognizing an opportunity to put together two bands that would mesh so well together, yet each show their own personality.
Henry Kane – Age Of The Idiot
Angry, disturbed, ominous, triumphant…this album is all of those things, and more.
Ashen Chalice – Gdje sva srca gore
I’m still not sure I fully understand what’s going on here, but I know that it speaks to me in deep and meditative ways, though the sound itself is harsh and disturbing.
Lucius Fox – Quaternary Panorama
Good experimental/disparate music NEEDS to have good melodies, as Frank Zappa taught us, and Lucius Fox not only gets that, but they hammer it home with head bobbing goodness.
INTERVIEW: Racetraitor (video plus live set)
Interview and live set from the incendiary Chicago hardcore band Racetraitor.
Blasphemer – The Sixth Hour
This is a very strong release.
INTERVIEW: Pure Wrath
If you haven't heard it yet, The Forlorn Soldier is a masterful EP by the Indonesian one-man project Pure Wrath. Recently, I was able to catch up with Ryo, the man behind the magic, to ask him a few questions. Read on, and be sure to check out his music. ...
