News, Reviews and Interviews
Heavy Metal Around the Globe
Owlbear – Chaos to the Realm
Owlbear kicks ass. Seriously.
Ebony Pendant – Ebony Pendant
Right of the rip, or should I say riff, this album brings you to the trve and cold.
Starer – Wind, Breeze, or Breath
Starer can basically do know wrong. Each album is part of a cohesive sound, yet each also has its own unique elements.
Psionic Madness – Rotting Dominion
Big props to the guys for creating such a monumental release and in my opinion one of the best death metal releases of 2022.
EXCLUSIVE TRACK STREAM: Wyrgher – Destroyer of the Promethean Path
This may be the darkest entry I’ve heard in the cosmic black metal subcategory. It is also one of the best.
EXCLUSIVE TRACK PREMIERE: Terra Builder – Dead Celestial
Solar Temple is an absolute monster, a fantastic start for this new band, and another dark gem in the Transcending Obscurity list of releases.
EXCLUSIVE DUAL TRACK PREMIERE: Organ Dealer – Truth Blinders/Endless Despondence
The attack on The Weight of Being is poignant and powerful, both lyrically and sonically.
Gossamer – The Culling of Crones
The weight of the subject matter, the strength of the composition, and the rugged excellence of the playing make this an album worth many repeat spins.
Krigsgrav – Fires in the Fall
The trio have concocted a rich, fiery atmosphere which holds all manner of imagined evil in the shadows and contours of the riffs.
Trhä- mã Hèshiva õn dahh Khata trhândlha vand ëfd datnen Aghen Ecíës drhãtdlhan savd
The morose guitar riffs, the extravagant transitions, and shrieking vocal performances prove that black metal doesn’t always need to adhere to traditional standards.
Swamp Fiend – Smoke Weed, Hail Satan
At its core, bluesy stoner riffs carry along both clean and harsh vocals, and are anchored by an incredibly heavy bottom end.
Summer Haze ’99 – Inevitable
How do you capture perfection in an album review? I probably can’t, but Leleth can and does on this album.
Women of Michigan Metal: Interview with Keshia from Glass God
we asked Keshia some in-depth questions hoping to gain insights to her inner most musical life and influences. She gave us very brief, quite poignant answers, that ultimately leave us with further questions, like “does Kirk Hammett’s hair make him a femme influencer?”
G.N.L.S. (Geometric Nictation of Lament’s Space) – Conspiracy of Thoughts
Conspiracy of Thoughts…pulls the listener bodily into the darkest recesses of their own mind, through the contemplation of the horrors of humanity.
Women of MI Metal: Interview with Shanda from Inaudible Darling
We asked Shanda some moderately intrusive questions about her influences, inspiration and the burning question on everyone’s mind when they watch her belt out every Inaudible Darling song… what’s her favorite sea creature?
Women of MI Metal: Interview with Natalie from Realm of Sheol
We asked Natalie some hard-hitting questions about the inspiration behind the mic, advice for fellow female metal musicians, and favorite dinosaur (spoiler alert – it screams… very loudly).
Torture Rack- Primeval Onslaught
All in all this is the band’s best offering thus far. There’s no shelter. There’s no safety.
Dødsferd – Asphyxiating Late Night Sessions: Collaboration with Sarvok
Wrath and m.Sarvok have birthed a masterpiece into the world in Asphyxiating Late Night Sessions. Don’t let it slip past you.
EXCLUSIVE TRACK PREMIERE: Perfumed Saturnine Angels – Bow Down to Your Black Hole
Skronky riffs ride the bass like a cowboy on a bull, except it’s the cowboy (guitars) that is wild.
EXCLUSIVE VIDEO PREMIERE: Citizen Rage – Walls
The video itself feels vintage, like it could have come from MTV in the 80s.
DRUM PLAYTHROUGH: Instigate – Embrace the End
Relentless power roars forward throughout Unheeded Warnings of Decay, like a tsunami headed toward shore, with equal measures of imminent destruction.
Derhead – The Gray Zone Phobia
Be prepared to have your hackles raised, to look often over your shoulder at illusory suggestions of danger, to walk in a mounting sense of unease.
A Heavy Trip Down Memory Lane with Static-X
Grand Rapids showed up for their stop on the Rise Of The Machine Tour! Cultus Black, Dope, Fear Factory, and with Xero replacing the late Wayne Static as frontman, Static-X played to a sold out main room at The Intersection. A standing room show on a Tuesday night...
Project: Roenwolfe – Project: Roenwolfe
The album has incredible staying power, both in terms of earworm riffs that stay with me throughout the day, and the urge to listen repeatedly, even back to back.
