178 total search results — Page 2 of 9
Spire – Metamorph
Review — February 20, 2012
Australian extreme metal is one of wonder. Whether it's the heartbreaking sorrow of Austere and by extension Woods of Desolation, the war/black/thrash stylings of Deströyer 666 and Sadistik Exekution, the nightmare inducing death metal of Portal or the absolute majesty of doom legends Mournful Congregation - Australia produces some …
Ghoul – Transmission Zero
Review — February 27, 2012
Oakland's Ghoul are a mysterious bunch, going by pseudonyms, apparently hailing from Creepsylvania (a quick Google map check tells me this isn't actually a real place), and looking like they just stepped off a 70's horror flick set. Sounds crazy. And it kinda is, but what else would you expect …
Les Discrets – Ariettes Oubliées...
Review — March 5, 2012
France's Les Discrets have been active for nigh on nine years, yet are only on the cusp of their second full length release. Driving force Fursy Teyssier has had a hand in one of the greatest exports of the majestic French scene, Amesoeurs (unfortunately a band no longer in existence), …
Plague Widow – Self Titled
Review — March 19, 2012
Sacramento three-piece Plague Widow came to form late last year, and have through some kind of sorcery already unleashed an uncompromising and punishing EP. Fifteen minutes of pure intense grind with a tiny hint of death, Plague Widow EP is disgustingly ferocious and absolutely relentless. With an intro track that …
Remnants – Suspension
Review — March 26, 2012
Brooklyn based drone purveyors Remnants four track cassette Suspension is a curious little release, building on a foundation of fuzzy electronic notes, and deep unnerving tones. Lead track "Ornamentals" is a tad unsettling in it's minimalism. The quiet buzz of white noise sitting just behind dissonant strikes slowly build in …
Revilers – Self Titled
Review — April 16, 2012
Boston punk outfit Revilers have been kicking about on their local scene since 2008, and finally dropped debut album Revilers on Patac Records at the end of March. Containing thirteen no-holds-barred and vitriolic as heck anthems, Revilers builds on the EP's (Isolation, Stand or Fall - both on Patac) …
Meshuggah – Koloss
Review — April 23, 2012
*Reviewers disclaimer – This is the most Meshuggah I have ever heard, so here you get two viewpoints – a fan perspective and, well, mine. Sweden’s Meshuggah (literally meaning “crazy” in Hebrew/Yiddish) have been the backbone of the extreme/technical/progressive death metal scene since their inception way back in 1987 and …
Anathema – Weather Systems
Review — April 23, 2012
Liverpool's Anathema are a curious entity. Starting life as a death-infused doom band full of intense lamentation and a deep-seated despair they struck a path that no-one could see coming. Eternity heralded a change in direction for Anathema in 1996 and ultimately led them to the stratospheric height of We're …
High on Fire – De Vermis Mysteriis
Review — April 30, 2012
California’s High On Fire let loose an album of gargantuan proportions with De Vermis Mysteriis, the follow up to 2010’s massive Snakes For The Divine. Similarly huge, De Vermis Mysteriis is a much dirtier affair; pummeling riffs and absolutely gigantic swells of sound make up this mystical journey into …
Wolfbrigade – Damned
Review — May 7, 2012
Sweden’s Wolfbrigade have been around in one guise or another (formerly Wolfpack) since 1995 – the changing lineup finally unleashing a new full length with Damned, their first in four long years. Seen as pioneers of the Swedish crust/d-beat scene, Wolfbrigade play an unrelenting form of metal tinged hardcore-esque …
The Great Old Ones – Al Azif
Review — May 7, 2012
The Great Old Ones hail from Bordeaux, France, and fuse a deep love and interest in the H.P. Lovecraft universe with the extremity of blackened metal. Forming in 2009 as a solo project, Benjamin Guerry soon added four other musicians to the fold and the band of today began to …
Fighting Kites – Self Titled
Review — May 21, 2012
North London four piece Fighting Kites started life in 2009, their brand of intimate instrumental rock immediately setting them apart from the arty crowd that usually inhabits the post-rock tag. Delicate structures of gentle and sweeping beauty permeate this debut record, opener “Chuck Close” a subtle composition of lightly struck …
Pinkish Black – Self Titled
Review — May 29, 2012
Texan duo Pinkish Black employ synthesised loops of terrifying, droning pulses and a deliciously dangerous swagger filters through this debut. Daron Beck’s clouded voice dips in and out of throbbing electronic beats whilst currents of perilous doom cut through the loaded atmosphere, Beck’s voice often hidden in the murky depths …
Martyrdöd – Paranoia
Review — June 4, 2012
Sweden’s Martyrdöd are whole heap of metallic vitriol interspersed with a frenetic melody and more spiky riffs than you can shake a stick at. Furious and without mercy, latest record Paranoia is a crust-laden festival of punk-infused spite. Blackened hardcore at it’s very finest, Martyrdöd are here to rip your …
Burzum – Umskiptar
Review — June 11, 2012
The prolific post-prison output of Burzum has verged on the slightly more experimental side of the black metal musical spectrum. Taking a more ambient turn after career highlight Filofosem and incorporating a neo-classical edge in Belus (2010), a new sound was forged by Varg Vikernes after his incarceration. Belus encapsulated …
Ihsahn – Eremita
Review — June 18, 2012
Norway’s Ihsahn (or Vegard Sverre Tveitan if we're being formal) has continued to produce some of the most exciting and progressive music since his days as a member of the influential Emperor. Gradually turning from the black metal aspect of his career, Ihsahn has taken his skills as a …
Ahab – The Giant
Review — June 25, 2012
German titans Ahab and their deep love affair with the sea began with 2005 demo The Oath and continued into their debut The Call of the Wretched Sea in 2006. Self proclaimed as Nautik funeral doom due to this affection for the ocean, Ahab began a journey into the fathomless …
Bosse-de-Nage – iii
Review — July 3, 2012
Pushing the black metal blueprint ever further from its roots, San Franciscan four-piece Bosse-de-Nage deliver a record of complex intensity and distraught emotion with third full length iii. The enigmatic group very rarely play live and are averse to revealing their true identities, yet iii is a deeply personal …
Baroness – Yellow & Green
Review — July 20, 2012
When a band decides (yes, the band, not you and your fanboy mates) to make a little change in their musical approach and try out something new, a couple of things happen. Aforementioned fanboys get up in arms and take to the internet in droves or have the same conversation …
