Nov16

Metallica – Hardwired…To Self Destruct Review

Metallica – Hardwired…To Self Destruct Review

“35 years into their career, Metallica’s music is so ingrained in heavy metal’s DNA that writing about it objectively is almost impossible. Their albums were among the first I ever owned, and they were the first live show I ever saw (with Suicidal Tendencies and original-lineup Danzig opening!). In recent decades, I’ve cringed alongside the rest of you at the band’s various missteps, and rooted for them as they slowly reclaimed bits of their 1980s glory.” The frayed ends of Hardwired.

Scorched – Echoes of Dismemberment Review

Scorched – Echoes of Dismemberment Review

“It’s easy to slip into Grinch mode as we hurtle towards the silly season. Unfortunately for many, before the Christmas and other holiday festivities hit full swing, there’s a shitload of commitments and deadlines to navigate before it’s time to kick back and relax. On top of these realities comes the nauseating Christmas commercialism that predictably takes over and gets jammed down throats, making me feel as if I’m going to start shitting elves any day now. Thankfully metal is here to keep sanity in check.” Death to commercialism!

Dot Legacy – To the Others Review

Dot Legacy – To the Others Review

“Eclectic is the name of the game when it comes to Dot Legacy. The French quartet has been around for seven years, playing a unique brand of fuzzed-out energy rock. How’s that for a genre? To be honest, Dot Legacy’s second offering, To the Others, kind of defies genre categorization. It’s a mish-mash of everything, and that was the intent going in.” Kitchen sink-core.

Defiant – Time Isn’t Healing Review

Defiant – Time Isn’t Healing Review

“To paraphrase the immortal Hansi Kursch: “time, what is time? — it does not heal, but it lets us forget.” Ukrainian power-metallers Defiant seemingly agree, with the concept rampant on their sophomore release Time Isn’t Healing. It would appear, around the AMG water cooler, at any rate, that power metal continues to be one of the most divisive components of heavy metal.” That water cooler is actually filled with cheap bourbon.

Heavydeath – In Circles We Die Review

Heavydeath – In Circles We Die Review

“Naming your doom metal band Heavydeath is like naming your cat “Whiskers McPussyface,” but somehow this Swedish trio manages to pull it off. In early 2015 these former Runemagick members quite impressed me with debut Eternal Sleepwalker, at least enough that I actually bothered to check out a few of the motherfucking 16 demos, EPs, and compilations the band released since forming just three years ago.” Slowprolific.

Hornss – Telepath Review

Hornss – Telepath Review

“You wouldn’t know it by my amazing metal cred, but I’m actually a huge nerd. And, as such, it seems to be my moral obligation to watch British sci-fi staple Doctor Who religiously. It’s a campy affair with loads of creatures and concepts that seem to have been invented by someone going “what if…“ and constructing entire episodes around that.” Destroy! Destroy!

Devilment – II – The Mephisto Waltzes Review

Devilment – II – The Mephisto Waltzes Review

“Though Dimmu Borgir and Cradle of Filth continue to deliver some decent material, I struggle to find that initial pleasure I once felt with releases like Enthrone Darkness Triumphant, Spiritual Black Dimensions, Dusk and Her Embrace, and Cruelty and the Beast. And, for the most part, I had a falling out with both bands. But, I recently discovered a musical venture of Dani Filth’s I had no idea existed—one that I am rather enjoying.” If you can’t have the King, at least you can wallow in Filth.

Panphage – Drengskapr Review

Panphage – Drengskapr Review

“One-man black metal projects are like rats nowadays; you’re never more than a few meters away from one at any given time. Okay, I may have made that up, but there does seem to be quite a surplus of them knocking about at the moment. While this abundance of choice is great for those of us who like our music bleak and wintery, with every man and his dog getting in on the act, cutting through the chaff and finding material actually worth listening to can seem like a pretty mammoth task.” Allow us to separate the wheat from the rats.

Initiated – World on Fire Review

Initiated – World on Fire Review

“I don’t know what the hell is going on in Finland these days. Late last year the quirky northerners gave us a band by the name of Speedtrap, a proto-thrash garage band who put out a messy but fun album, Straight Shooter. Now we get Initiated, another garage band naturally featuring Speedtrap’s guitarist on the lead axe (I don’t know if there are enough people in Finland for bands to not share members), for a less thrashy but no less messy record, World on Fire.” Raw power or raw chowder?

Maschine – Naturalis Review

Maschine – Naturalis Review

“Things are getting worse. The seasons are becoming more unforgiving and natural disasters on a colossal scale are becoming more common. Species and their habitats are being pulverized into extinction at a rapid rate and humanity, instead of looking for a solution, seeks to jump ship to other planets. How are we, the powerless, going to solve this? What can we really do? Well, we can curl up into a ball and listen to Maschine’s second full-length that focuses on the ramifications of our disregard for Mother Earth.” Prog it up as the world goes down.