“Today’s dousing of rousing black metal is brought to you by the connoisseurs of battlefield chaos: Evil Warriors. In between raids, assaults, missions, sieges and skirmishes, the members of this troublesome horde forge equally manic and violent music to accompany their meddlesome missions.” The raiding life.
“Ectoplasma might be new to the game, but the resolutely old-school Cavern of Foul Unbeings would never betray the fact. Their first LP since a 2016 debut, Cavern plunders all manner of late ’80s and early ’90’s death metal from Obituary to Death acquiring riffs and inspiration, complete with the B-movie samples and a noticeable absence of bass guitar.” Old death dies hard.
“I can never quite get my head around how quickly Bandcamp staked out such an integral position in my life. The online marketplace is responsible for expanding my listening horizons as well as keeping me attuned to what people I respect (and El Cuervo) find worthy of purchase. Plus, letting me truffle-pig for releases that might not hit the promo bin is how I found Æther Realm. It’s also how I came across Under Siege. The Italians’ folky, eclectic brand of melodeath hooked me from the start, and the notion that their debut might go unreviewed was too painful to allow.” The agony and ecstasy of the fanboy.
“Of all metal subgenres, heavy metal is the one with the honor of regularly being used as a synonym for metal at large. Considering it’s arguably the oldest of the bunch, this should come as little surprise, but one could also argue the case for doom metal, which no one outside of the scene ever heard about. Is it then due to age, exposure, or just my own warped view that heavy metal seems to be the most stagnant of metal subgenres? I won’t say nothing fresh ever arises from its corner (Sumerlands is a fine example) but by and large, heavy metal bands today all seem like pale imitations of the golden boys from the 1980’s. Death Keepers don’t do much to change that impression with debut Rock This World.” Remember the old, those days were gold.
“What’s your first impression when I say Dark Hound? No, this isn’t a trap. And, no, I’m not looking for anything perverted, so fucking stop. For me, Sherlock Holmes comes to mind. I don’t know… creepy dogs and shit? Anyway, with that, I would imagine the band’s music to be dark, brooding, and haunting—with an atmosphere to match. Well, no surprise, everything I thought was wrong. If anything, this Nashville, Tennessee quartet is anything but that.” Bro down(tuned).
“Anvil persists. That’s become an enduring truism and the mantra of this Canadian act since they first broke ground way back in 1981. You probably know their story – once poised to be the next big thing on the strength of classic albums like Metal on Metal and Forged in Fire, the call to greatness never came and the band watched younger acts like Metallica and Anthrax pass them by on the road to legend. But did they fold up shop and cry about it? Fook no! When the going gets tough, Anvil gets going, and that brings us to their 17th goddamn album, Pounding the Pavement.” Metal has no retirement plan.
“Having not heard a note of Druid Lord prior to taking up the gory mantle for review, I reached into the ol’ Grymm Grab Bag™ to see what goodies Druid Lord have in store for us. With a descriptor over at Metal Archives as being death/doom with a strong horror vibe, this should be right up my alley, yes?” More Scream than Hostel.
“If you were to purchase Witchcryer’s debut, Cry Witch and load it into your iTunes-type mp3 sorter thingamabob, you’d likely see it appear adjacent to NWoBHM legends Witchfnder General. That is no coincidence. This Texas doom rock troupe features members of Las Cruces, Earthen Grave and The Living Fields, but their style and sound is the result of extended listens to the classic platters of those ancient British witch wranglers.” Some of those that dig ditches, are the same that burn witches.
“So begins my first review of 2018. I concluded 2017 with a very poor last couple of months of writing so I resolved to make some random selections from the promo bin to validate that accidental discoveries are indeed more satisfying than cherry-picking from a carefully curated end of year lists. Frost Giant had a badass name and were apparently American folk metal, two positive indicators of my listening pleasure. And yet, over three years of musical writing has taught me harsh lessons about expectations so I hit play with an open but cautious mind.” With great expectations come great disappointment.
“Before there was The Night Flight Orchestra, there was Audrey Horne. They were the first extreme metal collective to rediscover and mercilessly plunder the sacred crypts of 70s and 80s radio rock, leaving naught behind for subsequent tomb raiders but Frank Stallone 8-tracks and broken pieces of Toto and Billy Joel imports. Those purloined rock relics helped fuel album after album of irresistibly rowdy music, establishing these sticky fingered Norwegians as the best hard rock band America never produced.” Who rocks in a pineapple under the sea?
