“Following a pretty damn solid year for the thrash genre in 2021, fans of the legendary, often gateway metal genre will be buzzed for more of the same quality in 2022. A good old blast of feisty thrash is always welcome, especially as we swing into the trials, tribulations and hopefully good times of another uncertain year. Kicking off my thrash promos of 2022 is an unheralded act out of Texas, named X.I.L, dropping their self-released debut LP, Rip & Tear.” Rip ride.
“New year, same late Record(s) o’ the Month bullshit. And we don’t even have some lame-ass excuse this time, as there was no doubt which album would be awarded Best in Show this month.” Can’t stop the Wildersteal.
“Calling something new “NWoBHM” is a tricky proposition. Some bands and labels seem to fall on the description as a lazy synonym for Maiden, but that clearly only captures a slice of the historical scene. Sin Starlett’s tendency to swap out huge sections of the wardrobe between albums only amplifies the confusion in calling them simply “NWoBHM.” 2012’s awfully-named Throat Attack saw Starlett wear through the combined speed and pop sensibilities of Defenders of the Faith-era Judas Priest. 2016’s Digital Overload, meanwhile, saw the Starletts adopt thrashier trappings. The borderline thrash riffs and vocal barks seemed to signal a new direction for follow-up Solid Source of Steel. Wherever steel may roam.
“Two months into 2022 and Thunderor have already released the best album cover of the year. Part Painkiller, part Jester Race, all airbrushed metal glory. Thunderor is the NWOTHM pet project of Skull Fist drummer JJ Tartaglia who is joined by ex-Skull Fist guitarist Johnny Nesta and ex Annihilator bassist Oscar Rangel. After reading the press release, one can imagine the moment Tartaglia saw Manowar’s “Return of the Warlord” video and traded his skateboard for a chopper and his Vans for a pair of studded boots.” Heavy metal Thunderor.
“Slow Burning Rage is a one-man crew consisting of multi-instrumentalist Ryan Parrish, who you may know as the former drummer of melodeath heavyweights Darkest Hour, as well as other varying acts like Iron Reagan, Mammoth Grinder, City of Caterpillar, and Bleach Everything (to name a few). What can you expect from Slow Burning Rage, then? Well, for as varied and crazy as his resume is, it’s nothing like any of his acts. Slow Burning Rage’s self-titled debut is deemed “jazz sludge” by the promo gods.” Rage for change.
“It feels like it’s been forever since I reviewed Sheen and Misery, the sophomore full-length from Ukranian depressive black metal project Ezkaton. It hasn’t—it’s been less than three years, but, well, a lot has happened, and I think less of it has been positive than most of us would like. And on days when you want to curse and hate and scoff at the world, Ezkaton is like the cold side of your pillow, offering cold comfort you can’t find anywhere else.” Pray for Ukraine.
Shape of Despair is such a big name in the funeral doom scene that we had to give their latest depressive platter a double review. Come for the reviews of Return to the Void, but stay for the despair.
“I’m not going to lie here; when I first saw A Nocturnal Crossing, the second album by French doommakers Deathbell, listed in our promo pick-up software, my brain autocorrected the title into Animal Crossing. From that moment, I wondered to myself what it would be like to have a concept doom album where our hapless main (unnamed) character would strike a deal with The Devil, selling his soul for bells while interacting with damned-but-adorable lost animal souls while trying to cross the River Styx on a dragon boat powered by Blathers the Owl.” Hell bells.
“Tunisian one-man band Brood of Hatred caught my attention during my early days on Bandcamp, luring me into mastermind Muhammed Mêlki’s twisted brand of progressive post-death metal with Skinless Agony. He apparently released a second album, Identity Disorder, so quietly that I completely missed it until just a few days prior to writing this. Catching up on what I missed gave me a clearer picture of how Brood of Hatred developed over the last eight years leading up to his latest outing, entitled The Golden Age.” Pox Romana.
“Today, dear reader, I take over review duties for the tech death band Allegaeon from all around swell guy GardensTale. You see, Mr. Tale has twice reviewed these Coloradans, once for 2016’s Proponent of Sentience, and again for 2019’s Apoptosis, awarding both middling to poor scores. Apparently, this upset the powerful Allegaeon lobbyists in metal congress, because those comment sections got savage. GardensTale, this site, his mom, other writers, OUR moms; no one was safe from the blistering ire of the Allegaeonites.” A letter to Damnum.
