“Cavemen have become popular again, and this time they’re not trying to sell you insurance. No, a wave of bands are doing something I appreciate and embracing the simpler elements of death metal. Bands like Frozen Soul, Sanguisugabogg, Celestial Sanctuary, and Gutless are associated with our cave-dwelling ancestors and they have one important thing in common: big, dumb riffs. What type of big dumb riffs? Mortician ones.” Welcome to Club Dead.
“Anyone who’s seen The Wire knows Baltimore can be a rough place, but on Memorial Day weekend every year, things get especially brutal. Hundreds of rabid metal fans from all over the world descend on ‘Charm City’ to participate in Maryland Deathfest, and the result is four days of moshing, headbanging, and partying like it’s 1989.” Death to all.
“Shape-shifting Chicago act The Atlas Moth exorcised some particularly nasty personal demons on 2014’s bleak, The Old Believer album. Although failing to hit the glorious highs of predecessor An Ache for the Distance, it proved a mature, emotionally raw and harrowing chapter in the band’s career. Not content to repeat themselves, The Atlas Moth return in a decidedly more chipper mood, by their despondent standards, serving up an energetic and refreshingly upbeat collection of tunes that widens the scope considerably beyond the psychedelic sludge tag they are frequently saddled with.” Like an Atlas Moth to the flame of judgment.
“For me, Pathology was the gateway to slam. I still recall the first time I ever experienced their music: Boxing Day, years ago, I went to the now-defunct record store Zeus in search of some new metal to feast my ears upon. I saw Legacy of the Ancients with its striking cover, adorned with a sticker saying that Pathology “represents more death than a mass grave in Columbia.” My thoughts in a word: sold.” What do we have to do to put you in this mass grave today?
“Hailing from the windy city, Broken Hope are known for dealing in what could be referred to as second-tier Suffocation or Deicide-inspired death metal, with some healthy Napalm Death grindcore influence.” Hope is never lost, just a bit broken.
