Celtic Frost

Vorbid – Mind Review

By Ferrous Beuller on April 19, 2018 in 2018, Indie Recordings, Norwegian Metal, Reviews, Thrash Metal, Thrash Metal, 51 comments

“Thanks to the increasingly virulent strain of spurious medical staff that infect AMG, I don’t often get a chance to review the sadly diminished number of thrash acts that grace the promo bin. As it happens, thrash was my musical first love, and having been fed hale and hearty on golden riffs, I will always hold a collection of bloody knuckle memories close to my heart. However, when I spotted Norway’s Vorbid alone and unmolested in the selection sewer, I knew now was my time to strike.” Are you Vorbid?

Twitching Tongues – Gaining Purpose Through Passionate Hatred Review

By Dr. Fisting on March 9, 2018 in 2018, American Metal, Hardcore, Metal Blade, Reviews, 44 comments

“Like many of you, I was shaken to my very core by AMG Himself‘s recent diatribe about subgenres. Fittingly enough, the very next album I’m handed to review is by a band that has blurred the lines of ‘metal’ and ‘hardcore’ for several years, confounding fans on both sides of the fence. As some of our longtime readers may have noticed, I really enjoy when bands do things that upset or confuse people, especially if it happens to result in interesting music. Enter Twitching Tongues and their fantastically-titled Gaining Purpose Through Passionate Hatred.” When the pigeon can’t find the hole.

Ilsa – Corpse Fortress Review

By Diabolus in Muzaka on March 5, 2018 in 2018, American Metal, Death Metal, Doom Metal, Relapse, Reviews, Death Doom, Death Metal, Doom Metal, 55 comments

“If pressed, I would have a hard time describing what “heavy” means in terms of music. I can contrast it with what it is not, but that only gets us a partial answer; essence cannot be defined by privations. In this young year, Washington’s Ilsa have me wondering now about what that definition contains and excludes more than any other band. Their fifth full-length Corpse Fortress sports a great title and the laudable accolade of being released by Relapse Records. The cover and the title hint at Ilsa releasing some truly heavy stuff, as did the appealing death-doom tag attached to it. Yet still I wonder: is this heavy?” Heavy is as heavy does.

Demonomancy – Poisoned Atonement Review

By Treble Yell on February 27, 2018 in 2018, Black Metal, Death Metal, Invictus Productions, Italian Metal, Reviews, Speed Metal, Speed Metal, 0 comments

“Back in 2016, Italy’s ghoulish Demonomancy released a split EP with Finland’s Witchcraft that was one of the first releases that I tackled as a scribe for the site. While the split didn’t have me feting either act I still wrangled a fair measure of enjoyment out of it, enough at least to warrant a closer look at Demonomancy’s new album, Poisoned Atonement.” Vote Hell.

Necrosexual – Grim 1 Review

By Mark Z. on February 23, 2018 in 2018, American Metal, Black Metal, Reviews, Self-released, Thrash Metal, Black Metal, Thrash Metal, 0 comments

“Apparently being ‘necro’ is a big thing right now. Necrophobic and Necropanther have new albums out this month, and the redundantly-titled Necrodeath are releasing a new record in March. With all that death piling up, where do Necrosexual squeeze themselves in? On the greasy avenue of primitive blackened thrash, of course.” Love life, not the dead.

Trono Além Morte – O Olhar Atento de Escuridão Review

By Master of Muppets on January 16, 2018 in 2017, Avante Garde, Black Metal, Portuguese Metal, Reviews, Signal Rex, Black Metal, 82 comments

“Let me tell you something which you might already know but have most likely never heard stated directly: Master-baiting is incredibly easy. To set a Muppet trap, one only needs a handful of specific pearls to effectively get me off of one musical tangent and thrusted furiously into another. Slap the black metal tag on something, slather it in cvlt artwork and croon it to me in a foreign tongue and I’m about as sonically revved up as they come.” Muppets are cheap dates.

Watain – Trident Wolf Eclipse Review

By Dr. A.N. Grier on January 4, 2018 in 2018, Black Metal, Century Media, Reviews, Swedish Metal, Black Metal, 112 comments

“From Rabid Death’s Curse to Lawless Darkness, Sweden’s Satanic three-piece, Watain, have enjoyed one of the best careers the black metal community has ever seen. With each release, the band explored more and expanded farther than the record before. The result is that 2007’s Sworn to the Dark and 2010’s Lawless Darkness are a couple of my favorite albums of all black metal. But, then, a peculiar thing happened. That thing was 2013’s The Wild Hunt.” Hunting season is over.

Sorxe – Matter & Void Review

By Dr. A.N. Grier on November 30, 2017 in 2017, American Metal, Doom Metal, Prosthetic Records, Reviews, Sludge, Doom Metal, Post-Metal, Sludge Metal, 36 comments

“But, the two biggest differences between Surrounded by Shadows and Matter & Void are the ones our beloved Brother Grymm had the biggest issues with—bass presence and song length. Justifiable complaints considering the band have two bass players and a nine-track sludge debut that carries on for almost an hour. But the band appears to have nipped these in the bud. Matter & Void is bassy, beefy, and its six tracks clock in at a mere thirty-five minutes. Not to mention, Sorxe has a label this time around. Time to find out what Matters and what’s Void.” Sludge matters.

Pink Mass – Necrosexual Review

By Treble Yell on November 8, 2017 in 2017, American Metal, Grind, Hardcore, Punk, Reviews, Self-released, Grind, Hardcore, Punk, 35 comments

“From the beginning, metal was the place for wayward souls to find refuge from society’s scornful gaze. Be you a high school drop-out, a Dungeons & Dragons bespectacled nerd, or just someone who didn’t click with the cliques, metal provided a soapbox to the disenfranchised yearning to give voice to their frustrations. Born from the rejection of consumerism and music’s increasing pomposity, punk too acted as a bulwark against the hegemony, drawing a rebellious fringe to its anarchistic bosom. As metal and punk grew in popularity, a disillusioned minority rebelled against their respective subculture’s dalliance with mainstream acceptance and fused elements of the two genres to create something truly repugnant: grindcore.” Hitting the Stonewall of grind.

Cursed Moon – Rite of Darkness Review

By Ferrous Beuller on October 31, 2017 in 2017, American Metal, Gothic Metal, Hells Headbangers Records, Retro Metal, Reviews, 38 comments

“I’m often a little cautious when introduced to new bands who seem to be born aloft on a draught of novelty furore. I feel the same familiar shiver when I see the “retro” tag scratching around in the promo bin, but even I can admit that, sometimes, retro does not negate relevancy. Enter Cursed Moon. This one man entity hailing from L.A, combines the 80’s melodrama of darkwave (new wave and post punk combined with gothic rock) with the feral nature of early black metal to spawn debut album Rite of Darkness.” A blaze in the L.A. sky.