“Iron Front are a young band fresh outta the savage wasteland of California. Their sound is a straightforward mix of hardcore, slam and brutal death, with an emphasis on the groove, not on noodly technicality. Their aim, from the outset, is to crush, not dazzle. Their debut, 2022’s Left Out to Rot, was as unpretentious as it was fun: a brutal little appetizer that promised more. That “more” is Hooked, and straightaway the cover will tell you everything you need to know.” Iron deficiency.
“I know you probably already went and looked at the score, and you’ve asked yourself “but wait, isn’t slam just one big joke?” An exaggerated and uncouth sense of humor, which often borders plain dumb, slathers an overwhelming majority of slam releases, so it’s a fair assumption.” Grand slam.
“I’m an old dude and there’s no getting around it. Because of my advanced case of age, I’m much more susceptible to nostalgia-core than those younger than I, and when 80s-flavored fares are hawked, I’ll always elbow my way to the front and sample them lustily. Nite is a brand spanking new project by members of Dawnbringer, Satan’s Wrath and High Spirits, and what they’re cooking here is a rollicking mixture of classic 80s metal with a decidedly blackened edge.” Those glorious 80s Nites.
“With scant few acts from the golden era of Finnish melodic death metal living up to their former glitter and gusto, the torch has been unwittingly passed across state lines. From Æther Realm to Aephanemer, the kids who grew up worshiping at the altars of Ensiferum, Children of Bodom, and scores of others are now handily matching the quality of their influences. California’s Crepuscle is no exception.” The American way.
“Californian RPG rockers Gygax rose from the ashes of Gypsyhawk back in 2015, and impressed the hell out of a particular man-cat with both 2016’s Critical Hits and last year’s2nd Edition. The blend of RPG tropes and Thin Lizzy-esque boogie rock made for a wonderful combination, and each ended up getting at least a mention on my Top Ten lists. A little over a year since 2nd Edition, and the merry travelers already have High Fantasy ready for a new campaign, fresh party members, and nine more songs chock full of Dungeons & Dragons-inspired 70s rock. But on their third quest, the merry four-piece have hit a fairly large bump in the road.” Low roll.
“May 2011. A younger Mark Z. has just finished his junior year of college, reeling from adolescent crushes and mired in deep apprehension for the future. In this turmoil, nothing soothed the soul better than the rushing emotion and positive energy of bands like A Wilhelm Scream, No Trigger, and Heartsounds. Were they metal? Fuck no, but their intricate melodic punk was exactly what I needed at the time. This listening regime also had the unexpected consequence of reintroducing me to Light This City.” Hit the lights!
“Archetypes of Californian stoner Fu Manchu have inspired a ton of followers. After all, the lighthearted, straightforward fuzz rockers have a style that does well on any stage, in any form, and is easily duplicated even by less experienced musicians. But picture a saloon full of personifications of these fun-loving cowboys. Imagine them laughing, drinking beer and playing cards in good nature. Then a silence falls as the door swings open. A gruff figure in the opening, clad in black, eyes the room wearily, a crumpled cigarette protruding from dry lips in a scarred and stubbled face. The silence holds as he approaches the bar and orders a whiskey in a dark-brown voice. That fellow is Realms of Vision, a new face in town, armed with an eight-pounder called Through All Unknown.” Riff slingers and hell raisers.
“When we last saw California’s Gygax, the stalwart four-piece party encountered a cynical man-cat from the mountains of Blashyrkh, hoping to impress this grizzled wizard with Critical Hits, an album that sang the praises of Dungeons & Dragons with a sound that would make Phil Lynott proud.” They like big dice and they cannot lie.
“When AMG himself dropped a promo on me from a new band from former Gypsyhawk members called Gygax, named after the Godfather of D&D himself, E. Gary Gygax, I was both intrigued and skeptical. I love my metal and nerd tendencies, and Gygax had better come in with a decent THAC0 and saving throw if they wanted to withstand a lashing from yours truly.”
