Hardcore

Ready for Death – Ready for Death Review

By El Cuervo on December 7, 2022 in Reviews, Hardcore, Thrash Metal, 9 comments

“I’m currently compiling Angry Metal Guy’s annual EP, demo, split and collaboration article, and it’s always a compelling reminder that less is more when it comes to song and album lengths. Only very particular artists can write long-form material which is truly engaging front to back, whereas everyone else can convey their best ideas in much shorter form. Enter Chicago’s Ready for Death and their eponymous debut album. It’s marketed as a full release but that’s a full release in grind terms; 10 tracks across just 22 minutes is all you’ll hear here.” Nasty, brutish, and short.

Cave In – Heavy Pendulum [Things You Might Have Missed 2022]

By Saunders on November 18, 2022 in Things You Might Have Missed 2022, Hardcore, 23 comments

“Although well aware of their revered reputation, I largely came to Cave In via the awesome Mutoid Man. I have since come to deeply respect and appreciate chunks of the band’s diverse catalog, and solid crossover appeal. Final Transmission, 2019’s heart-wrenching tribute to their fallen brother Caleb Scofield, who tragically passed away in a car accident in 2018, was a stripped-back and poignant album, featuring Scofield’s final musical contributions. Rather than shut up shop on the back of a tragic loss, Cave In discovered newfound inspiration and forged on.” Still swinging.

Dr. Acula – Dr. Acula Review

By Dear Hollow on November 1, 2022 in Reviews, Deathcore, Hardcore, Mathcore, 23 comments

“I hail from the Pacific Northwest and have never set foot in the Big Apple, so I know nothing about Long Island. So when the promo reads “Deathcore from Long Island!!” I don’t know what the hell that means. Is that good or bad? Is Long Island the prodigal son of New York? Is Long Island something you’d rather fugeddabaat? I don’t know, but Dr. Acula calls it home. If you had told me that ten years ago, I would have cringed and made a mental note to never visit Long Island. But now? I’m not so sure.” No man is an island.

KEN mode – NULL Review

By Dolphin Whisperer on September 26, 2022 in Reviews, Hardcore, Noise, Noise Rock, Sludge Metal, 34 comments

“No, this album has nothing to do with our favorite sponge friend. Yes, this album has everything to do with FOUR angry Canadians now that KEN mode has promoted Kathryn Kerr, a one-woman wrecking ball of saxophone, synth, and piano prowess, previously guest-credited on 2018’s Loved. Did you think that KEN mode would go full saxcore after that experimental sludgeball? Well, I bet your 2022 bingo card is all kinds of fucked up at this point, so let’s make this one easy: KEN mode—or more accurately, primary bleeding heart Jesse Matthewson—hated the past couple years and it shows.” No dream house for you!

Red Rot – Mal de Vivre Review

By Dolphin Whisperer on September 2, 2022 in Reviews, Gothic Metal, Hardcore, Progressive Metal, Sludge Metal, 15 comments

“The dissolution of Davide Tiso’s flagship project, Ephal Duath has left a scar, a gloom, that has festered in memory and stained the landscape that Red Rot oozes forth. Though not usually steeped in this depth of emotion, Tiso (also of Howling Sycamore) has a knack for writing music that challenges, even aiming to frustrate the listener, and, quite frankly, doesn’t always land—but that’s precisely why I’m excited to at least try what this Italian expat has to offer.” The rot inside a sad heart,

Hexis – Aeternum Review

By Dear Hollow on August 31, 2022 in Reviews, Black Metal, Hardcore, Post-Metal, Sludge Metal, 16 comments

“While Hexis undoubtedly draws much comparison to the blackened hardcore/sludge of Celeste, Oathbreaker, The Secret, and even Amenra, there’s a liturgical element about them. Although its lyrics draw from the well of blasphemy and trod the well-worn path of nihilism, pitch-black reverence settles like cancer in the blood.” Hex marks the sore spot.

Abest – Molten Husk Review

By Dear Hollow on August 16, 2022 in Reviews, Ambient Metal, Black Metal, Hardcore, Post-Metal, 22 comments

“Molten Husk is an album built on a balance of synchrony and glitches, a duel of cohesive riffs and splattering experimentation. We embark on a journey with Abest, witnessing this dichotomy and wondering what the hell we do with its lesson. As the journey dwindles to its final moments, Molten Husk fully succumbs to the chaos. A corrosive and unforgiving beast, whose growls are abruptly interrupted by a spare moment of humanity in the haunting “Possessor,” it pummels and unnerves in a soundtrack of breathing darkness. But this is no black metal, though it makes sporadic appearances. This is not death metal, although listeners may be reminded of it. Although based in sludge, density is eschewed for a palpable crunch instead of earth-shaking weight. At the end of Molten Husk, Abest will challenge what you think about post-metal.” Abeast.

Teethgrinder – Dystopia Review

By Dolphin Whisperer on July 31, 2022 in Reviews, Hardcore, 10 comments

“Whether in the presence of a low or high grind tide, the quest for more persists. It’s no secret that quite a few of us in the office are sickos looking for a cheap, direct-to-vein thrill. Why just the other day our own El Cuervo was at the water cooler pining for the muddy-muzzled lashing of Ass to Mouth. And who could blame him? Their 2014 outing had a unique charm of blended political samples and rough-tongued tirades against the traditional pummel and pierce of high ethanol grind. Teethgrinder understands this hunger.” Molarity ensued.

Nicolas Cage Fighter – The Bones That Grew from Pain Review

By Itchymenace on July 30, 2022 in Reviews, Death Metal, Hardcore, 48 comments

“If you’re going to name your band Nicolas Cage Fighter, it means one of two things: 1. You’re a comedy metal act that doesn’t take itself too seriously or 2. You’re so badass that you own this name completely. Surprisingly, these Aussies are the latter. They take their moniker as seriously as Dr. An. Grier takes his, and the band wastes no time getting down to the business of pummeling their listener’s ears.” National treasure or Gone in 60 seconds?

Battlegrave – Cavernous Depths Review

By Holdeneye on July 27, 2022 in Reviews, Black Metal, Death Metal, Hardcore, Thrash Metal, 60 comments

“Perhaps the most awesome thing about Battlegrave is the way that they combine their genre influences together. Many bands blend genres in such a way as to make it difficult to pinpoint where one ends and another begins. Not so with Battlegrave. Cavernous Depths sounds like Morbid Saint, Demolition Hammer, and Oxygen Destroyer were each run across a table saw and had their constituent parts randomly and brutally sewn together.” Snitches and death thrash fans get stitches.