Jul23

Serpent Corpse – Blood Sabbath Review

By Steel Druhm on July 11, 2023 in Reviews, Death Metal, 27 comments

“Montreal’s Serpent Corpse have a pretty badass name and that’s a great place for a retro death act to start life. And in fact, these lo-fi scuzzbuckets have only just begun living, dropping their first demo in 2021. Blood Sabbath is their official debut and it’s a murky, scabby blend of classic Swedeath, early days Autopsy, grim doom-death, and crustpunk. If there was ever a recipe for success in the deathverse, that particular proprietary blend would seem a solid candidate.” From grave worm to Serpent Corpse.

Voidmilker – Labyrinthical Review

By Dear Hollow on July 11, 2023 in Reviews, Black Metal, 26 comments

“Let me just address the elephant in the room: Voidmilker? Sure, metal’s got lots of voids – don’t even get me started. However, milk is far from the most metal liquid, unless you thought Milking the Goatmachine was the most kvlt thing since Mayhem took a shit on the ashes of an unsuspecting Norwegian church. And kvlt Voidmilker is, because black metal is the name of the game.” Got void?

Vendetta – Black as Coal Review

By Dr. A.N. Grier on July 10, 2023 in Reviews, Thrash Metal, 17 comments

“While the other German thrash bands of the time were branching out into their unique sounds, Vendetta rooted themselves in a Bay Area sound akin to Metallica. And like old-school Metallica, what made those albums great was Klaus Ullrich’s impressive bass presence. Brain Damage, in particular, is a concise record with ripping guitar work, impressive Steve DiGiorgio-level bass work, and the quirky but lovable vocals of Daxx Hömerlein. Fast forward to 2007, and the band is back. Ullrich surrounded himself with a new lineup for that year’s comeback record, Hate. Since then, Vendetta has been cranking out albums, but none have been the comeback we wanted. That said, they have the chops to create something great. Will it be Black as Coal?” Back for wengeance.

Snuffed on Sight – Smoke Review

By Dolphin Whisperer on July 7, 2023 in Reviews, Death Metal, Groove Metal, Hardcore, Slam, 40 comments

“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.

1476 – In Exile Review

By Carcharodon on July 6, 2023 in Reviews, Ambient Metal, Folk, Neofolk, Punk, 54 comments

“Well, 1476’s In Exile is certainly more than I bargained for. Having dropped my previous promo for this week because I had suspicions about the political leanings of its members (that it was bollocks made this a happy development), I picked up 1476 on a whim. And it’s a lot. Of many things. A lot of music, clocking in at over an hour. A lot of styles and influences—the accompanying blurb describes In Exile as “wonderfully all over the place”; the latter part of that statement isn’t wrong but the adverb, we’ll see.” Leatherface and open space.

Blackbraid – Blackbraid II Review

By Doom_et_Al on July 5, 2023 in Reviews, Black Metal, 126 comments

“Yeah, Blackbraid I wasn’t perfect: it sounded a bit like an EP, relied too heavily on its singles, and felt, at times, a bit undercooked. But there was more than enough there to get most fans hyped for the follow-up. Blackbraid, fortunately, hasn’t made us wait long. Blackbraid II is here…” Braid surgery.

Mama Doom – Ash Bone Skin N Stone Review

By Felagund on July 24, 2021 in Reviews, Doom Metal, Heavy Metal, Occult Rock, 18 comments

“Occult rock has undergone something of a renaissance. Over the past few years, it would seem that a crop of Blue Öyster Cult devotees have taken a collective step outside of their salt circle and onto the lighted stage. Whether it’s the pop metal Satanism of Ghost, or the 70s-tinged stylings of groups like Lucifer, Blood Ceremony and Witch Mountain, occult rock with just the right amount of metallic edge has taken a very specific subset of the world by storm. So where does New York’s Mama Doom fit into the pentagramed paradigm?” I dismember mama.