Pantera

’90s Metal Weirdness: Anthrax – Stomp 442

’90s Metal Weirdness: Anthrax – Stomp 442

By Dr. Fisting on February 1, 2014 in 90s Metal Weirdness, American Metal, Blog Posts, 24 comments

Cast your minds back to a time when metal music was not cool. Nay, indeed, a time when metal was anathema to all that was considered to be “chic” and “in.” A time when your favorite bands were actually encouraged by the music industry to play slower, cut their hair, and write sensitive lyrics about their childhoods. Yes, this unfortunately really happened. Our semi-irregular feature “90s Metal Weirdness” focuses on albums released between 1992 and 2001 and which we all probably would rather forget. — AMG

Things You Might Have Missed 2013: Trials – In the Shadow of Swords

Things You Might Have Missed 2013: Trials – In the Shadow of Swords

By Angry Metal Guy on December 8, 2013 in 2013, Melodic Death Metal, Reviews, Things You Might Have Missed 2013, Thrash Metal, Unsigned Bands, 12 comments

Thrash ain’t doin’ well in 2013. I mean, if you’re really into retro-thrash, there are a bevy of bands that have been producing records that will make your tight pants and oversized shoes excited, but that’s getting pretty stale For the most part, modern thrash metal has basically gone the way of the dodo—serious attempts at thrashing our socks off with groove and cranky screams have fallen deep underground. I blame metalcore. One of the things that’s started happening is that every time someone hears a thrash band that has a slightly screamy vocalist, they say “wow, that’s pretty corey,” which leads to bands that probably don’t deserve it getting called core, especially if there are clean vocals. There are major examples of this (God Forbid) and minor ones, too. Some might be fair, but many are not.

Poison Idea – Kings Of Punk Review

Poison Idea – Kings Of Punk Review

By Dr. Fisting on November 14, 2013 in 2013, 3.0, Hardcore, Non-Metal Metal Things, Not Metal, Rating, Releases, Southern Lord, Hardcore, 3 comments

The phrase “underrated” gets thrown around a lot, but it’s a pretty apt description for legendary Oregon punks Poison Idea. These guys somehow never got the respect or notoriety that their contemporaries did, despite having their songs covered by everyone from Turbonegro to Machine Head to Pantera (yes, that fucking song from The Crow). Led by larger-than-life frontman Jerry A. and equally huge guitarist Pig Champion, PI were a force to be reckoned with, both musically and physically (legend has it that the band weighed over 1,300 lbs. at the height of their substance abuse days). Here’s a weighty slice of classic hardcore for you, re-released with many bells unt whistles. Mr. Fisting rubs the belly and tells us what kind of sounds to expect from this seminal punk crew.

Soulfly – Savages Review

Soulfly – Savages Review

By Dr. Fisting on October 7, 2013 in 2013, Groove Metal, Nuclear Blast, Reviews, 9 comments

“Alright, full Angry Metal Confession time: back in the day, I actually enjoyed the first Soulfly album. To my drug-addled brain, Max Cavalera and co. had created an interesting blend of exotic world music and utterly shitheaded nu-metal. “Eye For An Eye” and “Fire” still kick ass, and a lot of the record is unintentionally hilarious (sample lyric: “No bullshit/No slave ship/No muthafuckin’ Hootie and the Blowfish!”). Many years and countless lineup changes later, Cavalera remains the creative force behind a heavier, more self-conscious Soulfly. The band’s core sound remains intact — if anything, he’s learned to incorporate other styles as they came into fashion, be it throwback Sepultura-ish thrash (Dark Ages) or pseudo-death metal (Enslaved). This brings us to the current record, Savages, which is thrust into a world dominated by djent and deathcore, where Soulfly’s foundation is seen as hopelessly outdated.” Is this new metal or nü-metal? You have to read to find out because we aren’t giving hints!

Philip H. Anselmo and the Illegals – Walk through Exits Only Review

Philip H. Anselmo and the Illegals – Walk through Exits Only Review

By Dr. Fisting on July 16, 2013 in 2013, 3.5, American Metal, Groove Metal, Rating, Releases, Reviews, Season of Mist, Uncategorized, Heavy Metal, 5 comments

“The long-rumored Phil Anselmo solo album has been the subject of some extremely high expectations. Since day one, Walk Through Exits Only was billed as Anselmo’s return to hyper-aggressive, high-testosterone metal, a style which was largely created by him and has spawned countless imitators since. That’s great and all, except that Anselmo 1) hasn’t made a metal record in about a decade, and 2) has gone through some serious health issues since then. Can you blame me for being skeptical? More importantly, does Walk Through Exits Only hold up its end of the bargain.” The hype around any Anselmo solo outing is bound to be huge. Mr. Fisting Himself is here to give a hype-free breakdown because that’s how he rolls.

Megadeth – Super Collider Review

Megadeth – Super Collider Review

By Steel Druhm on June 8, 2013 in 1.5, 2013, American Metal, Heavy Metal, Reviews, Tradecraft Records, Heavy Metal, 36 comments

“I know we at AMG have had our issues with Dave Mustaine in the past and God knows we’ve certainly had our problems with a good portion of his band’s recorded output in recent years, but I still root for the guy on some level. After all the drama, drugs, depression and divahood, the man still helped invent thrash and put Metallica on the map before going on to release some seriously awesome albums on his own. That being said, it really seems as if he’s given up on releasing quality music since 2009s Endgame.” Can Dave right the ship and return to his thrash glory days, or is it time to foreclose on his dream of Megadeth remaining relevant?

Philip H. Anselmo/Warbeast – War of the Gargantuas EP Review

Philip H. Anselmo/Warbeast – War of the Gargantuas EP Review

By Alex Franquelli on March 4, 2013 in 2013, 3.5, American Metal, Housecore records, Reviews, Season of Mist, Sludge, Thrash Metal, Heavy Metal, Thrash Metal, 14 comments

“I know nothing about music. No, seriously: I have no clue what this stuff is all about. I know this Anselmo guy was in a metallic band: one of those which must have done something cool back in the 1990s (no, not in the noughties, as far as someone has told me) because nowadays he is allowed to make music in many bands and he even produces many others. This album is only 18 minutes long and this is great because it’s filled with noises of all sorts, but it works because I really like it and it gives me the kind of adrenaline boosts I need when I feel exhausted. This is basically an album where Mr Anselmo and a band he put together for the occasion (Philip H. Anselmo & The Illegals) play the first and the third song, while another musical group called Warbeast play the even numbers.”