“Most death-doom bands solely rely on the ghoulish pilfering of guttural vocals to augment their melancholy material. Weeping Sores reinforces Peaceville’s early oeuvre with a calcified backbone of death metal to support a branching musculature.” Did you miss these sores?
Pyrrhon
Horror God – Cursed Seeds Review
“This brings us to today’s topic of discussion: Ulcerate, who also really likes to generalize. Like, if Everything is Fire, are they really The Destroyers of All? The real questions, man. Russian death metal quintet Horror God really likes Ulcerate. I mean, when you first listened to Everything is Fire, were you like “let’s make a cover band of Ulcerate” to your comrades? Cuz Horror God was.” Grow your idols.
Into the Obscure: Rune – The End of Nothing
“We all have our dirty metal secrets that we selfishly keep to ourselves, only sharing with a select few close to us. Or alternatively, we incessantly talk up underground gems and spread the gospel to anyone that will listen, as we cherish our slice of underground cred. Into the Obscure aims to right the wrongs and unearth the artists/albums that for whatever unjust reason didn’t get the exposure or credit they sorely deserved the first time round.” Everything’s Rune(ed).
Aseitas – Aseitas [Things You Might Have Missed 2018]
“The feeling that we’ve heard it all before has never been so persistent. A decade ago it was stagnant melodeath, then re-thrash, then retro doom, and now we’re in the middle of a burly old-school death metal revival. Where are the progressive bands willing to try something new and write the next chapter? The snarky answer: “ripping off Pink Floyd and Yes.” But there are others. One such contender, Portland’s Aseitas dropped one of the most puzzling death metal releases of the year with their self-titled debut.” New horizons, strange vistas.
Grymm’s and Kronos’ Top Ten(ish) of 2017
The Lord of Brvtality and the Immortal Mancat have deigned to deliver Top Ten(ish) lists for the masses. Let them eat metal cake.
El Cuervo and Diabolus in Muzaka’s Top Ten(ish) of 2017
“Making a successful and popular Top Ten list involves a series of complex calculations, comprised of, but not limited to the following: a tallying of recorded scores, estimated scene cred, a precise proportion of big and underground bands, a spot for that one record universally praised during the year, and a pathological need to seem like one has not missed anything.” Making a list, checking it thrice.
Pyrrhon – What Passes for Survival Review
“Three years: a trial for many, an eternity for some, an unnoticeable instant of geology. But enough time for Pyrrhon’s The Mother of Virtues to become a landmark work in extreme music, the most forward-thinking and brazen death metal album of the decade thus far. When I reviewed it, I mused that “A more difficult album [was] hard to come by.” What Passes for Survival is that and more.” Worth the weight.
Sunless – Urraca Review
“They say it’s important to remain challenged, to help stave off boredom and keep the motivation and creative fires burning. Life certainly throws up plenty of challenges without invitation in our fast-paced and volatile modern world. But with music, and extreme metal, in particular, we have a unique outlet and greater control to challenge ourselves. Unfortunately, it’s easy to rest on our laurels and stay firmly entrenched in our comfort zones.” Into the riff maelstrom.
Concert Review: Plebeian Grandstand, Pyrrhon, and Air Raid at the Livewire Lounge, Chicago, Illinois – August 3rd, 2016
“The always well-attended Summer Slaughter tour came to Chicago one cloudy Wednesday night, with a packed lineup of death metal giants. Nile, Suffocation, Revocation, and headliners Cannibal Corpse played to a packed and pickled pit until the wee hours of the morning, and few prevailed without injury. Truly, it was a night to be remembered. At least, I assume that happened. I elected to skip the megatour (and probably the best pit Chicago will see all year) and head just a few miles further up Milwaukee avenue to see the most Kronos-approved bill that will ever come to be; the tour to end all tours. Plebeain Grandstand. Pyrrhon. The trvest of the trve had gathered.” The night Chicago was trve.
Piss Vortex – Future Cancer Review
“Ten seconds into Future Cancer, I was damned sure of one thing; this band is from Long Island. Combine the irreverence of the name Piss Vortex with their progressive spin on, of course, grindcore, and you’ve got one grimy, disgusting EP dredged up from the alligator infested sewers of… Copenhagen?” Kronos is great with taxonomy, but not so much with geography.