Queens of the Stone Age

Kvelertak – Nattesferd Review

By Mark Z. on May 30, 2016 in 2016, Black Metal, Hard Rock, Norwegian Metal, Punk, Reviews, Roadrunner, Black Metal, Hard Rock, Punk, 33 comments

“Oh, Kvelertak. Five years ago and hot on the heels of their 2010 self-titled debut, it seemed the Norwegian sextet were the subject of every third MetalSucks post, and their wild live shows were the stuff of legend. In a metal scene curdling from years of cvlter-than-thou extremity, the group’s insanely catchy combination of blistering black metal, hooky arena rock, and party-hard attitude not only appeased metalheads with a repressed desire to let loose and rock out, but also broke through to listeners who seldom dipped their toes in the insular metal blogosphere.”

Refused – Freedom [Things You Might Have Missed 2015]

By Jean-Luc Ricard on January 10, 2016 in 2015, Epitaph Records, Hardcore, Not Metal, Swedish Metal, Things You Might Have Missed 2015, Hardcore, Not Metal, 19 comments

“If you don’t know who Refused are, or that they’re (along with Born Against) Fucking Dead, you must be so young that you missed the phase in the early 2000s where every two-bit nü-metal act on the planet was citing their final record as a major influence (for the masochists among you here is a reminder of just how bad this era was). You young rapscallions are perfectly capable of using AltaVista yourselves so I’ll spare you the history lesson; all you need for the moment is that the band split in 1998, and few ever expected them to return.” But honestly, what old guy can pass up reliving their wasted youth?

El Caco – 7 Review

By Grymm on January 8, 2016 in 2016, Hard Rock, Indie Recordings, Norwegian Metal, Reviews, Stoner Rock, Hard Rock, Stoner Rock, 23 comments

I’ve been in the mood for some killer stoner rock as of late. Ever since the almighty Kyuss went belly-up in 1995, I’ve been on the lookout for some killer jams to race cars, drink a few IPAs, and clean some demons to. The deserts of California were a ripe breeding ground for desert jams, and Kyuss’s disbanding left a gaping hole. Roaring down the highway in a souped-up, cherry-red Camaro comes Norway’s El Caco, who bring with them their seventh full-length, imaginatively entitled 7. Do they have what it takes to become the new stoner rock kings, or should you just hush them all away?

Black Space Riders – Refugeeum Review

By El Cuervo on July 24, 2015 in 2015, German Metal, Non-Metal Metal Things, Progressive Metal, Reviews, Progressive Rock, 2 comments

“Psychedelic rock with lashings of proggy jam, a smooth layer of spacey ambiance, and a heavy crust to ensure conformity to a metal-lover’s palate. This is what I was promised by Germany’s Black Space Riders on their fourth full-length, Refugeeum. As it goes, this is more of a confused hybrid of baked goods in concept, and a bland homemade cake in execution, rather than a luxurious Victoria sponge, with some serious identity problems.” The cake was a lie…again.

Failure – The Heart Is A Monster Review

By Dr. Fisting on June 29, 2015 in 2015, 90s Metal Weirdness, American Metal, Failure Records, Non-Metal Metal Things, Not Metal, Pledge Music, Reviews, Non-metal Metal Things, Not Metal, 16 comments

“1990’s alt-rockers Failure tend to rank high on headbangers’ lists of non-metal pleasures, due in no small part to dark, dissonant songwriting and sonic girth that could rival any doom band. Those qualities produced two excellent records, Magnified (1994) and Fantastic Planet (1996), followed by an opiate-fueled breakup in ’97.” And now we get their hopefully opiate-free return!

Kontinuum – Kyrr Review

By Madam X on April 22, 2015 in 2015, Avante Garde, Black Metal, Candlelight Records, Doom Metal, Icelandic Metal, Non-Metal Metal Things, Not Metal, Post-metal, Post-Rock, Reviews, Ambient Metal, Doom Metal, Gothic Metal, Non-metal Metal Things, Post-Metal, Progressive Metal, 37 comments

“The Kontinuum… continues! Not to be confused with the tech death band Continuum reviewed here by Dr. A.N. Grier earlier in the week, Kontinuum are an Icelandic band that plays a multifarious blend of dreamwave and post-rock/metal with some inviting and interesting gothic undertones.” Is Iceland becoming the next Finland?

Things You Might Have Missed 2014: He Is Legend – Heavy Fruit

By Dr. Fisting on November 1, 2014 in 2014, American Metal, Metalcore, Non-Metal Metal Things, Not Metal, Sludge, Things You Might Have Missed 2014, Tragic Hero, Alternative Metal, Hard Rock, Metalcore, Not Metal, Sludge Metal, Stoner Metal, Stoner Rock, 9 comments

“Once upon a time, in the days of MySpace, there was a band called He Is Legend. They had the misfortune of association with the mid-2000’s metalcore scene, and worse yet, they had a long way to go in the songwriting department. Over time they went through awkward growth spurts, thankfully ditching their core trappings, but struggling with finding their own style.” Mr. Fisting rings in the holiday season with the very first of our “Things You Might Have Missed” recommendations, and this time, it’s all about the fruit!

John Garcia – John Garcia Review

By Grymm on July 18, 2014 in 2014, Napalm Records, Reviews, Stoner Rock, Stoner Metal, Stoner Rock, 3 comments

“Kyuss were Gods (capital G intentional). You can argue with me, and you would be dead wrong and quickly shunned for all eternity. In the band’s short timespan, they cemented themselves as a force to be reckoned with in the desert rock/stoner metal arena. One thing that can be argued is the band were greater than the sum of its splintered parts.” The voice of Kyuss is back from the desert.

Fisting Andrew Golota’s Top Ten(ish) of 2013

By Dr. Fisting on December 30, 2013 in Blog Posts, 29 comments

“I don’t really have any clever observations about the past year in metal. A few of my AMG cohorts have griped that 2013’s release schedule was somewhat lacking, but I didn’t have that problem at all. There may have been fewer good albums quantity-wise (I wasn’t counting), but the ones that were good were REALLY fucking good.” Always the optimist, Mr. Fisting found the good in 2013 and tells you where it was hidden. He’s like Mr. Silver Linings!

Bloody Hammers – Spiritual Relics Review

By Steel Druhm on September 17, 2013 in 2013, American Metal, Doom Metal, Heavy Metal, Reviews, Soulseller Records, Doom Metal, Heavy Metal, 3 comments

Well, this is a bit of a surprise. I never heard of Bloody Hammers until I reviewed their self-titled debut in February, and now they’re back with a follow-up a mere seven months later! Talk about productivity! While I liked aspects of the debut and their Hour of 13 and Witchfinder General meets Danzig approach to retro “occult rock,” things felt a bit underwhelming as a whole and suffered from inconsistent songwriting.” With so little time between releases, is it realistic to expect big improvement on Spiritual Relics? Steel Druhm is here to prep your expectations accordingly.