“When Centinex’s name appeared on the promo list, I was (un)pleasantly surprised. I even assumed it was a sick joke; faxing Steel without delay to confirm that Centinex indeed had a new album out. OK, so I knew the band hadn’t dissolved (again), but a year-and-a-half turnaround for a new album was quite a surprise.” That’s the only way you get surprises from Swe-death these days.
“The Super Sentai are a team of superheroes who protect planet Earth from the relentless onslaught of assorted evil beings while sporting tight, really tight, brightly colored, super tight costumes. Though you might not have heard of the Super Sentai despite their essential work, I assume you know of the Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers, who are their Western counterparts.” Go go Super Sentai!
“Reviewers the world over can agree; compartmentalizing bands into neat little genre labels can make life easier, but don’t necessarily do bands justice. Case in point: Virginia’s Inter Arma are equal parts Southern rock, sludge, doom metal, 70’s prog rock, and cavernous death metal.” Pigeonholery is an art AND a science.
“What’s this – a new Monolithe already? Didn’t I write a review just 6 months ago? It is indeed so. Zeta Reticuli is advertised as the second part to 2015’s Epsilon Aurigae, and it’s a similarly expansive ode to the cosmos, conveyed through densely atmospheric doom metal replete with a plethora of spacey synths.” There is no Sun O in deep space )))))).
“As you might expect for a Japanese tech-death band, Defiled make music that’s a bit strange. Their last two records, Divination, and In Crisis were fast and brutal but had an idiosyncratic sound that can only come from a band in relative isolation – think of how strange Ulcerate sounded in 2009 and multiply by wider cultural barriers and you get something that doesn’t quite fit in to preconceptions.” Sometimes strange can be brutalful.
“I have many friends that share my exquisite taste in music. If this were not the case, I would not have stumbled across Spellcaster and their newest release, Night Hides the World. Suggested to me by a member of War Curse, Spellcaster is a purveyor of the simple and the accessible. Fusing six-string details with strong vocals, these Portlanders combine Iron Maiden-esque hooks with Ghost-ish melody.” Metal friends beat Super Friends any day.
“With the summer truly upon us here in the Americas, what better way to celebrate sun, fun, beers and beach balls than some rehashed, rethrash from Germany? Dust Bolt is another in the endless wave of rethrash that’s been slowly eroding the shores of our collective tolerance since the early days of the millennium, some of it has been good and most merely passable.”
“Let’s cut right to the chase, peeps; we live in a time where there’s very little innovation to be had within our blessed little circle of extreme music. Sure, you have bands that throw humongous curveballs at you from the far left, or those bands where they don’t innovate, but they sure as hell deliver with incredible conviction and sincerity. But more often than not, we are caught amidst the never-ending waves of retro-insert trend here.” Why do people always expect new stuff? You’re lucky to get olde stuff! Ingrates….
“I could spend all 700 words of this review talking about why Wolverine is a horrible name for this band. As most of us northerners are aware, wolverines are vicious beasts capable of bringing down prey far larger than themselves. They have a gluttonous reputation, and almost no other creatures want to mess with them. Wolverines certainly wouldn’t be in a band that featured keyboards, or harmony backing vocals, or heaven forbid a fretless bass solo.” What’s in a name, you ask?
“Press releases are normally a bit dull. Trying to find a middle ground between eye-catching and safe, they generally say little of value. Such is the case with German melo-death maestros Dawn of Disease and their third full-length Worship the Grave. Apparently Swedish death metal is “a huge influence” on the band, but they bring their own sound to the proceedings. Their own sound is, apparently, at once melodic and abrasive with catchy riffs and plenty of extreme drumming.” Promo releases are a strange beast.
