“Bands like Enforcer, Striker, Spellcaster, Skull Fist, and White Wizzard do their damndest to take the baton and run with the same energy and passion of their forefathers. But, no list is complete without Canada’s Cauldron. This heavy-metal threesome embodies this old-school style with heavy bass, smooth vox, chunky guitar licks, and a dark cloak of melody—expressing their love for everything from witches and gloomy haunts to the darker side of life.” Into the kettle with the nonbelievers.
“Look, I get it. Manimal isn’t a great band name. Hell, it isn’t even a good one. But for once, I need you overly judgmental metal hacks to look past that and keep whatever passes for an open mind round these parts. Highly dubious moniker aside, Manimal is a talented Euro-power band with the good sense to graft a ton of traditional metal akin to Judas Priest’s Painkiller to their sound for extra muscle.” From Garanimal to Manimal.
“I miss Trouble. A lot. They were and still are my favorite American doom outfit, and they had a special sound and vibe all their own. A big part of their charm was the one of a kind vocals of Eric Wagner. When he left the band, I knew it would be downhill for them, and boy was I ever right. The Skull was originally formed by Wagner and other former Trouble members as a tribute band of sorts, but they eventually decided to record original material, resulting in 2014s For Those Which Are Asleep. The album wasn’t perfect, but it felt like a long-awaited Trouble revival and it made my heart feel only good things. Now four years later we get the followup, The Endless Road Turns Dark.” Trouble every day.
“Warning Blast was set to be one unstoppable slab of doomy death metal. That is, until it wasn’t. Siege of Power are far more interested in playing some punk infused death-doom, or what it would sound like if death-doom musicians tried to start an old hardcore-adjacent band. Conveniently, this is almost exactly what Warning Blast represents.” Feel the crust.
“I know what you’re thinking, Grier reviewing a grindcore band? Bullshit, right?! It’s a little-known fact that I actually enjoy the genre. I rarely review it—or should I say, never review it. I may not be Kronos, our tech and grind enthusiast, but there’s something about the shove-it-down-your-throat chaos of the style that gets me. So, here I stand, having emerged from the grindcore woodwork, to review the newest outing from everyone’s favorite grindcore giant, Pig Destroyer.” Pork is brutal.
