The Black Dahlia Murder

Benighted – Necrobreed Review

By Saunders on February 7, 2017 in 2017, Death Metal, French Metal, Grind, Reviews, Season of Mist, Death Metal, Grind, 32 comments

“After scaling back the blackened and melodic tendencies that marked their 2000 self-titled debut, French loonies Benighted rapidly morphed into the finely-tuned deathgrind butchering machine they are today, releasing a consistent string of high-quality albums drenched in blood-spattered brutality, while keeping the fun and creepy factors cranked. Their sound may be set in stone, but the beauty of Benighted is the distinctive quirks and curve balls they splice into their brutal and musically dynamic brand of pig-squealing lunacy.” Hurls before swine.

Vale of Pnath – II [Things You Might Have Missed 2016]

By Dr. Wvrm on January 12, 2017 in 2016, American Metal, Technical Death Metal, Things You Might Have Missed 2016, Willowtip, Technical Death Metal, 52 comments

“I never thought of myself as a tech death fan. Coming from a thrash background, I never needed insane drum machine combos or faster-than-light scales to get my dander up. But after penning one tech death TYMHM this winter, I was struck by the notable divide between Dormant Ordeal and current beau Vale of Pnath.” Kronos laughs at your newbiehood.

Sentient Horror – Ungodly Forms Review

By Ferrous Beuller on December 16, 2016 in 2016, Death Metal, Reviews, Swedish Metal, Testimony Records, Death Metal, 13 comments

“‘Tis the tide of Yule and if you’re anything like me, you might find yourself wondering just what might be malingering under the tree in those sinister rhomboidal shapes… If you’re exactly like me, then you too must be hoping for some filthy Swedeath to furnish the festive season. Now if your partner hasn’t taken it upon themselves to wrap up a platter of Scandinavian malignancy, then fear not because Sentient Horror are the D-Beasts for you, arriving just in time to plunder Christmas with that smooth Stockholm sound.” You know Santa’s on his way. He’s loaded lots of horrors in his sleigh.

Mindscar – What’s Beyond the Light Review

By Mark Z. on August 11, 2016 in 2016, American Metal, Death Metal, Metalcore, Reviews, Unsigned Bands, Death Metal, Metalcore, 20 comments

“Mindscar gets weirder the more you learn about them.” With an endorsement like that, how can you not click through?

Verment – Death’s Domain EP Review

By Saunders on March 31, 2016 in American Metal, Death Metal, Reviews, Unsigned Bands, Death Metal, 4 comments

“Despite the general misconception from non-metal folk that our beloved art form is a one-dimensional game, in reality metal in 2016 is as wide-ranging as it’s ever been, offering a bevy of stylistic riches and impressive diversity in both the cultural and genre stakes. Death metal itself has morphed and mutated from its rank beginnings into a myriad of sub-genre offshoots to appease extreme tastes of all kinds.” At the metal buffet, would you find room for Verment on your plate?

Battlecross – Rise to Power [Things You Might Have Missed 2015]

By Dr. A.N. Grier on December 18, 2015 in American Metal, Metal Blade, Things You Might Have Missed 2015, Thrash Metal, Thrash Metal, 23 comments

“It comes of no surprise to those of you restlessly commenting on EVERY FUCKING review, YMIO, and TYMHM article that I got truly thrashed this year. Being a product of the Bay-Area heyday, I haven’t had much fun with any of the modern thrash output storming the iTunes racks in the last decade or so. But 2015 gave me a few monsters I will love for eons to come.” The Doctor is a thrashard.

Reject the Sickness – Chains of Solitude Review

By Saunders on November 13, 2015 in Belgian Metal, Melodic Death Metal, Metalcore, Mighty Music, Reviews, Melodic Death Metal, Metalcore, 14 comments

“The dramatic fall from grace of the often maligned melodic death metal sub-genre is well documented among metalheads. Things were looking so damn rosy during the ’90s heyday.” Ah, those were the days.

The Black Dahlia Murder – Abysmal Review

By Angry Metal Guy on October 13, 2015 in 2015, American Metal, Death Metal, Melodic Death Metal, Metal Blade, Reviews, Death Metal, Melodic Death Metal, 59 comments

“Like every reviewer on the face of the planet, my first thought when seeing the title of The Black Dahlia Murder’s latest full length was Wayne’s World: “Shitty Beatles? Are they any good?” “They suck.” “Then it’s not just a clever name.” To be honest, in the case of Detroit’s finest, I had a hard time believing that this was any kind of In Flames-esque “naming this record based on its meaning for the band” logic. That’s not really TBDM’s style, and well, let’s be honest, even at the very worst these guys have always put out very good music that I consistently get into fights over.” And said fisticuffs shall continue for the foreseeable future.

Yer Metal Is Olde – The Black Dahlia Murder – Miasma

By Angry Metal Guy on August 12, 2015 in Blog Posts, Yer Metal Is Olde, Death Metal, Melodic Death Metal, 41 comments

Yer Metal Is Olde is a recurring thing that we’re using to fill up space while we whip our new reviewers for reviews of new the material that we assigned them, but they can’t seem to figure out how to turn in on time. The idea was spurred on by the swath of amazing and classic records that are turning 10, 20, or 30 this year. It’s crazy to think that all the stuff that we worship is really as old as it is. Time moves quickly, but these classics never seem to lose their shine. Still, their enduring quality doesn’t change that your favorite metal is fucking old.

Zombies Ate My Girlfriend – Retrocide Review

By Mark Z. on February 15, 2015 in 2015, Burning Tone Records, Melodic Death Metal, Metalcore, Reviews, South African Metal, Melodic Death Metal, Metalcore, 7 comments

“I never got into the modern zombie craze. Maybe I just had too much of it when I was younger: in high school I played the Gamecube Resident Evil reboots with religious fervor and watched more George A. Romero movies than was probably healthy…thus, you can imagine my sentiments when assigned a promo from a South African band called Zombies Ate My Girlfriend. Not only is that moniker absolutely terrible, it blatantly panders to a trend that was stale two years ago – a trend that I never gave a shit about in the first place. However, as I learned with Calm Hatchery, a bad moniker doesn’t always equate to bad music.” Terrible name, terrible cover, but it’s the music that counts, you elitist snobs!