The Redeemer EP (Nefarious Industries) is the debut release from Dreamwheel, a duo consisting of Evan Linger (guitar, bass, piano, synth — also of Skeletonwitch and Cultist) and Julia Gaeta (vocals — also of Madrigal and Light of the Morning Star; formerly of Albez Duz and Restless Ghosts). On this album, the core members are also aided by James Stewart (drums) and Tom Zwanger (percussion and sounds).
Considering the lengthy silence between Chrome Waves self-titled EP in 2012 and 2019’s A Grief Observed, it’s great that the group has been so prolific since their comeback. Their second full-length album, Where We Live (Disorder Recordings), picks up where its predecessor left off while featuring its own set of changes. Dustin Boltjes (ex-Skeletonwitch, Sacred Leather) is on drums in place of the tragically passed Bob Fouts, and the eclectic influences behind the band’s melancholic sound are given room to expand even further.Continue reading
Midwestern underground Death/Doom supergroup Pulchra Morte features members of Skeletonwitch, Wolvhammer, Eulogy, Abigail Williams, Harkonin, Leagues Below, and more. The band has signed a record deal with Chicago’s Transcending Records and will release a new album this fall. The band released a new track, “Knife Of The Will” via Decibel Magazine earlier this year. The tune served as a taste of the sounds to come.Continue reading
Apparently pronounced ‘parentes 0 parentes’, Danish quintet (0) displayed arty leanings right from its beginnings: the four tracks on debut EP (0) (Self-Released) affirming the band’s fascination with numbers by being named merely after the track lengths. Debut album SkamHan (Napalm Records) expands to give imaginative song titles and further explore the dark experimentalism that was tested within that initial foray.Continue reading
Listen, guys, this opening statement probably isn’t going to be the most logical thing ever said about a Toxic Holocaust album, but Primal Future: 2019‘s biggest issue may just be that it’s stuck in the 1980s. Yeah, I know that love for Reagan era Thrash Metal is the house that Toxic Holocaust has built and resided in since their inception so save your comments. I mean Primal Future: 2019 has more reverence for that decade than Stranger Things, The Goldbergs and Michael J. Fox combined. Continue reading
In further proof of Metal’s worldwide appeal, dropped-out troupe Age Of The Wolf hail from Costa Rica. There’s pedigree in the ranks too, with ex-Corpse Garden six-stringer Christopher de Haan at the forefront of their sound, and the Extreme Metal experience of the quartet lends a seriously hard edge to Stoner-flavoured debut Ouroboric Trances (Aural Music).Continue reading
I’ll let you in on a little secret when it comes to reviewing metal and hardcore. If Converge’s Kurt Ballou produced or recorded an album, chances are that the getting is going to be pretty good. Two songs into Crowhurst’s III (Prophecy Productions) I found myself wondering who manned the boards and – lo and behold – the aforementioned Ballou handled the affair at the now legendary GodCity Studios. Praise the maker.Continue reading
Midwestern kvlt band Chrome Waves, consisting of former members of Wolvhammer, Nachtmystium, Abigail Williams, The Gates Of Slumber, Amiensus, and more booked further tour dates for North American tour dates supporting their impending debut full-length LP, A Grief Observed, due out March 1st through Disorder Recordings. The record was engineered by Niko Albanese with the band’s James Benson and Jeff Wilson and finished with artwork by Wilson. Chrome Waves will tour dates through the Midwest from February 27th through March 3rd, with shows in Minneapolis, Chicago, Indianapolis, Louisville, and Milwaukee, the five-city trek sees the band joined by Without Waves. The band also now confirms a subsequent run of tour dates in April, with shows in Toronto, Ottawa, Portland, and Providence April 4th through 7th. Former Skeletonwitch drummer Dustin Boltjes will fill in on drums for all confirmed live dates.Continue reading
By now a stalwart of the German Death Metal scene, Deathrite have, on the outside at least, been quietly plugging away under the radar, building a solid back catalogue and a strong reputation. Certainly, the name has cropped up more in 2018, both by signing to Century Media and with some high profile support slots, such as recently with Skeletonwitch. With this heightened attention, perhaps the expected thing to do would be to cement themselves and continue their formula up to this point, so it is surprising and a little bold to see them instead take some experimental steps; whether they be hit or miss.Continue reading
