Tag Archives: Wil Cifer

ALBUM REVIEW: Cattlemass – Alpha 1128 – Seeing Red Records

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Alpha 1128 (Seeing Red Records) is the debut album from LA-based Cattlemass. They are a band that crosses heavy sludge with Hawkwind-like vocals. They do not get started roaring like lumberjacks, which makes them more interesting than most of the bands doing this sort of thing. More aggressive than doom, their strength as a band lies in the fact that they are not afraid of taking chances, nor are they slaves to the sludge bible. To their credit, they are also not just another band that is smoking weed and trying to be Black Sabbath. The chanted drone of the vocals seems to be the approach they are sticking with, going into the second song. The chug is a little faster on this one. Continue reading →


ALBUM REVIEW: Tombs – Feral Darkness

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The new Tombs album, Feral Darkness (Redefining Darkness), is another chapter in the sonic tome chronicling Mike Hill‘s travels to throb of the abyss. To say this sounds like a Tombs album is a broad statement that neglects the stylistic shifting due in some part to the band’s revolving lineup. The first thing you might notice upon first listen is that there are fewer Black Metal moments. Instead, the album is driven by the kind of aggression that characterizes Death Metal. The vocal approach is not all guttural. Forceful declarations, not unlike what you might have heard on a Celtic Frost album. Continue reading →


ALBUM REVIEW: Coroner – Dissonance Theory – Century Media Records

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Despite Dissonance Theory (Century Media Records) being Coroner’s first album in 32 years, there is little effort to ride the coattails of former glories and revisit what they did on masterpieces like “Punishment For Decadence”; instead, they have updated their sound to smooth out any of the wrinkles from the eighties to present something very vital for 2025. This means some things have changed. Tommy Baron and Ron Royce return without Marquis Marky behind the kit, a change that is more pronounced when you are a trio.Continue reading →


ALBUM REVIEW: Testament – Para Bellum

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On  Para Bellum – (Nuclear Blast Records) Testament continues to uphold the legacy of quality decades in the making. Despite not being the household name like the bands of the Big Four, these had chops that rivaled Megadeth’s most shredding line-up. Of the Big Four, Slayer was the only band darker and more aggressive than the classic mid-to-late Eighties period for this band. While this new order marks the debut of Chris Dovas, the former drummer of Seven Spires, whose youthful exuberance gets the job done. Bassist Steve Di Giorgio (Death, Death To All), who goes back to “The Gathering.”Continue reading →


ALBUM REVIEW: Sanguisugabogg – Hideous Aftermath

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Was the year’s best Death Metal album coming from the Goregrind/Slam side of the fence on your bingo card? 

Sanguisugabogg are here to fucking bring it on Hideous Aftermath (Century Media). 

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FEATURE: A Curious Outsider’s Guide to Taylor Swift’s “Life of a Showgirl” 

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Before you read the headline and roll your eyes, clicking on due ot morbid curiosity, consider this is being written by the same guy who also reviews Sanguisugabogg and hundreds of black metal bands you have never heard of. This is not a sales pitch to recruit you into my Swiftie cult; Taylor Swift needs no one to market her anymore. It’s unlikely there is going to be much objective commentary Metal/Goth/Punk side of the fence that is devoid of contempt before investigation regarding a Pop phenomena too big to be ignored. With that out of the way, I can speak now about this album that fearless fans are buying without the benefit of a lead single and solely on Swift’s reputation. 

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ALBUM REVIEW: Igorrr – Amen

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The appeal of Igorrr is the French avant-gardist’s ability to blend harsh electronic elements with organic instrumentation and find its unique groove.”On their new album Amen (Metal Blade Records), Mastermind Gautier Serre produces these sounds on a broader scale. You can find him online detailing the rare collection of instruments he employed in making the album. But while putting a musical museum in motion is cool in theory, the question is, how will that play out in the reality of your songs, or will it be too much of a nuance to be noticed?  Continue reading →


EP REVIEW: President – King of Terrors

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Anonymity is the new metal. Wait, or is anonymity the new nu-metal? Hold up, anonymity is aesthetic, metal is a sound that invokes a certain feeling, no matter if it is wearing corpse paint or bell-bottoms. Now that we have cleared up, we can proceed into the new album by buzz-band President, who are dropping their debut EP King of Terrors (ADA/Warner Music). The lead single, “In the Name of the Father” opens the album. It’s a great pop song that was a big hit with kids who are fans of other pop acts like Ghost, and Sleep Token. Unlike Ghost, these guys do not draw influence from ABBA or Andy Gibb, whose song “Love is Thicker Than Water” pretty much encapsulates the sound of Papa Emeritius and his band of trick-or-treaters.Continue reading →


ALBUM REVIEW: Insomniac – Om Moksha Ritam

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Atlanta’s Insomniac brings the surreal sounds of the early nineties back to life on Om Moksha Ritam (Blues Funeral Recordings). These guys drape brooding baritone vocal lines over layers of atmospheric guitar that swell into big sludge-tinged riffs of epic proportions. On a song like “Mountain,” the twin guitar attack is a dizzying affair that accelerates in an almost Mastodon-like manner. Deceased drummer Amos Rikin keeps the cymbals crashing with enough gusto to move their hypnotic riffage with locomotive momentum. This reaches peak heaviness for these guys when harsher growls roar up from the back of the mix to accent the punchy chugs.Continue reading →


ALBUM REVIEW: Fleshwater – 2000: In Search Of The Endless Sky

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Fleshwater’s new album 2000: In Search Of The Endless Sky (Closed Casket Activities) displays the lessons the band learned from playing arenas with a more anthemic nineties Rock sound than what was heard on “We’re Not Here to Be Loved.” It shoved singer Marisa Shirar into the spotlight, forcing her to own her identity as a frontwoman. The mix of this album is more radio-friendly with the vocals out front, as the guitar swirls around them. Shirar’s singing style is more Rock-oriented on this album, belting the choruses out as the guitar sits back in the mix. The atmospheric opener is the strongest song on the front end of the album, as the singles dial back the more shoegazing elements. Though it depends on what you want from music in this regard; if you are a fan of Paramore, the more alternative rock-leaning sound might be more to your liking.  Continue reading →