EP REVIEW: Escuela Grind – DDEEAATTHHMMEETTAALL


Yeah, you can score one more for the good guys up here representing extreme metal in New England. Massachusetts more specifically. And that’s not against our friends in New Hampshire, Vermont, or Rhode Island as they are also vital components of the scene, but Massachusetts just hits a little differently.Continue reading


ALBUM REVIEW: Rile – Pessimist


 

Hailing from Salt Lake City and formed by Cult Leader bassist Sam Richards, Rile are a band with fine credentials who have recently landed on the Church Road Records roster and have created a solid debut for the UK label, which unashamedly takes inspiration from Converge, Trap Them and the like.

Continue reading


ALBUM REVIEW: Year of the Knife – No Love Lost


 

We can’t delve quite into Year of the Knife’s No Love Lost (Pure Noise Records) without addressing the unfortunate accident that this Delaware collective endured this Summer. For those not in the know consult the internet and read up on what happened in Salt Lake City this July.

Continue reading


INTERVIEW: Thefalls – On Their Favorite Gear, Sources of Inspiration, and Their New Album “Reflections – Void”





The Drammen-born four-piece thefalls crafts their meticulous approach to metal in the most experimental way possible by blending in hardcore, post-metal, and sludge elements altogether. Hailing from the same town as Kambodsja, which I interviewed earlier, they are one of the rising forces that helped build the foundation of the underground scene in the said Norwegian small town.

Continue reading


ALBUM REVIEW: Filth Is Eternal – Find Out


 

A lot of bands sound like they are writing their albums with a view to the live setting these days, with business perhaps more focused on big riffs or breakdowns and how they’ll go over in a club than fitting in to the overall theme of an album, or a band’s catalog. Washington’s current finest punk band Filth Is Eternal sound like a killer live band who also took the extra time at every element of their craft. From message to delivery, this is the full package.

Continue reading


FESTIVAL REVIEW: ArcTanGent Festival 2023 Live at Fernhill Farm


 

ArcTanGent Festival, a yearly outdoor four-day fixture at Fernhill Farm near Bristol, attracts a devoted following to its niche yet eclectic lineups of artists who generally have an association with post-rock, progressive metal, or experimental rock. It’s “sort of” a metal festival, but the range of acts it showcases steers towards the more left-field and eccentric end of heavy music and at times stretches beyond what could reasonably even be labelled as “rock”.

Continue reading


ALBUM REVIEW: Burner – It All Returns to Nothing


 

It All Returns to Nothing (Church Road Records) is the debut album from London-based four-piece Burner, and has been highly anticipated by those in the know, who have been following the singles releases the band have been drip-feeding since the end of 2021. And Burner are the latest in a long line of artists who have found a suitable home on Church Road Records, one of the UKs thriving independent labels for heavy music.

Continue reading


FESTIVAL REVIEW: Sonic Temple Art and Music Festival, Live at Crew Stadium Part 1


 

Sonic Temple Art And Music Festival returned to Columbus, Ohio for the first time after taking three gap years.

Let’s begin with a little context. The inaugural instance of Sonic Temple was in 2019. Leading up to the event, festival promoter Danny Wimmer Presents (DWP) had discontinued an arrangement with AEG Presents to jointly produce Rock On The Range, the festival in Columbus, Ohio that Sonic Temple replaced. So, Sonic Temple needed to be different enough from Rock On The Range to dispel any raised eyebrows about the move. DWP also broke off ties at about the same time with AEG for their jointly created Carolina Rebellion festival and started a new one in its place called Epicenter. While those moves might have been sound business decisions, it still turned out to be a tough year for DWP festivals.

Continue reading