If God took the seventh day off for some rest, then Satan was hard at work piecing together Denver, Colorado’s Primitive Man. The nihilistic and tortured sounds encased in Caustic (Relapse) are the proof you need that the devil is not only kicking but that his influence is still very much among us. Approach this beast on your own accord, but don’t say I didn’t warn you. Continue reading
For a band and musical landmark that is rapidly approaching its 30th anniversary, New York City’s Unsane remain steadfast to their noise/metal vision. Outside of improved yet not overwhelming production and mix, Sterilize (Southern Lord) is vintage Unsane with its jagged guitars to the blood-spattered album art. It may all seem foreign to younger heavy metal converts, but to those in the know it’s a lovely revisit to the musical wild west that were the 1990s. Continue reading
The Black Dahlia Murder have been the picture of consistency when it comes to modern extreme metal. Ever since planting their flag firmly on Death Metal in an era when so many contemporaries cashed in on the Metalcore and Deathcore frenzies, Dahlia can always be expected to provide strong content. So, after years of successful albums and touring, it’s natural to expect this Michigan outfit to take it easy, but boy is that wrong. New album Nightbringers (Metal Blade) is the type of work you get from angry young men with something to prove.Continue reading
Not that I’ve ever thought about this musical cocktail, but what would happen if you took Slayer, Napalm Death and added a dash of Burnt By The Sun and strained into a Collins glass? The result and subsequent hangover could be downright frightening or approximate what Australia’s King Parrot have produced on Ugly Produce (Housecore Records). If that description borders on hyperbole for you, fuck off for questioning me, and I politely urge you to spare a half an hour and listen. Continue reading
The numbers don’t seem to quite add up here. If you look at Belphegor’s latest studio album, Totenritual (Nuclear Blast), on paper it appears to be winner. The production and mix is airtight, drum and guitar tones are punched in exactly where they should be, and Belphegor is nothing if not an extreme metal institution. But despite all of that, many of the tracks displayed on Totenritual just don’t pop or speak to me. Continue reading
Here’s my plea to anyone who’s ever passed on Cannabis Corpse because they thought it was a joke: listen to the fucking band. Let me sweeten the deal, Left Hand Pass (Season of Mist) is a fantastic jumping off point to this odd, yet technically ferocious outfit. The album art and song titles like ‘In Battle There Is No Pot’ are firmly tongue-in-cheek, but the strain of death metal is very much deadly serious.Continue reading
There isn’t much in terms of smoke and mirrors when it comes to Void Ritual’s debut LP, Heretical Wisdom (Tridroid Records). It’s a straightforward black metal album through and through. And that’s a great thing. In a subgenre where it’s far too easy to coast on cliché and spectacle, a little earnest effort goes a long fucking way.Continue reading
It’s got to be natural for music fans across the board to broach the subject of supergroups with a healthy sense of trepidation. Does this musical meeting of the minds come from a place of altruism or are there nastier motivations that have yet to be dredged out? That’s what circled through my head for about 30 seconds before I started out Dead Cross’ self-titled debut album (Ipecac).Continue reading
For a band that’s been around longer than I’ve been uselessly kicking around this earth, Prong still has plenty of juice. I enjoyed both Songs from the Black Hole and X – No Absolutes (both SPV/Steamhammer) just fine, but the vibe is different on album twelve(!), Zero Days (Steamhammer). Seems like Tommy Victor has been busy putting together a late career resurgence, not unlike the lads in Machine Head.Continue reading
With a name like Abhorrent Decimation, you know what kind of music you’re getting into. And with that caveat in mind, The Pardoner (Prosthetic) doesn’t disappoint in the extreme department. You get 10 slices of heavy and technically leaning Death Metal that sounds equal parts Thy Art is Murder and The Black Dahlia Murder with a dash of The Acacia Strain. All things considered, The Pardoner satisfies the Death Metal urges, particularly for fans who came about in the wake of the Deathcore boom, but it’s not as good as it could be.Continue reading