ALBUM REVIEW: Harm’s Way – Common Suffering


 

Normally I defend how anger is not the only emotion found in heavy music, but the new Harm’s Way album, Common Suffering (Metal Blade) is full-force rage, so strap on a helmet and get ready to fall into madness. Through the years, the Chicago-based band has really hit their stride with an even mixture of death metal and hardcore punk, bonded together by industrial blasts.Continue reading


ALBUM REVIEW: Pomegranate Tiger – All Input Is Error


 

On All Input Is Error (Self-Released), Canada’s Pomegranate Tiger (aka prog multi-instrumentalist and accomplished composer Martin Andres) takes a topical AI concept and runs with it. Does he win the race? Yes, in the end – even if the final fate of humankind is ultimately unknown (there are no lyrics, you see, so you can make up your own mind, all you creatives out there).

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FESTIVAL REVIEW: Bloodstock Festival 2023 Part 3


 

Friday:

A challenge of being a concert photographer is seldom experiencing a full set. Often, I dash between stages, trying to capture each band as if on a Pokémon quest – though “gotta shoot ’em all” has a different ring to it. Nonetheless, the silver lining is I often witness a good portion of every set over the weekend. Here are my top picks and suggestions from Bloodstock’s two smaller stages, showcasing their stellar support for the underground scene and nurturing emerging metal talent in the UK and beyond.Continue reading


ALBUM REVIEW: Cryptopsy – As Gomorrah Burns


 

It was while spinning my wheels at the mercy of a delayed flight from London to Berlin, on about the fifth listen to As Gomorrah Burns, the forthcoming record by Montreal, Canada’s Cryptopsy on Nuclear Blast Records that the album finally opened up, like a poisoned flower, and revealed its full merit.

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INTERVIEW: Kambodsja Shares Their Thoughts on Musicianship and the Creative Process of “Resilient”


 

Hailing from the city of Drammen in Norway, Kambodsja describe the alignment of their own sounds as indie-prog-punk-metal, with a touch of post-hardcore and math rock. Think of the Swedish legends Refused, but converged altogether with elements of good old ‘70s prog rock as well as influences from a wide range of artists from Manic Street Preachers to And So I Watch You From Afar. Refusing to conform to certain conventional musical dogmas, the sounds that Kambodsja present happen to be ever-transcendent and all-around eclectic; making the creative process of their music not limited to conforming to certain genre boundaries but rather, making it about intricate explorations.

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FESTIVAL REVIEW: Bloodstock Festival 2023 – Part 2


 

SATURDAY

With the weather nothing like the crispy oven-cooked hellfire of last year’s Summerpocalypse, Bloodstock is a much happier place this year, and not even the first downpour of the weekend can dampen the spirits. Especially as today is Corpse-paint Day where everyone is invited to daub themselves in black and white make-up and become angry badgers for the next few hours.

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ALBUM REVIEW: Creak – Depth Perception


Depth Perception is the debut full-length album from recent Prosthetic Records signees Creak, a heavy new metallic Hardcore band hailing from Newcastle UK.

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