Vader – Thy Messenger


Ok, laying my cards down on the table. I, Hans Lopez, fully admit that I don’t think I’ve encountered a Vader release that I didn’t enjoy. The way they combine brutal riffs, mind-flaying solos, and Nürburgring speeds just totally speaks my musical language. It’s the reason I’m willing to die on the sword for Slayer or will always go to bat for classic Sepultura. I’m a man of simple tastes.Continue reading


Deserted Fear – Drowned By Humanity


Sometimes you just know what you are going to get with a band’s new release, before you have even heard a note. It is the notion of a band knowing what they are good at and having no need or even desire to deviate, also known as doing a Motörhead. Case in point is German Death Metallers Deserted Fear, a band who have proven dogged in maintaining their sound for over a decade now. By knowing what to expect the latest album Drowned By Humanity (Century Media) to sound like, the flip side to that coin is that you also know you are in for a raucous time.Continue reading


Entombed A.D. – Vader: Live at The Empire, Coventry (UK)


With a musical heritage steeped in Indie, Alternative and Ska, Coventry has never really enjoyed a thriving metal scene. The birthplace of Cathedral and Bolt Thrower, the city has certainly contributed to the cause, but without a decent live venue for years, and with Birmingham just twenty miles down the road, most bands end up playing elsewhere. Even The Empire, the recently opened venue chosen for tonight’s darkest metal rumblings, boasts a “Ska Bar”.Continue reading


FESTIVAL PREVIEW: Damnation Festival 2018


Damnation Festival, the long-running extreme underground one-dayer in the UK, takes place once again at Leeds University for the 13th edition. Headlined by Napalm Death, Ihsahn (exclusive UK appearance), Entombed A.D., Vader, Annal Nathrakh and also featuring Batoushka, The Ocean, Ne Obliviscaris, Celeste, Rosetta and more. Taking place on four stages with over 30 bands, this is a can’t miss show. If you don’t already have tickets, bad news, it is totally sold out! Most of the bands don’t clash too badly, save for Vader and The Ocean (tough call if you love both bands). Check out our stage by stage breakdown, clash minder, and other info below. Continue reading


Damnation Festival Adds Cancer, Bong, Monuments, Vola And More


Damnation Festival has closed the loop on the band lineup announcements for 2018, with the addition of Cancer, Monuments, Bong, Vola, Hundred Year Old Man, and Lik. Lik is a supergroup featuring members of Bloodbath and Katatonia. 2018 marks the 14th installment of the festival, hosted by Leeds University Union on Saturday, November 3. Tickets are on sale now. Continue reading


Damnation 2018 Adds Napalm Death, Entombed AD, Vader And More


Damnation Festival has added six more bands to its growing 2018 lineup! Napalm Death, Entombed AD, Vader, Ohhms, A Forest Of Stars, Leeched have been added to a bill that already includes Anaal Nathrakh, Mol, The Ocean, and NeObliviscaris. Six more bands will be announced this fall. Damnation will take place over four stages at Leeds University Union on Saturday, 3rd November 2018. Continue reading


Maryland Deathfest 2017 Part II, Baltimore, Maryland


Hitting the halfway point of Maryland Deathfest is usually a milestone that no one really notices and those who do will actually not speak of it. No one wants to think the weekend is going to end nor that the end is already halfway here. Instead, hangovers are nursed, more questionable food is consumed, and everyone marches back to Rams Head Live and Baltimore Soundstage for another day of partying. Fortunately for myself and my party of friends, we know how to party but dodge the hangovers. So, we made sure to be on time for Soundstage opening up with the first band playing slightly before four in the afternoon. That included polishing off a bottle of vodka left behind by the previous renters of the Air BnB. Thank you to those unnamed heroes! Continue reading


Maryland Deathfest 2017: Part I – Baltimore Maryland


Memorial Day weekend in the United States is a time to remember our veterans who have served in the country’s military and most will commemorate such an occasion with cookouts. In Baltimore, Maryland, the partying starts a few days before the weekend but the celebration is about extreme music. This weekend is known to the fans as simply, MDF, or in full, Maryland Deathfest. Doom metal, black metal, grindcore, punk, and of course, death metal, take over multiple venues in the Inner Harbor area of the city all weekend long as the streets run black with hideous, graphic band t-shirts. For me, this is my sophomore year of the festival and could not be more excited to return.Continue reading