It’s never to early to start formulating a list for the best of a given year. Sure, we just finished our 2020 recap and dropped our preview of what we think will be the bee’s knees in 2021 but we’re here to tell you that Trillionaire’s debut, Romulus, is a definite contender for our yearly best of list.
[Read more…]
Jason Bieler is a godsend, okay? And he’s the gift that keeps on giving on any gloomy day, never mind the shit sandwich of a year that we’re just now barely crawling out of. And more importantly, he’s got a brand new record ready for release called Songs For The Apocalypse and, to be frank, if this is what the apocalypse does indeed sound like then sign us up!
[Read more…]
Remember last year when we were praising Minnesota’s Amiensus and how they were this Black Metal/Pop amalgamation that was a necessary mindfuck bringing all the good things in the most roundabout way ever? No? Well, read about it here then. All finished? Then back to our point: Members of that outfit have returned in the year that is not 2020 with Comatose to further eff with the minds in a brand new way.
[Read more…]
Like Exodus and Venom Prison throwing down, Nervosa triumph with this collision of old school Thrash and new school techniques. On Perpetual Chaos, the Brazilian quartet master the METAL even more with a record that’s both thrilling and thoughtful.
[Read more…]
Let it be known that I’m not typically a fan of Symphonic Metal for no other reason than it simply doesn’t appeal to me. That said, the sophomore opus from Phantom Elite is likely to cause some revisiting of the genre on my part because if what’s out there already sounds anything like what Phantom Elite is doing then I really am missing out.
[Read more…]
You may not know the name (yet) but if you’re a fan of wrestling’s hottest promotion right now, then chances are you already know the sounds of AEW’s Music Production Coordinator. Do you find yourself headbanging to Thunder Rosa’s primal Metal march? Bouncing when Eddie Kingston enters the ring for another fire promo? Dancing uncontrollably when The Hybrid 2 strut through those tunnels? Smiling for no reason whatsoever when Best Friends accompanied by Orange Cassidy make their grand entrance? Then you already know Mikey Rukus.
[Read more…]
This is a banger of a record and words have yet to be created to describe the sonic ecstasy and bliss created within that walls that are DARK. If you’re looking for comparisons then consider Blackout Problems the second coming of The (International) Noise Conspiracy but beyond that, the German quartet is actually sorta beyond compare.
[Read more…]
One of the added perks of typing up a new review is rediscovering a band you dug but one that might not necessarily be in the forefront of your current regular rotation. Don’t get me wrong, I still LOVE Miss Lava’s Sonic Debris (Holy shit, has it really been almost five years since that dropped???) but know I definitely haven’t paid as much attention as it deserves in recent months. That said, the Lisbon quartet is back with a bold new album that’s every bit as fueled by the RAWK as Sonic Debris is.
[Read more…]
Forget Morgan Freeman, I want Bill Leeb to narrate every inane facet of my life! With biting tones laid out so smooth, can you really think of anyone else who delivers messages of chaos prophesying the end of days so well? For now, though, I’ll settle by hearing Leeb recite mechanically-tinged raspy rhymes on the latest Front Line Assembly record. For now.
[Read more…]
It’s an understatement that 2020 was a pretty fucked up year, right? Machine Head was the last live band I saw back in February and a few days after that I found myself in an emergency room with some unexpected surgery to be had (Don’t worry, I’m fine now!) followed by the shutdown across the country. There’ve been ups, downs, and everything in between in 2020 but one constant has been the music. Artists have adapted with some keeping those schedules and releasing new albums despite not being able to tour behind them while others are holding off altogether. Some have done well with the new norm of livestreamed concerts and while I’ve checked out a few, personally they’re just not my cuppa.
[Read more…]