When I initially sat down to type up the review to Fotocrime’s sophomore record, South of Heaven, I was wearing my most favorite tee which happens to be a Coliseum one and I had plans to loosely compare it to Slayer’s album of the same name and the similar moods within each. But after listening through several times, former Coliseum mouthpiece/guitarist Ryan Patterson deserves to be seen in his own light on an album that defies the mold and finds Patterson’s true voice.
[Read more…]
Grimy and grungy with Black Metal tendencies and an undeniable penchant for gettin’ it done in the overall loudness department, the fourth barnstormer from Lord Mantis easily stands out as one of the heavier highlights of 2019 and a sure contender for our best of year end list.
[Read more…]
The first half of 2018 is filling up with more favorites than I can keep track of. Like Soft Kill who I came across thanks to Decibel, the only magazine I still read, simply because they shared the same review space as Fotocrime (We’ll mention that band again a little later) for coverage of their latest magnum opus Savior. [Read more…]
Aaron Turner is like the underground heavy metal version of Mike Patton. He’s everywhere! [Read more…]
I don’t think I’m in the minority when I say that Old Man Gloom albums are somewhat of a cathartic, almost religious, experience. Despite the exercises in sonic extremes, OMG always litter their albums with a certain ambiance that tempers the brutality making the music they create collectively not only unlike anything heard in their respective “day jobs” (Isis, Cave In, Doomriders, Zozobra, Converge, etc.) but also unlike anything out in current heavy music today. Is it magic when these four gentlemen convene in a room together? If The Ape Of God is the sole evidence then the answer is decidedly “yes!” [Read more…]