Reviews
Quick Review: VIRCOLAC Masque
If you want a snapshot of an up-and-coming death metal band finding its footing, Vircolac's "Masque" is a great place to look.
J. Andrew's Posts
Reviews
Album Review: OSSUARIUM Living Tomb
Portland's Ossuarium has a bright (er…dark?) future ahead of it, as shown by their fantastic debut album.
Reviews
Album Review: DER ROTE MILAN Moritat
Der Rote Milan: bold, fresh and ferocious. This German black metal band is unafraid to try new things and take their sound (and the listener) along for the ride.
Best of 2018
Drew's Top 15 Albums of 2018
It’s been a busy year for good metal bands making good records and playing good shows. You’ll see 15 of…
Reviews
Album Review: CORPSESSED Impetus of Death
In the overcrowded subway car that is death metal in 2018, Corpsessed is the band you don't mind being shoved…
New Music Underground Pitch
HEART OF JORDAN Are Poised to Gain a "Throne Alone"
Heart of Jordan takes their metalcore influences and layers on irresistibly catchy choruses to make for one of the most promising unsigned releases of 2018.
Reviews
CD Review: DEICIDE Overtures of Blasphemy
Deicide continues down the strong and brutal path of catchy riffs, crushing grooves and spewing unholy bile on their latest offering.
Reviews
Album Review: JESUS PIECE Only Self
There's a good reason for the buzz around Jesus Piece. This is some seriously crushing hardcore.
Reviews
Album Review: VERMILIA Kätkyt
Vermilia blends clean and harsh vocals with excellent riffs to create a truly captivating and dramatic listen on "Kätkyt." An extremely impressive debut outing for an unsigned and as-yet unknown artist from Finland.
Reviews
Album Review: RITUAL NECROMANCY Disinterred Horror
You really can't go wrong with death metal like this. I mean, that is unless you're one of those types…
Reviews
Album Review: DEPRAVITY - Evil Upheaval
Australia's Depravity prides themselves on crafting well-produced, controlled chaos on their debut album, "Evil Upheaval."
Reviews
Album Review: AURA NOIR - Aura Noire
Bands like Aura Noir serve an important purpose in the world of extreme metal: keeping thrash weird. These sons of Hades may have carved out a winding path here, but it's still the beautiful, darkest path.
Reviews
Album Review: VILKACIS - Beyond the Mortal Gate
Beyond the Mortal Gate is a great album for black metal devotees eager to hear the sound taken to new and interesting places, but who want to carry some familiar implements along the way.
Best of 2017
Drew's Top 15 Albums of 2017
An album of the year list is never finished, it just has a due date. Regardless, here's some of the best the year had to offer in terms of death metal, black metal, hardcore and other fitting sounds for an absurd year.
Reviews
Album Review: EXHUMED Death Revenge
With Death Revenge, Exhumed have crafted a fun, worthwhile listen, especially with Halloween just around the corner. I'm especially impressed with the historical inspiration, which gives it some more weight than the usual slasher fest.
Reviews
Album Review: ARCHSPIRE Relentless Mutation (with Full Album Stream)
Relentless Mutation is a great step forward for Archspire, as the writing is vastly improved and more consistent than on previous records. And it’s a great step forward for death metal as well, especially the tech death-side of things. Never mind our worries about the robots replacing us. The robots should be afraid of Archspire replacing them!
Reviews
Album Review: INCANTATION Profane Nexus
Songs like “Rites of the Locust” and “Les Sepulcri” represent the band at their best, with massive riffs and a perfectly honed atmosphere that places them right alongside classics like “Unholy Massacre” and “Essence Ablaze.” These are the songs John McEntee was born to write and perform.
Reviews
Album Review: EXECRATIONReturn to the Void
If you want a good snapshot of where a lot of extreme metal is today, this is the right place to look.
Reviews
Album Review: INTEGRITY Howling, for The Nightmare Shall Consume
Howling is a magnificent triumph. If you like dark, heavy music of any kind, you must listen to this album.
Black Metal Chronicles Essential Black Metal Listening
Essential Black Metal Listening: DARKTHRONE Under a Funeral Moon
Darkthrone’s 1993 album, Under a Funeral Moon, represents the true essence of black metal. You can largely determine how you feel about black metal by how you respond to this album. Its 39 minutes of morbid darkness contains everything devotees love about 2nd-wave black metal, and thus represents everything its detractors hate.
Show Recap
The Past Is Alive: Mayhem, Inquisition and Black Anvil, NYC, 2/19/2017
Mayhem brought the sold-out show a stirring performance of their classic 1994, with Inquisition and Black Anvil providing the perfect black metal support.
Reviews
Re-Issue Review: UNIFORM CHOICE Screaming For Change
What is one record we can point to that signals that crucial mid-80s shift in hardcore? Turns out Southern Lord has just re-issued that record with Uniform Choice's Screaming For Change.
Best of 2016 Lists
Drew's Top 15 Albums of 2016
If there’s anything you can say about “metal in 2016,” it’s that there’s no one definitive thing to say about metal in 2016. But it's ok.