Rebel Extravaganza

Heavy Metal And Other Occasional Musics And Cultures

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Short Sharp Shocks

EX DEO – Year Of The Four Emperors [EP]

EX DEO has always been a band with no reason to exist to my ears, largely as it’s literally KATAKLYSM with one extra member. I will say this for opener ‘Galba’, though; it’s more enjoyable than most of what’s come from either band in over a decade. ‘Otho’ is lackluster, basic and by-the-numbers, while ‘Vitellius’ begins with a fucking stellar low-end groove, and does return variations on this from time to time. Too little too late at this point, though. Obviously a vanity project from its start, EX DEO continues its own revelry in glut with Year Of The Bored […]

Music News

VACUOUS Announces Relapse Records Debut Album, In His Blood, Out February 28th; New Video/Single Now Playing + Preorders Available

Hailing from the withering depths of the UK, VACUOUS makes their Relapse Records debut with their new album, In His Blood, set for release on February 28th. An overdose of death metal, In His Blood is a compelling mix of blazing speeds, chilling atmospherics, and angular riffing that brings the band into their own unique space. “We’ve talked about having different influences, and it felt like a bit of a dare to push things further,” guitarist Michael Brodsky says. “Back in death metal’s formative days, with bands like Autopsy, Obituary, and Incantation, none of those bands sounded like each other: […]

Album Reviews

Album Review: ALKYMIST – UnnDerr

I remember hearing the debut from these Danish noise-mongers what seems like a millions years ago. And to be brutally honest, that’s all I remember. I can’t recall a note from the actual record. Lots of things have happened since then, including a pandemic, a war and mass environmental chaos. Would 2024’s version of ALKYMIST be a bit more memorable? I think so. UnnDerr is a dark, heaving mass of foreboding heaviness that comes across as very direct and “simple” but which has some hidden depths to it. It certainly isn’t standard doom or death metal, yet I think it […]

Music News

-(16)- To Release Guides For The Misguided Full-Length February 7th Via Relapse Records; ‘Proudly Damned’ Video/Single Now Playing + Preorders Available

Nearly thirty-five years on, -(16)- remains one of the most enduring, hardest sounding rock and metal entities from North America. The San Diego band redefines heavy on their new album, Guides For The Misguided, set for release on February 7th via Relapse Records. Bobby Ferry returns at the helm as the band’s visceral vocalist and guitarist, and in true -(16)- fashion, belts out stories of pain and unhinged anguish. Standout tracks like ‘Proudly Damned’ see the band playing at the crowd while Ferry shares tales of personal strife and depression: “To defile and offend/These are the demons found within/The sullen […]

Album Reviews

Album Review: ÚLFARR – Fornetes Folm / His Crown Grows From His Skull

ÚLFARR’s debut full-length, Orlegsceaft, arriving as it did in late December of 2023 gave it both the notable honor of being the last album released in the year that I’d review and allowed it to qualify for my much-respected Top 20 albums list for 2023. Which it did. And now, they’ve done it again. The Cumbrian horde returneth with Fornetes Folm / His Crown Grows From His Skull. ‘Alarūna’ ushers we in, conjuring the droning incant of Atilla Csihar initially, but soon enough shifting to early CRAFT in attack, merciless, but more ancient, and the more foreboding for it. Slicing […]

Music News

CYHRA (Featuring Former Amaranthe and In Flames Members) Sign To RPM + Release New Standalone Single, ‘Superman’

CYHRA, the champions of melodic metal, have unleashed their latest single ‘Superman’, heralding a new era since the release of their third album, The Vertigo Trigger. The track explodes with headbang-inducing riffs, as vocalist Jake E teases its epic, melody-rich chorus against a backdrop of sharp instrumentals. The almost spoken verses escalate to a larger-than-life chorus, culminating in irresistible, sing-along choirs that emphatically signal CYHRA’s trajectory is set to soar above and beyond at breakneck speed! “Sometimes, life tests our limits, but when we choose to rise, dream, and believe, we find the strength to be unstoppable. Because deep down, […]

Album Reviews

Album Review – MÖRK GRYNING – Fasornas Tid

MÖRK GRYNING might’ve missed the first shrieks of second wave black metal in its native Scandinavia but, since 1995’s Tusen ảr gått…, founding members Goth Gorgon and Draakh Kimera and cohorts spread their shadows of melodic blackness over a handful of impressively solid albums until Mörk gryning of 2005. This would spell what most of us though was the end – and credit and hails to the founder(s) for halting the band when they felt their passion waning – yet metal in any form be a hard beast to tame, and thus was Hinsides Vrede born as the world writhed […]

Music News

OCTOPLOID – ‘Coast Of The Drowned Sailors’ [feat. Tomi Koivusaari] lyric video & first headline tour

OCTOPLOID, fronted by bassist Olli-Pekka “Oppu” Laine (known for his work with AMORPHIS, BARREN EARTH, and MANNHAI), are wrapping up an eventful 2024 with the release of a brand-new lyric video for ‘Coast Of The Drowned Sailors.’ This year marked the release of their highly praised debut album, Beyond The Aeons, as well as their first live performance. Taken from the album featuring an impressive roster of prestigious guest musicians, ‘Coast Of The Drowned Sailors’ highlights vocals by none other than Laine’s AMORPHIS bandmate, Tomi Koivusaari. Known for his iconic growls, Koivusaari lends his signature style to the track, creating […]

Music News

Swiss shoegaze outfit LAST LEAF DOWN return with new single, album coming 2025

It took some time, but Swiss LAST LEAF DOWN are finally back, marking their long-awaited return with the new single, ‘Silence’, and bringing their signature “dreamy shoegaze from the woods” back to life in a further developed sound. Stream ‘Silence’ at THIS LOCATION “I worked on this song for a very long time and went through a rollercoaster of emotions with it. It is very special to me because it triggers something unique in me, as if it takes me in its arms and looks back with me, in security and with a little distance.” comments LAST LEAF DOWN mastermind […]

Album Reviews

Album Review: Ian Blurton’s Future Now – Crimes Of The City

IAN BLURTON’S FUTURE NOW may have a pretty awkward name but they’ve managed to pull off something many others have tried and failed at; creating a genuine classic hard rock sound in the vein of the ’70s. Crimes Of The City is one of the best attempts at this that I’ve heard in a long time. The songwriting here is just so effortless and natural. All the tracks are in the three to four minute window that much classic rock dwells in. Not a wasted breath or riff is apparent here. Who does FUTURE NOW take inspiration from? Well, I […]

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