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Heavy Metal And Other Occasional Musics And Cultures

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Album Reviews

Album Review: Gates To Hell – Death Comes To All

Of all the new bands trying to cash in on the brutal death/hardcore mash-up trend, this is the worst I’ve heard so far. I’m appalled a record of this low quality is on Nuclear Blast. I know they sign some bad bands to jump on bandwagons, but this is bad right down to the production quality and playing ability. It makes SANGUISUGABOGG and BONGINATOR look like ATHEIST. I like death metal and hardcore when they are primitive and to the point. This is DUMB, not primitive…an onslaught of uninteresting riffs, lobotomized breakdowns that have been done over and over for […]

Music News

U.S. Thrashers Executionist Releasing Debut Full-Length, Sacrament Of The Sick, in May

Gallagher (WV) – U.S. Thrash Metal quartet, EXECUTIONIST, will release debut full-length album, Sacrament Of The Sick, on May 16. In the four years since the release of their debut EP, the band has sharpened the blades of its attack, both in terms of songwriting and performance. Watch the video for the album’s first single, ‘Serrated Shadows’ The single is available on Bandcamp, Spotify, and Apple Music. Sacrament Of The Sick is a monumental step forward from EXECUTIONIST’s previous material. Improved production, performances, and writing have made EXECUTIONIST sound nearly unrecognizable compared to the band’s debut EP, Destined For Destruction. […]

Album Reviews

Album Review: Rokets – Bad Choices

There’s just something about dirty Scandinavian rock ‘n’ roll. From forefathers HANOI ROCKS to BACKYARD BABIES to countless others, that Sunset Boulevard sound has been mangled and mutated by sheer force of will into something other – something independent of its heritage, created without the media hype engine so treasured and fickle here in the good ol’ US of A. Entering the ring now is ROKETS, with their third attempt at a knockout, Bad Choices. ‘Bad Choices’ gets down to bidness quick and (im)proper, and there’s something of CRANK COUNTY DAREDEVILS and LEGENDARY SHACK SHAKERS in the guitar tone and […]

Music News

Exile On Mainstream Records Launches New US-Based Webshop Via A Thousand Arms

Long-running Berlin, German-based exploratory record label EXILE ON MAINSTREAM announces a new US-based webshop through A Thousand Arms, which is now open to the public. EXILE ON MAINSTREAM was launched by Andreas Kohl in 1999, and has since released over 115 titles, including LPs from Payola, Scissorfight, Good Witch Of The South, Shepherd, The Hidden Hand, Ostinato, End Of Level Boss, Place Of Skulls, Beehoover, A Whisper In The noise, The Antikaroshi, Enablers, Conny Ochs, Wino, Black Shape Of Nexus, Darsombra, Obelyskkh, Stinking Lizaveta, Kristian Harting, Friedemann, Bulbul, Treedeon, Noisepicker, Bellrope, Dälek, Gore, Might, The Moth, Sons Of Alpha Centauri, […]

Music News

SEVERED ANGEL Releases Official Video for ‘Cry Out To The World’

Melodic/Progressive Metal band, SEVERED ANGEL, have released the official video for “Cry Out To The World’, the new single from forthcoming album, When Eternity Ends. Check it out at THIS LOCATION SEVERED ANGEL will release their third album, When Eternity Ends, March 28 on No Life ‘Til Metal Records. Hailing from the Northeastern U.S. (NY & PA), SEVERED ANGEL has toiled in the underground for several years, self-releasing their first two albums, yet still managing to reach high levels of success. The band’s sophomore album, Skyward, entered the Top 10 on on the Metal Contraband chart and the Top 25 […]

Short Sharp Shocks

Royal Blunder – Only More Is Enough [EP]

You’ve got four songs and I’ve only got 120 words, ROYAL BLUNDER, so let’s cut to the chase. Where do you get off cranking out a syncopated rocker like ‘The Clock’ right from the start? I’m hearing DANIEL AMOS here, but sweetened with just enough sugar to make the whole thing go down oh, so smooth. And that title track, the fiery guitar lead-in, that’s just uncalled for! Give us a minute to catch up, fellas, our media-addled brains can’t take all these goodtime grooves and positivity at once! The psych/pop of ‘Sherlock Holmes’ bleeds XTC, and ‘Blink’ capping this […]

Music News

Gates of Ishtar sign with The Circle Music

The Circle Music has signed the influential Swedish melodic death metal band, GATES OF ISHTAR. Revered as one of the genre’s most underrated acts, GATES OF ISHTAR are poised to triumphantly return with their first new album in nearly three decades. Formed in Luleå, Sweden, GATES OF ISHTAR burst onto the scene with their seminal 1996 debut album, A Bloodred Path, which quickly cemented their place in the pantheon of melodic death metal. Two more critically acclaimed albums followed, The Dawn Of Flames (1997) and At Dusk And Forever (1998), showcasing their signature blend of razor-sharp riffs, thunderous drums, and […]

Album Reviews

Album Review: The Lord Weird Slough Feg – Traveller Supplement 1: The Ephemeral Glades [EP]

THE LORD WEIRD SLOUGH FEG is one of the few bands carrying high the flame of traditional heavy metal. There, I said it. Add in an equally gonzo dose of love for THIN LIZZY in the guitar tone, and everything from Greek and Celtic mythology to primate overthrow to classic sci-fi to a wee band of shoulda-made-it-bigger-but-never-dids called HORSLIPS, and we got ourselves a keeper! After releasing three wallopers leading up to and ushering in the new millennium, Cap’n Scalzi hunkered down for a bit, only to return with what some would say is their benchmark album, Traveller. Now, 22 […]

Music News

Nechochwen return with new single + album announcement

‘Precipice Of Stone’… The time has come to offer a glimpse of spelewithiipi, NECHOCHWEN’s upcoming album, set for release on May 9, 2025. The first single, ‘Precipice Of Stone’, is now available for streaming. NECHOCHWEN commented: “‘Precipice Of Stone’ is a tribute to medicine songs that have helped me through difficult times. When troubled or in mourning, I envision a rock outcrop on which one can sit and work out problems, be it by screaming out, silently meditating, or singing a song. Sit on the ‘Precipice Of Stone’ spelewithiipi… For over a decade, Nechochwen has bridged the gap between history […]

Music News

GHOSTSMOKER: Australian Doom/Sludge Outfit Release Debut Album, Inertia Cult

Australian sludge/doom outfit GHOSTSMOKER is proud to announce the release of their debut album Inertia Cult, out now via Art As Catharsis. Pack your bong with ghosts and listen to ‘Elogium’ “We’ve grown a lot as a band since our first EP, Grief, in 2022, and that’s reflected in this album,” says vocalist Nathan Brunning. “Our confidence and understanding of who/what we are comes through on this release, and it sets a great foundation for what we do next. “Apart from musical influences within the genre, there are plenty of nods to things outside that space that have found their […]

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