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Heavy Metal And Other Occasional Musics And Cultures

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Album Reviews

Album Review: Heavy Temple – Garden Of Heathens

Philly’s HEAVY TEMPLE are listed as “heavy psychedelic doom” and there is truth in that. But on Garden Of Heathens, it’s also true to say that they are an ass-kicking heavy metal band. This record has the ability to reach beyond its simple description and venture into other realms of heaviness. This is a revelation all the way around. Opening salvo ‘Extreme Indifference To Life’ is thick and sludgy doom all around, kind of like WINDHAND but not quite as fuzzed out. That even extends to the mournful vocals of High Priestess Nighthawk. But she’s no mere Dorthea Cottrell knockoff, […]

Music News

SUMMONER’S CIRCLE Launch Music Video for ‘Shroud Of Humanity’

American theatrical symphonic extreme metal band SUMMONER’S CIRCLE has unleashed the music video for ‘Shroud Of Humanity’, the newest single off the band’s upcoming album, Cult. Watch ‘Shroud Of Humanity’ Available on streaming services on Friday, May 3. Cult is a step away from the traditional cosmic horror themes of previous albums and stands as a reaction to the myriad vitriol the band has received from religious people over the past few years. It’s an indictment of religious groups and theocracies around the world and calls them all out for what they are – cults. Cult is set for worldwide […]

Short Sharp Shocks

Wolves Don’t Sleep – Fears & Fractures [EP]

A Nottingham Hot Topic has exploded! ‘House Of Glass’ ticks all the boxes of whatever happened in the early ‘00s that was trying to be metalcore, but without the metal. More breakdowns than the side of the M1, melody, obscenely down-tuned guitars and clean/screamed vox is what we find through ‘Oblivion’ and ‘Shame’, and it seems the sextet has a handful of go-tos that they pull out in every song. That these fellas aren’t trying to add anything of their own to the mix is the real failure here. WOLVES DON’T SLEEP and Fears & Fractures have the look/sound of […]

Music News

RIVERS OF NIHIL Drops ‘Criminals’ Video/Single; Chaos & Carnage Tour Begins This Week

Reading, Pennsylvania-based progressive death metallers RIVERS OF NIHIL are pleased to unleash their brand new single, ‘Criminals’. The latest track serves as a teaser for the band’s upcoming new full-length. Comments vocalist/bassist Adam Biggs, “Our newest single, ‘Criminals’, is by far one of the most aggressive tracks we’ve released in quite some time and displays the power of the new lineup at a full 10 out of 10. Lyrically, the song is a meditation on the nature of crime, punishment, and the delicate balance of power therein. So, show up for the shredding, stay for the contemplation of truth and […]

Album Reviews

Album Review: Six Feet Under – Killing For Revenge

Aside from a wheezing, heart attack inducing “Is this Geritol in my bongwater” run partway up Half-Ass Mountain with Undead (2012) and Unborn (2013), Ol’ Chrissy’s been faltering at best, flatlining at worst since 1995’s Haunted. Chris Barnes had no choice but to get Jack Owen on board, as roping/duping another member of the O.G. CANNIBAL CORPSE lineup was the only way SIX FEET UNDER could retain any level of credibility in death metal. And so, the hopeful did hope. And lo, did Nightmares Of The Decomposed flop harder than Nicolas Cage with T__ W_____ M__. We shouldn’t have been […]

Music News

CARNWENNAN: Albany, New York-Based Meditative Sludge/Doom Metal Band To Release Debut LP, Lotus, On Darkest Records May 31st

Albany, New York-based sludge/doom metal quartet CARNWENNAN arrives with their debut LP, Lotus, confirmed for late May release through Darkest Records, the label formed by members of fellow Hudson Valley sludge stalwarts Hush. Born out of sorrowful introspection, CARNWENNAN seeks to put forth a relentless dirge of misery by combining their wall of sound with projected images of woe and suffering. Formed in 2020 as a means of escape for its members, CARNWENNAN’s droning despair coagulated into a four-piece act of meditative penance by pulling together members of the local hardcore and metal scenes influenced by bands like Earth, Sunn […]

Album Reviews

Album Review: Deliria – Phantasm

Birthed in 2017, DELIRIA had the misfortune of coming into being shortly after the “post-black metal” (I will never understand that term) dam had burst, unleashing a saddened, craft beer-sipping, beard-grooming, horde of L.L. Bean-wearing DEAFHEAVEN fans masquerading as shoegaze devotees into the gene pool. Thankfully, Nausea had enough going for it to pass as more than Muzak made for immersing yourself in during your time at the local Whole Foods Market, and thus…Phantasm. ‘Smoke & Mirrors’ wants to shimmer its way into your consciousness, but there’s just something about the tone of this guitar that’s annoying from jump. Blessedly, […]

Music News

Nashville Rock Trio SOUND&SHAPE Announce New Album, Pillars Of Creation, Out May 24th

Rising Nashville rock trio SOUND&SHAPE have revealed details of their eagerly awaited, 5th full-length album, Pillars Of Creation, which will be self-released by the band through a joint venture with The Syndicate and Vydia Distribution on May 24th. The record follows the band’s praised 2022 album, Disaster Medicine, and continues their unique sonic trajectory melding rich melodies with captivating songwriting while embarking on a new, ambitious journey that delves further into the realms of progressive rock. Working alongside Grammy-winning producer/engineer “Greazy” Wil Anspach (Metallica, Muse, Red Hot Chili Peppers), SOUND&SHAPE has created an enthralling collection of 12 songs that blend […]

Album Reviews

Album Review: Vulture – Sentinels

Holding the flag high for German thrash we have VULTURE, who have emerged as solid journeymen in their chosen field. The ’80s thrash revival hasn’t quite hit the same level of success as the recent comeback of old school death metal…can VULTURE turn the tide? I don’t know if Sentinels will be the record to do it. It’s a fun record combining straight EXODUS worship with heaping helpings of yelping Kraut-thrash, but it’s no threat to join the company of thrash immortals. The yippy vocals (like Zetro Sousa trying to do early Schmier from DESTRUCTION) are overdone and sometimes cringeable. […]

Music News

NECROPANTHER: Denver Metal Act To Release Oblivion Jones: A Tale Of False Consciousness EP, Featuring Saxophonist Rico Jones, On May 3rd

Prolific Colorado metallers NECROPANTHER announce the May 3rd release of Oblivion Jones: A Tale Of False Consciousness, their latest EP, which features saxophonist Rico Jones. The cover art, track listing, preorders, and lead single, ‘The Denver School’ have been unveiled. NECROPANTHER hails from the metal music cauldron of Denver. Masters of genre manipulation, the band blends elements of death, thrash, black metal, and more to create riff-heavy albums for a dystopian future. All four band members are composers and collaboratively create their full-length albums. Since 2014, they have amassed a catalog of startling diversity and consistent quality. The four-song Oblivion […]

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