Rebel Extravaganza

Heavy Metal And Other Occasional Musics And Cultures

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Album Review: Darkthrone – Eternal Hails

Well, true to form, the 19th DARKTHRONE album sounds like it was recorded on a 4-track in a barn somewhere in Norway. That much is expected, and it doesn’t necessarily have to be bad. Eternal Hails is definitely the band’s “doom metal” album. Slower tempos have been a strong part of DARKTHRONE for much of the “primitive punk metal” period of the last 15 years or so, but never have they played such a significant role. To be quite honest, the album is a very mixed bag for me. The doom is across all five lengthy tracks, mixed with the […]

Doom Metal Kings CANDLEMASS Announce Select U.S. Tour Dates in 2022

Swedish Grammis award-winning/US Grammy-nominated doom metal legends CANDLEMASS will officially hit American shores in 2022! The band will perform at the SOLD OUT Hell’s Heroes Festival in Houston, TX on April 22, bookended by two other performances featuring support from special guests The Skull and Frayle. See below for all tour dates and grab tickets when the go on sale this Friday, June 25 at 10:00am EDT. Visit https://candlemass.se/ for more information and individual venues for tickets. Mats Björkman of CANDLEMASS says: “We are really pleased to finally get back to the US of A. Our fans have been waiting […]

Album Review: Dungeon Serpent – World Of Sorrows

Looking at the cover art of DUNGEON SERPENT’s debut full-length, World Of Sorrows, I was instantly reminded of the CANDLEMASS albums Nightfall and Ancient Dreams. Delving a bit deeper, come to find out that the same artist – 19th century British-American painter, Thomas Cole – is responsible for all. I remember buying Nightfall when it came out, having no idea what I’d be hearing once I got home, and falling so under that spell as to now have the iconic skull-and-spikes image now tattooed on my body. ‘Necroscope’ doesn’t waste any time whatsoever getting down to the business of death, […]

SUMMONING THE LICH ANNOUNCE US SHOWS & SHARE LIVE VIDEO OF ‘UNITED IN CHAOS’

St. Louis, Missouri based technical death metal band, SUMMONING THE LICH have announced a string of August and September shows across the US – alongside The Behest Of Serpents and Carrion Vael. The shows will be SUMMONING THE LICH’s first live dates since the release of their debut long player, United In Chaos (Purchase HERE), in February. Accompanying the tour announcement, the band have also today shared a performance video of United In Chaos‘ title track live from Encapsulated Studios – recorded by Gabe Usry and filmed by Danny Tilson. Speaking on the tour announcement, the band says: “We’re incredibly […]

Album Review: Exil – Warning

Umeå, situated in Norrland of Sweden, has a rich cultural history. So much so that – if you’re reading this – you probably either really love or really hate its most famous metal export, MESHUGGAH. But more than this…much more than this…is that if you’re of a certain age, and listened to punk/hardcore, the name “Umeå” was mentioned without irony alongside the scenes of New York, Cleveland, Detroit and LA. That history flows deep within EXIL, though Stockholm is where the elements of this culture-shattering bomb came together to create Warning. Made up of members current and former of U.X. […]

LEILA ABDUL-RAUF Announces Fourth Solo LP, Phantasiai, For July Release Through Cyclic Law; Cover Art, Music, Preorders, And More Issued

Oakland-based artist LEILA ABDUL-RAUF will release her fourth full-length solo album, Phantasiai, in July through Cyclic Law, with a vinyl release to follow in September as a co-release with Cloister Recordings. The cover art, track listing, preorders, two tracks from the album, and more have been issued. Between her duties as a primary member of Vastum, Ionophore, Cardinal Wyrm, Fyrhtu, and many other acts prior, LEILA ABDUL-RAUF is well-known for her immersive solo work which showcases her talents as a multi-instrumentalist. She offers of the new solo opus, “In Hellenistic philosophy, phantasiai are our impressions, the ways in which the […]

Album Review: Starlight Ritual – Sealed In Starlight

If you’re in the mood for pure heavy metal that sounds a lot “truer” than most of what falls under that heading these days, I introduce you to Canada’s STARLIGHT RITUAL. These guys do things the right way and deliver hard-hitting melodic metal that reminds of HIGH SPIRITS, MAGIC CIRCLE and the like. It sounds authentic, delivered effortlessly, and not with the feeling that the band is trying too hard to fit a certain mold. They apparently started out as a doom band, but many of the tracks here have sizable thrust and forward velocity, starting with ‘Marauders’, where echoes […]

Doom Collective THŪN Release Debut Album

International Doom Collective THŪN have released their self-titled debut album on Eat Lead And Die Music. The album is streaming in its entirety and available as a 24-bit full dynamic range download with PDF lyric book. The companion physical release is a limited edition 24-page hard bound 8-inch square artbook. STREAM AND BUY Featuring Jon Higgs (guitar/vocals) and Hugo Wilkinson (bass) of MONSTERWORKS alongside James Knoerl (drums, GARGOYL) with special guest lead guitar by Karl Sanders of NILE, THŪN’s style can be described as epic death metal, some discordant doom …and plenty of old school SABBATH and PRIEST influences. A […]

Album Review: Voidgazer – Dance Of The Undesirables

Oh, you had me at “biker prog”, PR dude, if for no other reason than that the utter trainwreck of a STEPPENWOLF / NEKTAR hybrid would be fun to watch go down in flames. Could it possibly be worthwhile, though? Alright, VOIDGAZER, hit me… While the name/project itself has been around for about 5 years now, a complete overhaul in 2019-2020 of all but guitarist Austin Rakey could spell either doom or a reinvention, of sorts. ‘Jesus Take The Needle’, spends around a minute revving the engines, as if to make sure it’s truly good to go. The main riff […]

SNOGARD sign to Horror Pain Gore Death Productions; Moral Presence, Corrupt Misdeeds set for release on July 16th

Horror Pain Gore Death Productions have signed mystical Black Metal force SNOGARD. The new EP Moral Presence, Corrupt Misdeeds is up now for pre-order and will be released July 16th on CD and Digital formats. Hailing from the darkest realms of reality, SNOGARD are a mystical metal force of fantasmic Black Metal. Each track executed on Moral Presence, Corrupt Misdeeds explores various lyrical concepts and utilizes multiple instruments to their full potential. SNOGARD showcase powerful riffs with precision and virtuosity, along with a thick, haunting atmosphere that exudes both evil and epicness. Dragon enthusiast Black Metal for fans of Abigor, […]