Rebel Extravaganza

Heavy Metal And Other Occasional Musics And Cultures

Album Reviews

Album Review: Affliction Vector – Contra Hominem

Using the time-honored (or dishonored, should your tastes lean – or not lean – in that direction) two-piece drummer and vocalist/axe-wielder template popularized by DARKTHRONE, Italy’s blackdeath force, AFFLICTION VECTOR, return five years after their Death Comes Supreme EP with debut full-length, Contra Hominem. ‘Antiuomo’ begins, almost KING DIAMOND-esque, what might be a harpsichord providing disjointed, broken dance music for twisted marionets before being blasted by martial drum cadence and vocals more howled than screeched. Throat scraper Ans must’ve really taken his psychiatrist’s words about Primal Scream therapy to heart, as that’s what’s going on here, and to disquieting effect. […]

Music News

BLIND EQUATION: Chicago Cybergrind Trio Unleashes ‘Flashback (Feat. Strawberry Hospital)’ Video/Single; A Funeral In Purgatory Full-Length To See Release On July 18th

Chicago’s BLIND EQUATION returns in 2025 with A Funeral In Purgatory, perhaps their most ambitious release to date. The band’s third LP is scheduled for release on July 18th on Prosthetic Records. A Funeral In Purgatory sees the band exploring new territory by adding more gothic metal and death/doom elements to their boundless and ever-growing cybergrind sound. The band’s key songwriter, James McHenry, describes the new record as “the heaviest and most brutal BLIND EQUATION album to date, while simultaneously being the most soft and heartfelt, which perfectly encapsulates the emotions felt throughout the LP. It’s intense, it’s obnoxious, but […]

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Bludgeoned By Deformity – Epoch Of Immorality [EP]

Comprising members of TOMB SENTINEL and PIG DESTROYER among others, you already get an idea of where BLUDGEONED BY DEFORMITY heading. ‘Invocation Of Suffering’ rains down sonic abuse from the start, vocalist Devin Swank a mixture of burled and gnarled GADGET-styled grind and guttural death, while ‘Immortality’ leans more toward MALEVOLENT CREATION / MONSTROSITY at times, an interesting and terrifying combination. ‘Intestinal Suspension’ is perfectly situated as the centerpiece, careening wildly between pinch harmonic-driven acceleration and a churning visceral ground ‘n’ pound. That the tone of the stringed instruments, nay, every element within the whole of the EP is malevolence […]

Music News

Stoner/Doom Metal Powerhouse, THORNDALE, Announce New Album, Spiritual Chains

THORNDALE, the Netherlands-based stoner/doom metal powerhouse, is thrilled to announce the September 12 release of their sophomore album, Spiritual Chains. A music video for the album’s first single, ‘Veins Of The Phoenix’, is available HERE This highly anticipated follow-up to their critically acclaimed 2024 debut, Lightning Spawn, promises a darker and more mature sound, showcasing the band’s evolving artistry and the addition of a second guitar player to their lineup. Comprised of seasoned musicians from notable acts such as Adarrak, Killing Darlings, Embers Of Oblivion, Epinikion, and Primal Charge, their unique blend of heavy, stoner, and doom metal has resonated […]

Album Reviews

Album Review: Mugshot – All The Devils Are Here

Much like any genre, the glut experienced in what called itself metalcore during the NWOAHM in the mid-‘00s was fit to burst straight through the stomach lining of heavy music, and it seemed like every new band wanted to be JOB FOR AN AUTOPSY IN THE WHITECHAPEL. Arriving as they did a decade after, MUGSHOT had the chance to make something fresh and took it on 2016’s Dull Boy. And now, nearly ten years later, the Texans return with All The Devils Are Here. ‘Die In Fear’ suffices, pinch harmonics and bulldog barking vocals, but seems to never put much […]

Music News

MARGARITA WITCH CULT: watch ‘Witches’ Candle’ video

Birmingham, UK’s heavy metal and doom rock torchbearers MARGARITA WITCH CULT present an electric second excerpt off their upcoming sophomore album, Strung Out In Hell, out July 18th on Heavy Psych Sounds Records. About the song, they say: “‘Witches’ Candle’ takes no prisoners – a relentless, thrashing beast of a track that is as merciless as the mythical, soul-harvesting coven of its inspiration. More vocal harmonies than you could shake a broomstick at, absolutely ripping guitar and bass solo-showdown, all reeled off at breakneck speed with surgical precision. The perfect soundtrack to a descent into the lower world.” Gaze into […]

Album Reviews

Album Review: King Parrot – A Young Person’s Guide To King Parrot

The PARROT squawks again! I thought this bird had almost ceased to exist (there’s a comedy sketch in here somewhere!) but it’s just too mean to die! Not only that, but A Young Person’s Guide To King Parrot shows that they are angrier, louder and more vitriolic than ever. If there was ever such a thing as a bird that could get rabies, KING PARROT would be that bird! The band has always been manic and violent, but this new one pushes them further than ever. I would still call them grindcore, but there’s no band that sounds quite like […]

Music News

NEFAS Bring Psycosmic Death-Grind on Debut EP, Oblation Ov Obliteration

Prepare for an onslaught of psycosmic deathgrind! NEFAS, an American cross-country collaboration, bring exactly that on debut EP, Oblation Ov Obliteration. Featuring members of Cryptic Gallbladder Splatter, Bedlam of Cacophony, Teeth, and Wax People, the band is primed and ready to release the EP on June 27. The EP’s first single, ‘Spiral Degradation’, is available now. Click HERE to stream on your platform of choice. With seasoned experience across the technical, dissonant, and mathematical landscapes of metal, the band’s sonic statement of malicious intent, Oblation Ov Obliteration, is a unique offering composed of churning death metal inspired riffs; ever shifting […]

Album Reviews

Album Review: King Witch – III

‘Cross the misted moors and moonlit eventides cometh Scotland’s KING WITCH, now trimmed to a trio and releasing its third album – aptly titled III – like hound’s breath at thine heels. Eventually I’ll get around to sharing in detail my Third Album Hypothesis, which has served me well since the late ‘80s, and will hopefully prove true here. 2025 also marks the ten-year anniversary of the band, making III doubly (triply?) important. With a natural, anticipatory build to the song itself, ‘Suffer In Life’ moves from a regal entrance to a self-assured, mid-paced stride, vocalist Laura Donnelly shrugging off […]

Music News

VIOGRESSION To Release Thaumaturgic Veil On July 11 / New Song Streaming

U.S. Death Metal veterans VIOGRESSION, will self release new album, Thaumaturgic Veil, on July 11. The album’s first single, ‘Renumeration’, is out now and available at THIS LOCATION Thaumaturgic Veil is a metaphysical sonic construct, weaving intricate threads of human consciousness, vibrational frequency, and esoteric intent into a tapestry that transcends the boundaries of death metal. This work explores the interplay of awareness, magic, and the latent potential encoded within humanity’s neurocognitive framework. Thaumaturgic Veil explores the interplay of consciousness, subconsciousness, and materiality, viewing existence as a binary system shaped by vibrational frequencies—the core medium molded by individual intent. These […]

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