Rebel Extravaganza

Heavy Metal And Other Occasional Musics And Cultures

lord randall

Album Reviews

Album Review: Skeleton – Ordainment Of Divinity [EP]

After a bucketful of EPs, compilations, a live album and a full length debut (2020’s Skeleton, natch), the Austin, TX hardcore-cum-black-cum-thrash trio (also SKELETON) unleashes a peepshow booth’s-worth of grime in the less than 15 minutes of Ordainment Of Divinity. I suppose one could refer to ‘Skeleton – Opening Rites’ as an intro, but, as it’s the second-longest track on the damned EP, it seems rather cheapening. Granted, what we’re given is marching, and also granted, I normally loathe the fuck out of me an intro, but the mental image this rhythmic tread gave me is of films such as […]

Album Reviews

Album Review: Ewigkeit – Depopulate [EP]

EWIGKEIT’s been a lot of things over its two decades plus, but predictable has never been one. Taking a break from his apparent goal of reimagining his early works album by album, Depopulate is the second EP of new work released by one Mr. Fog since September and – as expected – it’s a step to the side of his last. Where XXIII was an incorporation of EWIGKEIT’s hazed out/dazed out/phased out ‘70s worship, Depopulate centers around various conspiracy “theories” and the evils (both real and too-real-to-be-imagined) regarding pharmaceutical giants, the sword of biotech, and all who live on what […]

Album Reviews

Album Review: Dread Sovereign – Alchemical Warfare

Returning with its all-important third album, Ireland’s DREAD SOVEREIGN have pushed past the redline on every element of its sound from the previous releases. Feeling as if 2020 was such an abysmal year it didn’t “deserve” Alchemical Warfare, the trio intentionally held off until January to unleash unrighteous bloody Hades upon us all. And thus, after the seemingly obligatory intro, ‘She Wolves Of The Savage Season’, well…slowly arrives under pummel and plod. Mind you, this is no weakened, weary tread. Those familiar with Nemtheanga’s podcast know well that such words don’t seem in the bassist’s vocabulary. The real orgiastic thrill […]

Album Reviews

Album Review: Wombbath – Tales Of Madness

When I spoke to WOMBBATH earlier in 2020 regarding their newest Choirs Of The Fallen release, the members hinted at re-recording “a song or two” (mostly from the admittedly flushable Lavatory EP days), because of their confidence in the current lineup being able to beef up the material. Now, roughly 9 months later, we have Tales Of Madness, a compilation of 6 (count ‘em!) reworked songs spanning the band’s career, as well as a couple new bits to let us know what they’ve been up to since Choirs… Kicking off with ¾ of the Brutal Mights demo, ‘Tales From The […]

Album Reviews

Album Review: Mongrel’s Cross – Arcana, Scrying And Revelation

Now, on its all-important third album, the almighty Proscriptor McGovern (ex-EQUIMANTHORN, ex-MELECHESH, ex-a-little-band-you-might-have-heard-of-called-ABSU) joins the advancing force of Brisbane’s MONGREL’S CROSS, a coup for any band. But the inclusion of such a “name” player with such a respected history doesn’t mean crap if the output now isn’t quality, does it? Majestickally leading off with ‘Suffer The Witch To Live’, the beast transforms from militant march to blurred bestial bile flung about the innards of the listener’s cranium, the aforementioned vocalist in as fine a form as ever, but that’s not even the most impressive thing. What’s truly of note is […]

Album Reviews

Album Review: Pallbearer – Forgotten Days

On one side of the coin, I’ve never just never “gotten” Arkansas’ PALLBEARER. They’re a doom/doom-influenced band, which should be a selling point for me, they’re from the Southern US, which has its own special brand of sorrow and weight, and perspective on things, which should be another. But I just can’t. After a couple “good enough” albums on Profound Lore, Heartless arrived on newfound home Nuclear Blast, and the band became a buzzword through no fault of their own. On the other side, Forgotten Days purports to be an album dealing with the theme of family, something I myself […]

Album Reviews

Album Review: Serpents Of Secrecy – Ave Vindicta

Formed by members current and past of the mighty SIXTY WATT SHAMAN, KING GIANT and more, Baltimore’s SERPENTS OF SECRECY has Maryland Doom in its rattling bones from the start, the fuzzed out bass of dear, departed bassist Rev. Jim Forrester leading the slow and low charge in the title track. Fluid yet fang’ed, elements of bands as varied as SOLACE and FOGHAT (who were actually a pretty heavy live band) show up in ‘Heel Turn’, which carries on through the syrupy sludge of ‘Time Crushes All’, the early Cornell tinting to vocalist Mark Lorenzo’s delivery dripping over the tune […]

Album Reviews

Album Review: Mortiferum / Hyperdontia – Split 7″

I use the phrase “short, sharp shock” a fair amount. I try not to, but I’ll admit to it popping up more than I’d like. Besides, it doesn’t really fit this release. Two bands, two songs. Get in, get rabid, get out. Back in the day, those Maxell or TDK 60-90 minute cassettes we’d get in the mail from writing addresses in the back of metal magazines to trade bands and hear music were treasure troves. Yeah, of course there were some clunkers, but more often than not, you’d come away with at least a handful of new (to you) […]

Album Reviews

Album Review: Starcrazy – Played For Suckers [EP]

Sydney, Australia’s STARCRAZY make their play for the spotlight early next year with this EP, Played For Suckers but, what with the promo sheet espousing such legendary influences as HANOI ROCKS, BOWIE and MOTHER LOVE BONE, I felt we were setting the bar a bit high, perhaps. The just shy of 2-minutes opener, ‘Rise’, wasn’t that great of an idea as a lead-off, as it’s basically an instrumental build to what would, in other times, have been that moment when the backlit stage bathes ‘n’ blinds legions of die-hard fans, the band kicking off their show in grand style. As […]

Album Reviews

Album Review: Mors Principium Est – Seven

I’ve always had a soft spot for melodic death metal, especially that of the Scandinavian/Teutonic variety, so Finland’s MORS PRINCIPIUM EST fit easily into my listening choices when NIGHT IN GALES took a hiatus for the ‘10s, when we didn’t know if AT THE GATES was going to be a thing anymore, and when IN FLAMES disappeared up its own ass starting with 1999’s Colony, incidentally the year of MPE’s founding. Now on its appropriately-titled 7th album, the duo has largely been reliable, not having released an outright clunker during its two decades. Certainly, there are some standouts as well […]

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