Rebel Extravaganza

Heavy Metal And Other Occasional Musics And Cultures

lord randall

Album Reviews

Album Review: Stormtide – A Throne Of Hollow Fire

As much as I dread intros as a whole, ‘A Valley Of Ashes’ captivates, and – for the uninitiated – draws in, which is exactly a band wants to happen when inviting new ears. Right out the gate more symphonic in execution than I was expecting, ‘A Throne Of Hollow Fire’ blends keys, blessedly lower-register vocals and sections that grasp mightily for the epic. It does seem the mix is a bit “all over the place”, and the keys have a tendency to bury the guitars when the latter isn’t in solo mode, but when Richens and Bodnarr do get […]

Album Reviews

Album Review: Reaper – The Atonality Of Flesh

As much I love some good ol’ (or new) caustic D-beat, for maximum enjoyment, the album needs to be short of length – we’re talking half-hour, tops – and long on attitude. Anything over that magical 30 minutes, and my attention quickly wanes, largely because the band’s begun to recycle its own ideas, and – due to the limitations of the style, maybe – it’s all just monotonous. Not so with Sweden’s REAPER, the duo returning with 2021’s The Atonality Of Flesh, if anything more fierce and, yes, varied than the Unholy Nordic Noise debut of 2019. MIDNIGHT is a […]

Album Reviews

Album Review: Necropanther – In Depths We Sleep [EP]

As a songwriter (term used loosely…very, very loosely), that Colorado’s NECROPANTHER has managed to craft three albums that each stay within the framework of metal, but to embrace the melody inherent in the genre, and add shades to the colors of an established palette is impressive. It’s harder than you think, I assure you. Between albums, the quartet has this quirky habit of releasing EPs/Singles written entirely by a single member, with the remainder of the band contributing to the recording. Worry not, this is no KISS solo album papier-mâché pastiche of creativity, and this time around the honor/work fell […]

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 […]

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