Rebel Extravaganza

Heavy Metal And Other Occasional Musics And Cultures

prosthetic records

Album Review: Glacial Tomb – Lightless Expanse

From the fertile musical soil of Denver, Colorado, GLACIAL TOMB returns with its second full length. Annoying keys and overblown effects lead us into the ‘Stygian Abattoir’, and oh, man, are these guys trying to sound like early Gothenburg here, at least in the music. The vocals haven’t changed much since the self-titled 2018 debut, nondescript as ever. I’m sure some may thrive on the frequent shifts from second-tier death metal growl to blackish bark, but to me, there’s nothing appealing. The trio seems to feel they’re a blend of sludge, black and death metals, but the tired-ass bridge in […]

Album Review: Huntsmen – The Dry Land

‘This, Our Gospel’ leads off HUNTSMEN’s third, swirling scales and surrounding sonics until the psychedelia the band has toyed with before is ushered into the forefront with chanted refrain and off-kilter meter. Then, sadly, not even three minutes in, we’re back in typical post-gaze-whatever-land, where we stay for the remainder of this 8+-minute opener. Sure, there are moments that pique the interest, but they’re brief and peripheral, a grasp too light to hold the attention; vital when you’re dealing with any style, but this one most especially. Digressionary from the start, ‘Cruelly Dawns’ repeats the pattern, an appealing vocal melody […]

MOLDER announce US tour dates

Chicago, IL fetid death metal band MOLDER has announced US tour dates this summer, with Goetia and Dripping Decay. The Disgusting Decay tour promises pure death metal madness, with new music from MOLDER to be shared in the coming months – more details of which will be revealed soon. Full dates for The Disgusting Decay tour are detailed below. Speaking on the tour announcement, MOLDER comments: “We’ll be skulking our way through the US this August… Hope to see you freaks at one of these dates!” MOLDER Online:Facebook

HUNTSMEN announce new album, The Dry Land, and share release show

Chicago, IL ensemble HUNTSMEN has announced their third album, The Dry Land, set to be released via Prosthetic Records on June 7. Alongside the album announcement, the Americana / doom metal group has shared release show details for The Dry Land, set to take place on June 7 at Sleeping Village in Chicago, IL. Further details on The Dry Land will be revealed in the coming weeks, with the band sharing a teaser for the lead single HERE Speaking on the album announcement, Ray Bueno-Knipe (drums and vocals) comments: “We are incredibly grateful to announce the release of our third […]

Album Review: Xorsist – At The Somber Steps To Serenity

XORSIST sends infernal hails from the land of Gothen…wait, no, Stockholm. These newcomers make no secret that the band is a blatant attempt to conjure the early HM-2, buzzsaw riffing and low-toned rumble for which their town is known, but can they? After 2022’s debut showing – which was alright, but when you’re talking Stockholm, “alright” just doesn’t cut it – founder and vocalist/guitarist Gustav Ryderfelt found himself some other folks to play with, hung onto the name, and here we have a second album already, At The Somber Steps To Serenity, on Prosthetic Records. Anyone who’s read my scratchings […]

Album Review: Calligram – Position | Momentum

‘Sul Dolore’ begins CALLIGRAM’s second, a whirlwind of blasts and frigid strings swirling about, but, for some inexplicable reason, what should already have my ears cryogenically frozen just falls flat on its way to ‘Frantumi In Itinere’. More of the same here, despite an interesting slow down at the mid-section, until you realize that we never return to the original theme, and resulting in what feels like two completely different songs slammed together in a furious attempt to create one. ‘Eschilo’ opens with pensive, acoustic fingerings leading into a section that far, far too quickly gets annihilated by Default Blast, […]

Album Review: Sadistic Ritual – The Enigma, Boundless

This has got to be one of the quirkiest and most entertaining thrash records I have laid ears on in a while. The band is from Atlanta, Georgia and their moniker had me thinking they would be a POSSESSED or KREATOR type band. Thankfully, they are more original than that and not easy to describe. The PR calls them “psychedelic” thrash, but the most psychedelic thing about the album is its cover art. I think fans expecting real hardcore psych influence might be disappointed. SADISTIC RITUAL does not fit into a neat little box. They aren’t a knock-off of either […]

HUNTSMEN RELEASE NEW EP, THE DYING PINES

On the eve of their European and UK The Carrion Tour dates, HUNTSMEN have today their new EP, The Dying Pines, via Prosthetic Records. The Dying Pines features two new original songs and a cover of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young’s ‘Carry On’, with the EP serving as the first glimpse of new material since the Chicago, IL band’s 2020 full length, Mandala Of Fear. The Dying Pines is available on digital, as well as cassette (limited to 100 copies worldwide) – available exclusively HERE LISTEN TO THE DYING PINES EP via Apple Music, Tidal, Deezer, Bandcamp and Spotify Speaking […]

Album Review: Wormwitch – Wolf Hex

WORMWITCH has been at it awhile, and now returns for the all-important third album. Reviews have been kind to the Vancouver quartet thus far, so all that remains is the question “Did the band deliver?”. After the intro of ‘Lunar Maniac’ wanders about aimlessly for 1:00 (as most intros are wont to do), the laughably-titled ‘Canadian Denim Mountain Attack’, which manages in one clumsy, fell swoop to poorly appropriate both DARKTHRONE’s ‘Canadian Metal’ and ‘Hiking Metal Punks’, both of which leave a bag of reindeer shit on WORMWITCH’s suburbanite doorstep. And if you thought the song was any better, it’s […]

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 […]