Category
A filtered slice of the archive.
90’s Score: 8/102020 Score: 10/10 While the ’90s was rather turbulent for the titans of thrash metal, it was the birth of a new era for heavy metal. New scenes were emerging, and bands were further diversifying their sound across the globe. In the United States, groups like Pantera, Fear Factory, Machine Head, and Type O Negative were ushering in...
5/10 Almost nine years to the day of their previous release, Blackguardmade their long-awaited return to the forefront of the underground melodic death metal scene with the release of Storm. After the punishing Montreal outfit put an end to their four-year hiatus last March with a live show in Toronto, a new album was bound to be released....
7/10 Spawned from the ashes of Bolt Thrower (England’s technical death metal darlings) comes Memoriam with their third full-length release, Requiem For Mankind. For those of you that don’t know, Bolt Thrower disbanded in 2016 due to the unfortunate death of legendary drummer, Martin Kearns. Rather than continuing under the Bolt Thrower banner, vocalist Karl Willets recruited bassist Frank...
9.5/10 Ever since their debut album dropped 14 years ago, Intronaut has pushed the boundaries of progressive metal by experimenting with unorthodox compositions and fusing different genres together. On their newest album, Fluid Existential Inversions, Intronaut’s progression as musicians have culminated with their most dynamic record to date, ripe with the perfect blend of unconventional songwriting and innovative...
7.5/10 Despite being in the business for over 15 years, Alter Bridge seemingly has a way of continuing to evolve without their music becoming stale. Their new music is unique enough to set it apart from retreads while retaining the catchiness of absolute classics like “Metallingus.” Their latest album, Walk The Sky, is no exception and passes the...
7/10 Toothgrinder happens to be one of those bands that seems to cause a divide in metal circles. Their earlier releases featured quite a bit of progressive tendencies along with metalcore and djent overtones that appealed to various audiences. Over the years, however, the band’s evolution has seen them opt for a more melodic radio-friendly approach,...
9/10 Hailing from Gothenburg, Monolord is unlike many of their local counterparts that aspired to rehash the melodic death metal sound established by Swedish metal titans. Instead, their focus on delivering a unique blend of distortion-rich doom metal has earned them both credibility and distinction in a burgeoning genre. No Comfort, their fourth full-length release, is ripe with ingenuity...
7/10 For those of you that know my musical tendencies, it’s a well-known fact that I have a propensity to listen to stoner rock, doom metal, and sludge. That’s why I danced for joy a little inside when I discovered that I was asked to review Haderach’s self-titled debut, Haderach. Branded as a “sci-fi inspired stoner-doom metal band...
8.5/10 HOLY SHIT! That’s exactly what I thought after listening to Everything Hurts, the new album from the Swedish quartet Grayscale Season. If one were to provide background music to the rigorous, no-win Starfleet academy training exercise from the world of Star Trek, the first track “Kobayashi Maru” would be the soundtrack. A ripping banger from the start seeping...
8/10 Bubblegum pop. 90s influenced grunge. Matt Pike giving birth to a doom-sludge hybrid demon. Shoegazing. If you were to blend all those musical styles together meticulously, you most likely end up with a revolting, puke-inducing album. In other cases, you get kickass music courtesy of the dudes from Torche. Torche seems to relish subverting expectations...
