Category: Reviews
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Rush – Moving Pictures LP
It is often regarded as an inconvenient truth, but the fact is that it becomes increasingly difficult for a band to change or take artistic risks as they get further into their career. A lot of that difficulty may come from the band’s perceived responsibility to their fans; the people watching and listening were the…
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Tylor Dory Trio – Carried Away
If I were to try and summon up Tylor Dory Trio’s sound in a soundbite, it would be that they are a cross between Opeth and Alice In Chains. But that doesn’t do justice to the depth of their music. As you can gather from the name, we have here the classic power-trio format in…
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Xaemora – Kingdom Venom I
The first thing you’ll notice about Kingdom Venom I by St. Louis based symphonic black metallers Xaemora is their logo. It’s Cthulu-esque appearance translates well to the otherworldly beast you’ll find within. KVI is blatantly vicious and cold. Bitter, militant chugs power through symphonic melodies while vocals full of true black metal hate raise the…
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False Flag – Nest of Vipers
False Flag‘s Nest of Vipers is an excellent EP that doesn’t outstay it’s welcome. Four tracks of prime groove metal. Reference points are Lamb of God, Exhorder, and of course, Pantera. What gives this its own identity is the level of musical virtuosity of the band members. There is also a genuine band dynamic and sincerity there.…
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Cryptopsy – The Book of Suffering (Tome 1)
Say your piece, objectors: yes, Lord Worm is still out of the band, which leaves Flo Mounier as the only original member, and he’s the drummer to boot; yes, their undisputed classic, None So Vile, is twenty years old; yes, they chased trendy deathcore and ran their name into the ground in 2008 with The…
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Clouds Taste Satanic – Your Doom Has Come
I never did get around to writing about Clouds Taste Satanic‘s To Sleep Beyond The Earth. Such is life. That album featured two tracks both breaching 20 minutes of slow and deliberate doom. Thematically consistent throughout, the massive chords projected stateliness and menace. It was as hypnotic and droning as you’d expect from what was…
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Saviours – Palace of Vision
Y’know, I was kinda wondering what had happened to these guys; it had been over four years since the release of their last record, Death’s Procession, and subsequent tour supporting Weedeater. No longer signed to Kemado Records, which seems to have fallen off the face of the earth itself, this Oakland retro-rock outfit is still…
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Evertrapped – Under The Deep
Hailing from Montreal, and going since 2007, Evertrapped have a lot of experience under their collective belts and it shows. Production-wise, this album is flawless, every instrument being heard with complete clarity. Soundwise, for the benefit of the readers I’d say we’re talking a combination of At The Gates and Unearth, but that doesn’t do justice…
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Cretus – Dux Mea Lux
Given the mainstream success of Ghost, it’s not surprising to see a wave of copycat acts beginning to rise like that drunk idiot who won’t sit down during a key at-bat of the ALCS. This particular trio checks all the boxes: masks, robes, melodic vocals and Satanic themes. They’ve even got a thinly-veiled promotional website…
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Black Breath – Slaves Beyond Death
Let’s judge an album by its cover art, and specifically, its depiction of hands. Black Breath’s 2012 album, Sentenced to Life, and their new one, Slaves Beyond Death, both feature a lone hand on the cover. Take another look at Sentenced, if it’s been a while: darkness, leather, spikes, and a wielded big-ass hammer that…