Category: Reviews
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Hexer – Hexer
By Matt Hinch This fall Gilead Media released the eponymous debut LP from Hexer. Actually, each side consists of their previous two cassette releases, Cassette 1 and 2 respectively. With new art by vocalist Ansgar and a remaster by Adam Tucker at Signaturetone Recording, Hexer is one vicious slice of wax. The most striking aspect…
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Cokegoat – Vessel
By Gruesome Greg Truth be told, I was drawn to this Chicago sextet by their bizarre moniker, along with the promise there was doom to be found on this, their debut album. I’d say that if anything, the band’s name suggests frantic, buzz saw black metal—as opposed to a handle like Weedeater or Bongzilla, which just…
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Ashes of Ares – Ashes of Ares
By Jason Wellwood When Matt Barlow left Iced Earth the last time, I thought he had retired from music for good. Needless to say, I was very excited to hear that he had returned with a band of his own, featuring former Iced Earth bassist Freddie Vidales and ex-Nevermore drummer Van Williams. Given the past…
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Behemoth – The Satanist
By Danielle Griscti As a tenth album, Poland’s Behemoth offers longtime fans and new listeners The Satanist. This collection of nine tracks is both instantly recognizable as the work of these blackened death metal legends, and a new and distinctive entry into their already impressive and worthwhile catalogue. Their 2004 monster Demigod was one of my…
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Axeslasher – Anthology of Terror Vol. 1
By Matt Hinch Earlier this year Denver/LA thrashers Axeslasher teased us with the “Mark of the Pizzagram/Invasion of the Babesnatchers” single. That was to become the lead track(s) on Anthology of Terror Vol. 1. But we had to wait months before the 6+1 song release actually surfaced. What an agonizing wait. Turns out the adage…
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Black Space Riders – D:REI
When I first reviewed this German band of Lars Ulrich lookalikes’ (seriously, the band photo in the press pack is uncanny) debut album, I made some remark about how it must be a concept album cuz every song had the word “black” in the title. Well, now they’ve gone and released a proper concept album,…
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Iced Earth – Plagues of Babylon
By Jason Wellwood Apparently Dystopia was a hard act to follow for Jon Schaffer and company if the reviews I’ve seen are to be believed. And I can believe it: Dystopia was a solid album and featured some of the best songs and performances from Iced Earth in over a decade. However, that shouldn’t overshadow…
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Noothgrush/Coffins split
By Gruesome Greg Both of these bands are certainly no stranger to splits—this is Noothgrush’s 11th and the 16th(!) for Coffins. And while they’ve shared sides with the likes of Sourvein, Hooded Menace and Corrupted before, this could very well be their most crushing collab yet. Noothgrush starts us off with three tracks, beginning with “Humandemic,” a…
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Run After To – Gjinn and Djinn
By Gruesome Greg While there are plenty of “noun the verb” bands round these parts, particularly within the metalcore genre, it’s safe to say that when a band’s handle ends in a preposition, they’re probably from abroad. Such is the case of these obscure Italian doomsters, who released a pair of EPs in the 80’s and…
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Hammerfall – Gates of Dalhalla
By Lauren Leuschner Sweden’s own Hammerfall have taken a well deserved break in 2013, but before they go on to the next chapter the band has chosen to commemorate 15 years together with a very special live performance. Released on a DVD/2 CD pack titled Gates of Dalhalla, the 2-hour 15 minute live show takes place…