Category: Reviews

  • Merauder: God Is I

    Brooklyn, NY’s Merauder bring forth God Is I, a hardcore album that is not too extravagant or chaotic. With strong musicianship and relevant lyrics, the band still manages to produce something solid.

  • Slayer: World Painted Blood

    All of a sudden Slayer’s new album trades the metal in their thrash for a heavy dose of hardcore, the infusion of which makes Slayer sound exactly like Black Flag did around 1985.

  • Type O Negative @ Harpo’s, Detroit MI, October 31, 2009

    Type O Negative @ Harpo’s, Detroit MI, October 31, 2009

    By night’s end it was clear that the Harpo’s Halloween crowd had been treated to one of the strongest performances from Type O Negative in recent memory. What else other than perfection could one expect from a band whose set featured multiple songs about Halloween and fucking vampires? Jonathan Smith recaps Type O Negative’s Halloween…

  • Priestess: Prior To The Fire

    Prior To The Fire sounds much more like Priestess does in a live setting, with songs like the sprawling “The Gem” showing them unafraid to stretch past the seven-minute mark while still retaining a strong pop hook in its chorus.

  • Kvist: For Kunsten Maa Vi Evig Vike

    For Kunsten Maa Vi Evig Vike is very much a product of its time, but it is a product that is not discoloured by the bitter taste of symphonic black metal’s subsequent indulgences. What Kvist brings to the table is quite simple: balance.

  • Deiphago: Filipino Antichrist

    Overall, this banshee-stabbing outfit are the Satanic missing link between John Zorn’s Painkiller and Portal, only with 137% more virgin violation to their theoretical credit. And hey, if you’re not feeling particularly like cuddling with hell’s servants, this can effectively be used to clear out any lingering party guests and family members who won’t take…

  • Morbid Saint: Spectrum Of Death

    Originally released in 1989 by a Mexican based label called Avenzada Metalica, this eight-song effort is an absolute face-ripper that will appeal greatly to fans of Dark Angel, Kreator and especially late 80s Razor. The songs are well written, the riffs are lightning fast and they possessed a vocalist in singer Pat Lind that could…

  • Dethklok/Mastodon @ Sound Academy, Toronto ON, October 23, 2009

    With the completion of the second season of Metalocalypse, Dethklok took the road for a full North American tour with co-headliners Mastodon and strong support acts Converge and High on Fire. For a band that seems far from serious, they put together quite the heavyweight lineup, casting some of the top live talents to join…

  • Children of Bodom: Skeletons In The Closet

    That lighter spirit is what makes Skeletons In The Closet worth listening to because they make the spirit in the rest most obvious; it’s all for fun. These seventeen covers showcase every side of the band, but the most recurring of the lot is that the band is obviously having fun as they pay tribute…

  • Metallica/Lamb Of God/Volbeat @ Air Canada Centre, Toronto ON, Oct 27, 2009

    Metallica may not be for everyone. You may love them or you may hate them. Some that attended the concert may have been there to accompany a family member or friend and others may have gone in large groups. Whatever the case may be, it was a damn good show. No matter what age, ethnicity…