Tag: instrumental metal

  • Best of the rest – 2014 metal (part 1): instrumental and short releases

    Best of the rest – 2014 metal (part 1): instrumental and short releases

    Best instrumental metal of 2014 Horrendous, “When the Walls Fell.” I can’t get fully behind Horrendous’s ambitious second album, finding its blend of death metal and old-school metal melodies a little slipshod compared to Arsis a decade ago, but there are a few very promising moments, especially this instrumental from late in the record. These guys…

  • Music Blues – Things Haven’t Gone Well

    Music Blues – Things Haven’t Gone Well

    I must admit that I’m somewhat partial to the autobiographical sludge solo project. (Let’s just say that if I ever get my shit off the ground, you’ll hear it here first.) Music Blues is the nom de plume of Stephen Tanner, ex-bassist of Harvey Milk—who weren’t exactly a band of happy campers to begin with.…

  • Black Tar Prophet – Deafen

    Black Tar Prophet – Deafen

    Now, when a band names an album Deafen, you can probably expect it to be loud.  But this Nashville instro duo, Black Tar Prophet, is a bass-drums outfit, so you don’t get the screeching, feedbacking guitars that lead to tinnitus here.  Trust me on that one… Opening track “Dethroned” reminds me of The Body, as the bass is…

  • Pelican – What We All Come To Need

    What We All Come To Need isn’t new news by this point, but it’s a real recommend for anyone looking for a heavy album that trims away most of the muscular excesses of progressive and noise metal while still that retaining their heavy-hitting skeletons.