Metal Blade

Cathedral – The Last Spire

Hellbound Metal: ” The Last Spire completes the Cathedral. From the foundation to the highest towers, the structure built by Dorrian will stand the test of time. Cheers to Dorrian and Cathedral for going out on a high note.”

Bison BC – Lovelessness

Like a good blues song Lovelessness connects with the listener. The heart feels what the musicians feel. Pain, sorrow, anger, joy and lovelessness. Bison filter those feelings through vicious heaviness and impactful songwriting. No matter the transition these Vancouverites do it seamlessly and effortlessly. Nothing sounds forced.

Cattle Decapitation - Monolith of Humanity cover art

Cattle Decapitation – Monolith of Inhumanity

Monolith of Inhumanity is the most notable of Cattle Decapitation’s releases so far, and its more progressive passages suggest possible future additions to the band’s traditional approach to things. They’re additions that I would be happy to see the band build on as they continue their climb up to broader recognizability and an increasingly unique ensemble sound.

Alex Webster of Cannibal Corpse: The Hellbound Interview

Prominent American senators and presidential hopefuls have pointed their fingers at Cannibal Corpse, implying the band is partially responsible for society falling apart. Murder victim family members have also done the same. Censorship has reared its ugly head in Germany, a nation where the band has been legally prohibited from playing certain songs. And yet through it all, the Florida-based death metal machine continues to march on, hacking away at everything in sight—musically, that is—nearly a quarter of a century after its inception.

Jay H. Gorania interviews Alex Webster, bassist and founding member of death metal legends Cannibal Corpse.

A Metal Blade quartet

Metal Blade celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2012. While the label has already released a plethora of classic and genre-defining albums, and fostered and supported our dearly loved heavy metal community, it remains, to this day, as active and energetic as ever. What the metal realm would have looked like without Metal Blade’s steely presence over the past three decades is a frightening thought indeed.

To help celebrate this, here are four new reviews of new Metal Blade titles by our New Zealand based writer Craig Haze, who tackles the new releases by Angel Witch, Exhumer, Ram and OSI