Tag: metal
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Superjoint – Caught Up in the Gears of Application
Now, I’m not one of those people who worships the ground Phil Anselmo walks on. (Hell, I skipped Down to catch Beelzefuzz at Psycho Las Vegas.) And I don’t really remember Superjoint Ritual all that well—I couldda sworn I had a copy of Use Once and Destroy somewhere, but I can’t seem to find it.…
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Ayahuasca – Yin
I can actually trace the roots of this Toronto band back to The Womb—literally, as that was the name of their former band. What started out as pure Pantera worship evolved into perhaps the most technically proficient sludge/noise-rock outfit around these parts, putting out a pair of pretty solid records in the late aughts. And…
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Khemmis – Hunted
I’ll admit, I’ve been sitting on this one for a bit. Khemmis’ debut album, Absolution, struck me as a slightly crunchier Pallbearer… and while there’s nothing wrong with that at all, it didn’t quite tickle my fancy. Oh well, second time’s the charm, right? This time, they’ve stretched out the songs a tad, with just…
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Watchtower – Concepts Of Math: Book One
Watchtower have a pretty legendary legacy among a niche group of metalheads. To just call their music “thrash metal” and move on is a disservice to both Watchtower and thrash metal. So what do you call it? Progressive thrash? Thrashy progressive metal? Heavy metal was already genre-bending in the ’80s, and that’s part of the…
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Anciients – Voice of the Void
Album number two from Anciients, Vancouver’s answer to Neurosis, comes roughly three-and-a-half years after their breakout debut, Heart of Oak. So it’s been a little way since we’ve heard from these guys, but it’s safe to say that crafting epic-length tuneage takes a little time. To wit, three of the nine songs of Voice of…
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Neurosis – Fires Within Fires
A new Neurosis record is always a noteworthy occasion, especially since they don’t come around all that often. Their last album, Honor Found in Decay, was released nearly four years ago to the day, and its predecessor, Given to the Rising, came out in ’07. But you can’t accuse this outfit of making the same…
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Serpent Crown – Incantations of Vengeance
Oakland certainly has no shortage of blackened, thrashy sludge bands, from the likes of High on Fire and Black Cobra going back to some of the pioneers of sludge and doom—Noothgrush, Neurosis, Sleep et al. This particular outfit, Serpent Crown, has been around since ’08, but they’ve completely flown under my radar until now, as…
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Asatta – Spiraling Into Oblivion
Milwaukee earned its spot on the doom metal map a few years back, with the Days of the Doomed fest bringing a whole buncha slow ‘n heavy outfits to a small, cozy bar by the airport. I had the pleasure of attending said festival a couple times, enduring up to 14 straight hours of doom…
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Beldam – Still the Wretched Linger
Richmond might have recently put Virginia on the map when it comes to downtuned doom, with outfits ranging from Cough to Inter Arma to Windhand, but the sludge seems to be seeping eastward to another college town an hour away. Beldam hails from Charlottesville, home of the Hoos, and their debut album is as gritty…
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Fistula – Longing for Infection
It might surprise you that Cleveland was recently named the most metal city in America, but it’s always had a pretty solid sludge/hardcore scene. This gritty, edgy style of music can often be found in rough ‘n tumble towns—and having seen everyone from St. Vitus to Accept to Pentagram play places like the now-closed Peabody’s…