Review: Beneath The Massacre – Dystopia [2008]

Crippling Canadian quartet Beneath the Massacre is a dizzying deathcore troupe whose latest 10-track enterprise DYSTOPIA jackhammers sweeping guitar runs, feral blast beat drums, and vicious vocals into your cranium for over 30 minutes. And when it’s over, what does the listener retain besides one hell of a headache? Not a whole lot, actually, although […]

Review: Hellveto – Neoheresy [2009]

Featuring six tracks connecting a pulled-back brand of black metal with massive Pagan and symphonic overtones, Polish one-man band Hellveto lays down a multi-layered metallic strike with NEOHERESY. Able to switch from tremolo-picked rage to serenity-laden subdued with relative ease (and more importantly with the audience following along), this disc possesses both a savage grace […]

Review: Enslaved – Vertebrae [2008]

Norwegian metal merchants Enslaved have put out their most progressive album to date with their latest (and tenth!) offering, the eight-track VERTEBRAE. Far removed from their primitive origins, this squad’s psychedelic rock meets black metal approach takes Pink Floyd into the catacombs for a swirling sojourn into lands discovered by the likes of Opeth (“Ground”). […]

Review: Suidakra – Crogacht [2009]

German Pagan metal veterans Suidakra are back with a rousing nine-track presentation titled CROGACHT. Authentic Celtic instrumentation (bagpipes and tin whistles) and epic death metal collide to bring the revered Irish myth of Cuchulainn to life with a flurry of orchestral metal providing the dramatic soundtrack. Fortified via a well-balanced mix of crushing Viking metal […]

Review: Eminem – Relapse [2009]

So I made the decision to pick up a copy of Eminem’s latest album, Relapse—not sure what possessed me to do it, perhaps impulse? Hunger for humorous lyrical play? Anyways, the last Eminem CD I bought with my own money was his debut The Marshall Mathers EP in 2000. The mainstream modern rock stations (K-Rock […]

Review: Anvil: The Story Of Anvil [Film-2009]

After viewing countless promotions for Anvil: The Story of Anvil on VH1’s That Metal Show and reading many rave reviews, I finally had the opportunity to watch the documentary for myself. The film follows the two original members of Anvil, an 80’s thrash metal band that is still trying to find fame and fortune as […]

Review: Harpoon – Double Gnarly/Triple Suicide [2009]

Harpoon is a Chicago-based duo (now beefed up to a trio) whose grindcore meets metal batterings are backed by programmed drums, an element that sets a definitive tone for DOUBLE GNARLY/TRIPLE SUICIDE. Coming off as sterile and clinical when artificial beats become inhumanly overbearing (“Throngs”) despite maintaining a crushing concoction of blasting guitars and glass-gargled […]

Review: Voetsek – Infernal Command [2008]

Blistering speed and sheer volatility fused together best describes the aural assault San Francisco quintet Voetsek are responsible for on their 17-track, 21-minute punk meets power violence excursion. Fronted by a female vocalist who sounds like she’s undergoing an exorcism, this squad’s blend of throttling thrash metal guitars (“Frozen Heart,” “Bully With a Badge”) and […]