Metal playlists from the underground
Maintaining the classic NYHC sound and a no frills DIY mindset from the days of yore, Olde York comes barreling down the lane with an authentic 12-track tour de force entitled EMPIRE STATE. Embodying the spirit of hardcore’s CBGB Sunday matinee glory days while skillfully blending the styles of acts such as Cro Mags, Warzone, […]
Tommy Victor turned the original mixes from Prong’s latest disc Power of the Damager over to some of his technically-advanced musician friends to remix and POWER OF THE DAMN MIXXXER is the end result. This 13-track endeavor showcases the behind the boards prowess of metal peeps such as Jon Clayton (Pitchshifter) and Greg Puciato (Dillinger […]
Spastic and noisy hardcore with underpinnings of melody best describe the racket exerted by Chicago quartet Millions, whose eight-track offering GATHER SCATTER goes from the gutter to outer space in approximately 27-minutes. Emblazoned in dissonance, songs like “Saddle Up and Ride” exhibit the rhythm section playing like a wrecking crew drunkenly demolishing a skyscraper, while […]
There’s not a shred of anything remotely AGAINST THE GRAIN about The Veer Union’s current three-song sampler that you don’t learn at Chad Kroeger 101, yet this fellow Canadian quartet’s advanced placement yields an angst-ridden vocal and action-movie hooky punch whose youthful exuberance and slick package demands attention, even if for a fleeting moment (“Seasons”) […]
West Coast punk veterans Eric Melvin, Greg Hetson, and friend’s pet project PUNK ROCK KARAOKE have released a slamming CD/DVD version of the clever live band karaoke shtick, aptly self-titled and bursting with punk rock fun. The CD portion contains 10-tracks of punk rock luminaries from Dicky Barret and Dave King to Mike Herrera and […]
Throwback Pacific Northwestern trio Wolves in the Throne Room apply old fashioned recording techniques as well as the unit’s avid spiritual connection to nature to achieve black metal bliss on their latest four-track, 45-minute atmospheric excursion BLACK CASCADE. Using vintage gear to capture the rich tones protruding from the guitars on cuts like “Ex Cathedra,” […]
There’s good reason why ex-Emperor mainman Isahn handpicked the members of Leprous to be part of his touring band besides sharing the same hometown (Notodden, Norway), and this quintet’s daunting eight-track affair firmly backs up Isahn’s choice. With a strong set of 70’s symphonic pomp and a darkened dollop of progressive metal’s usual suspects’ wares […]
After a tumultuous eight-year run, Savannah, GA quintet Kylesa have come into their own on the outfit’s latest 10-track disc STATIC TENSIONS. Fully realizing their unique spot in between Isis and Mastodon on the metal continuum, this act has struggled both through wallowing the underground as well as in the shadows of some bigger hometown […]
Blood of the Black Owl is a one-man metal band whose latest disc A FERAL SPIRIT embraces the worship of nature and its aesthetic beauty but not before it takes you by the throat to drag you down into the depths of the abyss. This sprawling nine-track excursion enlists unorthodox Native American instrumentation, animal and […]
Re-released from 2007, Texas grindcore trio Insect Warfare’s WORLD EXTERMINATION gets the re-release treatment courtesy of Earache, and hail Satan for that! This disc yields a blindingly-fast and corrosively abrasive metallic mauling, essential for fans of Brutal Truth, Napalm Death, and Nasum to get their crusty claws on. Broken down into 20-tracks clocking in at […]