Metal playlists from the underground
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 […]
Swedish death metal merchants Those Who Bring The Torture reinforce their band’s moniker by carrying out a sublime shot of what their name suggests on TANK GASMASK AMMO. While this quartet won’t be scoring any awards for most unique metal crew, their ’90s death metal meets groovy grindcore redux (“All Hail The Goat”) fits snugly […]
German experimental hardcore troupe flu.ID have made an album proper by repackaging two previous 10-inch releases with a few bonus tracks and a strange assortment of electronic interludes to create a 15-track collection of schizophrenic heaviness and offbeat weirdness titled IOTS. Imagine Refused jamming out with Dillinger Escape Plan while a techno party looms in […]
Exploring the epic evilness of the black and pagan metal scenes, German by way of Central Asian (Kyrgyzstan to be exact) unit Darkestah have plotted out a dastardly five-track, 54-minute excursion laden with a folksy degree of traditional instrumentation and a general sense of damnation seeping through this squad’s infernal pores (“Inner Voice”). Fortified by […]
Welsh troupe Lethargy bundle hard rock heft of the 90’swith progressive rock compositions and classic rock durability into their 11-track sophomore sojourn PURIFICATION. Sounding at times like a cross between Porcupine Tree, Staind, Alice in Chains, and Warrior Soul, tracks like “Bleechin’ Bones” and “14:9” pack a wallop with its mid-tempo mix of melodic metal […]
Long overdue, prolific NYC punk troupe Blackout Shoppers have unleashed a proper album in the form of PASS OUT. Overflowing with the spirit of the NYC underground prior to the gentrification of the LES, this tenacious 20 track assault embraces hardcore punk’s roots and NYHC mayhem to kick up a sterling showcase of sneering anarchic […]
Edguy frontman Tobias Sammet’s side project Avantasia has garnished massive success, so much so that his earlier records LOST IN SPACE PART 1 & 2 can get a deluxe consolidated reintroduction to the masses. This collection combines the two previously released entities with a slew of operatically-tinged guest appearance metal bonus goodness for an essential […]
Metal’s favorite glee club return with BANG CAMARO II, Bang Camaro’s sophomore effort chock full of tongue in cheek stadium anthems for the modern age. This act’s unique choral lead singer situation and shredding pop metal riffs clear the path for a raucous 10-track joyride through the heavy metal parking lot. Tracks like “Miss Illusion” […]
After putting out numerous demos, Italian gore metal troupe Ghouls have finally released a full-length record, Until It Bleeds, an eight-track self-titled affair that champions a hearty old school death metal appeal with a barrage of depraved lyrical content that borders the redundancy line. Radiating the retro brutality of Obituary and Cannibal Corpse on “The […]
Order of Ennead is a bold blackened death metal troupe whose latest eponymous offering showcases a band with a serious multifaceted extreme metal strike. Featuring Deicide skin basher Steve Asheim, this quartet’s scope explores the vastness of both the forests in the Netherlands and the catacombs in Stockholm with a diabolical rasp and an adventurous […]