Some bands take their sweet time getting it together. Those first few releases can be rough but promising, showing listeners what could be in store for them if they stick with the group for a few outings while they figure things out. Putting together kickass records, and doing it consistently, takes time and effort. It’s…
Side gigs and hustles are pretty much what you’ve got to do to survive in the world these days. It seems like everyone you know is driving a rideshare on the weekend, running an Etsy shop, selling their old shit online, or whatever it takes to scrape by. Unless you’re in the upper echelons of the…
It doesn’t take long into Ritual of Ash, the debut longplayer from Australian death metallers Ashen, to realize that these dudes know what the Hell they are doing. If you’ve listened to enough death metal over the years, Ashen’s influences should be pretty readily apparent upon firing up their first LP. Pretty much any band that…
Katatonia’s latest album showcases the experience of a band that’s been at this since 1991 while also remaining completely comfortable in the hard-rock lane they’ve been in since the release of 1998’s The Discouraged Ones. There are 11 tracks and no surprises on their new album, Sky Void of Stars. The new release wastes no…
A ton of great debuts come out every year from across all subgenres of metal to the point where compiling a list of the best debuts every year can be a pretty perilous task. Last year I ended up putting together my end-of-the-year debuts list way too late and had a ton of albums to…
There are very few things that are more exciting within the world of music than a good debut. A solid start for a band is something that should get every fan of the style of music the group plays jacked for what could hopefully be a long and fruitful career. Proficient debuts give you something…
Quite honestly, this might be one of the more pointless reviews I’ve ever written. If you know Destruction at all, then you should more or less know what to expect from the band’s fifteenth longplayer in their 40-year career. The German thrash pioneers aren’t out to reinvent the wheel on Diabolical, nor would I particularly…
Atmospheric black metal bands tend to be a dime a dozen. For every genuinely exciting release, there are five or six more littering release days that sound frustratingly similar. I’ve heard a couple this year already that just didn’t excite me in the least or do enough to differentiate themselves from other bands out there…
Anger gets a bad rap these days. The amount of people that I’ve seen complaining about people’s anger at the status quo as something bad over the last few years truly baffles me. Corporate greed keeps the majority of this planet locked into a perpetual cycle of economic servitude, politicians offer the illusion of choice…
Some bands come out the gate swinging with a legendary debut that just grabs you and makes you a diehard from the jump (for examples of that from this year, see Cryptic Hatred’s Nocturnal Sickness or Pillaging Villager’s self-titled debut). Other times, you hear what a band is putting out to start their career and you can…