Metal playlists from the underground
Metalcore staple act Hatebreed, unleashes 18 influential metal covers on their latest studio endeavor For The Lions. Honoring bands from the early thrash era (“Ghosts of War” Slayer, “Escape” Metallica), to the roots of hardcore punk (“Hatebreeders” Misfits, “Shut Me Out” Sick of it All), to sludge (“All I Had I Gave” Crowbar), Hatebreed diligently […]
If the story of Pittsburgh, PA thrash metal neophytes Mantic Ritual’s heading out west, scoring a record deal and recording their debut in Germany (but not before touring the world with the likes of heroes Destruction and Exodus) sounds too good to be true, then you need to get a little less jaded, as this […]
MxPx frontman Mike Herrera exchanges his pop-punk motif for a hardcore alt country sound on his side-project’s latest 11 track affair Tumbledown. On first listen, the opening three tracks lack much distinction from one another in feel, but as the album progresses several tunes — most notably, the aggressive “Came Here To Fight,” acoustic ballad […]
Veritable New Wave of British Heavy Metal veterans Saxon continue to slug it out in the metal scene with their latest release INTO THE LABYRINTH. This 13-track disc is carried by bombast and bravado with Biff Byford guiding through both familiar and treacherous waters with a slew of convincing lead singer clichés at hand. Even […]
The worst type of music fan is the snob. Everybody knows at least one person on the planet that believes his or her own obnoxious opinion on a particular artist or song is the only infallible truth to speak. As a fan of rock music, it is the type of personality one should avoid associating […]
Emanating from the likes of Kill Your Idols, Madball, and Deathcycle, Black Anvil undergoes a complete makeover into the realm of blackened death ‘n roll on TIME INSULTS THE MIND. This NYC trio’s nine-track debut captures early thrash and doom’s glacial overtones pretty well, although the D-beat does come into play here, providing the occasional […]
Two bassists, minimal vocals, and swirls of dense psychedelic avant garde metal arrive via Chicago’s Rabid Rabbit on the crew’s latest jaunt, an elitist-friendly vinyl-only eponymous seven-track affair. Sounding like a cross between Sonic Youth, Melvins, and Giant Squid, this foursome fearlessly hammers out a cavalcade of over your head noise rock mired in sludge […]
Finnish sextet Omnium Gatherum, fresh off their last release Stuck Here On Snake’s Way, return with another 11-track endeavor entitled THE REDSHIFT. This melodic death metal unit’s latest batch of tunes demonstrates this act’s versatile composition skills, as this album branches out from the usual melodeath malaise long enough to dabble in Goth metal, progressive, […]
Personally, one of the hardest tasks for me to do is to pick my favorite Ramones album. I can cheat and say my favorite is All The Stuff and More Vol 2 because technically it is. I just won’t do that, so to clear myself of future regret, I’m going to review ONE of my […]
The original lords of darkness are back with an album that is purely sinister, an instant classic, that melts your face with gloomy rhetoric and riffs of impending doom. Tony Iommi’s guitars on The Devil You Know, are still iconic, still to be imitated by thousands of budding and veteran ax men throughout the world. […]