Author Archives: Brandon Corsair

It’s always a great day when gods of death team up, and for Japanese death metallers Anatomia and Danish beasts Undergang, this isn’t their first time. Not satisfied with the devastating results of 2017’s 10” crusher collaboration (released in both Danish and Japanese, which is a really cool gimmick!), they’re back some five years later with a secondContinue reading “Anatomia and Undergang Form Another Deadly Alliance On 12″ Split (Early Album Stream)”

Something that’s largely missing from the modern heavy metal scene is bands that do a good job of mixing the silly, spooky fun that King Diamond had with the actual musical and writing chops that his bands always brought to the table alongside it. Most bands seem to have one or the other, but neverContinue reading “Entering the Underground #20: Luzifer Breaks The “Iron Shackles” Of Strait-Laced Traditional Metal”

Genuine improvement with metal bands these days doesn’t feel as common as it should be. A debut demo or EP often signals how the album will be–a decent demo means a decent album, and a great demo means a great album. More uncommon still are bands that are more interested in pursuing their own pathContinue reading “Entering the Underground #19: “Fell Sorcery Abounds” on Morgul Blade’s Towering Debut”

As much as many musicians play relatively safe to the standards of their genre, either when playing in an established style or even when pushing boundaries, there have always been those that are not content to be anything less than properly mad. In the 1980s heavy metal scene, those musicians played in bands like DeepContinue reading “Entering the Underground #18: Wanton Attack’s Debut Evokes Vintage Insanity”

Even with a late entry (a spooky Halloween release!), Abysse mortifère was an easy lock for my 2021 year-end list. Ferociously opposed to any sort of modernity in their ancient assault, Outre-Tombe take things to the next level with what is surely their best record yet: catchier songwriting, bigger riffs, and dirtier production combine to form a record that standsContinue reading “Outre-Tombe Plunge into Deadly Depths on “Abysse mortifère” (Interview)”

https://sordidblade.bandcamp.com/releases Out now on Nameless Grave Records! Sordid Blade make a stunning debut with their first demo MMXXI: emotional, obscure, and tinged with magick, Sordid Blade focuses on evoking a personal atmosphere through arcane riffs and vocals rather than on more familiar onslaughts of borrowed NWOBHM-isms or speed metal heroism. The heart of Sordid BladeContinue reading “Sordid Blade – Demo MMXXI CS Out Now!”

Long gaps in band activity can mean anything. It could signify internal conflict, a lack of interest in songwriting, difficulty with the songwriting process, or a fine-minded attitude towards perfectionism. It’s impossible to tell from the outside, and perhaps the new Tension album Decay, coming out some five years after their self-titled debut EP, would have been justContinue reading “Tension Unleashes Hell-Bent, Hard-Rocking “Black Knights” (Early Track Stream + Interview)”

Strange soundscapes and stranger riffs are the order of the day with new Canadian maniac sci-fi metallers Kontact, whose debut EP drops tomorrow on Temple of Mystery Records. Featuring veteran metal warriors from bands like Traveler and Blackrat, First Contact (missed opportunity to double up on the “K”s!) is a journey through the unknown; there is nothing predictableContinue reading “Make “First Contact” with Kontact’s Exceptionally Alien Heavy Metal (Interview + Early EP Stream)”

Another year has passed, and another chance to reflect on 12 months of killer releases is here. There’s a bit more than last year to dig into as bands either gave up on waiting out the pandemic or started touring again, along with bands that just outright wrote albums while they were stuck at home.Continue reading “Brandon Corsair’s Top Albums of 2021”

https://veriluola.bandcamp.com/album/demo