Category Archives: Uncategorized

Century Usher in a New Era with “The Conquest of Time” (Early Album Stream + Interview)

Swedish classic metal maniacs Century may only have their debut album coming out at the end of the week, but they’ve built up a shocking amount of hype in a short time. This hype culminated in an electric performance at Houston’s own Hell’s Heroes festival earlier this month to a packed room on a bigger stage thanContinue reading “Century Usher in a New Era with “The Conquest of Time” (Early Album Stream + Interview)”

“From Western Shores,” Gatekeeper’s Epic Metal Sails On Mighty Wings (Interview)

Improvement, evolution, and epic heavy metal are some of my favorite things–what could make for a more perfect combination? Over the years I have never pretended to be a particularly big fan of the older material from Vancouver’s Gatekeeper, nor have I been silent about my admiration as they’ve refined their sound and gotten better andContinue reading ““From Western Shores,” Gatekeeper’s Epic Metal Sails On Mighty Wings (Interview)”

“In Darkness at Last,” Ares Kingdom’s Death Metal Continues a Violent Tradition (Interview)

The vast majority of the original extreme metal musicians from the 1980s have long since abandoned both the underground and extreme metal altogether. It’s legendary at this point how the musicians from cult bands like Cartilage (Fin), Dominus (DE), and Repugnant (Swe) have gone on to play with bands like Nightwish, Volbeat, and Ghost. MostContinue reading ““In Darkness at Last,” Ares Kingdom’s Death Metal Continues a Violent Tradition (Interview)”

Drawn and Quartered – To Kill is Human out now on vinyl for the first time!

Many years ago, when death metal was king of the United States and brutal death metal was a twinkle in Suffocation’s eye, Drawn and Quartered formed in Seattle with the intention of devastating their neighbors and fans across the world. Years of hard work with drummer Matt Cason (who would leave soon thereafter) resulted inContinue reading “Drawn and Quartered – To Kill is Human out now on vinyl for the first time!”

Praise the “Sweet Evil Sun”: Original Vocalist Johan Längquist Keeps Candlemass Thoroughly Doomed (Interview)

Everyone that’s into doom metal understands that Candlemass is about as important and influential as a doom metal band (outside of Black Sabbath themselves) has ever been. The genre’s name itself arguably comes from their first album Epicus Doomicus Metallicus and quite a bit of the reason that people love that album so much is the incredible session vocalContinue reading “Praise the “Sweet Evil Sun”: Original Vocalist Johan Längquist Keeps Candlemass Thoroughly Doomed (Interview)”

Megaton Sword Strikes with Undeniable “Might” (Early Track Stream + Interview)

Megaton Sword is perhaps the most exciting thing to happen to Swiss metal in my books since Celtic Frost and Coroner. This is not necessarily because there has not been other great metal in the years since those bands dominated the world, or even because Megaton Sword is all that, but because I am justContinue reading “Megaton Sword Strikes with Undeniable “Might” (Early Track Stream + Interview)”

Eliminator’s Gleaming Metal Shines with an “Ancient Light” (Interview)

As much as I admire a band that’s amazing from day one, I have a special place in my heart for bands that grow and improve over time. Lancaster’s Eliminator certainly has never been bad–I got into them before they had an album, and have been following their career with interest since- but to my ears atContinue reading “Eliminator’s Gleaming Metal Shines with an “Ancient Light” (Interview)”

Ironflame’s Bold Traditional Metal Ventures “Where Madness Dares” (Interview)

Rare is the band that can, like clockwork, drop a killer catchy heavy metal album every year or two without any dropoff in quality; there’s a reason that fans dread a “sophomore slump” after killer debut albums, and most bands just can’t keep up any level of quality over time. Ironflame has proved to be a strongContinue reading “Ironflame’s Bold Traditional Metal Ventures “Where Madness Dares” (Interview)”