While I enjoy almost all genres of music (hardcore dance, trance and techno are just beyond my understanding and therefore ability to enjoy), hard rock and heavy metal and the various genres that they spawn are beyond a shadow of a doubt my true and life long love. I’m on a constant quest to find not only newer artists operating under the broad hard rock and metal umbrella, but also established artists that weren’t/aren’t wildly popular that I might have […]
Posts tagged "metal"
Spin Cycle: Skeletonwitch’s “Forever Abomination”
Back in 2007, I was first introduced to Skeletonwitch via their Prosthetic Records’ debut (and second album overall) “Beyond The Permafrost”. I liked the record upon first listen and found myself going back to it a respectable amount of times, but certainly not at a level that would qualify as addictive. That’s not a dig on that album at all, I simply only have so many hours in the day and an oversized and ever growing music collection that prevents me from […]
The Singles Bar: “All Shall Float” by Junius
Boston’s own Junius are back with their first single from their upcoming record Reports From the Threshold of Death (to be released on October 25th via Prosthetic Records)! After 2009’s Martyrdom of a Catastrophist, a dense concept record based on the life of Russian-born fringe scientist Immanuel Velikovsky, there were large shoes to be filled. From the sounds of the recently released track “All Shall Float” (listen here) there won’t be any issue accomplishing the feat. “All Shall Float” picks […]
Nick’s Mini Metal Reviews 3: Yob’s “Atma”
Yob “Atma” Yob is a critical darling in the metal press. I got sucked in by the hype and picked up their 2004 release “The Illusion Of Motion”. If memory serves, then I listened to it once or twice and subsequently filed it away and never listened again. That’s not a statement about the quality of the album, it just didn’t grab me at the time. Earlier this year, I had the opportunity to see Yob perform live at SXSW […]
Nick’s Mini Metal Reviews Vol. 1: Diamond Plate & Revocation
Diamond Plate Generation Why? When the scene first started to develop, I was completely against the new wave of thrash movement. To me the bands were just blatantly ripping off the acts who gave birth to the thrash movement in the ’80s. I mean, if you want to listen to thrash, just listen to the originals right? But then, I quit being such a curmudgeon, loosened up, begin to explore the burgeoning movement and found that I actually quite enjoyed […]
Metal Monday Volume 32 (8.22.11)
Who would’ve thought combining CKY with death metal would be such a great idea? It’s another one of those times where, on paper (I’m looking at you, The Damned Things!), this should not work. But pop it into the player, press play, and you’ll find out that surprisingly it does. Really well, actually. What you get is World Under Blood whose debut, Tactical, effortlessly mixes death metal with CKY frontman Deron Miller’s very melodic layered vox which fits in well […]
Mastodon Play the Singles Game!
Did Mastodon actually make a single that sounds like a single? I think they did! “Curl of the Burl” is still a big ball of unrelenting riffs and guitar solos wrapped into a neat under 4-minute package but wait ’til those vocals come in. Are they singing throughout? I think they are. And it’s very melodic! Who knew? And is that a huge pre-chorus filled with “Ohhhh’s”? It’s a little scary when you think of it as a Mastodon song […]
Spin Cycle: Battlecross’s “Pursuit of Honor”
In recent years, young bands have been emerging in the metal world that not only worship at the altar of classic thrash albums by Slayer, Megadeth, Exodus, Testament, Pantera and the like, but also at the altar of classic death metal albums by Morbid Angel, Deicide, Obituary, Cannibal Corpse and the like. While thrash and death metal are certainly distinct and unique genres within in the metal umbrella, a melding of the two is actually fairly logical considering death metal’s […]
Deconstructing the Ghost (Devin Townsend reigns supreme!)
This is been such a daunting piece to write. Not because I don’t like the music I’m about to write about but because of the sheer amount of music I’m about to write about. Devin Townsend started releasing this 4-album project back in 2009 when Ki and Addicted were released within 6 months of each other. He took some time off to tour and fine tune the last two, Deconstruction and Ghost, but instead of separating the releases, Townsend released […]
Metal Monday Volume 11.5 (4.1.11)
The year was 1986. The most bad ass band on the planet had released Mosaic which featured the massively hugetastic single “Everybody Have Fun Tonight”. That band was Wang Chung and the story doesn’t end with “Everybody…” Wang Chung ‘s story began years before when they were known simply as Huang Chung and unleashed their self-titled debut in March of 1982. A little bit New Wave, a little bit electro, and a whole lotta rawk, Huang Chung flew under the radar like John Matrix’s […]
Metal Monday Volume 4 (2.7.11)
There are 2 albums that greatly defined age 16 for me and my first experiences with not one, but two deaths in the family. They are Type O Negative’s Bloody Kisses and Life of Agony’s River Runs Red. I guess if you have to deal with sudden tragedy then there’s no better soundtrack than from those two Brooklyn bands. Coincidentally enough, both albums feature the talents of drummer Sal Abruscato who is back with A Pale Horse Named Death. Combining […]
Metal Monday Volume 2 (1.24.11)
In honor of me not getting my ass out of a funk and heading over to Great Scott on Saturday night for their record release show, I present to you Motherboar’s The Beast Becomes The Servant review. Winner of the 2010 Boston Music Award for Best Metal/Hardcore band and currently signed to local Born of Fire label, Boston’s Motherboar have come here to chew bubblegum and kick ass…and they’re all out of bubblegum. The Beast… is definitely the one you need to check out […]
