Armchair rhetoric on extreme metal
I miss stuff. Stuff used to be everywhere. I watched The Lost Boys recently. It occurred to me that stuff clutters every shot of 80s films, trinkets, knickknacks, gumph, it clogs up the screen to the point of distraction when compared to the barren surfaces of modern television. All my life I’ve been told that... Continue Reading →
Defiled: Altered StateOut 12th June on Season of Mist The latest effort from this long standing Japanese entity offers flashes of brilliance between long stretches of uninspired number crunching. Similar to Krisiun in the sense that they champion shortform death metal. But where Krisiun – love or hate them – make known their urge to... Continue Reading →
A hundred death metal albums not from the USA This is essentially a housekeeping exercise I decided to inflict on other eyeballs. A broad sweep through death metal’s classical era in a hundred albums, from 1985 to 2000. If anything, the choice to exclude the US from this list is a sign of respect. It... Continue Reading →
The Temples of Offal/Return of the AncientsOut 10th June on ATMF (originally released in 1991) One often forgets that - along with the likes of Massacre and Napalm Death- Absu were another Trigger’s broom band. (That’s bands whose latest incarnation features none of their original members for any none UK readers). But with this latest... Continue Reading →
Waan van de leegteOut 6th June on Terratur Possessions Similar to the recent Selenite Scrolls in its ability to insert itself into a very crowded style and still find room for a USP. This debut slots in somewhere between early Enslaved and Ulver with a less explicitly folkist orientation. The album washes over the listener... Continue Reading →
W.M.D.: Against all WarningsOut 5th June, self-released Tempers the legacy of Vektor into a tighter, more focused entity of progressive thrash. An earthy punk immediacy and even some hints at party metal a-la Municipal Waste are offset by bracing technical flourishes, arriving at something like Watchtower kept in check by a foot stomping simplicity. Although... Continue Reading →
Shelley and Joseph walk through four picks apiece from Q1 and Q2 2026, followed by a discussion on a couple of the bigger releases of the year thus far, Darkthrone, Immolation, fanatics, and the limits of a viable career. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmQPrT4Yrlg
Channeling the EgregoreOut 15th May on Medieval Prophecy Records The debut album from this Belgium outfit marries the uncanny, atmospheric mysticism of Beherit and Demoncy with a more symphonic ambition. It borrows the subtle, haunting style of early Ancient or Gehenna, but presents it with a relaxed yet intentional pace. Atmospheric, understated, a little loose... Continue Reading →
Oh no, a cheap clickbait listacle! Fear not, however, I come with good intentions. Staying abreast of new material in 2026 feels like navigating a tiny dinghy through a great storm of biblical scale. All you can do is cling on and stay the course through the sensory overload. The annual AOTY roundup functioning more... Continue Reading →
Dire Garden of the AgesOut 29th May on Naturmacht Productions The second album from this Irish solo project could be framed as a transfer of styles from one zone to another. Whilst the debut behaved like an epic fable heavily rooted in Viking and Celtic metal stylings, the follow up offers a rather dramatic volte-face... Continue Reading →
Hate Meditations 