Death thrash? Thrash death? Even my pedantry has its limits. If we’re talking in terms of pure extremity, then these artists exist at the borders of thrash, at least philosophically if not in actual output. There’s no quirky dissonance, the drums are sticking with straightforward bursts of energy that rely on their relentlessness over anything... Continue Reading →

Mongrel’s Cross: Arcana, Scrying and Revelation (2020) Brisbane’s Mongrel’s Cross return for a third LP in the form of ‘Arcana, Scrying and Revelation’, and – following the unceremonious dissolution of Absu – Proscriptor McGovern has joined the party for want of employment, offering his unmistakable vocal talents to the fray. And what – I hear... Continue Reading →

For all the lofty words we’ve dedicated to Burzum over the years, it’s easy to forget that the legacy of my boy Varg is far patchier than the actual music he gifted us. Usually the echoes of canonized artists of yore can be felt across a plethora of quality artists to follow; Black Sabbath, Slayer,... Continue Reading →

Tempestarii: Chaos at Feast (2020) Black metal as sentimentality; it’s probably one of the pivotal shifts in philosophy from the ‘old’ to the ‘new’ school that has determined the creative decisions of each ethos. But of the old school, the techniques and traditions that set it apart from other forms of metal always did lend... Continue Reading →

Among counter cultures, metal has always been something of an enigma. Staunchly isolationist. Relentlessly oblivious (and sometimes outright hostile) to the ebbs and flows of the outside world. Yet conversely replete with complex codes of conduct, contested lore, and hidden shibboleths. For these reasons and more, its relationship to wider cultural and historical trends is... Continue Reading →

The initial motiviation for taking a look at back at 2010 recently was part personal retropsect, part aversion to the relentless best-of lists we are pounded with at the end of the year. The sense of finality they encourage not only limits our horizons, but discourages deeper dives into recent history. Tens years is not... Continue Reading →

Early industrial didn’t so much point out the warping psychological effects of synthetic totalitarianism as it did aggressively revel in it. There is an unsettling bacchanalian fanaticism to some of these early works that speaks of minds truly unhinged. The contradictions at the heart of urban modernity: living and dying in suffocating proximity to others,... Continue Reading →

DomJord: Gravrost (2020) Every action has an equal and opposite reaction. The energy poured into pointless b-tier black metal outfits with a respectable degree of popularity seems to bounce back into low-key ambient side projects with measurable predictability. DomJord – the passion project of Mortuus, of Marduk fame – finds itself two albums deep as... Continue Reading →

The clunky conglomerate of ideologies collected together under the Norwegian scene was always something a pick and mix free-for-all. Compelling as it was, extracting a coherent narrative thread from the loose ends of interviews and retrospects is a fool’s errand. Later abandoned by most of the originators in favour of the dollar, it left Varg... Continue Reading →

We’ve all had that conversation. You’ll be sat in the pub chatting with a passing acquaintance. They’re a serious music fan, but have only a cursory knowledge of metal. Being the responsible spokesperson that you are, when they ask what the appeal of metal is, you jump at the chance. At some point however, they... Continue Reading →