Seeds of Iblis: Morbid Muhammad (2020) ‘Morbid Muhammad’ is the second release from the mysterious Iraqi project known as Seeds of Iblis. If I may drift from my brief for a moment, aside from listening to this album a number of times I know this band only by reputation. Controversies around the subject matter are understandable,... Continue Reading →

Small business founded by well-meaning folk with a relatable desire to make some money? Or insipid, vacuous cynicism? It's time we talked about the ‘Metealhead Box’ and what it means for culture. More specifically, the tiny pocket of Youtubers that make Unboxing Videos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYRjRM7YFi4 If you're desperate enough to browse through some of these unboxing videos,... Continue Reading →

Whenever I tee-up a pair of post 2000 black metal releases for this feature, I often end up casting classics of the past as mythical tomes of wisdom, and the rare gems of the more recent past as proud bastions against an endless tide of mediocrity, the last outposts of hope. What is the cause... Continue Reading →

Draghkar: At the Crossroads of Infinity (2020) ‘At the Crossroads of Infinity’ – the debut album from Californian death metallers Draghkar – feels like an echo from an alternative dimension, one where death metal took a very different route after the early 1990s. It’s not unprecedented and it has many antecedents, including early Hellenic works... Continue Reading →

The signature Swedish style was defined by combining d-beat punk with NWOBHM melodic sensibilities, and from this solid foundation building grand sweeping pieces of epic metal. Once rendered through the iconic buzzsaw guitar tone, it was a distinctive and instantly recognisable musical statement that became one of the pillars of extreme metal. But as demonstrated... Continue Reading →

Goatcraft/Plutonian Shore: Split (2020) Bringing together new tracks from neoclassical trailblazers Goatcraft and the last recorded material from Texan black metallers Plutonian Shore, this split EP from Hessian Firm offers plenty of food for thought. Over the years Goatcraft have forged new creative spaces between extreme metal’s relationship with dark ambient and neoclassical music that... Continue Reading →

There may have been much analysis of punk's evolution into thrash via hardcore, and how it resulted in the golden age of extreme metal; but it’s easy to forget the other side of punk’s impact on heavy metal as it was in the late 1970s. Away from whatever contrived antagonisms there were between the two subcultures, many... Continue Reading →

Ancient Gate: Empire Beyond Dusk (2020) In marrying the sparse minimalism of early symphonic black metal with a Greek sense of melody, Argentina’s Ancient Gate have crafted a sorrowful yet hopeful epic in the form of their latest release: ‘Empire Beyond Dusk’. The mix is fairly standard for the mid-90s black metal that this album... Continue Reading →

In the public realm, it’s commonly accepted that conventions of polite discourse have had their day. Simply put, they are patently not up to the challenge of stemming the tide of misinformation and paranoia now sweeping the west. The liberal orthodoxy, with its unshakeable belief in the power of open debate and rational discourse winning... Continue Reading →

Crucifixion: Desert of Shattered Hopes / A Cold Sea of Horror (2020) Another gem from the vault is unleashed upon the world by La Caverna records. This time with some vintage death metal from the short lived but unique American outfit known as Crucifixion, and their debut album ‘Desert of Shattered Hopes’ released back in... Continue Reading →