The Blaze of AbbadonOut 4th June on Ordovician Records This album is archetypical of death metal musicians composing black metal, with all the pros and cons that come with this process. As a rule of thumb, death metal is the more composed form of extreme metal. It relies on dense, ordered, intricate, and at times... Continue Reading →

Funeral Storm: Chthonic InvocationsOut 10th May on Hells Headbangers In pulling together the more populist facets of early Rotting Christ and Varathron – aided not least by the presence of Stefan Necroabyssious himself on vocals – Funeral storm manage to conjure up an echo of the arcane mysticism that made this style so special at... Continue Reading →

In this episode we interview Callum from the Scottish death/black/thrash outfit Tyrannus. We discuss how he got started in metal, their debut album 'Unslayable', his influences, the British death metal scene, how social media is changing the nature of being in a band and metal fandom, nostalgia, and everything in between. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PcyvYXs5qCg

UnicursalOut 17th May on Profound Lore Records Typifying the complex legacy of extreme metal’s founding canon, Mike Browning’s presence can be felt in the very primordial soup of the genre for his early contributions to Morbid Angel, but better known as the imagination of Nocturnus, and by extension, the pivot to sci-fi futurism within death... Continue Reading →

Live improvisation, Crypt of St John on the WallOut 7th June, self-released The name Dead Space Chamber Music is a concise summation of the intent and meaning behind this band. Whilst the term "dead space" immediately invokes a feeling of remoteness, it could just as easily refer to areas and structures just off the beaten... Continue Reading →

The good ship Pestilence has once again been making the rounds on the local ragebait circuit. Older acts that seemingly exist solely to spite their legacy (usually at the behest of one remaining member living on reputational fumes) are hardly unique in metal, but Pestilence attract a uniquely visceral ire from long time fans. What... Continue Reading →

Rotting Christ: Pro XristouOut 24th May on Season of Mist Mapping the career of artists that have been consistently active for as long as Rotting Christ presents us with an interesting demonstration of how historical progress ground to halt by the mid-2000s. Their career dates back to the very beginnings of black metal as it... Continue Reading →

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTqPGTfkRT4 Essay version: For a hyper engaged fanbase like metal, the age of smart technology presents a problem. It has turned listening to metal into a chore. The attitude we now take to our hobby is so often expressed through the language of exhaustion, of work. “I need to catch up on new releases”, “there’s... Continue Reading →

The lads chat Emperor https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9RTrqlO4L4

Moral PutrefactionOut 24th May, self-released Albums like this only add fuel to my hypothesis that it takes a non-Western perspective to salvage the legacy of extreme metal forged in Europe and North America. This Indian outfit are nominally of the old school camp, but such is the identity and life bubbling through the many contours... Continue Reading →