This might seem an odd pairing at first glance, but it could be pretty instructive when looking at the cross pollination of punk and metal throughout the 1980s. The Misfits’ lurch into hardcore punk from their patented doo-wop emulation would prove to be a formative moment for many extreme metal artists to come. Equally, Cro-Mags... Continue Reading →

A while ago I found myself watching this interview, in which Proscriptor McGovern describes some of the lyrical themes on Absu's self-titled album released back 2009: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bukOwH07_h4 Proscriptor is clearly passionate about the material, and this shows in the music of Absu. But this interview serves to illustrate out point pretty well. In it, he... Continue Reading →

Shed the Skin: The Forbidden Arts (2020) Shed the Skin blend an interesting mix of influences on their latest LP ‘The Forbidden Arts’, combining the ominous plodding tempos of Demigod with straightforward thrash and Swedish influences, and even some melodic doom metal along the way. But rather than flouting the scope of their mastery of... Continue Reading →

How do you redeem a legacy like Cradle of Filth’s? Do you concede that their approach to black metal was misguided from the start? Taking it as an agreed fact that post ‘Midian’ CoF was not just awful but pretty scarring for extreme metal, with UKBM’s standing at the centre of this whirlwind, what lessons... Continue Reading →

Sombre Heritage: Alpha Ursae Minoris (2020) Sombre Heritage’s debut LP ‘Alpha Usae Minoris’ ain’t fucking around. It’s a refreshing punch of diverse, energetic black metal that packs a lot into its relatively short runtime. The mix is not unlike post ‘Blizzard Beasts’ Immortal; thick strong drums, a meaty guitar tone, plenty of echo on the... Continue Reading →

Foetal Juice: Gluttony (2020) Mancunians Foetal Juice once again buck the trend on their second LP ‘Gluttony’; demonstrating how death metal built on good old-fashioned horror and gore themes doesn’t need to sacrifice any class in the process. By modern death metal standards, this is about as on-the-nose as they come, essentially working together all... Continue Reading →

The explosion of music that came out of heavy metal in the late 1970s and early 80s - centred around (but not exclusive to) the UK - became something of an outcast genre amongst modern metal fans. Despite defining the sound most civilians would conjure up in their minds when the word ‘metal’ is mentioned (outside of... Continue Reading →

Deathmace: Coffin’ Maggots (26th June 2020) Yorkshire death metallers Deathmace have a new single out come the end of June. Following on from their album ‘Bleeding Frenzy’ in 2018, ‘Coffin’ Maggots’ walks a similar path in that it transcends old school emulation, and reaches the heady realms of surpassing many of their forebears. Deathmace are... Continue Reading →

AthanaTheos: Prophetic Era (or how Yahveh Became the One) (out 29th June 2020) French death metallers AthanaTheos’ second LP ‘Prophetic Era (or how Yahveh Became the One)’ pertains to be a heady concept album exploring the rise and rise of the Judeo-Christian deity known as Yahweh, God's true name; which Christians don’t typically say out... Continue Reading →

There are many crimes we enjoy levelling at Opeth; dumbing down and blandifying one of the most exhilarating and life affirming forms of underground music, incomprehensible track structures, bargain basement prog rock, the list goes on. But they were really just a symptom of a wider trend in extreme metal by the early 2000s. And... Continue Reading →