Volume II With unprecedented instant access to music from every corner of the globe, traditional metrics of quality are becoming obsolete. Like the rotting wooden pillars of an abandoned pier, the sand that once held them in place is gradually eroding, swept away by overwhelming tides of content. Cast adrift in a vast ocean, the... Continue Reading →

In terms of analysing the listenability of different styles of metal,  I find it helps to think of a solar system. At the centre, making up the sun, would be universally recognisable giants such as Iron Maiden or Metallica. If you head out in one direction you may come across gas giants like Cannibal Corpse... Continue Reading →

Of all the subgenres of metal, stoner doom is the most direct descendant of Black Sabbath. Therefore it is both the oldest form of metal going, yet somehow the most modern. It's just catnip for psychedelia revivalists; exuding more subtle cool than its dorky cousins. Metalheads of all stripes will find at least limited value... Continue Reading →

For many, black metal was ruined long before the hipster got their pale hands on it. The corpse paint cabaret it had become by the mid-1990s eclipsed the musical accomplishments of more serious artists at the time. But I would argue that there is a sweet spot of melodrama and tongue in cheek theatrics that... Continue Reading →

For some black metallers ambient side projects were a mere hobby. A testing ground for ideas, a place to hone the art of crafting atmosphere through synths, or a place of simple joy away from the carnage of black metal’s politics. For other black metallers it became much more than that. What starts as a... Continue Reading →

Let’s raise a glass to the work horses of black metal. Maybe not epoch defining or game changing; just putting out solid work of quality for the sheer grim of it. And looking back to the mid-1990s there’s plenty of such artists to choose from. Vinterland’s sole full length LP ‘Welcome My Last Chapter’ (1996)... Continue Reading →

Physical media: records, cassettes, compact discs, mini-discs(?)….Let’s discuss the different methods of organising a collection. To do that I am forced to make the following outrageous and unfounded claim: for our present purposes, all physical media is created equal. Obviously it’s not true. But for now just pretend that CDs hold the same charms as... Continue Reading →

It’s not too much of a stretch to say that death metal at its finest is some of the most sophisticated contemporary music going. Certainly the most sophisticated rock/metal music. At some point in the mid-1990s it just grew beyond its rock routes. Death metal musicians began to take an increasing interest in classical music,... Continue Reading →

Black metal is a European affair. Yes, Norway may boast the biggest sales, the most intriguing backstory, and a dearth of talented artists, but the Greek scene is just as old, the Austrian scene just as vital, the French just as extreme, and the Polish scene just as questionably racist. Let’s take a look at... Continue Reading →