Well let’s face it, ‘New releases: first impressions’ wasn’t the most inspired title for this feature. As summer raps up it may be premature to start shortlisting for those ‘best of 2019’ features. But this is no normal year. We have the complete works of the 2010s to rifle through and assess. And more importantly,... Continue Reading →

The other week I drove past an elderly hippie. She was wandering down the middle of a busy round, carrying a bunch of flowers, wearing robes and a vacant gaze, completely oblivious to the passing cars. I thought to myself ‘yes…there’s one who has exited the arena of reality’. I found myself wondering where she... Continue Reading →

Both the albums we’ll be looking at this week have much to recommend them, both for quite difference reasons. One is an elegantly crafted, graceful take on traditional thrashy death metal. The other is a dirty, muddy variation on percussive DM of the north American variety. They have been selected not by virtue of being... Continue Reading →

Setting aside the line-up for the moment, Jaroměř's Brutal Assault Festival has much to recommend it. This was my third visit to this renowned Czech metal gathering, now in its 24th year. Situated in the 18th Century fortress of Josefov, the setting offers many hidden corners and caverns to hide away from the sun. The... Continue Reading →

I usually base the title of these features on a common thread that links the two releases together; era, style, philosophy and the like. If no such thread is forthcoming, or so contrived to be meaningless, I will simply refer to how they make me feel. And in the case of both these releases, that... Continue Reading →

‘It’s not metal, but it’s really harsh and abrasive so you should like it right?’ *Pushes glasses up nose* Well actually no, that’s only half the story. Sure, we wouldn’t have the ridiculously noisey extreme metal subgenres without kids engaging in an arms race of speed and volume. But once the thrill wares off, and... Continue Reading →

Ultra Silvam: The Spearwound Salvation Sweden’s Ultra Silvam released their debut LP ‘The Spearwound Salvation' this year. Right out of the gate it makes itself known as an exercise in triumphalism, via the use of black metal stylistic leanings. In the first instant of hitting play I was immediately reminded of Darkthrone’s ‘Under a Funeral... Continue Reading →

In underground music, extended periods of time can pass without note. In those brief windows when output coalesces around music of worth, our standards and understanding of quality changes. The benchmark is raised. As with many things, these facts are exaggerated within extreme underground music. Poking fun at extreme metal was a straw man in... Continue Reading →

The good people at La Caverna records continue their quest to unearth the best in modern underground metal and long forgotten gems of the old school from every corner of the globe. Sadistic Drive: Street Cannibal Gluttony Finland. As close as we’ll ever come to metal’s promised land. Boasting the highest number of metal bands... Continue Reading →

In the current renaissance of extreme metal, it must be hard for older artists to find their voice. Having witnessed so many changes in the world and in the metal scene, staying relevant is a constant challenge. As technology develops exponentially, with cultures and societies barely keeping up with the newest innovations, the scale of... Continue Reading →