Armchair rhetoric on extreme metal
Taking a longue durรฉe of its history, I argue that metal has always been at war with its own nostalgia, its canon formed at rare and exceptional moments of flux. I also ask whether we are moving into an uncanny period of harmony. Is the genre now at peace with its own stylistic norms? Has... Continue Reading →
Aedes: Odius ImprecationOut 31st January on Blood Harvest (originally released in 2023) Essentially a modern love letter to early Morbid Angel via the more chromatic tangents of the mid-90s exercised by Trey and the gang alongside Immolation. Whether intentional or not, there is a rawness to the delivery, a sense in which the music is... Continue Reading →
Tribulated BellsOut 24th January on Hammerheat Records (originally released in 1992) Coinciding neatly with our recent discussion on Chilean metal comes this reissue from Hammerheat Records of Sadismโs โTribulated Bellsโ, an early intervention in Chilean extreme metal. Notable alongside the likes of Torturer for being one of a handful of bands to make inroads into... Continue Reading →
As someone who doesnโt shy away from the occasional negative writeup, Iโm accustomed to seeing disgruntled messages in my inbox demanding I take down a review or adjust a % rating on Metal Archives. Recently, this escalated to a threat of legal action in response to one of my reviews from an individual who will... Continue Reading →
Weโve spent the last two weeks listening to nothing but Chilean extreme metal in an effort to understand its gestalt. Here we present our findings, along with some random thoughts on what it says about the state of extreme metal from the genreโs traditional heartlands in Europe and North America. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBxjSRt4uhg&t=110s Music featured at the... Continue Reading →
Vspolokh: ะัััะฒะพะทะตะผัOut 25th December on Purity Through Fire Coats the stoic austerity of Slavic black metal with a dusting of populist melodic metal sugar, resulting in an exhilarating and rewarding experience on a visceral level, but one that nevertheless leaves one feeling cheated. Architecturally, there is a clear articulation of identity, intent, and purpose. A... Continue Reading →
The unlikely story of dungeon synth By Jordan Whiteman Iโm a longtime fan of black metal. In that capacity I was familiar with the music we now call dungeon synth long before its so called revival in the 2010s. Iโve maintained a mild curiosity about it ever since. Given all that, I would have thought... Continue Reading →
Words by Belisario of El Negro Metal Some months ago, as I received the visit of some family friends who were walking the Way of Saint James, I found myself in the situation of having to attend a mass at my adopted hometown's cathedral, something which, by quirks of fate, I had still never done... Continue Reading →
Megalit al PutrefacศieiOut 20th January on Memento Mori Not far into this competent but generic rendition of slow, primal, backward looking death metal, I was struck by a particular guitar lead that sounded awfully familiar. I immediately looked Putred up and found that they were from Romania. Another Romanian outfit (just) made my top picks... Continue Reading →
It's episode one! Shelley, Jospeh, and Tyler are joined by Belisario of El Negro metal for a good chinwag on Swedish death metal, keeping things casual to kick things off. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ieKm3SM3dxQ&list=PLZbgsAZ7MUZUzcha6e2zS2dufEj2pEsct
Hate Meditations 