From the first notes of eponymous opening track “Devil is Fine” — harmonized call and response vocals punctuated by the clink of chains — you know that Zeal & Ardor is a different kind of metal. The brainchild of Swiss-American musician Manuel Gagneux, this project melds Delta blues and black metal in a way that Robert… Continue reading An Interview with Manuel Gagneux, the Artist Behind Zeal & Ardor
Tag: black metal
Baldwin’s Choice: Deathspell Omega
Heavy metal has been known for its extremity and controversy for a number of years, almost as long as it’s been a genre. Ever since Black Sabbath’s debut album in 1969, it’s challenged society’s acceptance and moralistic tolerance. Yet as years go on and once taboo facets of underground lifestyles become conventional, shocking the system… Continue reading Baldwin’s Choice: Deathspell Omega
Bair Grills… The Sleeping Gods — Thorn by Enslaved
I’ve been listening to heavy metal music since childhood. That might seem like an exaggeration, but without a doubt I was headbanging to the generic thrash riff while the Ultimate Warrior stormed a WWF ring, when the sum of my years still amounted to single digits. In all of the time since, I’ve heard and… Continue reading Bair Grills… The Sleeping Gods — Thorn by Enslaved
I of the Storm: A Review of Fuath’s I
It’s officially black metal season. We have just experienced our coldest weekend of the winter here in Connecticut, so I’m bringing in the Arctic blast with music that best compliments its extremes. I is the debut album from Scottish musician Andy Marshall’s new musical project, Fuath. Unlike any of his previous ventures, this project doesn’t… Continue reading I of the Storm: A Review of Fuath’s I
Vinyl Rules, Tapes Drool: An Interview with Prostitution
Brooklyn black metallers Prostitution will be making the trek to Wallingford, CT’s Cherry Street Station on January 15th to share the stage with Xenosis and Jimmy Junk Bird and the Stiffs. Guitarist Russ Cowen, bassist Jesse Adelson, and drummer Jason Spence talked with Alternative Control earlier this month about the band’s new material, the benefits… Continue reading Vinyl Rules, Tapes Drool: An Interview with Prostitution
Perfect Timing: A Review of Enslaved’s In Times
Few metal bands have aged as well as Enslaved has. Most groups run out of ideas eventually, or at the very least slow down their output. And after a couple of clunkers from a couple of my favorite metal bands, I was becoming worried that Enslaved was going to come out with a snoozer. How… Continue reading Perfect Timing: A Review of Enslaved’s In Times
Trilogy of Pain – A Review of Leviathan’s Scar Sighted
Black metal is the metal genre I’d have to pick as my favorite. Despite the strict parameters it’s based on, recent bands have taken the sound into strange and artistic territory. It’s no longer always about Satan, Tolkien and teenage rebellion. And production values have greatly improved since the early 90s. But when a modern… Continue reading Trilogy of Pain – A Review of Leviathan’s Scar Sighted