Listening Lately: Good Things to Come From Atavistia, QOHELETH, and Vestal Claret

Covering the underground of the underground isn’t as glorious as it looks… But I love to do it because even if I deleted the promo of “the new Blood Incantation it’s so sick have you heard it,” I do come across gems that won’t be unknown for long, or works that show pockets of dedication… Continue reading Listening Lately: Good Things to Come From Atavistia, QOHELETH, and Vestal Claret

EP Review: Mourn the Light / Oxblood Forge Split

By Nikita Alekseyevich Khrenov In this day of extreme brutality and blistering technicality in metal it’s refreshing to see so many more bands take influence from the current crop of artists and infuse that with the classic styles that kickstarted the genre over 40 years ago. As they hit the road for their 2019 tour, Mourn… Continue reading EP Review: Mourn the Light / Oxblood Forge Split

Album Review: HORROR by EXHUMED

Many bands go through stylistic changes during their career.  Some are radical changes, such as Celtic Frost [Morbid Tales vs. Cold Lake] or Corrosion of Conformity [early crossover thrash to later Southern rock-tinged boogie].  Many are slight adjustments, adding aspects of another genre or sound to give the material a new edge.  Veteran death grinders… Continue reading Album Review: HORROR by EXHUMED

Album Review: Moon and Azure Shadow’s Age of Darkness and Frost

Where did he find all those trees in Los Angeles??

By Nikita Alekseyevich Khrenov When one thinks of influences and nuances of black metal, the last thing they would imagine would be incorporating Japanese film scores into the genre — yet that is precisely what Los Angeles musician Sean Yoshioka sets out to do. Starting his project Moon and Azure Shadow in 2012 with a self-titled record, he… Continue reading Album Review: Moon and Azure Shadow’s Age of Darkness and Frost

Album Review: Carnifex, World War X

I’ll never forget the two metal elitists shouting “Hey Mitch Luker! Are you guys gonna do that BREE BREE song from that album about the cowboy’s job?” at Carnifex vocalist Scott Lewis during The Summer Slaughter Tour’s Philly date back in 2010. In his black tank top and covered in tattoos, Lewis shot them a… Continue reading Album Review: Carnifex, World War X

Album Review: Flower of the Cosmos by The Giraffes

The Giraffes. Photo by Ebru Yildiz.

I actually saw The Giraffes play here in Connecticut in the early 2000’s. They were on a package tour were with equally like minded bands that mixed punk and hard rock that played the Webster Theater. Nobody showed up. It wasn’t their fault, they were fantastic, but most decided to sit at home rather than… Continue reading Album Review: Flower of the Cosmos by The Giraffes

Listening Lately: The Eastern Connecticut Takeover

Throughout metal history, there have been places where the right people and the right influences came together to spark a movement.  Tampa Bay, Florida.  Gothenburg, Sweden.  And… Norwich, Connecticut? It might not be internationally recognized yet, but give the eastern Connecticut doom scene a decade and you’ll be reading about it on Wikipedia.  I first… Continue reading Listening Lately: The Eastern Connecticut Takeover