Anyone who followed metalcore in the mid-to-late-2000s and early 2010s (e.g. me) remembers the movement of bands who declared in unison “we’ve heard some extreme metal and want to be like Converge and Entombed.” Whether their persuasion lied with the black metal, sludge or elsewhere, the key for bands who succeeded (Gaza, Trap Them, etc.) and struggled (take your pick) was pacing and restraint. Too often bands of the “-core” realm are content throttling their…
There’s a lot happening in the music world, and we here at Heavy Blog try our very best to keep up with it! Like the vast majority of heavy music fans, our tastes are incredibly vast, with our 3X3s in each Playlist Update typically covering numerous genres and sometimes a…
KHôRADA has a strange property for a group made up of two of the most beloved metal bands of yesteryear: any thought related to them that strikes me is pretty much entirely independent of their pedigree, which is fairly impressive when you consider the members of KHôRADA. Formed in the aftermath of Giant…
Secret Cutter is one of those bands that I try to tell everyone to listen to, every time their self-titled debut comes on shuffle. I remember fondly the day I hit play on that, expecting d-beats and screeching but getting much, much more. The Bethlehem, PA natives were one of…
Welcome to Death’s Door. Wipe your feet on the mat, because I can’t even with this month. So busy. So damn tired. It feels like an eternity I’ve spent trying to focus up on my musings for this past month’s death metal offerings. So no flowery introduction this month. Just unadorned death metal awesomeness. As you will see below, May was a very good month for the ol’ slash and burn. Death metal bands of all shapes and sizes made quality appearances, generating a diverse smorgasbord of delights for all to enjoy. So kick back in a bone chair and…
Alright folks, hold on to your seats because this one is going to get wild. Allow me to introduce you to Alters, an extremely interesting band from Poland. Nominally, their thing is a blend of progressive rock and post rock. The progressive parts take a very distinct influence from one Steven Wilson, with the opening tracks to their most recent album, Dawn, sounding a lot like Porcupine Tree. “Hypnagogia” and, even more so, the self-titled track which open the album have all the unique identifiers you’d associate with this style of progressive rock. The drums are loud, the vocalist seems aloof and depressed, the guitars are influenced by classic progressive rock but with an exceedingly modern sound. So far, so good; things are pleasant and well made, if not totally original or mind-blowing.
The third track, “Klechdawa”, starts in the same manner. Indeed, it goes on in that manner until its mid-point. But then, there’s a break and everything changes.
Other than maybe Full of Hell, hardly any other band in heavy music churns out as many solo and collab albums…
As we keep saying, experiences and context play a huge role in our appreciation of music. That’s what makes pretense to complete objectivity when talking about music so silly. There is certainly a degree of professionalism and detachment which is possible and necessary, but musical enjoyment is inherently a subjective experience. One of the best reminders of that, for me, was how I stumbled upon Black Mountain’s Wilderness Heart. It was about five years ago. I was working night shifts back then, sitting in front of a computer and chatting with people into the small hours of the night. The office was…
As someone who likes to keep an eye on all things Australian and thrash metal, I’d been looking out for…
This week we have little new news, so we talk about the year so far. The few news items we have are the new Mask of Judas album, the new First Fragment Drummer, and upcoming Black Fast material. Then we talk about a bunch of albums from this year, and play “Will you forget this in 6 month or 6 years”? Finally, cool people time with Vampyr, Brooklyn Nine Nine, and Philip K. Dick’s Electric Dreams. Enjoy!
I’m not exactly unveiling a deep or hidden truth when I say that the occult has been one of – if not the – most prevailing lyrical themes of metal music since its inception. In fact, I’m pretty sure being a metal band and not having at least one song about Satanism is illegal in Scandinavian countries. The thought of some great Biblical evil, something lurking beyond our perception to which we owe fealty should we wish to channel its grimness into the world, clearly fits into the dark and aggressive schema of metal. Its inversion, uh, not so much. Outside of…
For those who missed our last installment, We post bi-weekly updates covering what the staff at Heavy Blog have been…
Each month, we always seem to come to the same conclusion when it comes to our Editors’ Picks column: Friday release days open…
There is a seemingly deep irony in Dance Gavin Dance naming their ninth album Artificial Selection. Their sound has evolved so naturally over their career; how can it be anything other than the invisible hand of fate guiding them with great care and dexterity? While it can be easy to believe they were blessed with an insight that reaches far beyond mere mortals, it does not give them the credit they deserve. In reality, their evolution is due to the elements and collaborators they include being selected by hands that deftly understand what Dance Gavin Dance is at its core.…
