It’s an election year in the United States, arguably the most divisive election year in the country’s history, if not ever. I (and many others) predicted we’d see a glut of politically motivated punk rock after the results of the 2016 election in the States and true to form that’s…
A new year always brings with it a bevy of renewed personal/cultural expectations. I have historically tended to gravitate mentally toward the hopeful notion that a new trip around the sun brings with it some form of clean slate where possibilities are endless, causing my excitement for what life’s next…
Entering the early days of the decade with a record loud enough to wake up their hometown neighbours in Cult of Luna is Moloken – Umeå, Sweden’s angrier stepchild hiding in the garage playing with fire while the favourite entertains guests in the lounge. Operating in almost similar circles, Moloken’s…
Big fuzzy riffs with tons of bass and melodically shouted vocals. It’s a style that’s well established for very good reasons. It really connects with a lot of people who enjoy high energy fun with a little spacey vibe. On top of that, it’s great from the music creator’s standpoint,…
It’s fitting that my first review of 2020 should be for a spicy technical death metal rebirth. I’m of course referring here to the resurgence of death metal legends Odious Mortem, who return to we the needy many after an 11-year hiatus with their third full-length effort Synesthesia. Comebacks are…
Drama. It’s one of those things that, in the context of metal or extreme music, often feels clichéd like some sad self-parody, or just hackneyed and predictable. Things like the demonstrative highs and lows of symphonic or power metal and the cinematic tension of post-metal immediately come to mind, but…
There’s always one album in the beginning of the year which I wasn’t expecting and which ends up blowing me completely away. It’s so consistent that I’ve come to expect it by now and, lo and behold, 2020’s iteration has arrived with full fanfare. The Osedax might be a name…
Since this is my first review of the year, it’s a good time to mention one of my annual music resolutions. I try to evolve my listening habits with a new focus come Jan. 1, with this year’s theme being to cut down on my “Lazy List.” With all the…
The overuse of the facetious idiom “don’t judge a book by its cover” loses most of its power when discussing Rat King’s 2020 sophomore release, Vicious Inhumanity. A flash at the name, title, and colourful slime of the artwork and a first or second guess will probably get the correct…
Lotus Thief are the unequivocal masters of literary influenced metal mostly because they choose non-trivial texts to adapt. Instead of another Moby Dick influenced album, or a beleaguered work filled with Tolkien references, Lotus Thief turn to the classics. But even when they do, you won’t find the “obvious” classics;…
