Heavy Pod Is Heavy Cast!
This week we have a bunch of spicy ones. Noname announcing she’s no longer doing shows for reasons you’d better listen to the cast for, and a larger conversation about “intellectual rap” and its commodification. Then, Dragged Into Sunlight and their label troubles. New material from Spiritbox and Beneath the Massacre. Ihsahn’s upcoming EPs. Then, cool people time with The Irishman, Money Heist, Knives Out, and Swallow. Finally, Death Stranding discussion. Enjoy.
So, April has come and gone and now spring is here in earnest. While there was definitely a slow down in the SHEER VOLUME of releases from April, there definitely wasn’t a decline in quality. May brought us some of our favorite albums from 2016 so far and some which are certain to feature on high spots in our end of year lists. Speaking of which, next month we won’t be doing an Editors’ Picks or rather, we will but it will be a special, Worth Your Time in 2016 so far edition. In the meantime, let’s dig in to this month’s selection, featuring some heavy, some sad and, mainly, a whole lot of excellent.
What’s it about Canada that causes them to have excellent tech death bands? First Fragment is yet another one in the string of such bands, and they definitely live up to the stereotype. Their debut album Dasein, five years in the making, was anticipated quite a bit by those who had listened to their excellent EP The Afterthought Ecstasy. Playing in the lines of greats like Gorod, Beyond Creation and Beneath the Massacre, the band’s debut album is an instant classic. Full of over the top melodic technical playing, Dasein is a joy to listen through and through.
Starter Kit analyzes the ins-and-outs of some of the more obscure and niche sub-genres within the metal spectrum and offers a small group of bands that best represent the sound. Read other Starter Kit entries here. There is a subgenre of tech death that takes the ideals of the genre…
I’m not going to spend too much time here introducing my list because really, the list itself is what you’re here for. I will say though that 2013 has been an amazing year for music, with many new band discoveries (7 of the artists on my list I hadn’t heard…
Europe has North America beat when it comes to metal fests. So far it’s undisputed, but we’re catching up. Regional “deathfests” are popping up across the States, and while Maryland Deathfest is the biggest event in extreme metal, others are beginning to make a name for themselves. Maryland Deathfest has…
Beneath the Massacre have quite the fanbase and legacy for being as elusive as they are. Extensive touring from the group is hard to come by, so when they announce a run of headlining dates, drop what you’re doing and make it out. Their latest trek sees the group share…
Some of you may be aware of who I am. AlucardXIX on youtube, amongst other websites. The guy who does all the Veil of Maya covers, the mind behind Encircle, and another writer on this here great ol’ blog. 2012 was both an interesting and disappointing year to me, musically. Some…
Gorod A Perfect Absolution 01. Birds Of Sulphur 02. Sailing Into The Earth 03. Elements And Spirit 04. The Axe Of God 05. 5000 At The Funeral 06. Carved In The Wind 07. Varangian Paradise 08. Tribute of Blood [05/08/12] [Unique Leader Records] 2012 has been an obscenely great year…
Spawn of Possession Incurso 01. Abodement 02. Where Angels Go Demons Follow 03. Bodiless Sleeper 04. The Evangelist 05. Servitude of Souls 06. Deus Avertat 07. Spiritual Deception 08. No Light Spared 09. Apparition [03/13/12] [Relapse Records] Even though it is such a niche genre, technical death metal has many…
