Razor of Occam
Homage to Martyrs
Metal Blade (2009)
Blackened thrash metal has been getting a lot more popular recently with bands like Skeletonwitch and Toxic Holocaust getting more recognition as of late. Like most sub-genres, there are bands who are worthy contributors to the scene and then there are those who are simply followers and the United Kingdom's Razor of Occam, are without a doubt, more than worthy … Read more
Rivers Of Nihil
The Work
Metal Blade (2021)
The Work was one of the most anticipated metal records of the year. Let me start this review by curbing your enthusiasm and letting you know that this album is a bitter disappointment. It took me about sixteen listens (it was a fucking chore) to also find out that it’s ultimately not a legitimately bad album, but it isn’t legitimately … Read more
Satan's Wrath
Galloping Blasphemy
Metal Blade (2012)
As a disclaimer of sorts I tend to look at bands overplaying the "we're so evil, look at us" card as cheesy and heavy handed. Hence my lack of interest in this record originally between the name and the press release claiming the members need to spread the word of the evil master himself i couldn't help but look at … Read more
Shai Hulud
Misanthropy Pure
Metal Blade (2008)
It has been five years since Shai Hulud's last full-length offering, the underappreciated That Within Blood Ill-Tempered, The band has returned with Misanthropy Pure, their third full-length and first following the departure of vocalist Geert Van Der Velde, amongst other lineup changes. However, the five-year span wasn't a total wash. In 2005 there was the rarities collection A Comprehensive Retrospective … Read more
Shai Hulud
Reach Beyond The Sun
Metal Blade (2013)
Despite their age and influence, Shai Hulud have rarely been the focal point of underground music. Sure, they've toured internationally, had some notable members during their time and have been released by some well-regarded labels; they've also had a permanently fluctuating lineup, periods of inactivity and a troubled relationship with the genre their guitarist, Matt Fox, coined- metalcore. However, they've … Read more
Since the Flood
No Compromise
Metal Blade (2007)
New Hampshire natives Since the Flood have worked hard to get where they are today. In their five years of existence the band has self-released a couple demos, signed as the first band to Ironclad Recordings (Trevor of Unearth's label), and toured their asses off, resulting in the promotion from imprint label Ironclad to the mother of metal, Metal Blade … Read more
Six Feet Under
Crypt of the Devil
Metal Blade (2015)
Twenty years ago today, Saturday September 26, 2015, the reincarnation of Chris Barnes’ death metal crusade known as Six Feet Under released their debut full length, Haunted. When social media informed me of this fact this morning, I had a moment of reflection relating to the journey of Barnes and his, often unappreciated, creations of two of the most premier … Read more
Six Feet Under
Undead
Metal Blade (2012)
Six Feet Under are certainly not new to this. The band formed by some of death metal's biggest names (at least in the ‘90s), seems to persist. Formed as a vehicle for Chris Barnes after leaving Cannibal Corpse, and also included members of Obituary and made their mark with what could be a considered a classic debut. Since then, the … Read more
Sons of Azrael
The Conjuration of Vengeance
Metal Blade (2007)
"Trail of Flesh," "Sweet Blasphemy," and "Scent of a Dead Whore". Sure, we all know these titles as classic children's books, but did you know that they've been adapted into songs by a group called Sons of Azrael? Yes, that's right - all your favorite bedtime stories set to music on one convenient disc as sung by the cookie monster. … Read more
Symphorce
Become Death
Metal Blade (2007)
This record really surprised me. When I got it, I was excited about the fact that they are a power metal band. I can't get enough of the stuff, so naturally I was stoked. I started checking out the CD insert and saw that they are from Germany. Germany has given birth to some of my favorite power metal bands. … Read more
The Absence
Riders of the Plague
Metal Blade (2007)
The Absence hails from Tampa, Florida. Anyone with a sense of history knows that in the late eighties this meant something. Death, Obituary, Deicide, and Morbid Angel all hailed from Florida and significantly helped mold the clay into what we now know as death metal. The Absence are fully aware of their roots and have set forth to continue the … Read more
The Black Dahlia Murder
Miasma
Metal Blade (2005)
I spent a good year learning the guitar arrangements, melodies, and riffs of The Black Dahlia Murder's Metal Blade Records debut, Unhallowed. It was certainly a fun, morbid, and visceral expedition into the world of melodic death metal, a la Gothenburg, Sweden. After having seen the phenomenal live show that this band put on, including the mind-bending drumming of Zach … Read more
The Black Dahlia Murder
Nocturnal
Metal Blade (2007)
I cannot think of another record label that could have released The Black Dahlia Murder's new full-length Nocturnal. Sure, any number of labels could have released it financially, but it just would have seemed out of place. This is a metal album from start to finish, so it only makes sense for it to be released by the label that … Read more
The Black Dahlia Murder
Unhallowed
Metal Blade (2003)
There seems to be a horrible trend sweeping the lands of America like The Plague. Kids everywhere are going to salons to get their hair done, wearing silly white belts, and whining more than the emo kids we all used to hate two years ago. This trend has been labeled with the misnomer "metalcore." It seems that these bands fail … Read more
The Black Dahlia Murder
Verminous
Metal Blade (2020)
Humankind has always had an uneasy relationship with rats. Many people hold on to the belief that they are disease vectors, and they've been blamed for the spread of many awful maladies over the centuries, the black plague and leprosy being two the most famous and deadly. They also tend to like the same food as humans and don't mind … Read more
The Ocean
Pelagial
Metal Blade (2013)
The Ocean, the German post-sludge-metal act masterminded by guitarist Robin Staps, is one of the most consistently high-quality bands in metal today. Ever since Fluxion and Aeolian, Staps has led The Ocean to even greater heights with each release, never settling for anything less than hard-earned perfection. Their latest release, 2013's Pelagial, is no exception.Musically, Pelagial continues where Heliocentric and Anthropocentric left off; rather than focusing on unadulterated sludge or … Read more
The Ocean
Precambrian
Metal Blade (2008)
Robin Staps, The Ocean's high-striving frontman must be one hell of an easy person to work with. It's either that, or he is a dictator of epic proportions and has an ego the size of Mount Kilimanjaro. When our favorite music magazines are riddled with tales of inter band friction, even when talking about three douchebags who recently took the … Read more
The Red Chord
Clients
Metal Blade (2005)
Since the release of 2002's Fused Together In Revolving Doors, The Red Chord has slowly but surely become one of the most popular and respected bands throughout the hardcore/metal scene. Fusing together an amalgam of various styles of heavy music, the band's sound refuses to be typecast into any one specific genre. Drawing influences from hardcore, thrash metal, and grindcore … Read more
