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 death metal bands in existence. I spent the morning with a cup of coffee and a pair of headphones, thoughtfully reviewing the catalog of Six Feet Under, spanning 1995s Haunted to this year’s release, Crypt of the Devil. While this is technically a review of Crypt of the Devil, it would be a travesty not to recognize the tribulations and successes of one of the greatest death metal vocalists of all time, Chris Barnes. Those of us fortunate enough to experience death metal in the ‘90s know of the controversy that led to the meteoric rise of Buffalo’s Cannibal Corpse. Founded in 1988, Cannibal Corpse, fueled in large part by the horrifically wonderful imagery and lyrics envisioned by Barnes, swiftly became a target of the crusade of censorship sweeping across the music industry in the early to mid ‘90s. United … Read more
"worker bees can leaveeven drones can fly awaythe queen is their slave"- Chuck Palahniuk, Fight Club When people talk about … Read more
It is quite difficult to follow a project as active as Theologian. The career of the dark industrial unit has … Read more
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It's always sad to see a pioneer go. Especially when it feels like they have reached the peek of their game. This was the case for Elliott. Since their birth back in 1995, Elliott has cemented themselves as a trailblazer in the "emo" game. With every release, they set new standards on how the game should be played. Your first listen with this release, you might feel as if they have quit the game, when in fact, they are once again just bending the rules. With half of Elliott gone, mainly the lead songwriter, most were found uncertain as to how they could recruit new members and still be Elliott. Fortunately, newcomer Benny Clark breathed new life into them and helped contribute to their best release yet. Strings, more guitar … Read more
Recording a live album isn’t a new concept, but for Skepticism, who don’t do anything by halves, recording their brand new album completely live, was certainly a new experience. The Finnish funeral doom band have been plying their gothic trade for longer than most of their fans have even been alive, but their timeless sound and gorgeous tone is enough … Read more
At the time of the release of their eponymous 2013 full-length album, the Geoff Tate storm had passed and cleanup efforts had begun.It was most definitely a return to form under the new stable guidance of Crimson Glory vocalist Todd LaTorre and Queensryche delivered their strongest album so far this century.With Condition Hüman, the band continues on with the same … Read more
Long considered the perennial sons of British 1980s post punk, Editors have never quite been able to shake off the Depeche Mode and Joy Division comparisons that are a near constant every time their name is mentioned. Embodying a haphazard approach in their output, such as on the simmering synth gloom of In This Light and on This Evening and … Read more
A storm has ostensibly been brewing in Long Island, New York beneath the surface of the hardcore outfit This Is Hell. For those in the know, This Is Hell has been an East Coast staple for the better part of the millennium. Interestingly, the band had been bearing the teeth of metal and thrash in their later records, moving off … Read more
So I’m a fan of The Hussy. People who read this site have (hopefully) picked up on that. Well, TIT is a two piece with Bobby Hussy and Shawn Foree of the more popular (but previously unheard by me) Digital Leather. Let’s just say that their 12” is an interesting record, and not what I expected.Where I expected ballsy and … Read more
Boasting precise mixing and near-flawless musical execution, Code Elektro’s 2015 Superstrings may be one of the best albums of cyberpunk-inspired electronica one would hope to come across. This shouldn’t come as much of a shock considering the album is the product of Danish musician Martin Ahm Nielsen, who makes a living composing music for commercials and television. What did strike … Read more
On March 31,1994, singer and guitarist Kurt Cobain, frontman for Nirvana and heralded as the spokesman for a generation, escaped from a drug treatment facility in Los Angeles. Eight days later, as rumors of Nirvana’s breakup spread after it was announced the band had pulled out of that year’s Lollapalooza Music Festival, Cobain was found dead in the greenhouse beside … Read more
In the interest of full disclosure, this reviewer would like to go on record as saying that he loves The Scorpions. They are exceptional musicians and have a catalog of hard rock classics that go far beyond the power-ballads they became synonymous for in the 80's and 90's. There's been the odd misstep over the years (see Eye II Eye) … Read more
Since the 1983 release of Slayer's debut album Show No Mercy, guitarists Jeff Hanneman, Kerry King bassist/vocalist Tom Araya and drummer Dave Lombardo have built a long and respectable career by maintaining the number two slot in the Big Four of thrash metal, second only to Metallica. But if the measure was the loyalty of their fan base, one would … Read more
"secret consciousness of power is far more delightful than open domination"Dostoevsky - The Adolescent. Le Butcherettes came seemingly from out of nowhere a few years ago. In this case, nowhere was more specifically Guadalajara, Mexico.Fronted by Teresa Suárez, otherwise known as Teri Gender Bender, the band was quick to gain the attention of music notables and began to appear as … Read more
I’m not sure I could come up with a worse scenario for a band than having one of its players pass away while the group was touring, but that’s sadly what occurred in September 2014 when Lorein Bourne, a.k.a. Styx and drummer for Portland, Oregon-based and self-proclaimed “garunge” duo Dark Oz, died of complications from Turner Syndrome after a show … Read more
Desaparecidos is the Omaha emo outfit led by Conor Oberst of Bright Eyes fame. Payola is the band’s second album, and it’s been 13 years since they released their first album Read Music/Speak Spanish in 2002. Usually one of two things happens when a band releases an album after a long pause: Often it’s a huge disappointment, but sometimes it’s … Read more
Buying compilation albums are like going to a family reunion. It starts with a sense of misguided obligation and ends with regret for ever having done so in the first place. A Perfect Circle's Three Sixty blessedly proves that ham-fisted metaphor to be all wrong. At first glance, it's a typical chronological affair, beginning with The Hollow from debut album … Read more
Given the never-waning focus among classical music fans on established (and too-frequently, dead) composers, it would seem that the world of modern classical music is one of the most difficult to get a handle on – audiences are left unsure where to even begin, and composers themselves don’t get much attention or many breaks. Meanwhile, except for the occasional article … Read more
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