Akhenaten’s Worst Albums of 2023

Just as every year must end with a recollection of the best music that emerged throughout the course of it, highlighting the cream that always rises to the top, so to must we highlight the absolute dregs that sink to the bottom of the barrel like sour milk at the bottom of a dumpster. Here …

Album Review: Otep – The God Slayer

"Swaying to the rhythm of the new world order and counting bodies of the sheep to the rhythm of the war drums." Otep - The God SlayerSeptember 15th, 2023Nu Metal / Alternative Metal / Industrial / Hip HopCleopatra RecordsLos Angeles, California, USA I used to bump Otep back in the day when I was super …

Album Review: Kim Dracula – A Gradual Decline in Morale

"I want to be the one who hurts you. I want to be the one that cares." Kim Dracula - A Gradual Decline in MoraleJuly 14th, 2023Trap Metal / Alternative Metal / Avant Garde MetalColumbia RecordsHobart, Tasmania, Australia I'm going to be honest. The first time I heard Kim Dracula I thought their music was …

Album Review: Peyton Parrish – Skalds of Metal

"A Viking warrior is comin' on out, like a fury in the wind about to smoke you, no doubt." Peyton Parrish - Skalds of MetalAugust 25th, 2023Folk Metal / Pop Metal / Alternative Metal / MetalcoreParrish EntertainmentArizona, USA In the recent years when I've been amping up the amount of reviews that I post to …

Album Review: The Acacia Strain – Failure Will Follow

"Bodies writhe under the soil, not long for this mortal coil." The Acacia Strain - Failure Will FollowMay 12th, 2023Deathcore / Sludge MetalRise RecordsAlbany, New York, USA New York deathcore outfit The Acacia Strain are one of the longest running and consistently great outfits in the subgenre since its inception, at least according to me. …

Album Review: Man Must Die – The Pain Behind It All

"We seek patterns in the chaos. You don't want the truth." Man Must Die - The Pain Behind It AllFebruary 17th, 2023Technical Death Metal / DeathcoreDistortion Music GroupGlasgow, Scotland, UK I haven't listened to Man Must Die since my early teenage years of extreme metal exploration, and even so it had been so long since …

Album Review: Dr. Acula – Dr. Acula

"Let's have a death march where we fire first. Left on the trail, never found." Dr. Acula - Dr. AculaOctober 28th, 2022DeathcoreSilent Pendulum RecordsLong Island, New York, USA I remember back in the day when the metal blogosphere was still my primary source for news about new records and what was happening with bands. Around …

Akhenaten’s Best EPs of 2022

Did you think I was finished talking about 2022 just because I already released my list of best records for the year? Hah! I've fooled you! Full length albums are not all that matters under the sun. Extended plays also deserve some love, and so here we are to count the top five EPs I've …

EP Review: Anna Pest and Colin MacAndrew – A Moor Beneath the Cold Dead Sun

"A vision of the end to come. A moor beneath the cold dead sun." Anna Pest and Colin MacAndrew - A Moor Beneath the Cold Dead SunOctober 28th, 2022Progressive DeathcoreIndependently ReleasedMontreal, Quebec, Canada I've been following the music of Montreal deathcore artist Anna Pest for a few years now. I greatly enjoyed her previous full …

Live from the Pit: Church of Hardcore Fest 2022 – 08/21/2022

Church of Hardcore Fest 2022W/ Scarfold, Northwalk, Extinction A.D.,Soulthief, Shut Away, C.I.D.B., Total WasteAshes to Emperor, Deadbolt, RatpissAugust 21st, 2022 Church of Hardcore is a brand new (prospective) annual hardcore festival hosted in Pointe-au-Chêne, Quebec, a small town of about 3000 people about an hour's drive from Montreal. The fest was organized by Jason Maher …