EP Review: Occult Blood – The Room in the Ground

Occult Blood - The Room in the GroundAugust 18th, 2023Blackened Punk / Black MetalIndependently ReleasedEugene, Oregon, USA I first happened upon Occult Blood when I was listening to some other band that falls within the purview of blackened punk and blackened heavy metal. It may have been Darkthrone. It may have been Devil Master. I …

EP Review: Divine Bloodline – Kings of the Night

Divine Bloodline - Kings of the NightMarch 20th, 2024Folk Metal / Melodic Death MetalIndependently ReleasedMontreal, Quebec, Canada Montreal seems to be a never-ending font of awesome bands that just keep getting churned up out of the underground to deliver badass riffery unto the masses. Divine Bloodline is the latest offering that I've been privy to …

Album Review: Bog Monkey – Hollow

Bog Monkey - HollowMarch 3rd, 2023Sludge / Stoner Metal / Noise RockIndependently ReleasedAtlanta, Georgia, USA I first discovered Bog Monkey when a friend of mind recommended them on Twitter, and I was immediately drawn in by the name of the band and the album cover. Come on, look at that. Does that album cover not …

Demo Review: Mistress – Demo

Mistress - DemoFebruary 22nd, 2024Doom MetalIndependently ReleasedBoston, Massachusetts, USA Mistress is a brand new doom metal project featuring members of the hardcore-infused death metal outfit Fuming Mouth and High Command. I was intrigued to check this out since elements of doom metal are already incorporated into Fuming Mouth's music, so I was curious to hear …

Album Review: Omnivide – A Tale of Fire

"Tearing my own flesh down to the bone, such pain to erase all I’ve ever known." Omnivide - A Tale of FireMarch 22nd, 2024Progressive / Technical / Symphonic Death MetalIndependently ReleasedMoncton, New Brunswick, Canada Moncton is perhaps an unlikely place to expect to hear the brand of music represented in the mainstream by such bands …

EP Review: Paratomb – Nocturnal Spirit Rituals

Paratomb - Nocturnal Spirit RitualsMarch 1st, 2024Blackened Death MetalIndependently ReleasedCharlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada When I covered the first Paratomb EP earlier this year, Ways of the Forlorn, I found it to be a release full of great riffage and ideas but also perhaps underwhelming in a few ways, mixing a few more elements of …

Album Review: Sleepytime Gorilla Museum – Of the Last Human Being

"The last human being in the world is an ape, but it's worthy of your consideration." Sleepytime Gorilla Museum - Of the Last Human BeingFebruary 23rd, 2024Avant-Garde Metal / Brutal Prog / Experimental RockIndependently ReleasedOakland, California, USA There are very few people who I've spoken to in real life who have ever heard of this …

Demo Review: Lobotomite – Anatomy is Violence!

Lobotomite - Anatomy is Violence!January 26th, 2024Powerviolence / GrindcoreIndependently ReleasedMontreal, Quebec, Canada Lobotomite is a brand new project from bassist, vocalist, and audio engineer Julien Levesque and Øbelisk drummer Ousamah Yassin. Consisting of only bass, vocals, and drums, along with noise ambiance interspersed throughout, one might initially expect this initial offering from the project to …

EP Review: Mulch – Nothing Grows Out of Dried Flowers

Mulch - Nothing Grows Out of Dried FlowersFebruary 19th, 2024Hardcore Punk / Noise RockIndependently ReleasedMontreal, Quebec, Canada Montreal seemingly has no shortage of new hardcore punk bands these days, and Mulch are one of the latest to join the fray. Consisting of photographer extraordinaire Rose Cormier on vocals, William Trottier-Jackson of Typeface and Freezerburn on …

EP Review: Glowing Orb – Subterranean Prison

"I love my inner world." Glowing Orb - Subterranean PrisonNovember 10th, 2023Hardcore PunkIndependently ReleasedMontreal, Quebec, Canada If the above cover artwork done by Cain Cox is anything to go by, you've already got an idea of what to expect from this blisteringly brief EP from Montreal hardcore punks Glowing Orb. Clocking in at just around …