GONZO’S HEAVY ROUNDUP, MARCH 2024

 Album Reviews  3 Responses »
Apr 012024
 

(March 2024 is in the history books, and in this column Gonzo reviews six albums that made it a good month to remember.)

So, I dunno if it’s just me, but 2024 has already been a banger of a year for heavy music after only three months. My best-of-’24 Spotify playlist has over 10 hours of music on it, and that’s just me throwing random shit in there on a fairly haphazard basis.

Later in April, I’m also taking a trip down the road to Red Rocks to see Amon Amarth headline a wild show that includes Obituary, Cannibal Corpse, and Frozen Soul. And by the time this piece goes live, I’ll have already seen Wayfarer perform “American Gothic” in its entirety at the Bluebird in Denver. Look for a review of that one coming up.

Good times await, my friends.

But first, let’s get to some new gems I’ve unearthed from metal’s grimy underbelly over the past 30 days. Continue reading »

OVERFLOWING STREAMS (15 NEW SONGS AND VIDEOS!)

 Exceptions to the Rule, Metal News, RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  4 Responses »
Apr 232022
 

I’m pretty sure this is the single biggest roundup I’ve ever created. The streams of music were indeed overflowing over the past week, and I felt compelled to get out to you as many of the good ones as I could — though I still have more, drawn from blackened veins, to push your way in tomorrow’s column.

I will say that there’s more rocking out to be found in this collection than usual, and a couple of exceptions to our no-singing rule. But don’t worry your pointed little heads, there’s plenty of savagery in the mix too. I’ll also say that I played DJ, trying to arrange these in a way that would pair up like-minded songs here and there. But some of the segues are still probably jarring, which is how I like it.

BLACK VOID (Norway)

I decided to begin with music from forthcoming releases by a big label before clawing deeper under ground. The first pick is a video for “Dadaist Disgust“, a new single from this Norwegian band’s upcoming debut album Antithesis, out May 27th on Nuclear Blast. Continue reading »

A MARYLAND DEATHFEST RECAP (PART 3)

 Concert Reviews  13 Responses »
Jun 032016
 

MDF Merch1
MDF merch

For those just now joining this series about Maryland Deathfest XIV, I’m in the process of highlighting the bands whose performances were the best of the ones I saw and heard in Baltimore beginning on Wednesday of last week.

I’ve organized those bands into four categories (not rigidly defined, mind you). Yesterday’s feature was about “Swedish (and Dutch) Death Metal Supremacy”, and for today’s collection I’m borrowing the title of one of our long-running series about new music — Shades of Black —  because I’m spotlighting six black metal bands of varying styles whose sets I really enjoyed. I’ve again included photos of each band (most of which are gathered at the end of this post). Continue reading »

THE SYNN REPORT, PART 51: KHOLD

 THE SYNN REPORT  3 Responses »
Oct 012014
 

 

(Andy Synn presents Part 51 of THE SYNN REPORT, and this time he reviews the discography of Norway’s Khold — including their new album Til Endes.)

Recommended for fans of: Satyricon, Shining, Taake

Sometimes deciding what band to cover for an edition of The Synn Report can be a difficult, complex process, with many different variables to consider. At other times though, circumstances endeavour to make the decision for me. Case in point, this week has seen the release of Khold’s sixth album, Til Endes, after 6 years of relative silence, so now seems like the perfect time to introduce you all to the band’s signature brand of grim nihilism and pitch-black groove.

Formed back in 2000, the band’s sound is a seamless melding of old-school venom and new-school aggression, built around a raw, stripped-down aesthetic, but delivered with a multi-layered, modernised sonic crunch and a bullish, belligerent strut which at times verges on a more Black ‘n’ Roll style swing and swagger.

Khold’s focus is primarily on riffs – massive, rumbling, evil riffs, which grind and groove with grim intensity and malicious intent. Blasting is generally kept to a minimum, with the drums instead embedding themselves right in the heart of every pounding piece of primal riffage, anchoring every groaning chord and venomous tirade to an irresistible metallic stomp, here and there cracking open to allow touches of sadistic melody or seditious dissonance to bleed through. Continue reading »