Aad Kloosterwaard
And so the time had come for Sinister to adapt itself to a rapidly changing scene that had no real need for it anymore. This record came to us in 1998 by which time Krisiun had appeared on the scene, Behemoth had released “Pandemonic Incantations” and Suffocation released its swansong
groove metal
Somewhere in the four years in between “Seasons In the Abyss” and “Divine Intervention” something was lost within Slayer. For the first time the band had spent actual time on pre-production. Where Slayer once sounded irrevocably evil here they sound… mundane and ordinary. It is an unexpected and jarring change
black metal
On its third album Norwegian black metal duo Immortal come into their own, and deliver their most conceptually complete recording. This third album takes the sound from “Pure Holocaust” and adds additional levels of speed, texture and density to it, without abandoning the atmospheric leanings of the band’s debut.
David Vincent Lombardo
On “Seasons In the Abyss” Bay Area thrashers Slayer settled into its midpaced sound, and wrote its most epic album to date. Almost the entire album (with exception of one track) deals with topical real-life events, the horrors of war and serial killers. “Seasons In the Abyss” was Slayer’s
Brian Slagel
‘In the dark of the night I search for the mindless wretches of society’ Barnes imparts solemnly in the ominous opening of “Maximum Violence”, ‘to drink of their blood and feast upon their flesh.’ Maybe third time is the charm for these Tampa, Florida knuckle-draggers? Maybe, just maybe they lifted
David Vincent Lombardo
With “South Of Heaven” Slayer made its foray into more melodic and midpaced territory. After the clusterbomb that was “Reign In Blood” it was wise of the band to slow down and once again pen more elaborate material. Having pushed the speed/thrash metal genre in terms of speed and
Dallas Toler-Wade
No matter where you choose to look to get an opinion, this band is spoken about in hyperbole, in absolutes and there’s a complete lack of perspective from most folks you’ll end up talking to. To get the most obvious rake out of the way: Nile isn’t
David Vincent Lombardo
On “Reign In Blood” Slayer finally came into its own in terms of identity and lyrical themes. Whereas the band’s first two records dealt mostly with horror, and goofy (if not downright comical) depictions of Satanism, here the lyrics are more grounded in reality, as they deal with real-life
Alf Børjesson
On its third record for Nuclear Blast, Dimmu Borgir was at a critical juncture in its career. The personel changes had left the band in shambles in more ways than one, the creative juices weren’t flowing as strong as they once were and a band already short on ideas
Bill Metoyer
“Hell Awaits” was one of two Slayer records released on the then-new label Metal Blade Records, which was formed only a mere three years prior in 1982. Whereas “Show No Mercy” was financed by the band themselves (through funds accumulated by Tom Araya’s dayjob as a respiratory therapist, and
Belgium
By the time their second album rolled out of the studio much had changed for the Belgians of Enthroned. After the ousting of Vincent Gerard (Tsebaoth) two new, more technically proficient guitarists were enlisted in Régis Lant (Nornagest) and Dimitri Gillard (Nebiros). Originally, drummer Dan Vandenplas (Cernunnos) was supposed to
Brian Slagel
Like any young band’s first recording “Show No Mercy”, the first Slayer longplayer, was an offering marked by youthful exuberance, enthusiasm and unrelenting energy. Released in 1983 it went on to change the face of metal music forever. It is not so much an original recording as it is