death metal
After releasing one of the best selling demos in the genre, and releasing an excellent debut on Earache Records, Poland’s Vader had to prove their initial success wasn’t a fluke. In the intervening three years they released a live album and an EP while they prepared their second
Ancient Rites
On its second album Ancient Rites embraced a wider palette sonically. Whereas “The Diabolic Serenades” was a somewhat corny tribute to all of bands that influenced them, this record finally sees them unlocking their real potential. Boosted by an earthy and crunchy production “Blasfemia Eternal” sees the band progressing in
atmospheric
Dimmu Borgir, taking its name from the Mývatn volcanic formations in Iceland, was founded in Oslo, Norway by guitarist and occasional bassist Sven Atle Kopperud (Silenoz) plus multi-instrumentalist Stian Tomt Thoresen (Shagrath) and Ian Kenneth Åkesson (Tjodalv), a drummer who also occasionally played guitar. The band’s early line-up was
David Vincent
The roots of death metal institution Morbid Angel can be traced by to its four central figureheads: lead guitarist George Emmanuel III (Trey Azagthoth), who was born in Bellingham, Washington but lived in the Tampa, Florida region and Charlotte, North Carolina native David Alexander Stuppnig (David Vincent) who was set
black metal
One of the US most underrated death/black metal acts surely must be Maryland-based Aurora Borealis. The band’s beginnings can be traced to Atlanta, Georgia metal band Lestregus Nosferatus, who formed in the mid-to-late 1980’s. The band is centered around producer/engineer Ron Vento (vocals, guitars, bass, keyboards)
black metal
As historically (and retroactively) important as this EP is for the genre it helped define, its actual musical content and quality is open for debate. “Deathcrush”, the first real Mayhem release after a string of demos, is – despite its truly hostile and aggressive nature – a rather standard, and conformist exercise
breezy
Los Angeles pop duo Polaris Rose set the world alight earlier in the year with the exciting “Ocean Songs” EP. “Telescopes”, the duo’s long-awaited full length effort, finally arrives after the advance single ‘Perfect View’. The album picks up where “Ocean Songs” left off, while keeping its established elements
Burton C. Bell
The first Fear Factory album stands in stark contrast to the rest of its catalog. Mostly sounding as a groovier inclined version of Napalm Death circa “Utopia Banished” and “Harmony Corruption”, it is catchy and aggressive in equal measure. The dichotomy between extremity and mainstream accessibility is already present here.
Alice Collins
“Tides Of Malediction”, the debut from UK romantic dark metal band Swords Of Dis, conclusively proves the strengths of angelic female vocals within a metal context. Traditional in genre and composition but technical in delivery the album manages to combine two unlikely subgenres in a cohesive whole. One part Death,
Andreas Axelsson
It is often forgotten in the mainstream metal consciousness that Marduk, arguably one of the hardest working entities in the industry, was once one of the many darker sounding death metal upstarts hailing from the ever-fertile soils of Sweden. The band at this time consisted of founder/lead guitarist Morgan
Brazil
“Males Infestus”, the debut EP of Brazilian death metal trio Cauterization, mostly sounds torn between two worlds. On one hand it relies heavily on the template set by Krisiun while infusing it with a dose of thrash – and groove sections. Cauterization was formed in 2008 in Presidente Prudente, São Paulo.
Dan Seagrave
Vader is one of the earliest death metal bands of note from behind the Iron Curtain, and one of Poland’s most enduring institutions along with Behemoth. Theirs is a story marked by perseverance, strife and the unrelenting will to succeed no matter what the odds. The band formed in