i checked out this illinois-based band's sophomore LP solely on account of its badass cover art. based on that sweet, sweet sleeve i was expecting some joyfully slimy, downright hideous shit. coated in mucus and baked in pus. and what did i get? oh, just one of my favorite albums of the 2020's and my favorite death metal of the decade so far...not much

this is energetic, thrashing death metal with a clear reverence for the old school (that much was obvious). BUT! unlike other modern death ... read more

i only listened to age of winters in full because some guy on RYM wrote one of the MADDEST reviews i've ever read about it. i wasn't even all that interested in the sword, but after reading that decade-plus old Noktorn dissertation about how this incorrigible filth is killing and humiliating all that is sacred in The Metal, i had to give it a listen. and of COURSE that guy was exaggerating; the sword are just some texan stoner metal group that haven't really been relevant to non-stoner rock ... read more

solid follow-up to scalp's great debut, but it doesn't really bring anything new to the table. i'm giving black tar a high rating because it's a tight, consistent package of savagery and i love the style of music they play, but a.) it's just 12 minutes long (shorter than domestic extremity), b.) has less highlight moments than its predecessor, and c.) just doesn't do much to stand out in general. black tar's not too stylistically far removed from domestic extremity, though the death metal ... read more

one of the most acclaimed metalcore records of the past few years, the hype for errorzone was CRAZY in 2018. i remember diggin it at the time like everybody else but i wasn't as obsessed with it as others seemed to be, and i haven't really bumped much vein (or i guess its vein.fm now) since then, so i thought i would give errorzone another listen. a RE-EVALUATION, if you will.

i don't have as much to say as i thought i would, though. that's not a diss on errorzone cuz this shit fuckin GOES! ... read more

hard-hitting mathcore (featuring members of vein.fm and vomit forth) that kinda goes in one ear and out the other thanks to its brevity. i still recommend fans of the genre give it a listen for 6 minutes of undeniable bostonian bombast which doesn't stop moving for even a split second from front to back. it's a style of mathcore that's anchored by incredibly heavy, mosh-friendly riffs, so as someone who's not the biggest fan of the twitcher, spazzier side of the genre, i dug paradise a good ... read more

as a lover of the sludgier side of metal, death-doom has always been one of my favorite genres. the slimier stuff, anyway--you could pretty much divide death-doom into two halves, one being gritty and scuzzy and fucked up (think autopsy) and the other being gloomy, melancholic, and often informed by gothic traditions (like my dying bride). the latter isn't so much my thing. the former, though, that's seriously my shit. cianide, a chicago OSDM outfit of the 90's, may have been one of the very ... read more

edit (8/25/23): i thought pornographic seizures was peak bogg for a hot sec ... then i was craving That Bogg Vibe and bumped the FUCK outta this BANGER of an LP like three times over. man its so good.. bumpin the score up cuz its so good

original review (4/5/23): BOGG HATERS FUCK OUT MY TRAP HOUSE

idgaf who you are, if you can't get down with this ohio brutality, i can't get down with you. this album just grows on me with time. insane drumming, super fun instrumentals, love the drugged out ... read more

kruelty are a japanese death metal outfit and their newest album is a must-hear. untopia is crushingly heavy; greatly influenced by the sounds of hardcore, the listener will hear traces of deathcore and even beatdown at times. i've said this before and i'll say it again: i LOVE when death metal and hardcore's paths cross! the result is exactly what i want from this kinda music. if you place emphasis on heavy, groovy riffage, odds are i'll love your shit, and that's what kruelty do on untopia. ... read more

straight-ahead philly hardcore with no flashy embellishments or distractions. modern, pissed-off american punk.

checked out this singaporean hardcore band mainly cuz of THAT COVER...god DAYUM. goes crazy. i was pleased to hear some really good metallic hardcore aided by a strong mix and pussy poppin' riffs

wonderful little slice of new york beatdown--gotta love the revival the genre's seen these past few years. i LOOOOVE me some tough guy hardcore! they bring all the NYHC cliches which is absolutely a plus in my book. very catchy at times, especially the standout track THE TEST! such a banger when you're beefing with someone you used to consider a friend. cathartic bro shit in general.

spotify REEEAAALLY wanted me to listen to this album whenever i listened to bodybox, so i did...and i must say, spotify was my hero today. Thank you, Spotify. :) THIS IS FUCKIN' AWESOME!!

super groovy grindcore with a dominant hardcore edge, domestic extremity is a spectacular cocktail of some of my favorite sounds in music. it'll give you metallic, death metal-oriented grind riffage, powerviolence-adjacent metalcore, unhinged hardcore, and everything in between. it's a THICK fuckin' album ... read more

bodybox are a florida slam band who go hard on the hardcore and...well that's all i really needed to know i was gonna love this. lo and behold, i do: HOLY SHIT!! THIS IS FIRE!!! ! it's short as fuck, but every second is pure maximalized stoner slam goodness that SLAMS your braincells into nonexistence if you know what i mean. and you can call it slam, deathcore, whatever--doesn't matter. shit's fire. it's physically impossible not to move throughout the entirety of through the bongfire. the ... read more

wrong is admittedly an album i've slept on despite hearing about its greatness. i dunno why. it's probably cuz sometimes i think i like post-hardcore less than i actually do; it's not the most enticing genre in the world to me, but every time i've checked out a post-hardcore band i think i'd like, i end up loving them. nomeansno at their heaviest sound similar to one of my favorite post-hardcore bands ROLLINS BAND, who i definitely gotta review here someday--and anything that sounds remotely ... read more

decided to check this EP out because it's one of the few releases distributed by dynastic yellow star label, the same people who put out that amazing ideation EP that i love so much. it's exactly what i expected: totally blown-out, noisy hardcore punk, like a distorted fusion of poison idea and negative approach. but nastier. it's overwhelming by design and i love the numerous layers of lo-fi garage fuzz laid over this shit...actually fuck that, this ain't your mama's everyday garage fuzz. this ... read more

ohhh...okay. this is more my speed.

so i checked out this pretty cool punk album called our time by wreckage. it was neat and i dug it but it wasn't the most unique record you've ever heard, y'know? kinda thing you hear and like, but probably don't think much about afterwards. i checked out the band's rateyourmusic page...lo and behold, another band named kidnapped is listed as a related artist. it seems they share a member, one danny cuneo, vocalist/guitarist/bassist extraordinaire of this ... read more

wreckage's our time is a blisteringly brief exercise in standard northeastern metallic hardcore. this connecticut squad don't have the most unique approach to punk, although this album will likely satisfy any of your cravings, whether you've got a hankering for a straightforward punk blitz or old school urban hardcore groove. it's a pretty polished record that's somewhat lacking in the rawness department, but there are a lot of cool moments that keep me engaged throughout its super short ... read more

looks like this demo was met with middling reception from the people of aoty. personally, i dug it cuz i'm a sucker for the slop these texas metalheads happen to have a knack for serving up: thick, chunky, borderline sludgy death metal with a mosh-friendly attitude and tongue-in-cheek aesthetic. they're like a less brutal, more old school sanguisugabogg which explains the lack of enthusiasm...but i fuck with the bogg heavy for your information, so i fuck with this too. discarding the opening ... read more

this here is an album that continues to grow on me with time. not only has my appreciation for world without god expanded with further listens, but it's a record that gets better as it plays: while the first half has some bangers and a number of awesome moments (epic and iconic i might even say), it gets better as it goes on, really picking up steam around the middle and peaking in the second half in my opinion. the title track, putrid intercourse and blasphemous verses are highlights but false ... read more

DAYUM ... i'm not necessarily surprised by the jump in quality abhorrence achieve here, given the greatly improved recording and clearer sound. i was into the whole boomy cavernous thing the demo had goin' on, but THIS guitar tone is more my speed: raw and sharp as a blade, not unlike the finns' nordic death metal brethren in sweden. abhorrence still engage in doomier passages but for the most part the band trim the fat here, with less plodding segments that wear on the listener than their ... read more