A progressive metal opus spanning varied influences with a strong melodic and heavy delivery! I stumbled upon Swedish progressive metal band Servitude and their brand new full length “Smoke & Mirrors,” independently released earlier in January. I was not familiar with the band at all, but they apparently released 5 singles in 2020 and 2021, […]
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Atmospheric progressive death metal that envelopes and pulverizes! If you have read enough of my reviews, you know I have an extra soft spot for extreme progressive metal. There has been a lot of goodness in this genre to come out the past couple years, including favorites like the return of Anciients, An Abstract Illusion, In
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Post rock, screamo, progressive blackgaze, and more! Dawn of Ouroboros is a band I love, and they kicked off 2026 with a short West Coast tour with the bands Sadness and Life. I have no idea whether it was intentional or not, but at least in my head I have fabricated that this tour was
Notable metal albums from 2025 that are required listening I love seeing end of year lists and am always fascinated to see how different they are from person to person, molded by what they gravitate to and what resonates. I have definitely broadened the genres and bands I listen to, but I still bias toward
My Top Metal albums for 2025: Top 25 full lengths, Top 2 EPs, 16 more to check out Read More »
My 2024 metal album of the year. Absolutely stunning symphonic metal that cannot be confined! I have been anticipating the new release from Boston area symphonic metal band Seven Spires for quite some time. “A Fortress Called Home” dropped this past Friday, and I wasn’t sure what to expect, even after reviewing the first 2
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“Chill death metal” with killer melodies and great songs! Chill death metal. This is the moniker my son and I assigned to Finnish melodeath band Omnium Gatherum the first time we listened to them. They released their latest album, “May the Bridges We Burn Light the Way” last month, and it is the epitome of
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A modern folk metal offering with lots of atmosphere, heft, and killer melodies! I remember the first time I heard 2008 release Sagas by Germany’s Equilibrium, their second release (and first on Nuclear Blast). I was blown away by the melding of traditional folk melodies and instruments with the fury of black and death metal,
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Amazing atmospheric progressive death metal with blackened edges! As connected as I think I am sometimes, I am constantly amazed at not only the number of bands that fly under the radar, but also the number of bands that I just don’t know about. Two months ago, I had never even heard of Sweden’s An
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Killer dystopian progressive melodeath from Italy! There are times when I hear about a band, add it to my “to be listened” list, and then accidentally forget about it. This is the case with Italy’s Obsidian Fall, who released their debut album, “Elegy from a Dying World,” back in March. I recently rediscovered it on
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Samurai symphonic death metal from Finland! I love finding new bands, particularly when they push genre boundaries and aren’t afraid of bombast and complexity. Such is the case with “Perdition,” the brand new release from Finland’s Karu. The most basic description would be symphonic death metal, but this is so much more, an orchestral cinematic
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