Otherness; it is a word we usually reserve for more disturbing, mind-bending forms of death and black metal. It rarely pops up when talking about folk metal, but with Metsatöll the term crops up each and every time they come on the stereo. It could...
Having been around since 1983, Poland's death-metal stalwarts Vader have actually only released nine studio albums. Never far from the consciousness of extreme metal maniacs everywhere, nine albums in over 30 years might come as a bit of a surprise. Album number ten is all...
It is not often a band writes an album and changes the world. With 1995's Slaughter of the Soul At The Gates capped off a short run of immense success with one for the ages. Along with Dark Tranquility and In Flames, At The Gates put their...
Kai Hansen may be a name most people associate with the German thrash institution Helloween. The truth is, although the guitarist did co-found the band, he soon went on to form another globally successful powerhouse called Gamma Ray. Beginning life in 1989, Hansen did not...
On Monday, April 28th, 2014, Paganfest America Part V invaded Irving Plaza in New York City. Headlining the twenty-two date tour was Korpiklaani from Finland, with direct support coming from fellow countrymen Turisas. Both bands have featured on this tour in the past, but this...
Friday, April 18th, 2014 was a night of triumph and power at the Best Buy Theater on Times Square in New York City. Touring the world for their brand new studio album Plagues of Babylon, Iced Earth returned to the Big Apple after only two...
[vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="full_width" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern"][vc_column][vc_column_text] On Saturday the 19th of April 2014, hell came to Irving Plaza. The historic theater was invaded by three waves of American darkness: Black Crown Initiate, Inquisition, and Goatwhore, followed by a Norwegian plague taking the form of 1349. Headlining...
If someone told you that the crushing weight of black metal could be melded to the austere spiritual nadir of doom, all without the use of a single distorted guitar riff, you might be inclined to disbelief. If that same person told you these feelings...
Side projects featuring prominent musicians can sometimes disappoint, as fans and media are more likely to give them the name ‘super-group’, a move which ultimately ratchets up the pressure. With Norway’s Chrome Division, the intent was to leave aside the grandiose theatrics of their day...
It is a foregone conclusion that the music we listen to affects us very deeply. Some bands we love, while others leave no trace on our psyche, and still others outright repel us. The number of new bands capable of truly blowing our doors off...
