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By Rosie Walker

For nearly 20 years, the band Origin has set the standard for what quality American death metal should sound like. In 1998, the band emerged from the cornfields of Topeka, Kansas and has been stirring up the scene since. These guys started to gain recognition when they released their self-titled debut album in 2000. Praise could only be given for their uncommon heavy, technical style. Now the band just released their seventh studio album and though they claim it’s the beginning of a new era, their stunning signature sound is still very much present. Through Nuclear Blast (North America) / Agonia Records (rest of the world), Origin’s ‘Unparalleled Universe’ is in stores now and should be purchased immediately. It’s a new, exciting chapter for them, plus their extreme death metal roots still shine and are taken to a whole new level. Continue reading “Album Review: Origin – Unparalleled Universe”

By Ryan Falla

Flying out of the local San Diego metal scene is Temblad with the release of their first full-length ‘Nevercrown’. An extreme death/thrash metal band, there are no qualms with the pure fury unleashed on this debut LP. Face-splitting riffage, ear-melting solos and the drums lay down the unhinged aggression of a runaway locomotive. Continue reading “Album Review: Temblad – Nevercrown”

By Ryan Falla

We’re getting some real top-notch experimental prog metal from drum virtuoso Brann Dailor of Mastodon, with the recently released self-titled debut from his new project, Arcadea. Just to give you an idea of how experimental this record is, the only instruments on this Arcadea are drums, keyboard, and synth. You really get a strong idea of what kind of influences Brann has on Mastodon; the high-concept prog that is a fine mixture of metal and synth-experimental. Continue reading “Album Review: Arcadea – Self-Titled”

By Rosie Walker

The folk metal act Eluveitie started out as a studio project in 2002, yet this Swiss group of guys and gals quickly became much more. The band’s innovative style of combining their country’s traditional instruments with death metal made them unique and successful. Becoming one of the biggest metal acts in Switzerland took its toll and a lot line-up changes have happened over time. The biggest split occurred last year when they lost several key members simultaneously. Anna Murphy, Merlin Sutter, and Ivo Henzi left the band last spring, but they made it abundantly clear that they were not done making music. In September of 2016, the three self-released the first single from their new band, Cellar Darling. The song, ‘Challenge’ was received with open arms and became an instant hit. Now signed with Nuclear Blast Records, the band is ready to release their debut album, ’This Is The Sound’, on June 30th. Continue reading “Album Review: Cellar Darling – This is the Sound”

By Lisa Burke

Have you been wondering what bands out there in the heavy metal and rock scene in local Los Angeles are worth a listen to these days? Well, there are plenty if you take the time to seek them out. The excitement in the modern music released these days is most often found in the mix of genres some of the bands are gaining interest in. Southern California’s The Slit straddles the line between hard rock and heavy metal while also keeping one foot in the grunge world with some of the guitar elements as well as some old school punk ideology in the vocals. On May 1st 2017, they released an 8-song album called ‘VI VI VI’ and have been out and about in the local scene to debut these new songs. Continue reading “Album Review: The Slit – VI VI VI”