metal

Album Review: Herod — “Iconoclast”

HeraLeave a comment

The meaning of iconoclasm has evolved from the social belief in the destruction of (specifically coded) religious icons and monuments to the more secular application of someone who challenges institutions due to finding it erroneous. Because of this evolution, the term now has an additional political connotation, bordering on damnatio memoriae, where someone or something becomes excluded or eliminated from the historical record. While this is what ultimately happens at the conclusion of Iconoclast, Herod’s third full-length, it’s the journey of how we get there that I find most appealing. Let’s discuss.

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Album Review: Hellripper — “Warlocks Grim & Withered Hags”

ChrisLeave a comment
Hellripper - Warlocks Grim and Withered Hags


In the rust and rabble that was the year 2020, there were occasional glimpses of light, even if that “light” came in the form of some righteous old school blackened speed metal. For it was then that I came – admittedly late – to the wonders of James McBain, the one-man sonic disruptor otherwise known as Hellripper. The Affairs of the Poisons was a blistering set of tunes that checked all the boxes: dashes of Venom and Motörhead with liberal sprinklings of early Bathory and NWOBHM. So I was on the watch for whatever came next. Warlocks Grim & Withered Hags is here, and my surprise is not on the tracks where McBain sticks to his tried and true formula, but where he stretches into new territory. It’s good stuff. so let’s get into it.

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Initial Descent: February 5 – 11, 2023

JoshLeave a comment
In Flames
In Flames

Super Bowl week is upon us. Does anybody even care at this point though? Look, I’m as big a football fan as that drunk dude you knew from that local bar you used to go to but even I know this one will be a snoozefest. Anyway, it’s finally time for new In Flames even though we’ve heard half the album at this point, BUT that half we’ve heard sure does sound like the days of yore from these melo-swedeathers. So yea, big time ready for that preorder to land. Next up we’ve got some absolutely vicious black metal from Terrestrial Hospice (seriously, this thing is a beast) and a death-power-symphonic-core-operatic chip shot from Dragoncorpse. Indeed, that’s a lot going on and it is quite different, so if that’s your thing be sure to check it out. And as always, there’s several more in the list below worth your time and hard earned money so go explore. See you here throughout the week.

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Album Review: Clouds Taste Satanic — “Tales of Demonic Possession”

D MorrisLeave a comment

The riff, the foundation from which all heavy rock music is built. It is the molten material used to forge inspiration for future generations of rock guitarists. There’s a reason Eddie Van Halen’s most famous piece is called “Eruption.” Whether it’s a sludgy doom riff or a buzzsaw grind riff, heavy music is nothing without the riff. Tales of Demonic Possession, the latest album by Clouds Taste Satanic, is an ode to the riff.

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Album RAMBLE: Katatonia — “Sky Void of Stars”

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For Katatonia‘s 13th full length, Sky Void of Stars, we (as in the Top Brass, Benevolent Overlords, etc: Corey, Dan K, Chris, and Josh) decided to capitalize on something we’ve done so many times with this band’s discography; get together over a chat, pour way too many drinks for ourselves, and talk Katatonia. This time around, it only felt right to share that experience with all of you: the first ever Top Brass collaborative review ramble, as it were. If you’ve been following along, our love of all things Katatonia is not subtle. We’ve featured them many times over the years, photographed them, and generally love everything they’ve done from their early death / doom days to their ever-evolving gloom-goth-progressive-metal-rock that seems to only get better the longer they exist. We won’t give too much away ahead of the ramble you’re about to dive into headfirst, but suffice it to say, Sky Void of Stars is the album we needed right now. And let’s be real, this will probably be the first of several drunken nights we spend discussing this album’s place in the Katatonia pantheon. But for now, without further ado, we present our rambles…

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