progressive death metal

Album Review: Contrarian — “Sage of Shekhinah”

HeraLeave a comment
Contrarian - Sage of Shekhinah

Where does an album get their genre descriptor from? And who has the authority to give an album, and the band who created the album in the first place, said genre descriptor? If anyone has listened to both prog death and tech death long enough, you’ll notice there is a fine line between both genres, especially when their descriptions become subjective to the listener. Casting the finer points of metal music vernacular aside, the reason for this thought was that Contrarian’s fifth album, Sage of Shekhinah, straddles the line between the experimental nature of prog death and the technical instrumentation of tech death. Let’s discuss.

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Nine Circles ov… Dååth

CoreyLeave a comment


They’re back! After a 12-plus year hiatus, Dååth have returned to the scene. With a fresh new deal inked with Metal Blade, a revamped lineup, and the recent release of “No Rest No End”, the progressive death metal crew seem poised for a big 2023. And I, for one, couldn’t be more excited for their return. So, with all of that said, this seemed like an appropriate time to revisit their catalog. Considering their previous three albums, The Hinderers, The Concealers, and 2010’s final, self-titled effort are all free over on their Bandcamp page, we’ll focus on those collections. The Hinderers specifically, released back in 2007, had a major impact on the trajectory of my music taste going forward, and it has been a serious treat revisiting some of those classics. So, without further delay, let’s dive right into nine of my favorite Dååth tracks. Some are obvious, some hopefully are a little less so…

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David Davidson of Revocation on their new album “Netherheaven” and much more!

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Since 2006, Boston’s Revocation have churned out some of the most progressive and highly technical death metal. Now, with Netherheaven, the band’s eight full length, they still walk that line but have one of their most ‘straight forward death metal’ albums they’ve ever done. And it is GLORIOUS. Buke recently sat down with guitarist and vocalist David Davidson for a wide ranging discussion surrounding the new album, how it came to be, how David ended up in the engineer and producer’s chair, and much more. We now bring you this conversation in its entirety so grab your beverage of choice, a seat, and enjoy. 

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Oleg Zalman of Artificial Brain on their new album and much more!

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New York’s Artificial Brain are somewhat of an anomaly in the death metal world. Sure they’re rooted in death metal but in the blink of an eye can cover tech-death, progressive death, jazz, and noise like world class pros. Their debut Labyrinth Constellation was like stepping on a landmine of infinite sounds and follow up Infrared Horizon saw them branch out a bit and experiment with obtuse and jagged rhythms and melodies that absolutely should not go together but somehow it all just gelled. And now with their third full length, a self-titled one, it seems they’re out for blood. It’s a bit more on the death metal nose but more angular and aggressive than before. Definitely one that should be on your radar. Buke recently sat down with guitarist Oleg Zalman to dig into the ethos of the new album and of the band and how it all came together. We now bring you this conversation in its entirety so grab your beverage of choice, a seat, and enjoy.

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Album Review: Artificial Brain — “Artificial Brain”

IanLeave a comment
Artificial Brain - Artificial Brain

New York City is home to some of the wildest, most experimental forms of art in general, from every medium, but we’re already pretty aware of how the metal music scene is in the heart of the Big Apple.  Many notable bands have done so much work to shape the landscape of extreme music, not least of which is Artificial Brain, whose progressive take on both death metal and science fiction have been integral in moving the genre forward.  On their third eponymous release, the band closes several chapters at once, but we already know they never stop progressing.

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