the arrow of satan is drawn

The Be(a)st of 2018 – J’s List

jkanecoleman1 Comment

 

EOY 2018 Header 9C

Every year is an interesting trip around the sun.  New music comes and goes like the ebb and flow of time, and some albums hit us harder than others.  2018 for me was a very rich year in metal, yielding tons of great material from all over the heavy landscape.  There was a lot I enjoyed, so sorting the wheat from the chaff for this year has been enjoyable and fairly difficult, which is a testament to all the bands putting out great albums this year.  Below is my top 15 list for this year with a brief explanation with each album as to why I picked them.  Feel the misery (wait, that wasn’t this year?!).  Continue reading →

Album Review: Bloodbath – “The Arrow of Satan is Drawn”

Chris2 Comments

Bloodbath - The Arrow of Satan Is Drawn

Like many I suspect I was drawn to old school death merchants Bloodbath via their connection to Mikael Åkerfeldt.  Since debuting with the classic EP Breeding Death the band have gone through a myriad of tweaks and changes to both personnel and sound, coming out the other side with perhaps their strongest lineup and album in The Arrow of Satan is Drawn.  Harkening back to the early classic Swedish death metal formula without being slave to it, the album drips with a nasty, nauseating vibe that reinforces the band as much more than a “supergroup.”   Continue reading →