thrash metal

Nine Circles ov…Clearing Out the Promo Pile, 2018 Edition

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9C ov...Promo Pile

Every leaf that falls from a tree, signaling the beginning of winter and the end of the year feels like it lands as yet another promo I haven’t had a chance to get to yet.  The end of November also marks the time I start flushing out my various end of year lists, creating playlists of contenders and engaging in the massive purge of albums from my computer, releasing albums I’ll never come back to and freeing up precious space on the old hard drive.

But those lost, deserted promos call out to me, begging for another chance to be consumed, to be measured and contemplated.  So think of this edition of Nine Circles ov… as part of the process (or just a cheap sequel to my last post), digging in the dirt for those glints of promise that  – even this late in the year – can change a mind. Continue reading →

Profile: Old School Thrashers Degrave

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Degrave
Degrave

Old school might be a tad misleading but it’s a term I’ll easily throw out for full effect when speaking of Missouri shredders Degrave and their fiery brand of thrash metal on the upcoming self-titled album Degrave. Remember the days of high top Reeboks and wickedly fast solos where it sounded like the two main concerns were how much speed one could muster and how efficient one could be while doing it? That’s the kind of old school I’m referring to. It’s a certain era of thrash that was glorious in its heyday and thanks to the current guard of bands reviving / refreshing this era and genre, it will live on indefinitely. Degrave offer up just enough nostalgia to turn many heads while being deadly serious about their craft and how it comes across to the listener — IDEAL thrash metal. Just ahead of Friday’s release date we had the chance to ask the band our set of Profile questions to find out a little more about these speed demons and what makes them tick. Read on to see what they had to say and be sure to grab your copy later this week. Continue reading →

Album Review: Light This City – “Terminal Bloom”

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Light This City - Terminal Bloom

When I think of melodeath – and particularly death metal – two places come to mind: Gothenburg, Sweden and Tampa, Florida. As the birthplaces of modern death metal as we know it to be, it should come as no surprise to anyone that the genre has diversified to the point where one can recognize the difference between each regional/state scene. In the case of the Bay Area band Light This City, their blend of melodeath on Terminal Bloom is infused with a heavy dose of thrash, making it sound both vibrant and hard as nails. Continue reading →

Album Review: Aura Noir – “Aura Noire”

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Aura-Noir-Aura-Noire

Heavy music has some peerless blends, from black / death metal to stoner / sludge. Though strangely less common, the black / thrash metal subgenre boasts plenty of iconic performers. It’s a wide and debatable net that scoops up acts as divergent as Bathory, Voivod and Slayer in its universe.

Aura Noir, one of the forefathers of the sound, is owed some credit for lighting that flame and, to a degree, keeping it going. Especially with their latest Aura Noire. However, such can’t necessarily be judged by quantity, but rather quality. Continue reading →

Sanctuary Live at the Brighton Music Hall, 3.23.2018

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icedearthsanctuarytour2018poster

Band: Sanctuary

Photographer: Corey Butterworth

Location: Brighton Music Hall, Boston

Date: March 23, 2018

Continue reading →