thrash metal
Profile: California Thrashers Diabology
Thrash metallers Diabology are a group of teenagers that came together on the rock school circuit and have been building a following ever since playing live shows in and around their hometown. They’ve steadily been releasing singles on their Bandcamp page and will be featured in the Combat Records compilation Bullets Vol. 1 which is due out this Friday. Their sound pulls from a wide array of classic metal influences but the golden 80s era of thrash metal is most prominent. Just ahead of the Bullets compilation we had a chance to ask the band our set of Profile questions so head inside to see what they had to say. Continue reading
Album Review: The Crown – “Cobra Speed Venom”
There’s something to be said for craftsmanship. If all the pieces fit together snugly and the whole performs as easy as you expect it to, what’s not to like? Almost a decade into their second life The Crown have their brand of Swedish death/thrash nailed down like a fine table, and Cobra Speed Venom, while offering nothing new in the way of innovation, is a reliable and sturdy entry in the band’s discography, offering plenty of chugging and that distinct guitar crunch that can only come from the lands of Entombed, Carnage, and In Flames. Continue reading
Gazing Toward a Future Unknown – Chris’s Anticipated Albums of 2018
If I learned anything from my 2017 forecast of anticipated records, it was not to look too forward to anything. Spend too much time anticipated something and it either doesn’t materialize or doesn’t live up to the expectations you placed on it. The onus of which sits purely on my shoulders. There’s so much to discover out there, why spend/waste all this energy sweating over the next record, the book (George R.R. Martin “fans” are as batshit insane as any metal fan I’ve encountered) when you can dip your toe into literally thousands upon thousands of other things readily available and only waiting for an opportunity to unveil their secrets?
Nurturing this sense of discovery is something I plan to focus on in 2018, but that doesn’t mean I’m impervious to the draw of new music from the bands I love. So wipe away the detritus of the last year, grab yourself a large mug of your preferred morning beverage – no matter what time of the day it is – and let’s talk about what’s beyond that monolith…
…besides a giant Space Baby, of course. Continue reading
Nine Circles ov… “Special” EOY Awards (2017 Edition)
2017 turned out to be a strange year for me musically. In my first full year writing for Nine Circles I had the opportunity to explore different genres and bands I never would have discovered on my own, and taking in so much music (even when I didn’t want to, in all honesty) not only broadened my horizons and (hopefully) improved my critical thinking on music, but also helped me to understand better what it was I needed from music.
Next week I’ll be unveiling my personal Top 25 albums for 2017, along with a second post of 15 honorable mentions. But there was so much that impacted me, and so for this final 2017 edition of Nine Circles ov… I wanted to give out a few of my own personal awards to some bands and albums that left their marks on me. So without further ado, let’s dive in… Continue reading
