Reviews, Interviews, and Podcasts celebrating the best Extreme Metal music


  • Black Metal 2024
          The past year was quite honestly a problem. So many albums came out every week that were just flat out GOOD. I’m someone who will bail on something if it doesn’t keep my attention…
  • OPEN KASKET – “Trials of Failure” Review
    Ever hear a band and know exactly what they are going to be like to see live? That happened to me with Open Kasket. They’re the ones you’ll be sorry you missed the opportunity to…
  • Lacuna Coil – “Sleepless Empire” Review
    LACUNA COIL- Sleepless Empire Review “Run.” Myself and this band took different paths long ago. I’ve got a great “Once Upon a Time” story that I’ll save for another article. My golden days with this…
  • Saor – “Amidst the Ruins” Review
    Five tracks. That is all you need to fall in love with the beauty of Saor. The Scottish project’s sixth album, Amidst the Ruins, will have you hooked from the very first melody and will…
  • Harakiri For The Sky – “Scorched Earth” Review
    Harakiri for the Sky is my favorite band. Not just recently, but all-time. Throughout my life I’ve likely listened to over a hundred thousand of hours of music, and throughout that entire journey, I’ve been…
  • Barshasketh – Antinomian Asceticism Review
    Antinomian Asceticism is Barshasketh’s 5th album, released almost 6 years after their previous album, the self-titled Barshasketh. Originating from New Zealand, these guys are now based in Scotland and have been working hard at perfecting…
  • Necromaniac – Sciomancy, Malediction & Rites Abominable
    Necromaniac is a London based band which is composed of members from Sweden, Greece, Poland and Spain!  They call their music ‘Morbid Metal’ and have released a couple of demos and one great EP,  Subterranean Death…
  • The Halo Effect – “March of the Unheard” Review
    You miss the 90s era of Melodic Death Metal? Those days when you first discovered In Flames and Dark Tranquillity (first time in 25 years of doing reviews I have spelled Dark Tranquillity correctly… Somehow…
  • Am I in Trouble? – “Spectrum” Review
    Am I Trouble is the solo project of Steve Weiner, who is also behind the project Negative Bliss, which put out an EP that I reviewed late last year. While it is a solo project,…
  • Lament in Winter’s Night – Whereunto the Twilight Leads Review
    First off, I need to say that the melodies in this are SO GOOD and full of emotion. In a year overflowing with strong black metal releases, here is yet another one that vies for…
  • KIR – L’appel du vide Review
    Right off the bat for those who want to get down to business: this is an excellent album and yes, you need to buy it. KIR is a duo from Kraków, Poland, consisting of Ferment (Poroniec…
  • Neon Nightmare – Faded Dream
    As you can probably tell from the album cover, Neon Nightmare is heavily inspired by the legendary Type O Negative, and this is not only evident from their cover art. Faded Dream is the band’s…
  • Negative Bliss – Everything Hurts and I’m Dying Review
    Everything Hurts and I’m Dying – what a relatable album title. I turned 42 years old this year, and boy does everything hurt… and I feel like I’m dying a lot of the time. Maybe…
  • Ensiferum – Winter Storm
    Its time to ride!
  • BLOOD INCANTATION – ABSOLUTE ELSEWHERE
    Unlike anything you’ve ever hear, yet, it’s like a big hug from all your old friends
  • Gaerea – Coma Review
    2019 was a horrific year for many people. Myself included. I relied heavily on music to make it through that year, and no album was more important to my mental health, than the immeasurably cathartic…
  • Concert Review – Fragmenting North America Tour
    Featuring: Skeletal Remains/Bewitcher/Phobophilic/Torture Rack/Wülfskol This past Thursday, I had the opportunity to see this outstanding show at Scout Bar in Houston, Texas. The bands on the tour are a pretty varied mix of styles so…
  • Unto Others – Never, Neverland
    From the moment I discovered Unto Others, I knew this band would be legendary. Previously known as Idle Hands from 2017 to 2020, Unto Others have branded their new name into many fans’ hearts and…
  • Hell Is Other People – Moirae Review
    “How many times do you think about the Roman Empire?”Not as much as I think. But here, going the other way. Greek! “Moirae”, the NOW RELEASED album from “Hell Is Other People”. Packing a lot…
  • Vosforis – Cosmic Cenotaph
    As a lover of both black metal and outer space, I was super excited to check out Vosforis. Labeled as “industrial black metal” in the metalhead’s bible, Cosmic Cenotaph is Vosforis’ debut album, released on…
  • Satan – Songs in Crimson Review
    Formed in 1981, Satan were, for a brief period, the hardest and fastest of the NWOBHM bands releasing, in 1983, the magnificent Court in the Act.  The promise the band showed back then was off the…
  • Kanonenfieber – Die Urkastrophe Review
    Whew! I can say that Die Urkastrophe is Kanonenfieber’s best work yet. This album will definitely be in my top albums of 2024. With that said, let’s get into it!  If you aren’t familiar with…
  • Winterfylleth: The Imperious Horizon Review
    Winterfylleth are an English Atmospheric Black Metal band.  They have in the past called their music English Heritage Black Metal and certainly use England’s rich history as inspiration for their music, as well as England’s…
  • Within the Ruins – Phenomena II
    It goes do-do-doooo-doo-doot
  • Top 3 War Metal releases so far in 2024
    ÖÜGH zone ahead
  • Dark Tranquillity – Endtime Signals
    Back in the early 2000s I was just getting started writing reviews for the website Metalcrypt.com. I was one of those metalheads that initially felt kind of lost in the 1990s when Heavy Metal was…
  • Inherits the Void – Scars of Yesteryears
    If you are a reader of this site you know that I normally prefer to highlight forgotten albums from the past that didn’t get the attention they deserved or that were unfairly panned (in my…
  • Stormkeep – Tales of Othertime
    I was inspired to write this review after seeing the mighty Wayfarer (Stormkeep’s main band) in Lincoln, Nebraska on the final night of their US tour with Sonja. I was completely enamored with this album…
  • 7 EPs to listen to
    Was very hard to only pick 7…
  • In Vain – Solemn Review
    2024 continues to be the year that just gives and gives, at least relating to music. In Vain’s most recent opus, Solemn is the latest (and possibly greatest) incredible gift we’ve been given this year….
  • ADON – Adon Review
    I normally don’t do “new” album reviews as I like to focus on music that people may have overlooked or has gotten panned a bit unfairly. I made an exception with ADON and their self…
  • Eternal Storm – A Giant Bound to Fall Review
    Do I love long-form songs? Yes. Do I love Post-black melodies with minimal (but solid) clean singing and death metal growls? Obviously. That’s my bread and butter when it comes to music, and few are…
  • Nevermore – Dead Heart in a Dead World
    This review was suggested by a friend (Kim Gordon, this ones for you) and it instantly made me wonder why I had not thought about doing this before. I absolutely adore this band and especially…
  • Saidan – Onryo II : Her Spirit Eternal
    This album came out of nowhere for me and it has been a favorite ever since. Could even be why the podcast and this very website exist. Justin and I became friends over our mutual…
  • Mycorrhizae – The Great Filtration
    “I interlace, nourish all I’m playing in the sun”
  • Knoll – As Spoken Review
    2024 is shaping up to be the year of incredible chaotic albums. What exactly do I mean by that? – I mean albums that are full of unexpected melody changes, violent mood changes, and horns…
  • Void Ceremony – Threads of Unknowing
    “The despair in which a being experiences life is only through temporal passage.”
  • Gudsforladt – Friendship, Love and War
    “I’ll die smiling. On the ship to Valinor.”
  • Kreator – Endorama
    “Endorama” by Kreator, released in 1999, is a massive change from the band’s Thrash Metal roots, showcasing a more experimental and atmospheric approach. The album is a bold exploration of a different musical direction, incorporating…
  • Anthrax – The Sound of White Noise
    When I was thinking about what reviews I would do for Harsh Vocals, I thought I would focus on albums that may have not have gotten the attention they deserved and that new(ish) metal heads…
  • Yoth Iria – As The Flame Withers
    This album was my number one album of 2021 and it was on a lot of end of year lists that year, but I still can’t help but feel Heavy Metal fans overall overlooked it….
  • Upon Stone – Dead Mother Moon Review
    First of all, this album absolutely RIPS – a somewhat cheesy statement for sure, but listen and you’ll see that it’s TRUE. Dead Mother Moon is a very succinct Melodic Death album, featuring 9 awesome…
  • Necropohobic – Hrimthursum
    The review section of this blog is going to be a bit different from most websites (at least the ones I write at least). I want to focus more on albums that the wider Heavy…