I’m picky when it comes to brutal death metal. I enjoy the traditional stuff, but usually more lo-fi and less high quality. There are exceptions, but the usual clear production that accompanies brutal death metal is usually hit or miss for me in the end. I dig Disentombed and Abominable Putridity, but beyond them my interests in the style are sparse. The UK’s Visions of Disfigurement, though? These guys probably sold their souls to the Devil because good GOD is this one of the nastiest, most unrelenting albums of the year.  

Twenty-two years after legendary rock band Pearl Jam debuted their Grammy Award-nominated “Do The Evolution” music video, its hypnotic and shocking imagery is perhaps even more relevant to social and environmental issues than during the band’s 1998 Yield tour.  

Actor Hartley Sawyer, who up to recently played Ralph Dibny The Elongated Man has been fired/let go from the CW hit show “The Flash” seems old tweets from as far back as 2012 have resurfaced of Mr. Sawyer making racist and misogynist remarks. Mr. Hartley went on to issue several statements about said Tweets… “I’m not here to make excuses – regardless of the intention, my words matter and they carry consequences,” Sawyer wrote in the post. “And mine can and have caused pain and embarrassment, along with feelings I can only imagine, to supporters and fans, my cast mates, the crew, my colleagues and friends. I owe them all an apology. And I owe each of you an apology.... 

On August 21, 2020, 30 years to the day after its initial launch, thrash/metal-masters Anthrax will celebrate with the release of the deluxe anniversary edition of their fifth studio album, the Gold-certified Persistence of Time, produced by Anthrax and Mark Dodson  (Megaforce).    

Hard rock/alternative California duo, Josuha Micheal and David Fulford-Brown, form Royalty Kult. The band is proud to bring you their debut single “Stay This Way” and have released that along with the song “Bleeding Possibilities.” Both tracks will be on their upcoming album, Enjoying The End. Enjoying The End is being produced by Joshua Buma (Boy Hits Car, Malaki, September Mourning) and Fulford-Brown, along with being engineered by Andy Haller (Ozzy Osbourne, System of a Down, Rob Halford, Santana) and mastered by Joe Bozzi (Fleetwood Mac, Van Halen, U2, Imagine Dragons). Royalty Kult plans to release Enjoying The End in stages on the 6th day of the upcoming months, leading to the album’s... 

Finland’s LANTERN have been illuminating death metal’s dark passages since 2007. Fresh off 2019’s Lost Paragraphs EP (also on Dark Descent Records), LANTERN returns with their third full-length of timeless death metal titled Dimensions. Dimensions sees LANTERN continuing on their established path by incorporating melodic lead work and memorable riffs with distinctive vocals of Necrophilos. It’s the perfect balance between the band’s 2013 debut Below and 2017’s II: Morphosis. The six new tracks on Dimensions further entrenches the band as one of death metal’s elite.  

At midnight tomorrow, Saturday, June 6, for the first time since its theatrical and DVD/Blu-ray release last November, the motion picture “Slayer:  The  Repentless Killogy” will make its VIDEO ON DEMAND debut.  The release is in celebration of tomorrow’s “International Day of Slayer,” the annual heavy metal holiday that commemorates the uncompromising, loud and defiant music of the iconic thrash/punk/metal band SLAYER.    

US prog metal outfit OCEANS OF SLUMBER announce the release of their new and self-titled album out on September 4th via Century Media Records worldwide. To celebrate the announcement, the band have released “A Return To The Earth Below”, the first single off the new record. Watch the video for “A Return To The Earth Below”  

French post black metallers DECLINE OF THE I are back in studio recording what will become their fourth album and follow-up to “Escape” (2018). The yet-untitled release is expected to commence a new trilogy, conceptually based on the works of Danish philosopher, Søren Kierkegaard.  

Let’s not act like we don’t know what’s going on in America right now. In the past few days, we’ve seen a dramatic turn of events as society is bursting into flames in an attempt to handle the injustice that was George Floyd’s death. In that time, an unbelievable amount of support has poured out for the Black Lives Matter movement as they’ve organized protests and pressed harder on the U.S. government to reform the police system in the country. The point is: police brutality must be dealt with, and even more pressingly the treatment of black citizens must better so that we can start taking steps to heal from centuries of racist treatment, all of which our “President”... 

Less than a year after the release of their covers EP Explorers, Canadian melodic power metal quartet UNLEASH THE ARCHERS are back with a brand new 10-track masterpiece in the form of their fifth full-length album, Abyss. Lifted by the urgent, breathtaking vocals of frontwoman Brittney Slayes, on Abyss, the band re-cements themselves as an unequalled, undeniable metallic force with their strongest album to date. Colossal, heart-stopping and heavy-as-hell while often exploring a noteworthy aura of addictive pop sensibility, Abyss further proves the indelible songwriting and technical talents of UNLEASH THE ARCHERS – not only reinforcing how high a modern band can soar within the atmosphere of power metal,... 

Last week, Sorcerer digitally released their third full-length, Lamenting of the Innocent, via Metal Blade Records worldwide (the album is physically available in the USA now, with a new June 5th physical street date in Europe). For a preview of Lamenting of the Innocent, video clips for each song (directed by Daniel Wahlström – Heavy Groove Media) can be viewed at: