Sheesh, are we already seven albums deep into Wisdom In Chains’ discography? So long as I’ve enjoyed hardcore punk, the Pennsylvania band has been a steady and reliable force in the genre for putting out a constant stream of tried and true hardcore, epitomizing it for the modern landscape. Nothing In Nature Respects Weakness keeps the band going into 2018, following up 2015’s The God Rhythm, and while bands typically fall into a groove of comfort by this point, Wisdom In Chains are still playing in the full spectrum of their respective genre instead of pigeon-holing themselves into a corner. Refreshing? Enjoyable? You bet.  

There’s seldom an album I listen to where I immediately love it. Granted, I like a lot of music. “Like” being the emphasis;  I like At the Gates. I love Insomnium, I like Darkthrone. I love Emperor. Even then, I’m generally only listening to the album that I love in my spare time the artist rather than trying to convince myself to love a different album by them. I’m picky about what I love. With that logic in mind, Yob’s Our Raw Heart is a stupendous, if not transcendent album that I loved from the get-go. Three minutes into the ten minute minute opening track and it was immediatey obvious that this album was on another level, entirely separate from the rest of the pack. There’s a lot of hype... 

This tour needs no introduction. You know what it is. In what can only be described as the biggest metal tour in the past few years, Slayer know how to announce their end in nothing short of the greatest of ways. Combining forces with Testament, Behemoth, Anthrax, and Lamb of God, there was no stopping this tour from being the stuff of legends. You knew it was going to be amazing, and actually witnessing it all happen within six hours was a major feat. Like Iron Maiden’s World Slavery Tour,  this one is for the books.  

I’ve become somewhat lost with progressive and technical death metal in recent years. Not that the genre has grown stale, but rather that my interests have been directed elsewhere while the two grew and prospered. Around 2015 is when I fell off the wagon, but through the early years of the decade I was all about the techically-inclined bands of that time. Burial in the Sky makes me nostalgic for that point in my life, but granted it’s probably not worth visiting those albums again because I’m quite certain Burial in the Sky are far more impressive to me today than what caught my attention back then.  

The dark side of heavy metal is a pathway to many abilities some might consider unnatural. In particular, it probably is the fitting soundtrack to that late-night depression you’re feeling as you lose track of why you’re still awake after nearly 20 hours. Yet no matter what your doctor tells you, you know he doesn’t know what he’s talking about. He doesn’t know the way Mgla empowers you. Nor does your mom understand why Shining is actually a satirical, shock rock-inspired extreme metal act. But you totally do, and that’s all the more reason you should be diving head first into the darker and arcanic metal bands today.   

Metalcore and hardcore may be going through a phase of popularity right now, what with bands like Code Orange, Jesus Piece, and Knocked Loose all getting their chance in the spotlight. That’s not to say hardcore hasn’t gotten its time in the limelight before, what with Hatebreed being a staple in the American music scene. That noted, you know how many bands I’ve had to deal with that just want to be Hatebreed rather than be inspired by them? Too many to be relieved that Thronetorcher aren’t one of them. They’re a well-versed, modernized hardcore band that are only getting started, and Eden’s Poison bodes well for them.  

  I can’t fathom how difficult it must be to travel to a new continent to open up an entire tour. That’s the place Destrage find themselves them in currently, as they’re on the road with Protest the Hero and Good Tiger. I remember stumbling on the band as they put out the video for “Purania” in 2014 and being perplexed by the band, not able to discern what it was that I liked about them. Flash forward four years and I’m not sure I can tell you what about this band that’s so enjoyable, but words are better formed when you have a live show to couple the music with. Destrange an anomaly, and in 2018 when metal is rarely seeing anything unique, that’s a good thing.  

I’ve been reminiscing this week of when I saw Iron Man ten years ago, watching Nick Fury walk onto screen at the end, and realizing that one day we would be getting an Avengers movie.By the time I was graduating high school, The Avengers was the talk of my entire student body, and with the stinger at the end, the question everyone asked was simple: Who was that? In refernece to Thanos, of course, we soon learned who he was. Father of Gamora. Threatening evil purple dude who sits on a chair. The guy who says “I’ll do it myself.” For all the ups and downs the Marvel Cinematic Universe has had, building upward has always been the strengh they’ve possessed. Cumilating in Infinity War,... 

It was in the first few moments of “Beyond Death” that I thought “Hey, this vocalist sounds like the guy from Cloak.” Surprisingly, I was right. Before Cloak debuted their album last year, guitarist/vocalist Scott Taysom was a part of Haunting, a lawless and short-lived death metal group in Atlanta, Georgia. Only releasing a single demo, Sealed Shut, the band made their sound very clear in four tracks, clocking in just over 11 minutes. Though defunct, Haunting are getting some post-mortem love from Boris Records.  

I’m rather vocal about how much rock music today is lacking. With a lack of forward momentum and the sound of the genre becoming stagnant, most bands tend to lean towards being a pop act. I did a whole article on this, but in that observation Monster Magnet wasn’t mentioned once. For good reason, Monster Magnet are a rock band from the NJ area that are now boasting twelve albums, ranging from catchy hard rock to 70’s inspired stoner rock. Breaking form the mold and going about the genre in a passionate manner is the most genuine way to write music, and upon seeing the band live, you can easily tell just how much love goes into performing to a room full of fans in front of them. There’s no veil separating... 

It takes a lot to go out on a tour by yourself. But if it’s one thing that Steel Panther has, it’s balls. They won’t let you forget that either, since the band is very quick to tell you that all four of its members have male body parts. Not without making you laugh, of course. To summarize, Steel Panther are excellent musicians who know how to put on a show and celebrate 80’s hair metal, but all the while poking fun of it in the most juvenile, crude, and hilarious way possible.  

Black Panther is the first movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to feature a black actor in the titular role, as well as the first to feature a predominantly black cast of characters to it. You probably knew that by now, what with all of the promotion and unfathomable amount of hype this movie has going for it. It’s inescapable, but can you blame yourself? The feel is sleek and stylish, and the sci-fi heavy African setting lends itself to be different kind of superhero film from what we’ve seen before. “Different,” however, is not synonymous with “perfect.” Still, while flaws are apparent,  what the film gets right is enough to make this a noteworthy addition to the MCU as a whole and not just another...