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Pictured: DevilDriverPhotos and review by Chris Rowella Toad’s Place is probably the best place to see a metal show in Connecticut. Not too big, not too small, good sound, and (for venues around here) decent drink prices. Most metal tours end up in Hartford’s Webster Theater or skip the Nutmeg State altogether, so I was […]

by Chris Rowella I have a feeling Tony Reed and I would get along famously. His previous outfit, Mos Generator, was steeped in the Seventies hard rock tradition of Riffs, Hooks, and Blooze. With his new project Stone Axe — essentially a two-man band (Reed records all the instruments) — he’s delving even deeper into […]

by Chris Rowella I might lose street cred by saying this, but who cares: I’m done seeking out the most extreme, experimental, metal/noise/ambient/prog/core/whatever floating around. At this point in my life, I know exactly what I like, and that’s what I stick to. With the resurgence of old-school death metal and bands coming clean about […]

by Chris Rowella It’s impossible to surf the Internet this time of year without running into “best of” lists. As I get older, their appeal has waned. With releases growing exponentially each year, listing favorites has become a pain in the ass. I find myself returning to records that have transcended annual rankings to become […]

Mixing genres has been a metal mainstay since the beginning, whether it’s thrash combining NWOBHM and punk or death ‘n’ roll matching groove with guttural growls. As of late, cross-genre pollination has produced some horrid stuff — “crunkcore” still makes me shudder — but luckily The Red Chord have returned with their special brand of […]

Warning: Extremely NSFW . . . Most metal music videos fail to live up to the music. If they’re not completely uninspired (hello, band playing in a warehouse/the woods/on stage), they’re downright goofy (hello, Immortal). There are a few diamonds in the rough, whether through novel concepts or proficient execution. Mastodon, Cannibal Corpse, and Amon […]

Fight Amp has slipped by a large portion of the metal populace. It might be a case of too many cooks in the kitchen, as there is no shortage of Amphetamine Reptile-worshipping bands now. But while peers like Engineer, Black Cobra, and Akimbo enjoy bigger exposure, Fight Amp has come up with Manners and Praise […]

VaderPhotos by Chris Rowella With few exceptions, Connecticut’s metal scene lacks talent and cohesive support. People come out for Ozzfest and Emmure, but not much else. Thankfully, a variety of international bands temporarily buried that fact at Hartford’s Webster Underground last Friday. I arrived too late to see Rose Funeral, but their cookie-cutter deathcore holds […]

For many, Pelican have much to answer for. Their career thus far has been haphazard. For every great doom-laden slab like the self-titled EP or Australasia, there are messy, wankish post-rock releases like City of Echoes and the Pink Mammoth EP. A label switch to Southern Lord didn’t raise hopes for a change in direction. […]