self-released

by Cosmo Lee I’ve been doing Decibel‘s demo column (“Throw Me a Frickin’ Bone!”) for a little while now. The only prerequisite for inclusion (other than being “metal enough”) is being unsigned. Occasionally I come across bands that are inexplicably label-less; in this latest column (Decibel #49, Amon Amarth cover), two stood out. The first […]

by Cosmo Lee Having seen Watain live tonight – an enjoyable but predictable experience – and listening to Altar of Plagues right now, I’m convinced that black metal’s balance of power has tipped away from Scandinavia. There’s no resulting epicenter – the Internet is leveling regional idiosyncrasies with the force of a trillion downloads – […]

by Cosmo Lee It’s rare that a voice comes along on MySpace that’s truly unique. Precedents exist for the UK’s Asbestoscape – the cinematic sweep of Mogwai, the hoover synths of drum ‘n’ bass, the glitchy drums of electronic music five years ago (Tipper comes to mind). But this one-man act is identifiable within seconds […]

by Cosmo Lee And last in this mini-series of writers as musicians (or vice versa) – me. Late last year I endeavored to set the 7 deadly sins to music, using only piano sounds. The project took about a month and a half to execute. I am a mediocre composer, a lousy pianist, and an […]

I love the sound of female singing. But I generally hate it in metal, usually through no fault of the singers. Its usual context is what I’ll call “corset metal,” over-produced schlock with billowing hair and faceless male minions. It’s all drama and no nuance. Lacuna Coil were actually a good band before they became […]

Referencing the notorious San Francisco district Haight Ashbury, Bongripper relishes another opportunity to smash the hippie mold. Hate Ashbury re-affirms the Chicago quartet’s slogan, “The only good hippie is a dead hippie.” A hostile illustration plasters Hate Ashbury with anti-beatnik animosity. All peace, love, and happiness vanish as the fingers of the peace sign are […]

Howl In the current issue of Decibel (#44, Iron Maiden cover), I’ve done the “Throw Me a Frickin’ Bone!” column, which reviews demos and unsigned records. Some of them are actually good. The two of note this time are by Howl and Mendozza. Both are hairy and sound like it. (One of my non-metalhead friends […]

Paris’ answer to Eyehategod, Eibon have a new promo CD out. Its two massive tracks total 22 and a half minutes in length. Eibon hammer riffs into the ground with the best of ’em, yet shape them into surprisingly graceful journeys. “Asleep and Threatening” is the more aggressive offering, and is audible on Eibon’s MySpace. […]

Swedes can bring the umlauts, too. Tid hail from Linköping (and Stockholm) and have a bassist named Björn, a guitarist named Söderberg, and songs titled “Synvända” and “Västanvind.” I can’t do much with the Swedish lyrics other than bask in the profusion of umlauts and cute little circles above the letter “a.” (The one in […]

“Ambient Death” is an improbable name seemingly spawned from a music genre name generator. This Brooklyn band’s sound could also come from a machine, one of time warp. The aptly-titled Time Eclipse is the most accurate re-creation of early ’90s progressive death metal I’ve ever heard, when bands started exploring jazz fusion, but with thrash […]