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Photo by Bill Shouldis Anvil‘s comeback has been heartwarming. After a well-received documentary (reviewed here) — which unintentionally doubled as a massive promotional campaign — the band’s latest album, This is Thirteen, will get a proper label release (September 15, on VH1 Classic). Anvil will also open in US stadiums for AC/DC, whose Highway to […]

Fuck the Facts Fuck the Facts and Dreaming Dead played at The Arena in Philadelphia on July 4. The Arena hosts boxing and wrestling matches; parts of Darren Aronofsky’s The Wrestler were filmed there. It is a big room with a high ceiling. Early in the afternoon on this first day of the Hostile City […]

Flyer by Seldon H*nt The Show No Mercy series of NYC metal shows has concocted its most intriguing (or at least strangest) lineup yet. Anal C*nt (needs no introduction) F*ck the Facts (Canadian grindcore, reviewed here) Locrian (Chicago noise, reviewed here) Copremesis (NY death metal, reviewed here) Gwynbleidd (Brooklyn melodic metal, reviewed here) Some band […]

Back of liner notes Musk Ox comes advertised as “neofolk.” This throws me, as my admittedly limited understanding of the term runs to Current 93 and menacing stuff on Cold Spring Records. But Wikipedia includes Agalloch under “neofolk,” and Musk Ox recalls that band’s acoustic side. So, terminology aside, campfire singalongs aren’t at issue. Instead, […]

Voivod‘s new record Infini comes out today in the US (on Relapse) and Canada (on Sonic Unyon). It’s my favorite of Voivod’s Jason Newsted-era records, mainly because it lets reverb into the mix this time. The album rounds up the rest of the tunes that guitarist Denis “Piggy” D’Amour (RIP) left on his laptop when […]

http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/umAxeO-QfmY&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0 Anvil! The Story of Anvil is sort of a metal version of Darren Aronofsky’s The Wrestler: ’80s pop culture icon gives way to ’90s irrelevance, which gives rise to an attempted comeback this century. It even has a service industry hairnet scene. Both movies are more than the heartwarming stories they are made out […]

Last night, I came home to a domestic disturbance in front of my building. Chased by an angry female voice, a man crossed the street to a pay phone and started dialing. People do not use pay phones at 2am for wholesome purposes. A woman brandishing a knife charged out the door after him. We […]

Artwork by Away Before reviewing the new Voivod record, I revisited its back catalogue. Angel Rat and The Outer Limits are tremendously underrated. I have owned both, but never truly appreciated them until now. Perhaps I bought into the conventional wisdom of “first x albums good, everything later bad.” Perhaps my ears just weren’t ready. […]

by Cosmo Lee Today is National Pie Day. I will celebrate by having my beloved Southern pecan pie at Little Pie Company. If you are in Houston, go to House of Pies (aka House of Guys due to its popularity with local gays). Not only does it have wonderful pies, it is open 24 hours. […]

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 […]