jblumensheid

There’s only so many hours in a day, and there’s so many bands out there. No way you can check them all out in one lifetime. Many are bound to pass under your radar or slip through the cracks. But what about the ones you’re aware of but don’t bother to check out? What if […]

by Jess Blumensheid 1. Church of Misery – Houses of the Unholy2. Amesoeurs – Amesoeurs3. Wino – Punctuated Equilibrium4. Magrudergrind – Magrudergrind5. The Gates of Slumber – Hymns of Blood and Thunder6. Deströyer 666 – Defiance7. Archgoat – “Goat and the Moon”8. Marduk – Wormwood9. Teitanblood – Seven Chalices10. Tribulation – The Horror This list […]

Counterclockwise from top:Justin Bartlett, Mike Hill, Asa E, Jess Blumensheid We come bearing blackened gifts of doom. Jess returns from the ice worm’s lair (i.e., school) to deliver her deepest podcast yet. She talks to Justin Bartlett, Mike Hill, and Asa E about their favorite records of this year. Then she talks about hers. Justin […]

Illustration of Fenriz by Nagawika There must be some happy medium between “Pro Tooled to death, on Nuclear Blast/Century Media” and “recorded in a dumpster under two damp mattresses, wants to be our MySpace friend.” Then again, black metal shouldn’t be about happy mediums. In this third installment of A Better Tomorrow, Jess Blumensheid goes […]

http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/YWAEyj0r7QE&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0 Bottling the coffee-and-cigarette grit of Harvey Milk isn’t easy. Graphic designer Stephen O’Malley proves so on a brown digipak with Khanate artwork. But Chunklet editor/publisher Henry H. Owings prevails after four years of compiling material from Athens, GA’s bluesy trio. He doesn’t hesitate to brag about the process — the liner notes push past […]

HewhocorruptsPhoto by Barclay Lewis Jess always comes back from Indiana’s annual Dude Fest with the darnedest pictures. Last year it was this lovely latrine. This year it was the above photo. It is of Hewhocorrupts, though it looks like an outtake from Will Ferrell’s Old School. That’s what Dude Fest seems like to me: a […]

Tombs of the Blind DruggedGatefold LP artwork Olly Pearson is a man of few words. He spares his breath for harsh vocals in a band that never intended to rise this far. Moss‘ art is far from accessible. For Pearson and friends, the band is a private avenue of expression. Although Pearson admits Moss’ lack […]

Moss make every strike count. Usually they do this with variation that comes only every few minutes. With conservative speed limits, Moss eliminate hopes for standard song structure. This 40-minute EP smells and sticks like weed and mold. But drone not-from-concentrate didn’t travel this far on previous releases. This sound is more fluid. Dominic Finbow […]

Magrudergrind kick faces on this Willowtip debut, their second full-length. The 16 tracks of abrasive grind is a big swallow. Executing grit with force, Magrudergrind don’t sound like pimpled youth as on 2007’s Rehashed. These aren’t the same kiddies smashing blastbeats and freakouts every 20 seconds. Substance reels this trio into a meatier core. Drums, […]

Photo by Jon Kristiansen Greg Anderson isn’t very concerned about entertaining crowds. This is surprising coming from a musician who fronts Sunn O))), a band that strives to capture as much of the live aesthetic as possible. But Anderson and partner Stephen O’Malley would rather make air vibrate than eye contact. As the main man […]