post-metal

Neurosis, upstairs @ GAMH, SFPhoto by Brendan Tobin It’s been a while since my last reviews update. There’s so much good stuff now, it’s almost overwhelming! At Stylus, I’ve reviewed Cephalic Carnage, Neurosis, Pelican, and Pig Destroyer. At Metal Injection, I’ve reviewed Akercocke, Toxic Bonkers, N.I.L., Deadlock, Merciless Death, Thought Chamber, and Watain. Neurosis – […]

At Stylus this week, I have a feature (URL updated) on artists who do metal album artwork. Each day will publish an interview and artwork for a different artist – Orion Landau, Larry Carroll, Stephen Kasner, Dan Seagrave, and John Dyer Baizley. This blog will host supplementary materials and interview outtakes for these artists. Neurosis […]

By now, the NeurIsis sound is severely, severely played out. But every so often, a band (e.g., Year of No Light) comes along and reminds me of the possibilities of the sound. The Czech Republic’s Lvmen (the Latin spelling of “lumen,” as in “light”) is the latest such band. Lvmen 4 But they are hardly […]

Named for the Godflesh song, Voidhead avoids the obvious Godflesh elements (crushingness, nihilism) in favor of the liminal ones (atmosphere, drone). The four tracks of Land (Head to Avoid, 2007) each sound quite different and thus slightly incohesive. However, Voidhead impressively writes distinct-sounding songs with elements that usually emphasize sound over song. LandSchematic Thus, “Land” […]

Antigama A bunch of new writing up – at Metal Injection, I’ve got reviews of Polish grinders Antigama, Norwegian black metal band Throne of Katarsis, and Los Angeles prog metallers Redemption, as well as interviews with Spanish band NahemaH and shredder Laura Christine from San Diego death metallers Warface. Antigama – Neutral BalanceNaglfar – The […]

Soon to FollowLevitate Hydra Head2007 Someone someday should write a book about the late ’90s, early ’00s Boston hardcore/metal scene. It’s mind-boggling that Bane, Converge, Cave In, Isis, Doomriders, Old Man Gloom, and now Zozobra are all connected, not to mention Agoraphobic Nosebleed, Red Sparowes, and assorted one-offs and solo projects. Zozobra began as a […]

Conqueror Hydra Head2007 I can’t believe this is happening. I’m listening to an album by Justin Broadrick, and I can’t wait for it to end. This has never happened before. Even Hymns, arguably the weakest Godflesh album, had some brilliant peaks. But Conqueror – it bores me. By normal standards, it’s a good album. The […]

My review of Nahemah’s new album is up at Stylus. After many listens, I realized that Nahemah was like a lusher, less repressed Isis. Up at Metal Injection is my review of old-school (and excellent) Swedish death metal act Flesh. Nahemah – PhoenixFlesh – Baptised on the Demon’s Throne

My review of Isis’ In the Absence of Truth is up at Stylus. The NY Times has also reviewed this album; the critic has the challenge of describing the album to the general public. Thus, he paints with extremely broad strokes. It would be futile for him to reference Neurosis and Godflesh as I did. […]

My review of Year of No Light’s Nord is up at Stylus. An excerpt: The proliferation of Isis-alikes has reached epidemic proportions. Every time you turn around, there’s another band with atmospheric riffs, eight-minute songs, understated artwork, and a beard (or two). It’s easy to see why this sound has caught on: Black Sabbath, Godflesh, […]