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ClosureSudam Hydra Head2006 Since I recently reviewed Botch’s 061502, I thought I’d revisit Unifying Themes Redux, which Hydra Head reissued last year. Excursion originally put out the compilation in 2002; it collects tracks from out-of-print 7″s, EP’s, compilations, and a radio live set. Odds-and-ends collections like this sound like a good idea, but in practice […]

My review of French black metallers Antaeus is up at Metal Injection. Norma Evangelium Diaboli have outdone themselves with the packaging this time, so be sure to pick up the real thing. At Stylus, I’ve reviewed 061502, the DVD/CD of the final show by Botch. The gig is good, not great, but through sheer quality […]

Untitled 2Untitled 6 Rehearsal Tracks1997-2000 As reported on Blabbermouth, Crimson Moon has leaked two rehearsal tracks from its upcoming album. Between the press release and the band website, it’s unclear what the hell has been going on lineup-wise. The sources list completely different lineups, but the upshot is that Malefic of Xasthur has joined the […]

Will to SurviveWorld Fist Music2006 Colorado’s Immortal Dominion harkens back to an older sound – the mid-’90s thrash/death of Pantera, Machine Head, and so on. This is distinctly second-tier stuff (think Pissing Razors), though I don’t mean that as a diss; only a few bands can be top-tier, after all. It’s just that the riffs […]

My interview with Stolen Babies is now up at Stylus. I quite recommend the band’s debut album, There Be Squabbles Ahead. Normally, costuming in bands puts me off, but for Stolen Babies, it’s neither an affectation nor a genre convention. The more I talked with guitarist Rani Sharone, the more I understood where the band’s […]

Hate Eternal for me is one of the pinnacles of human achievement – I mean that seriously. That three people can produce a sound so fast, fierce, and efficient blows me away. Haters cite the band’s relentless speed, and while that’s true of the first two albums, I, Monarch was a huge step up in […]

My reviews of The Faceless and Born From Pain are up at Metal Injection. The Faceless – Ghost of a StrangerBorn From Pain – Scorched Earth

My reviews of I’s Between Two Worlds and Her Candane’s No Battle! are up at Stylus and Metal Injection, respectively.

Reefer Stashed PlaceI Cum Bud Forcefield2006 Why didn’t anyone think of this earlier??? Maybe people did – the idea just never got past the half-baked stage. Cannabis Corpse is Philip Hall (“Landphil”) from Municipal Waste on guitar and bass, his brother Josh (“Hallhammer”) on drums, and Andy Horn (“Weedgrinder”) on vocals. As the name states, […]

A town can be measured by its record stores. By that standard, Minot, ND, has gone to the dogs. I’m back in my hometown for the holidays, and I discovered that the one record store in the one mall here recently closed. Tellingly, a Christian bookstore also replaced the only toy store. Now, the only […]