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MetalMatters: April 2020 - Notes from the Quarantine
In times of quarantine we listen and we write, so here are 20 extreme (and some experimental) records to spin during these times.
19 May 2020
Music
The 20 Best Metal Albums of 2010
In 2010, the metal world honored the memory of Ronnie James Dio in the coolest possible way: by making it the best year for new music the genre saw in a very long time.
01 May 2020
Music
Hip-Hop/Metal Duo C Trip A Dip into "Thought Streams" (premiere)
The first ever hip-hop/metal crossover from Translation Loss is an exciting joint venture that seamlessly melds two seemingly disparate genres.
29 Apr 2020
Music
MetalMatters: March 2020 - Self Isolation
March's MetalMatters features extreme tunes to get you through difficult times. Hopefully, they will momentarily allow you to escape from this harsh reality.
10 Apr 2020
Music
MetalMatters: February 2020 - Running on All Cylinders
February in heavy music features long-awaited returns from Psychotic Waltz, Envy, and Today Is the Day, along with a healthy dose of black metal and experimental music.
05 Mar 2020
Music
On 'H.A.Q.Q.', Liturgy Craft a Compelling Case for Transcendent Black Metal
Hunter Hunt-Hendrix and his comrades in Liturgy combine ambitiousness, risk-taking and sheer skill into a fresh triumph on H.A.Q.Q.
27 Feb 2020
Music
MetalMatters: January 2020 - One Year Anniversary
The new year, and the new decade, kick things off in the most promising way possible as a combination of newcomers and established acts produce amazing works across death, black, metalcore, power and thrash metal.
10 Feb 2020
Music
Music, Drama, and Philosophy with Liturgy's Hunter Hunt-Hendrix
Liturgy founder Hunter Hunt-Hendrix discusses religion, philosophy, history, and music from Johannes Brahms to Waka Flocka Flame.
22 Jan 2020
Music
MetalMatters: December 2019 - The End of the Decade
The last month of the 2010s was defined by an explosion of black metal grimness, modern and retro sprinkled with death metal brutality, caustic hardcore and some historic re-releases.
15 Jan 2020
Music
MetalMatters: November 2019 - Winter Is Coming
Filled with everything from extreme doom/death and progressive death to experimental avant-garde jazz induced visions and screamo dreams, November does not disappoint.
10 Dec 2019
Music
The 20 Best Metal Albums of 2019
For yet another year, metal shows its endless well of creativity through fierce musicianship and ambitious outlook, highlighted through these 20 exquisite records.
27 Nov 2019
Music
Opium Lord's 'Vore' Ends the Band's Time in the Wilderness
Opium Lord's Vore is a soul-blackened missive tailor-made to spark crowds as well as to reward contemplative listening.
04 Nov 2019
Music
Alcest Deliver Exceptional Blackgaze Catharsis on 'Spiritual Instinct'
Everything that fans could want—and everything that makes blackgaze stand out—is contained within Alcest's Spiritual Instinct.
24 Oct 2019
Music
MetalMatters: October 2019 - What's That Noise?
October is dominated by heavyweight returns from noise rock pioneers Swans and Lightning Bolt, while also filled with the black metal bleakness of Blut Aus Nord and the Great Old Ones, while Vastum continue 20 Buck Spin's death metal master class streak.
22 Oct 2019
Music
MetalMatters: September 2019 - Back to the Grind
September is filled with exciting heavy releases, most notably the return of post-metal icons Cult of Luna, the sophomore record of post-black metal mavericks White Ward, and the resurrection of experimental proto-black metallers Mortem.
30 Sep 2019
Music
Groupthink and Other Painful Reflections on Thee Temple ov Psychick Youth
TOPY and Genesis P-Orridge's knowing adoption of cult iconography and organizing principles quickly slid from satiric emulation to full embrace -- and we all went along with it.
27 Sep 2019
Music
Ghosts of Glaciers Deliver a Powerful, Intelligent Instrumental with "Epigenesis" (premiere)
Colorado trio Ghosts of Glaciers combine the primitive pounding of thrash metal with the intellectual nuances of progressive rock on a new track, culled from the upcoming album, The Greatest Burden.
31 Jul 2019
Music
MetalMatters: July 2019 - It's Never Too Hot for Dark, Heavy Music
Unconventional rock albums, from poppy sludge outfit Torche, noise rock masters Uzeda and post-hardcore outcasts Cherubs, along with the black metal fury of Falls of Rauros, False, Arkhaik, Celestial Grave and Sanguine Eagle and uncategorized extremists Immortal Bird are among this month's extreme output.
22 Jul 2019
Music
Torche Continue to Mine a Complex Brand of Metal With the Mesmerizing 'Admission'
Admission isn't an enormous change in the sound of Torche, but rather an affirmation that this band insists on forging new paths and confounding expectations.
11 Jul 2019
Music
MetalMatters: June 2019 - A Month Full of Long-Awaited Returns
Slough Feg carry on their heavy metal journey while Darkthrone keep digging towards their proto-punk/heavy metal core. Baroness return with their most ambitious work to date, while Pinkish Black continue to explore the endless possibilities of synth driven extreme music.
25 Jun 2019
Music
San Diego's Those Darn Gnomes Up the Weirdness Game With "Birds" (premiere)
Can slime mold be a muse? Can you cross more streams than this collective? All those answers and more are shrouded in mystery on new track from Those Darn Gnomes. Maximum weirdness.
04 Jun 2019
Music
MetalMatters: May 2019 - Back to the Basics and Prepare for Takeoff
Masters of drone Earth return with their more minimal record to date, Full of Hell continue their rampage through power electronics and No Negative carry on bouncing around garage, punk and post-punk. Newer acts Vale, Suspiral, Onkos, and Verwoed take the next step and sound like veterans of the scene.
21 May 2019
Music
MetalMatters: April 2019 - It Is April So "Why So Serious?"
Sunn O)) return with a magnificent beast, Vaura fully embrace their experimental new wave tendencies, and Dead to a Dying World solidify their position in the extreme metal pantheon, among more exciting new works. And a few announcements regarding the column.
19 Apr 2019
Music
Inter Arma Have Created Another Stunning Collection with 'Sulphur English'
From Sulphur English's all-encompassing reverie to the LP's themes of the arcane, Inter Arma are most certainly in their wheelhouse, continuing to redefine what it means to be a modern-day metal band.
18 Apr 2019
Music
Florida Metal Trio Thunderclap Makes Auspicious Debut With 'Inebriocean' (album stream) (premiere)
Have you lost control? Are you nearly drowning? Or are you able to survive? Thunderclap asks these questions and more with heavy hooks and DNA-altering riffs on their new album Inebriocean.
Jedd Beaudoin
28 Mar 2019
Music
MetalMatters: March 2019 – Beware the Ides of Metal
From Drastus' monumental second LP to Mystifier's righteous comeback, to Venom Prison's evolution towards death metal infamy, and enthralling debut full-lengths from Devil Master, VLTIMAS, Heaume Mortal, and more, March's MetalMatters highlights a bounty of subversive brilliance.
15 Mar 2019
Music
Chrome Waves Arrives With Debut Album, 'A Grief Observed' (album stream) (premiere)
Former members of Wolvhammer, Nachtmystium, and the Gates of Slumber unite as Chrome Waves on album that unites shoegaze, post-rock, and extreme metal.
27 Feb 2019
Music
MetalMatters: February 2019 – #Metalmindfulness
Welcome to PopMatters' monthly metal feature, MetalMatters. Each month we listen to a number of exciting releases across metal's many subgenre's to distill the swarm down to what we deem worthy of your precious time.
25 Feb 2019
Music
MetalMatters: January 2019 – Within Winter's Clench
Welcome to PopMatters' new monthly metal feature, MetalMatters. Each month we'll take a look at a number of exciting releases across metal's many sub-genres to distill the swarm down to what we deem worthy of your precious time.
12 Feb 2019
Music
Extreme Music Fiends ENDON Return with Another Chaotic Offering in 'Boy Meets Girl'
On Boy Meets Girl, Japan's ENDON carry down the same path of aggression tilting towards their hardcore-esque origins.
25 Jan 2019
Music
Conny Ochs Gets Contemplative With "Dark Tower" (premiere)
Through Conny Ochs is beloved in the heavy rock community, "Dark Tower" transcends musical boundaries, with an appeal that recalls Soundgarden at its most tuneful and emotive.
23 Jan 2019
Music
The Best Metal of 2018
Amidst all the global socio-political unrest and the personal trials of 2018, metal has had a noticeably strong and positive year.
30 Nov 2018
Music
Sigh's 'Heir to Despair' Is a Stylistically Diverse Exploration of Madness
Japanese black metal stalwarts Sigh explore madness through folklore and experiment with new sounds on Heir to Despair.
27 Nov 2018
Music
On the 30th Anniversary of Anthrax's 'State of Euphoria'
With State of Euphoria, Anthrax tempered some of the excessive '80s metal tendencies of their vocal, lead guitar, and song arrangements, reaching back toward something more viscerally punk as the '80s ended.
05 Nov 2018
Music
A Hardwired Triumph for Metallica
Metallica has perfected the arena rock experience, creating as immersive and inclusive an atmosphere as possible by performing "in the round".
09 Oct 2018
Music
High on Fire's 'Electric Messiah' Is Home to Some of the Metal Band's Fastest Songs
Now that the classic Motörhead line-up is hellraising on another astral plane, the Iron Fist has been passed to High on Fire.
05 Oct 2018
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