Your No. 1 Source For Extreme And Atmospheric Music And Film.

Author Chris Davison

I've been a metal fan since before I can remember anything else, more or less. My dad was always playing Judas Priest, Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden and AC/DC, so you can probably blame whatever crap score I have just awarded your terrible demo band indirectly to him. I spent my teenage years obsessing about thrash metal, before obsessing about all metal from that point onwards until now. I started reviewing music when Doug McClure was still trying to find the Land That Time Forgot, and in that time I have single handedly listened to every album ever released from Russia and the Baltic States. I live in a rural idyll, and so I don't get to gigs all that often, and thus you can always find me at Bloodstock clutching a flagon of rot-gut cider and smelling like a recently exhumed corpse, making the most of seeing a) other metal fans and b) metal bands. I once got poked in the eye by Lee Dorrian, and Fast Eddie Clarke told me he was still great. I also pulled Lesley Crowther's hair; The rest is just rumour.

Extermination Order – The Siege of Ascalon (War Anthem Records)

Extermination Order, it would seem, are a five piece from all over the place (California, Germany, Iceland). They cite influences such as early Amon Amarth, Edge of Sanity, and crucially, Bolt Thrower. I have always been puzzled why Bolt Thrower,… Continue Reading →

Lurk – Aegis (Transcending Obscurity)

I always get a little giddy when I get a release from Transcending Obscurity, mostly because owner Kunal has got one of the best ears in extreme metal when it comes to signing exciting bands. I confess that I hadn’t… Continue Reading →

Demonstealer – The Propaganda Machine (Black Lion)

The Demonstealer, whom we shall come back to shortly, has been a band since 1998, but has also been producing released records since 2008, and so by any measure has been in the game a long time. Turns out that… Continue Reading →

Verminous Serpent – The Malign Covenant (Amor Fati Productions)

I volunteered to review this malevolent creature essentially on the basis that it featured none other than A.A.Nemthegea on vocals and bass, and I am a big fan of his output. I really had no idea what else the band… Continue Reading →

Siege of Power – This is Tomorrow (Metal Blade)

I hadn’t heard of Siege of Power to be honest with you, but once I took a look at the band members, I realised that I probably should have done. An American-Dutch collaboration, they’re essentially a bit of a “who’s… Continue Reading →

Aglo – Into the Maze (Gutter Prince Cabal)

Well, it may just be my own sense of stereotyping, but the one place I didn’t expect to get crushing death/doom from was Melbourne, Australia. I of course know that Australia has a proud history of pure heavy metal and… Continue Reading →

Memoriam – Rise to Power (Reaper Entertainment)

Are Memoriam the hardest working British Death Metal band? You’d be hard pressed to find a band who have been quite so industrious with their release schedule, with this – their fifth album in six years, and coming just less… Continue Reading →

Ashen – Ritual of Ash (Bitter Loss Records)

It’s not all that often that I get to listen to Australian Extreme bands, but it turns out that antipodean four piece hail from Perth, and incredibly have only been together since 2020. I say incredibly, because this is a… Continue Reading →

Leper Colony – Leper Colony (Transcending Obscurity)

1985-1988 were really important years in the development of extreme metal. For a while, the terms now used in relatively precise terms by lovers of our brands of noise were relatively interchangeable. I can recall Megadeth proudly calling themselves “state… Continue Reading →

Arkham Witch – Swords Against Death (Metal-On-Metal Records)

The fourth release from the truer-than-true metal warriors from Keighley. It’s fair to say that I am a big fan of Arkham Witch (and The Lamp of Thoth before them), and I think every one of their releases has been… Continue Reading →

Mythosphere – Pathological (Cruz Del Sur)

There were a number of reasons why I really wanted to get hold of this debut album from Maryland doom / true metal outfit Mythosphere. Not only do they feature an ex-member of cult classic band Fates Warning on guitar… Continue Reading →

Doomocracy – Unorthodox (No Remorse Records)

Epic Doom, what is it good for? Absolutely everything, of course. I do love me a nice slab of epic doom, being a huge fan of Candlemass, Solitude Aeturnus, Solstice…the list goes on. So, when Doomocracy were advertised as being… Continue Reading →

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