Bitterness and unrest shape Mother of All‘s new album Global Parasitic Leviathan nearly as much as its melodic inclinations do — it’s tempting to imagine that the band’s contempt for established power structures naturally warped what was originally saccharine melodic death metal into a vicious hybrid beast, but the bristling steel core of this record was clearly intentional. Mixing melodic death metal with progressive death and thrash metal, the Danish group takes sardonic aim at corporate greed and systemic oppression through a mix of metaphors and satirical venom. It feels like more of a foc ..read more

An absolute whirlwind of excess, melancholy, and intensity, Australia’s King return with their third full-length album. Following suit with their Very Melodic fusion of black and death metal, King’s Fury and Death looks to genre classics for inspiration, but turns the dial to 11 on the vigor scale, upping their music’s magnitude to a wall-shaking level. Both blasting and grooving, King’s new single “Perception Ignited,” which can be streamed ahead of Fury and Death‘s November 17th release, finds comfort in melodic black metal and melodic death metal tropes without losing themselves in the glut ..read more

Weaving together aggression and undeniable charisma, Machination of Fate‘s upcoming album Celestial Prophecies is extreme metal at its most straightforwardly captivating: a riff-driven onslaught steeped in melody. The Kentucky group’s self-titled album released in 2020 highlighted their love of classic melodic death, thrash, and black metal, but Celestial Prophecies zooms in even closer, showing listeners an ironclad vision of what melodic metal was–and could still be. We’re premiering a new single “Cosmic Womb” below: note the crisp, legible production that pushes guitars and vocals to the f ..read more

Melodic doom metal live takes on a certain majesty, and that’s especially clear on Resonance. This record features songs from Countless Skies’ first two albums performed live in the studio alongside cellist Arianna Mahsayeh. The U.K-based melodic death metal powerhouse have collected songs from both records New Dawn and Glow for a special showcase on this album. Loud and epic but also mournful and unique, this take on their debut records will be satisfying to fans of melodic, heavy music that pushes boundaries. Stream it here: … Resonance – Live from the Studio by Countless Skies … About the ..read more

Editors Jon and Ted, joined by Ben Smasher, talked with Majesties about their recent album “Vast Reaches Unclaimed.” The band, comprised of Carl Skildum and Matthew Kirkwold (both members of Antiverse and Inexorum) and Tanner Anderson (Celestial, Obsequiae), are keenly interested in melodic death metal’s earliest iterations, and that passion inspired a record which brings that past to new, vivid life. We got deep into that passion on this podcast, and also talked about some of the other things the band members have going on, plus their newly enlisted drummer John Kerr. —Ted … … You’re gonna ..read more

Voidscape plucks a vital nostalgic string tucked deep in my heart – though the New Jersey-based band doesn’t sound exactly like the melodic death metal that I grew up with, their new EP Odyssey of Spite is completely unafraid to enrich their vicious death metal core with a synth-boosted melodicism that’s indulgently weird and expressive, and reminds me of sounds long buried by a zest for mainstream appeal. At the same time, Voidscape differentiate themselves from other melodic death metal revival acts by focusing more on catchiness and diversifying their attack — this is evident in the guitar ..read more

By design, Majesties‘ debut album Vast Reaches Unclaimed has a sound firmly rooted in the past. Featuring members of Inexorum, Obsequiae, and Antiverse, the music holds some similarities to those projects, but it mainly takes you back to early 1990s Sweden with furious melodicism via the riffs and ripping brutality on the vocal side. Fans with an appreciation of the Gothenburg scene in Sweden, especially before it was a fixed monolith in heavy metal history, should recognize this primordial and beautiful style of music in its nascent state: one that can still be heard in various forms over 30 ..read more

Texas melodic blackened death metal band Scars of the Flesh formed in 2014 by guitarists Bryan Eckermann (ex-Wings of Abaddon), Derek Russell and vocalist Kobey Lange (Cerebral Desecration, ex-Wings of Abaddon). Their debut album Harvest of Souls was released in 2017 to a wide positive online reaction while their sophomore album Reaching into the Void furthered the band’s stronghold and allowed it to finally bring their songs to the stage. However, due to the global pandemic, the band’s progress was halted for the past two and a half years. Finally, the band’s third album In Darkness Alone wi ..read more

Denmark’s Defacing God isn’t your typical female-fronted symphonic metal band. By combining elements of early ’90s Swedish/Scandinavian melodic death metal influences with their love of black metal, cinematic soundtracks and classical orchestration, along with elements of occultism and witchcraft, the band has embarked on a special sound injected with their own personality. Denmark possesses a unique music scene with varied genres in rock and metal, and Defacing God has been well-received in the Danish metal community with the release of its debut full-length album The Resurrection Of Lilith ..read more

Photo credit: Nadine Maziarz In a quaint chandelier-filled music venue converted from an age old luggage transfer station, fans of heavy metal music experienced a treat for their senses. On August 28th, Union Transfer Philadelphia welcomed legendary Swedish melodic death metal band At the Gates, supported by thrash metal party animals Municipal Waste and the powerful crossover thrash metal band Enforced. … Drenched in intense blue and white light, Enforced began their set with the track “Trespasser”, followed by popular hits “Skinned Alive” and “Reckoning Force”. Descriptively, Power Trip and ..read more