Icelandic metallers Punks Of The Empire release their debut long-player, Gehenna. Akureyri, Iceland is home base for the metalcore quintet Punks Of The Empire. In 2021, they released their inaugural EP, Façade, then immediately began work on their first full-length album. Punks Of The Empire say that the new record is a “concept album filled ..read more

Ukrainian death-groove metal band Arhat have a new album coming out, their second full-length record, Secrets Of Ancient Gods. Formed in Kyiv in 2017, Arhat plays an approachable kind of death metal that combines grooves and thrash with fundamental death metal foundations, resulting in heavy music that crosses borders. They have released an EP previously, and Dead Life, their debut long-player. Talking about the new record, Arhat says, “This album is a journey into the world of ancient gods and mysterious rituals, reflecting the depths of wisdom of ancient civilizations. Each composition of t ..read more

Decapitated’s Cancer Culture Tour rumbled through the Midwest, stopping at The Forge with Septicflesh, Kataklysm, and Allegaeon. Decapitated I have been spending a lot of time at The Forge this year because they have had an amazing string of heavy metal bands running through their Joliet, Illinois venue. It is an excellent venue for metal shows with its generous open floor, deep U-shaped balcony, and easy bar access. The west Chicago suburban location is convenient, too. First up: Allegaeon. This technical death metal band from Colorado began in 2008 (a bit before that under a slightly differe ..read more

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The New World Samurai Tour with Clutch, Blacktop Mojo, and The Native Howl slipped into the Castle Theatre and the bands worked their magic. Clutch Clutch, the hardest working band in the land, is prosecuting the New World Samurai Tour right now. Among the countless characteristics that are great about Clutch is that they take a variety of supporting acts with them on the road. This time, it is Blacktop Mojo and The Native Howl. The evening began with The Native Howl, a thrash grass band from Detroit. “Thrash grass” is how they refer to their own music, describing it as a combination of blue g ..read more

Boogie metal maestros Leather Lung release their first long-player, Graveside Grin. Leather Lung specialized in EPs for the last ten years or so, ripping out four of them: Reap What You Sow (2014), Lost in Temptation (2016), Lonesome, On’ry and Evil (2019), and Dive Bar Devil (2022). The music is stoner goodness with the heaviness of sludge infused when needed, and plenty of bouncy hooks. Boogie metal, some people call it. It is infectious, I can tell you that. It gets in your blood. The band is Mike (vocals), Zach (guitar, vocals), Ben (drums), Jesse (bass, vocals), and Greg (guitar). “Spit ..read more

Voivod and Prong brought progressive weirdness to The Rave on Leap Day. Voivod Teaming up for the double punch you’ve been asking for, crossover groovers Prong and science fiction progsters Voivoid are working their way across North America this Spring in a co-headlining spectacle. I caught the show at The Rave in Milwaukee. To be specific, the music was downstairs at The Rave II which, as I understand it, is in between the main room and the bar space, size wise. Not counting the gigantic ballroom, of course. It is a cozy space that is open in front of the stage, has seating stage right, and t ..read more

Exhorder solidifies their remarkable return with another smashing album, Defectum Omnium. Back in 1985 in New Orleans, Exhorder came into being, and they pushed out a sound that caused ears to perk up in the heavy music community. It was thrash with catchy hooks, a heavy groove that drew you in. They put out two big albums, Slaughter In The Vatican (1990) and The Law (1992), but by the end of 1994 they had disintegrated. A couple of decades passed, and then a few more years. Seemingly out of nowhere, like music discovered in an ancient tomb, Exhorder rose again in 2019 and unleashed an incred ..read more

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