Oakland death metal band Darkness Everywhere release their first full-length album, To Conquer Eternal Damnation. Darkness Everywhere came together in 2020 in Oakland when a group of seasoned musicians found that they all had an affection for 1990s Swedish melodic death metal. In 2022, they released their first recording, the EP The Seventh Circle. Now they have moved into longform, and the results speak for themselves. The band is Ben Murray (guitar, vocals), Cameron Stucky (guitar), Zack Ohren (bass), and Garrett Garvey (drums). Talking about the new record, Murray says, “We’re incredibly p ..read more

New music from Ghoul is always a cause for celebration: Noxious Concoctions. Ghoul is the famous Oakland metal band that mashes death/thrash/grind and whatever else they need into the music they create. They cracked out three killer long-players in the early aughts, and since then they have been more parsimonious with new records, letting one go every five years or so. Therefore, when we do get a new one, it is a good day for fans. The band is Digestor (vocals, guitar), Cremator (vocals, bass), Fermentor (drums, vocals), and Dissector (vocals, guitar). Talking about the latest EP, Digestor te ..read more

The new split from Merked and Kageneko is a noisy wonderland. Merked describe themselves and their music this way, “We’re three friends in Oakland alleviating the boredom of life by spending our time creating that new sound you’ve been looking for. A nice mixture of PV, grind, and hardcore.” They are underselling it a little bit, because the music sounds like more than a hobby to me. They have put out a couple of long-players, Merked (2021) and Murk Job (2022), and an earlier split with Slag. Merked is Ill Will (drums), Fedge (bass), and Yong-Sung (guitar, vocals). There are fourteen tracks o ..read more

Gore metal paragons Autopsy offer up their ninth album for consumption, Ashes, Organs, Blood and Crypts. Autopsy is a death metal band that is known for using horror and gore as primary subject matter in their music. Forming in Oakland in 1987, the band was seminal in the development of death metal. They took a hiatus in 1995, and since about 2009 or so they have been tearing a new path of their own. Their most recent full-length album, Morbidity Triumphant, came out last year and the new one, if it is possible, is even better. The band is Chris Reifert (vocals, drums), Eric Cutler (vocals, g ..read more

Bay area dooming death band Larvae let out their second full-length album, Entitled To Death. Larvae came together in 2011 in Oakland, California, rolling out the doom and death and black metal that they soon became know for. They released a demo in 2012, then their first long-player in 2014, Grave Descent. Since then, there has been an EP (in 2019), but no other recordings, making the new record an occasion fans have been lined up for years on end. The band is Brad Kobylczak (guitar, vocals), Wyatt Culbertson (bass), and Eric Evert (drums). The album opens on the title track to squawking sou ..read more

California elementalists Owl make a bold return with their third album, Geomancy. Owl coalesced into being around Oakland, California in the year 2007. Their music is immediately recognizable for its inventive connectiveness. You could call it prog metal, or you might place it in the stoner and heavy psych pods. Whatever the category, it is the engagement that will get you. Their first album came out in 2012, Owl, followed two years later by Screech. Since then, things have been relatively quiet on the recording front until now. The band is Axell Baechle (guitar, vocals, piano), Alexander Bae ..read more

Blackwülf is starting off their second decade with a killer album, Thieves And Liars. Heavy stoner band Blackwülf began in 2012 in Oakland, California. Dedicated to massive riffs and with an on-going nod to the past, they released their first record in 2014, Mind Traveler. Two more followed as the years passed and the reputation of the band grew ever stronger. It has been five years since the last one so fans are chomping at the bit for Thieves And Liars. The band is Scott Peterson (bass), Dave Pankenier (drums), Pete Holmes (guitars), and Alex Cunningham (vocals). “Shadow” has a nice dark so ..read more

Oakland death metal band Autopsy is back after eight years with a new full-length album, Morbidity Triumphant. Autopsy stomped the earth in the first half of the nineties. Their first two albums, Severed Survival (1989) and Mental Funeral (1991), are considered by many to be standards even now. They were a band that cut deeply in the death metal scene, and left carnage in their wake. The band split in 1995, then reformed in 2008/9 and have been cracking on ever since. Their most recent full-length album came out in 2014, Tourniquets, Hacksaws and Graves, and there have been EPs and splits, co ..read more

The tenth studio album from Oakland metal legends Machine Head is a masterpiece: Øf Kingdøm And Crøwn. Robb Flynn brought Machine Head together in Oakland in 1991. In the early days, groove and nu-metal were the styles usually associated with the band, but after a decade or so the music leaned more clearly toward thrash. With nine previous long-players, and a mighty fistful of EPs, splits, and live albums, Machine Head has made an indelible mark on heavy music. For Øf Kingdøm And Crøwn, Flynn is joined by Wacław “Vogg” Kiełtyka (guitar), Jared MacEachern (bass), and Matt Alston (drums). It al ..read more