black metal

A Full Remix Makes Deafheaven’s ‘Sunbather’ Worth Revisiting

A Full Remix Makes Deafheaven’s ‘Sunbather’ Worth Revisiting

Deafheaven’s Sunbather was the first time a black metal act broke through the clutter of heavy metal releases to be appreciated outside of the genre’s fans.

Myrkur Rejects What Came Before on ‘Spine’

Myrkur Rejects What Came Before on ‘Spine’

After an unimpeachable run of Scandinavian black metal and folk albums across the 2010s, it’s not yet clear what Myrkur will be here in this decade.

Primordial’s Spirit Is Tied to Eire’s Proud and Tumultuous History

Primordial’s Spirit Is Tied to Eire’s Proud and Tumultuous History

Primordial’s music is painfully emotive. Musically, vocally, and thematically, they span nihilism, grief, anger, acceptance, and regret on How It Ends.

Not a Second of Horrendous’ ‘Ontological Mysterium’ Sounds Human

Not a Second of Horrendous’ ‘Ontological Mysterium’ Sounds Human

Horrendous have returned refreshed and once again intent on twisting death metal into new forms on their daring LP, Ontological Mysterium.

Metal’s Imperial Triumphant Present 10 Jazz Albums That Inspire

Metal’s Imperial Triumphant Present 10 Jazz Albums That Inspire

Metal’s Imperial Triumphant create a type of fusion that marries black/death metal with jazz from across its history. The band discuss their favorite jazz LPs.

Zeal & Ardor’s Antiracist Nietzschean “Götterdämmerung”

Zeal & Ardor’s Antiracist Nietzschean “Götterdämmerung”

In “Götterdämmerung”, black metal band Zeal & Ardor carve out an empowering Black position from Nietzsche’s response to a rotten nihilistic culture.

Liturgy’s ‘93696’ Delivers Ecstasy, Physicality, and Intellectual Endeavor

Liturgy’s ‘93696’ Delivers Ecstasy, Physicality, and Intellectual Endeavor

Already noted for their determination to challenge themselves and their listeners, Liturgy’s 93696 shows them refusing to settle for less when more is possible.

Filling Hearts With Diamonds: An Interview with Ravenna Hunt-Hendrix of Liturgy

Filling Hearts With Diamonds: An Interview with Ravenna Hunt-Hendrix of Liturgy

Exemplified by the new album 93696, Liturgy have moved ever further out into space all their own, tethered only by a slender cable to their sonic point of origin.

MetalMatters: The Best Metal Albums of August 2022

MetalMatters: The Best Metal Albums of August 2022

In this month’s best metal albums, experimental mystics Locrian re-awaken, sonic chameleons Boris revisit an outlier, and Bloodbox blur the lines between organic and synthetic.

Bryce Seditz’s Industrial/Metal Project Above & Below Shares “Ghosts” (premiere)

Bryce Seditz’s Industrial/Metal Project Above & Below Shares “Ghosts” (premiere)

Above & Below take the industrial route with “Ghosts”, relishing the mechanical precision of the genre and its cold detachment.

MetalMatters: The Best New Heavy Albums of January 2022

MetalMatters: The Best New Heavy Albums of January 2022

This year things off in a furious manner with the Finnish black metal scene spotlighting two releases. Doom/death had an excellent representation. The outer edges feature post-metal, Boris, and rich jazz-metal.

The 20 Best Metal Albums of 2021

The 20 Best Metal Albums of 2021

We are lucky to have received such an excellent bunch of records under what has been an incredibly stressful year. These are the 20 best metal albums of 2021.