Alice in Chains’ ‘MTV Unplugged’ Is a Grunge Staple and a Series Standout
Twenty-five years after its release, Alice in Chains’ MTV Unplugged is an essential grunge album and a career-high point for the band.
sludge metal
Melvins’ ‘Working With God’ Displays a Refreshing Sense of Humor
Melvins come across like a musical Three Stooges on this compact, but cheerful new album in their prolific and storied career.
Boris and Merzbow’s ‘2R0I2P0’ Howls Defiance
On 2R0I2P0, Boris and Merzbow show they still have a wealth of ingenuous music-making and mayhem within them.
Mastodon’s ‘Medium Rarities’ Could’ve Used More Substance
Medium Rarities is the kind of album that will appeal mostly to longtime Mastodon fans.
King Buzzo Continues His Reign with ‘Gift of Sacrifice’
King Buzzo's collaboration with Mr. Bungle/Fantômas bassist Trevor Dunn expands the sound of Buzz Osborne's solo oeuvre on Gift of Sacrifice.
Old Man Gloom Mourns Loss on ‘Seminar VIII: Light of Meaning’ and ‘Seminar IX: Darkness of Being’
A heavy feeling of loss pervades Old Man Gloom's new albums as these songs are a way of coping and documenting grief, as well as commemorating how much Caleb Scofield meant to the band.
Torche Continue to Mine a Complex Brand of Metal With the Mesmerizing ‘Admission’
Admission isn't an enormous change in the sound of Torche, but rather an affirmation that this band insists on forging new paths and confounding expectations.
Baroness Craft a New Benchmark of Creative Saturation with ‘Gold & Grey’
Just about every listener—no matter their history or prior opinions—will deem Gold & Grey Baroness' masterpiece.
Faerie Ring Get Heavy, Psychedelic, and Fantastical With Debut LP, ‘The Clearing’ (album stream) (premiere)
Indiana fuzz merchants Faerie Ring take us back to the earliest sounds of underground heaviness while suggesting a brutal and bright future for this manner of sludge and spectacle.
Cable Give Listeners a Dose of “Black Medicine” (premiere)
Cable's new dark and groovy track, "Black Medicine", from their upcoming album features Tombs frontman Mike Hill on vocals.
MetalMatters: March 2019 – Beware the Ides of Metal
From Drastus' monumental second LP to Mystifier's righteous comeback, to Venom Prison's evolution towards death metal infamy, and enthralling debut full-lengths from Devil Master, VLTIMAS, Heaume Mortal, and more, March's MetalMatters highlights a bounty of subversive brilliance.
Yob and Near-death Metal Experiences
Yob's Our Raw Heart topped PopMatters Best of Metal 2018 list. Here, Yob's Mike Scheidt meets with neurophilosopher Christopher James Stevens to discuss music and mystical experiences.