Review roundup

I've been writing a lot of reviews for other publications, and I have a few more coming out in the next few weeks. Metal Bandcamp published my review of what is probably my favorite release of the year so far, Oranssi Pazuzu's Värähtelijä.

Other Reviews
Metal Bandcamp: MAKE, In Pursuit.
About.com Heavy Metal: Black Cobra, Imperium Simulacra
About.com Heavy Metal: Conny Ochs, Future Fables

Photos and video from Suppressive Fire

Raleigh's Suppressive Fire pull you headfirst into the blood- and flesh-filled trenches with their caustic, nihilistic blackened thrash. Their first full length, "Bedlam," is out now and is definitely worth a listen. Here are some photos and a little video from their album release show, which took place Jan. 14 at Slim's. Old Raleigh death metal group Eldritch Horror, and thrashers Temple Crusher were also on the bill. Videos below from Suppressive Fire and Temple Crusher.

Photos and video of Toke and Plow at Schoolkids Records

Toke, from Wilmington

Plow, from Boone

On Friday (Jan. 7), I checked out Toke, a very heavy, sludgy doom band from Wilmington, and Plow, a jammy, spacey Appalachiacore band from Boone. I've been listening to both these bands on Bandcamp, especially the Toke split with Charlotte's Green Fiend. Check out the videos below. This show took place at Schoolkids, which is always cool because the shows are pass-the-hat, they have good beer on tap, the music starts early, and you can actually browse records in between bands. 

Photos and video from Noctomb and Chateau

Chateau

Noctomb 

I was able to catch two promising local bands -- Noctomb and Chateau -- Wednesday, Dec. 23, at  Slim's. Basura was also on the bill, but they were already on when we arrived, and I didn't get anything from them. Chateau has been consistently described to me as black metal, and while I do hear a lot of black metal in their music, I think that's a limiting term for them. They describe themselves as "black metal with rock 'n' roll influences," which I think it pretty accurate. Check out the videos below and judge for yourself. See more photos here.

I'm very excited to be writing for Metal Bandcamp, in addition to the reviews I write for About.com Heavy Metal. Here's the latest Metal Bandcamp review of a fantastic band, Magic Circle.


Composed of veterans from a slew of well-regarded Boston hardcore bands, Magic Circle are about as unlikely a doom band as you can imagine. They’re also not terribly visible. There’s no Facebook page or dedicated Bandcamp page (you can find some info on their website and the 20 Buck Spin Bandcamp page), and they don’t seem to play live very often. Any publicity about Magic Circle is almost entirely word-of-mouth from dedicated doom fans and blogs. After gaining a lot of underground attention with their 2013 self-titled debut album, they’ve just released Journey Blind on 20 Buck Spin. Read the full review here.