Concert Photos: Nile at Fubar in St. Louis January 25, 2016 -photos by Danny Nichols

Dallas Toler-Wade

Karl Sanders

Album Review: "Into the Void" by Infinite Earths

In all the universe there may be nothing more unequivocally awesome than heavy metal music.  The only thing which even comes close is comic books.  Fortunately the two worlds sometimes merge, although not nearly often enough.

Thus, I was drawn in by a  band called Infinite Earths (as I assume the name harkens to the classic DC comics storyline "Crisis on Infinite Earths"). 

When I read the band bio and learned the album is a soundtrack to vocalist Josh Mazzora's H.P. Lovecraft inspired comic book, I was automatically enamored with the band before hearing a single note. 

My expectations for this album were similar to stepping into the theater to see Star Wars Episode I.  Happily, unlike that fateful day in 1999 when midiclorians spoiled my stew, "Into the Void" has met my lofty expectations.  It is brilliant album which contains all the virtuosic guitar playing of technical death metal with blast beat drumming and a vocal delivery which hovers within the glorious realm of black metal.

Album Review: "Cowards Empire" by Node

Cowards Empire

Falling asleep is about the hardest thing in the world for me to do unless I've been awake for longer than 22 hours.

This is a problem that's plagued me since I was a very small child. For years people told me that to get more sleep, just to bed earlier, but they had no idea.

When my eyes are closed, the lights in my head are on and they are on full blast. Nothing stops until such point that my brain finally shuts down due to sheer exhaustion.

A book on Samurai sword philosophy is actually helping me learn how to switch off. "Too many mind" as was famously said to Tom Cruise in The Last Samurai.

Many people would find this to be a serious problem, but to me, it's just a part of the make up of who I am. There's certainly no curse in my brain being able to function quickly.

Concert Photos: Ne Obliviscaris at Fubar in St. Louis February 8, 2016 -photos by Danny Nichols

Vocalist Xenoyr

Album Review: "Priests of Annihilation" by Enthean

Priests of Annihilation

Sometimes you can judge an album by its cover.  The first thing I noticed about Enthean’s debut album “Priests of Annihilation” is the spectacular cover art by Marco Hasmann, which depicts some sort of high priest and his minions orchestrating a hurricane composed of tortured souls.  

It is striking, bombastic and a perfect introduction to the music contained therein.   All eight tracks are a relentless assault of symphonic black metal, fueled by the driving riffs which are a hallmark of technical death metal.  With intricate musicianship reminiscent of Dimmu Borgir, 

Immortal and Emperor and a lyrical focus on epic mythology one could guess this band hails from Scandinavia.   However, these masters of the European sound are actually from South Carolina, further serving as proof the United States can compete with the old world masters in the black metal genre.

While the foreground features soulful fretboard defying scale runs the background hums with rhythmic orchestrations which then segue into violent passages of tremolo picking and blast beats.  The result is an album which  manages to be both melodic and atmospheric at the same time, adding a distinctly American sound to a northern European canvas.  

Album Review: "Dominion of Misery" by Omnihility

Dominion of Misery

Technical Death Metal today.

I'm trying to figure out the difference between Technical Death Metal and Brutal Death Metal.

I really have no clue what razor thin line separates these two sub-genres of a sub-genre.

I'm sure it has something to do with what they sing about or how the vocals are just a touch different. Perhaps it's that the drums are slightly different in the mix?

I think of these sub-genres of death metal just as modern death metal. They could easily be thought of as the second generation of Carcass. As we all know, English Death Metal was legitimately different from Tampa Bay Death Metal right? Oh heavy metal sub-genres, I will always have something to say about you.