Album Review: "Crypt of the Devil" by Six Feet Under

Crypt of the Devil

Normally around these pages I do not review much that comes from the Big Boys and Girls.

When I reviewed Arch Enemy's latest, folks disagreed with me because they felt that album had been done before, but I hadn't listened to them in many years.

So I heard the album with new ears I suppose. I also like to spread the word on smaller, new bands too.

Now, I decided I was going to check this album out. Frankly, what I'm about to say is going to make me seem uncool...but Lester Bangs wasn't cool...so it's cool.

I had no idea Chris Barnes was in Six Feet Under. I really just had no clue. I was also awed to learn that this is their eleventh album. That's crazy. So, here we are. We'll consider this review to be an antidote to my ignorance.

Interview: The Homeless Couple, Triumph of the Wild

Triumph of the Wild. Christy (left) Ryan (right)

A couple weeks back I was introduced to an interesting duo by the name of Triumph of the Wild.

The remind me of itinerant blues musicians that just crawl across the United States playing anywhere they can for a dollar, or less.

Music for the sake of music is one of the greatest things in the world to me. 

Even as I age, I still dream of what it would be like playing for different people every night, getting out the maps, and just charging forward and seeing what the USA has...

An exciting life I'm sure, but a hard one....

Album Review: "The Reign of the 7th Sector" by Whorion

The Reign of the 7th Sector

Metal is the angriest thing in the world.

For me, it's like listening to the blues but for when you're just so angry at things.

For those who can hear it, metal is soothing to the soul and allows venting of negative emotions.

Extreme metal is really the end game for me. Over the years my taste has moved back towards the heaviest and angriest of all the metals.

From the days when Death, Master, and Possessed first created the genre and now, there have been intergalactic changes.

Today we're focusing on something that's far and away from those first generation extreme metal bands: Symphonic Death Metal. I don't really claim to believe in that particular sub-genre, as there are just far too many, but it's hard to discount Whorion's differences from the standard death metal fare.

Album Review: Self Titled Debut from Wicked Inquisition

Wicked Inquisition

I can remember a time when music like this no longer existed. When Doom Metal/Original Metal/Whatever was a thing of the past.

It was that stuff Sabbath did so long ago.

Over the years many different bands have some along playing that original metal, or Transitional Metal as I'm going to start calling it.

It was heavy and dark, but there was still some Jimi Hendrix and Cream in the riffing. It was still a shade on the peace and love side, at least musically.

Today, we've got a group of young men from Minnesota who're finally releasing their debut record for us: Wicked Inquisition. Like the masters of the genre, their band, debut album, and a song all have the same name.

Album Review: Self Titled Debut by Raging Death

Raging Death

Let's talk about a band from Silesia, Poland: Raging Death.

With a name like that it sounds to me that we're looking at a death metal band that's ready to rip the throats out of anyone who comes into their hall.

Well, our new Polish friends may very well be angry and brutal, but they're not even close to death metal.

Today our album review is that of old school thrash metal.

Raging Death has no issues with being considered old school or retro music. They even state as much.

"We are strong believers in true metal faith, our music is travel back to the 80’s, when metal was wild, loud and full of fury and anger. Fast, rough and with no compromise. Metallic punch stringht into your face!"

Interview: Can You Describe The Ruckus? The Sworn Enemy of Bad Times.

MF Ruckus

About a week ago, my phone kicked out this really amazing song.

It was twangy, country fried, all that stuff. I kind of thought that wow, I really hope that I can review this album. 

It sounded really good, fresh, and I've not had anything like this in awhile.

Thankfully, it turned out that this album wasn't released yet and I was onto reviewing it.

However.

There wasn't anything else country on the whole album! MF Ruckus is definitely one of those bands that just plays however they feel at the moment. Looking deeper, they're strongly anti-subgenre and pigeonholing.

They just want to rock.

Album Review: "Sepulcrum Viventium" by Austerymn

Sepulcrum Viventium

How many genres of music were really musical movements?

Meaning, they went so far and then they, or all intents and purposes, ended?

I can think of grunge, disco, NWOBHM, old school hip hop, acid rock, and yes even the original death metal.

In this reviewer's opinion, 90's death metal is often still the best. Carcass, Obituary, Morbid Angel, Entombed, Deicide, well there's a reason why all of these bands still have legions of fans, still record, and still tour.

Today, let's enjoy a newer group that plays that style of metal.

This band was originally formed in the early 90's, so they're not precisely retro, but they've also changed  names a dozen times. So, let's just take this for what it is...a death metal record.

Album Review: "Eradicating Terrestrial Species" by Incinerate

Eradicating Terrestrial Species

Life runs in cycles.

For a week I might eat salads, or Chinese food, or barely eat dinners.

Last night my daughter and I had mini corn dogs. That threw everything for a loop honestly.

On these pages for the last little while we have been grooving to music that has been well off of the beaten path. It's been some truly great music over the past month or so which has featured chip metal, and a bunch of other things I can't put into a genre...

So I decided I needed to bring this back to the basics and get back into something a little more expected, so let's check out some brutal technical death metal with a dash of grindcore...or something like that.

Incinerate is a bit of a transition with their principal songwriter having left the band, but refusing to go away, they've released their latest Eradicating Terrestrial Species and I'm here to tell you all about it.

Album Review: "13/8 Bit" by Third Ion

13/8 Bit

What if you could combine your favorite things into one pile of awesome?

Lots of bands have done this. Cattle Decapitation has combined their love of veganism with modern death metal. How many bands combined their love of music with their love of recreational substance abuse?

If you've looked at the album cover, but now you've noticed that it's a bit different than most of the covers featured here.

Yes, it's based off of a Gameboy cartridge design....so that means it's what?

CHIP ROCK? Well, no, but it's chip metal. Third Ion, featuring members of The Devin Townsend Band and Into Eternity, have followed in the glorious tradition, not only of nerd music, but chip rock by incorporating sounds from video games into their music.

Interview: Cody Coon of Killer Refrigerator Warns Us All

Cody Coon of Killer Refrigerator

There are many different kinds of bands in this world.

There are many different kinds of bands in metal. The first band I ever truly loved was Kiss and later Gwar.

Both of these bands had their own idiom that really separated them from the rest of the world.

Neither of the groups was very serious like Slayer or even Metallica became later.

It seems to me that a lot of bands that aren't singing about the end of the world, how Satan is going to get us all, or how we should all be working together to save the world doesn't get a whole lot of respect in this country.

Well, let's put an end to all of that. As a self-described fan of Kiss, Gwar, King Diamond, Weird Al  Yankovic, Powerglove, and many others who don't sing about the most serious stuff in the world, let's take a look at a very cool project about killer refrigerators again!

Album Review: "The Serpent, The Angel, The Adversary" by Sisters Of...

The Serpent, The Angel, The Adversary

Music is a wonderful thing.

It conveys moods. It alleviates or exacerbates moods. Just from the strum of a few chords it can take you back to a place you'v e not visited in many years.

Lately the music we've been seeing on these pages have been of the off the wall variety, and today is no exception.

Genres, subgenres, and or whatever else you'd like to call them can be a very wonderful thing. They can be constraining, demanding, and cause discord among the listeners.

So, it's nice when a band can just make the music they wish to hear without any regard to following the rules of their tribe. Sisters Of... from St. Joseph, MO have chosen to wander off of the beaten path in what could only be described as Experimental Metal.

Album Review: "ExtermiNation" by Raven

ExtermiNation

What I love about music is how it creates a snapshot in time for me.

When I saw that I had a Raven promo in my email for review, my mind immediately went to Metallica in 1982 or 1983...

Raven was the headlining act that Metallica opened for on their very first tour supporting Kill'Em All. I think a lot of people have forgotten that over the many years hence.

I have not always been the biggest fan of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM), but that's just because honestly I wasn't t here. 

I certainly enjoyed Venom and Iron Maiden. It's hard to say if the latter still considers themselves members of NWOBHM though....

As for Raven, let's move onto their latter days and not their salad days...

Album Review: "We Come With The Dust" by Triumph of the Wild

We Come With The Dust

I feel like I have to explain what my little blog is more often than not.

To begin with, this is not a heavy metal blog.

I like to think of what we do here as something eclectic. It's a music blog and I would wager that you would not get the same coverage, if a bit uneven, of a wide variety of styles.

So, I say that because today we're looking at some music that frankly I cannot pigeonhole into a genre. For lack of a better term, I'd call this roots or Americana.

I think however, to distill it down to that is a bit of a disservice.

Triumph In The Wild is now on their sophomore album and I feel lucky enough to be able to review it. After five months in the Deep South, our friends from San Diego came back a little bit different.

Interview: Deathblow, Metal In The LDS Vatican

Last week, I published my review of Deathblow's latest album.

Obviously I liked it and I wanted to get some more information from them and see what it's like to be them.

Deathblow is a modern thrash metal band. In the past 15 years, thrash went from that thing Metallica and Megadeth used to play into a full blown re-revolution.

I've always been a fan of thrash metal, well most metal really besides black metal, and it's been very refreshing to see what's happening in metal.

We talked about the state of thrash, the re-release of Decline of Western Civilization Part 2, influences, and whatever else I could think of!

But enough with my talking...let's see what they had to say shall we?

Album Review: "Lowest Level Reincarnation" by Treedeon

Lowest Level Reincarnation

Once more into the breech I go.

Germany seems to be pumping out a lot of quality music these days and large swaths of it are funneling my way.

If you include the Netherlands, (they're close right?) we're looking at piles of quality tunes coming out from the Germanic peoples.

As I like to keep things a bit mixed up, we're looking at something different that I honestly should pay a bit more attention to...Sludge metal.

But who is Treedeon? Well, to being with, they're a brand new band from Berlin, Germany and they're a super group of sorts. The members came from Ulme and Jingo de Lunch.

 Let's not dwell on their past, but now onto their present.

Album Review: "Gateway To The Antisphere" by Sulphur Aeon

Gateway to the Antisphere

Ah, Deustchland!

How we enjoy your lagers and my Gunners enjoy some of your top footballers.

Pretzels with beer was a good idea too.

It would be nice if we had your train systems here, but I suppose we'll just have to keep hoping that the USA will finally adopt rail travel...

Today we're enjoying the sophomore release of Sulphur Aeon.

Their debut album, Swallowed By The Ocean's Tide, followed a series of EPs, splits, and a demo. It's been over two years since they released that record.

Now, we're in 2015 and the dreaded sophomore LP. Let's dig into it shall we?

Album Review: "Thieves of Thunder" by MF Ruckus

Thieves of Thunder

The idea behind Glacially Musical is to spread the word of the music that I think's quality.

If I were to stick with a single genre of music, I might have a more dedicated fan base, because most people do not have the strangely eclectic taste in music that I do.

But I am who I am and this blog reflects that. 

Today's review, MF Ruckus, also has that kind of vibe. 

They're a self described Rock'n'Roll band because they don't want to fall down the rabbit holes of the subgenre and frankly I can't blame them. 

I've been turned down when I've branched out because that radio station didn't broadcast that kind of music, meaning metal. Variety is the spice of life and it's always nice to hear something that moves beyond the standard 4/4 time, 2/4 beat of rock....