It’s not often that you get one of America’s finest contemporary heavy metal composers in your proverbial backyard, but for the Austin area, having Nate Garrett around is a game-changing acquisition. Spirit Adrift, his main concern, distills his love of Dio-era Black Sabbath’s huge melodies, chunky palm-muted thrash riffing, Maryland doom’s weariness, a touch of […]
We’re gonna play fast and loose with the term “metal” here this month. Midwife, the solo project of Madeline Johnston — now based in New Mexico after relocating from Denver during the pandemic — plays what she calls “heaven metal,” a self-coined term that’s a hazy yet quite charged take on solo downer pop. It’s […]
Welcome to Blast Rites, SPIN’s monthly metal column! In this month’s edition, we’ve got catastrophically ripping thrash that’s an AOTY candidate, Florida death metal disciples joined by one of the genre’s early players, and new tracks from Darkthrone, Skepticism, and Deafheaven. (Our interview format will return next month. As punishment, Andy has to list everything […]
Death metal and psychedelic rock may seem worlds apart, but the two are actually riding the same psychic wavelength more often than not. In fact, I’d argue death metal has carried the mantle for psych for well over three decades. Both push guitar music to induce cerebral intoxication and overdrive – aided by copious volume […]
This year’s most dynamic black metal album is Spectral Lore’s Ετερόφωτος, which comes out Friday through I, Voidhanger Records. The sole province of Greek musician Ayloss, he weaves through a battery that sounds heroic and adventurous minus the arrogance, some of the most serene 2010s post-black metal more prevalent in his other work (“Ατραπός”), dissonant […]
Welcome to Blast Rites, SPIN’s monthly metal column! In this edition, we’ll celebrate the return of one of experimental metal’s most celebrated bands, queer doom from Boston, London’s noisy metalcore sensation, and two new rippers from the Bay Area. Genghis Tron — Dream Weapon (Relapse) A lot was taken from us in the past year, […]
Welcome to Blast Rites, SPIN’s monthly metal column! In this edition, we’ll dive headfirst into Blut Aus Nord visionary Vindsval returning to his roots, pummeling SoCal sludge, new heat from future Texas legends, a blackened RPG adventure, and a double dose of nasty grindcore. Read previous editions of Blast Rites here. Forhist — Forhist (Debemur […]
Welcome to Blast Rites, SPIN’s monthly metal column! This month, we’ve got two unexpected yet wholly welcome death metal blasts from Arizona, the return of Sweden’s sexiest vampire goths, and boundary-obliterating guitar noise featuring Butthole Surfers drummer King Coffey. Gatecreeper — An Unexpected Reality (Closed Casket Activities) Last Wednesday (Jan. 13), rising death metal squad […]
Welcome to Blast Rites, SPIN’s monthly metal column! Every month we’ll dig up the heaviest metal out there, stylistic boundaries be damned. Hot albums, hot tracks, hot whatever — we’ll bring only the most hellish heat. This month, we’ll bust open operatic black metal, filthy Danish death metal, and a split featuring Houston grindcore legends […]
Welcome to the first edition of Blast rites! Every month, we’ll find the shreddest, the grimmest, the doomiest, the thrashiest, the most wacked out, the most metal metal out there. Hot albums, hot tracks, hot whatever – we only bring the most hellish heat. Eternal Champion — Ravening Iron (No Remorse/Sword Worship) The first thing […]