The realm of Hardcore has become tremendously diverse in the past decade. In the melodic subset, one exceptional act is Dogwood. Their 2003 opus, “Seismic” [Tooth & Nail Records], is a thundering display of beautiful Pop aesthetic and Hardcore power. Intense, bludgeoning instrumentals wash across Josh Kemble's clean, Pop-tinged vocals. Their melodious qualities are not …

Some bands are just killer. One such act is Closer Than Kin. Their new independently released opus, “Dead Flowers For A Dying Lover,” is a vicious slab of Dark Metalcore. And `vicious' is the right word for it… Combining the D.I.Y. Hardcore ethos, the dark brutality of Metal, and sheer, unbridled aggression is a fueled-charged, …

Burner is one of the best new bands of 2002. Their debut, “One For The Road” [Arctic Music/Crash, Inc. Records], is a supernova of shining brilliance. Burner has a unique, powerful style–Southern Deathrock Metal with intense, crushing grooves. Forming from the ashen remains of the killer act Paingod (formerly known as Raped Ape), Burner took …

It's no surprise that Sweden produces many of the world's best Death Metal bands. The scene spawned a subgenre style called Swedish Death (a more melodic style featuring shrill growled vocals), which was exemplified by such acts as Sentenced (early), Afflicted, and Desultory. But from a more chaotic strain was forged a far more jagged …

Ever have an Acid Rock flashback? The new opus by the Swedish band Acid Ape, titled “Fleshspa” [Lunasound Records], is a full-on assault on the Retro Rock mind-trip. The Acid Ape vibe is heavy, dense, and primal…. The guitar work is noisy and massive–imagine Blue Cheer crossed with bruising elements of Hardcore and Psychedelic Metal. …

Darkness has an abysmal beauty that few bands can truly capture. One band that succeeds at this daunting task is the fearsome Aborym. Combining Melodic Black Metal with Black Thrash is the key to Aborym's harsh radiance on their second opus, “Kali-Yuga Bizarre” [World War III Records]. Interlocking Industrial/Gothic, Black Thrash, and Melodic aggression creates …

In a world of lightweight, corporate sanitized Punk pseudo-aggression there still are some shining examples of harsh, evolutionary brutality. One such act is Ramallah–whose latest release, “…But A Whimper” [Bridge Nine Records], is a fierce masterpiece. Ramallah's sound roars, locking together jagged elements of Powercore, Armageddon Thrash, and Metalcore. Imagine a critical mass of rage …

From the fierce and the furious…. The masters of Grind/Brutal Death Metal VILE have risen from the abyss to spew forth more utter, sublime chaos. Their latest, “Depopulate” [Crash Inc./Unique Leader Records], is a molten cataclysm of harsh, brilliant primalism. Vile's sound is a fiery spate of elements–raw, growled vocals, blinding rhythms, discordant guitar blasts …

Easily one of the greatest Grindcore bands ever is Rotten Sound. Their latest masterpiece is titled “Murderworks” [Necropolis Records] is more of a return to their early Crustcore/Grind Metal genesis. And it has some cool extras (3 videos that'll play on a computer). The Rotten Sound dynamic has a fierce beauty-mixing elements of Crust, Hardcore, …

The ferocious Hate has returned…. Their latest abysmal wonder, titled “Cain's Way” [World War III Records], is as brutal as it is beautiful. Hate pushes the limits of modern Death Metal to the extremities. With their teeth snarling, Hate welds together elements of Black Metal, Death Thrash, and Brutal Death Metal into an apocalyptic dirge. …