From the darkened depths of an abyss where beauty is forged from the pristine shadows arises the surreal beauty and bombast of Agalloch. Their third opus, “The Mantle” [The End Records], is as eclectic as it is powerful.  Combining a diverse spectrum of styles into a unique, intense experience, Agalloch has fashioned an amazing brand …

From the finest darkness that Northern Europe has to offer comes the ferocious Darkane.  Their latest barrage of musical warfare, called “Expanding Senses” [Nuclear Blast Records], is their best to date.  It is Melodic Swedish Death Metal insanity unleashed. They have taken a more melodic approach here, focusing less on speed but digging the hooks …

This is simply stellar—a 2 disc, pristine live opus of Sepultura during the Max Cavalera years.  Titled “Under A Pale Grey Sky” [Roadrunner Records], it features most of the Brazilian act’s best cuts.  And the sound quality is superb. Sepultura’s style is an exceptional type of Tribal Deathrash Metal.  Max’s vocals are a powerful, defining …

Arising from the crumbling wreckage of the legendary British Grindcore act Carcass, a truly great Death Metal band was born.  That band is Arch Enemy, and their debut opus “Black Earth” [Century Media/Wrong Again Records] is an essential classic.  Thankfully, this once extremely hard to find gem was reissued this year by Century Media Records. …

Classic Grind typically follows one rule—”30 seconds of perfect aggression.”  (This typically being the maximum length for many such songs.)  Nasum adheres somewhat to the “short and fierce” rules of early style Grind.  Their 2003 opus, “Helvete” [Relapse Records], is an instantly addictive archetype for the Grindcore genre. It’s ferocious, powerful sound drills into the …

Grindcore is a wondrous thing.  The sheer amalgamation of brutality and genius makes this style truly unique.  But even within this world there are some bands that are truly exemplary.  One such act is Dying Fetus, whose ferocious brand of Crust/Deathgrind Metal razes the sky.  Their 2003 opus of brute force excellence, titled “Stop At …

In the realm of Melodic Hardcore, there are many great bands.  But one of the most outstanding has to be This Day Forward.  Their 2003 release, “In Response” [Equal Vision Records], is their finest achievement yet. Flashes of aggression burn adrift waves of melodic heaviness, as pristine beauty fuses with razor-sharp intensity.  Soft, clean vocals …

It has been ages since any truly great Deathrock has destroyed the status quo.  Even the mighty Entombed has dulled a bit.  But at last, the glory has returned…. The dynamic, visceral band Transport League has released their 2003 opus, “Grand Amputation” [Crash Inc. Records].  Transport League‘s style fluidly mixes Deathrock with elements of Hardcore, …

Straight-ahead, efficient Pop Punk is the key to the Sum 41 dynamic.  Their 2002 opus, “Does This Look Infected?” [Island Records], is the best one yet.  A bit more aggressive and old school, it depends less heavily on the formulaic Pop Punk sound without abandoning it altogether. Clean vocals (normal and yelled) hammer through fast …

The past few years have been a boom-time for Psychedelic (Stoner) Metal, and Doom Metal.  Bands like Queens Of The Stone Age, Sourvein, Fu Manchu, Kyuss, Sixty Watt Shaman, and Black Sabbath carry a loyal following.  And 2003 will be no different. Another cool new band to add to the illustrious list of Psychedelic Metal …