Death Metal Briefs: Part 1000 or Whatever

Skelethal: Interstellar Knowledge of the Purple Entity (2014)
4.5 out of 5 stars

Skelethal is an extra-heavy, extra-doomy kind of Swe-death band. It's a very satisfying listen, and goes out on a high-energy, faster-paced tune. It definitely leaves me wanting more of this brand of death. I notice they're French. What the hell is going on in France now? How can France be home to the most vital

Betoken: Beyond Redemption (2014)

Inadvertently Correct Album TitleReview by joanismylover, the third metal attorney.

I have only been to a lounge once that played "lounge music." It was fun. We lounged around. We drank cocktails. We chilled. We requested Billy Joel be played by the piano man. We tipped said piano man when he played "Piano Man." It was relaxing, fun and a good time out. I'd never do it again, but it was

"Metal Lifestyle" Products

I was contacted by someone who is starting a line of "metal lifestyle" products. Naturally, I was curious about this. What are "metal lifestyle" products? I thought, perhaps, since most of us can't collect Nazi memorabilia like Lemmy does, because it's just not practical, maybe it's Paula Deen cookware. (Get it? Because . . . oh, never mind.)

So I clicked through to find that it's a blog (a

Torche: Restarter (2015)

Undeniably HeavyNot all that glitters is gold, not all that struts on seedy street corners is actually a woman, and not all that is heavy is brutal. Torche is undeniably heavy, but definitely not brutal. They’re not even dark. But I think you’re going to want to hear them anyway.

Restarter brings me actual joy—not that catharsis stuff, not the pleasure-through-displeasure of violent dissonance.

Studio Ghibli Drawings

OK, I promise this isn't going to completely transform into a poorly formatted stand-in for a Deviantart page. (Maybe I should sign up for a Deviantart, but anyway.) I still wanted to share some more drawings. I've found I really enjoy working with ink, and I'm slowly getting better at using it.


I fell in love with Studio Ghibli films more than a decade ago, and my kids and I were watching some

A work in progress:

The Lich and Pinkie Pie

I like to draw characters from shows that I watch with my kids. Here are the Lich (of Adventure Time) and Pinkie Pie (of My Little Pony Equestria Girls).

Satan's Host: Pre-Dating God, Parts 1 and 2 (2015)

Power Metal That’s Not a JokePower metal is a joke. If you’re American, you’re probably going to agree with me there, and I’m guessing there are a whole lot of extreme metal fans around the globe that feel the same way. But then, there are exceptions to that rule.

Satan’s Host is exceptional. A few years ago they blew my mind with their blackened power metal, and now they’re back to do it again.

Negură Bunget: Tău (2015)

ThineBy weird coincidence or a mood I’ve been in lately, my last two reviews have been for albums in the folk/pagan/black metal spectrum, and I’m continuing that trend with this one.

Romanian band Negură Bunget continue to practice that Eastern European brand of the style. Om and Vîrstele pămîntului were the Eastern European counterpart to Agalloch and Wolves in the Throne Room: Cinematic,

At the Heart of Winter

It's -10 here; 30 in Bergen. Who's grim and frostbitten now? I just got home from walking the dogs. Three miles. 
I fucking love winter. 

Panopticon: Roads to the North (2014)

Where We’re Going, We Don’t Need RoadsIf you haven’t heard Panopticon’s Kentucky, then stop reading this right now and buy that album. It is essential. A keystone of the present-day metal landscape, and a triumph. When you’re done absorbing that one, come back here.

. . .

Ready? OK. Now, Roads to the North isn’t quite the revelation Kentucky was. That brilliant interplay of traditional protest