Request Fill

This is the powerful sophomore effort from a band that has a dated sound although suprisingly, are quite new.

"If Magnificent Fiend, the second album by Howlin Rain, sounds like a different band made the record, it's not the brown windowpane working its sickly magic on you, it's in many ways an accurate perception. HR's self-titled debut was released in 2006. It was well-received for its taut, simple song structures that evoked everything from the Grateful Dead to harder, more riff-laden big rock & roll power plays. It was loud, proud, and topped off with just a touch of country and blues. The music here is much more complex. These songs are knottier, building on the more elemental riffs and melodies of the previous set and creating something denser, more immediate, and menacing in the process." -Thom Jurek

Howlin' Rain - Magnificent Fiend

What Dissection's next album might've been

Ahhh, Black metal! My blog is almost complete! Well I'm sure true black metal fans have mixed views about this band and what they represent. For instance, "the production is too good and it lacks personality." People seriously feel this way. I simply dabble in this type of music, I'm no diehard. Therefore, I readily accept bands that blend genres. Purists tend to bitch, but if it songs good, just let it be. Ok, they are from Sweden, not Norway, big deal. The truth is they are very dark. The riffs are amazing, the vocals are a step up from raspy and the blast beats are relentless. I don't put on corpse paint, but you can trust me. This one is a winner.

Watain - Sworn to Dark

Brutal with a hint of...classical?!

As I steer further and further away from a given genre on this blog I arrive at a brutal death metal band out of Italy that formed in 2007. Yea, you read correctly. These guys sprinkle samples of classical piano and string movements to contrast two opposite sides of the musical spectrum. It really is genius. At one moment your head is being blown off by maniacal drumming and torrential riffing, then suddenly you find yourself in a ballroom circa 1700s waltzing. I must admit, most brutal death is not an easy listen. However, Fleshgod Apocalypse does it right making the album very accesible (to lunatics like me anyways). I must give credit where it's due to the sludgeswamp for enlightening me with this gem.

Fleshgod Apocalypse - Oracles

The Swedes strike again

The modern name Sweden is derived through back-formation from Old English Sweoðeod, which meant "people of the Swedes". This word is derived from Sweon/Sweonas. The Swedish name Sverige literally means "Realm of the Swedes", excluding the Geats in Götaland. Sweden's prehistory begins in the Allerød warm period c. 12,000 BC with Late Palaeolithic reindeer-hunting camps of the Bromme culture at the edge of the ice in what is now the country's southernmost province. This period was characterized by small bands of hunter-gatherer-fishers using flint technology.


Truckfighters - Phi

Lieutenant Colonel Frank Slade

Although these guys are good I would never consider them one of my favorites. This is more like a guilty pleasure. Don't be discouraged though, this is definitely an enjoyable listen. Nice riffs and melodies, hell these guys can really pull together a lot of death metal qualities and yet abstaining from cookie monster vox. None of these are reasons why I posted this album however. There are a couple samples of Al Pacinos character from Scent of a Woman. This blew my mind as utterly inappropriate and without a doubt hilarious. So go on. Rock out and find those easter eggs.

Sentenced - Amok

Give your coffee beans a deathgrind

Hmmm... Pig Destroyer. This is a very uncharacteristic post for me. Generally, I steer very clear of any grindcore-esque bands (Carcass being an exception). But wow, this album is brutal, relentless, disturbing and without a doubt, awesome. I can almost guarantee most virgin ears out there will scurry off after a brief listen, I know I did. The patient ear will go beyond the dementedly agonistic screams and the fury of blast beats in order to find a mecca of fist-pumping and head-banging through truly raw, grinding riffs. The additional track Natash clocks in at a hair over 37 minutes and is completely unrelated to the styles I previously described. It contains doom metal and spooky ambience of the utmost quality for a band of their nature. Accepting Pig Destroyer may seem like a leap of faith, but it is well worth it.

Pig Destroyer - Terrifyer
Pig Destroyer - Natasha

It's Warm Under The Covers

Compilation of cover songs I think are good and/or humorous. No more clues!

Covers