…You want to know the music all the cool kids sacrifice virgins too? Its “Idolum” by Ufomammut, a record that drips with a supernatural malevolence rarely seen in doom metal. Sinister riffs evolve throughout the course of each song producing an air of foreboding that pays off magnificently when each new segments comes into play and chills you to the bone. Behind these gargantuan riffs are haunting keyboard lines played…

Manowar’s most recent studio album is a mixed bag. For one, there are far too many synths, with some tracks having virtually no metal content at all. This makes Manowar sound like a limp-wristed fairy power metal band like Rhapsody, instead of the oiled-up and insanely muscled metal band we’ve all come to love. There’s fairly little narrative for a concept album; most of the lyrics are fairly generic…

…It’s 2008, but Anata still deliver exactly what I want to hear. The guitar tone is warm and beautiful and constant; the riffs are exciting and memorable; the solos are technical yet subtle. The drums are excellent; the vocals aren’t anything to write home about, but the dark growl works well with the music. They really take a back-seat to the guitars, though. Check out…

One would not expect that a traditional heavy metal album would come from the same plectrums of the same people who gave you Converge-approved metalcore heroes Beecher, despite the fact that Beecher themselves were originally conceived as a doom metal band, but rest assured if you absolutely hate metalcore (if you don’t then check out…

The most explicit influence on ‘The Great Work’ is Crowbar, though this is nowhere near straight-up hero worship. They are heavier and more technical than the boys from New Orleans and they disregard Crowbar’s hardcore elements entirely, and make their depressive side more subtle and less melodic. Evidence of their innovation is seen on…