Dead Star Boys: Rats (Dead Star Boys) Released 13 April 2026 CD | DL Power chords and psychotic reactions: there’s a nervous tension at the heart of the Medway, and Dead Star Boys have got it perfectly sussed. Rats, their second album, works like a distillation of our disturbed times. Robert Plummer thrives on the […]
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Dead Star Boys: Rats (Dead Star Boys) Released 13 April 2026 CD | DL Power chords and psychotic reactions: there’s a nervous tension at the heart of the Medway, and Dead Star Boys have got it perfectly sussed. Rats, their second album, works like a distillation of our disturbed times. Robert Plummer thrives on the […]
The post Dead Star Boys: Rats – Album Review appeared first on Louder Than War.
Posted on April 7th 2026, 11:45a.m.
When it comes to snakes and music, I’m a simple man. I think of Testament’s Brotherhood of the Snake, High on Fire’s Snakes for the Divine, Deicide’s Serpents of the Light, and Sir Mix-a-Lot. And now Philadelphia’s Crotaline1 slithers in flaunting first-wave-of-black-metal ballads rife with references to snake genitalia. Black metal’s second wave garners most of the attention, having shaped what most consider to be the genre’s trve north, but Mayhem, Darkthrone, Immortal, and Emperor never would have become what they are without Bathory’s lo-fi virulence, Venom’s proto-thrashed, punk-informed edgelording, and Celtic Frost’s sinister atmospheres and doomy trudges. First-wave black metal fairly characterizes what Crotaline provides on debut The Embrace of Cloacal Desire, as it’s ridden with direct, unadorned riffing, torturous plods, and a classically DIY aesthetic. Crotaline’s debut sounds like a blast, and I hope it is—my anaconda don’t want none unless it’s got fun, hun.
In many senses, The Embrace of Cloacal Desire is a primitive album. Crotaline relates carnal tales of ophidian lust in straightforward spurts of stripped-down metal, preferring uncomplicated riffs and instrumentation to deliver their herpetological gospel. In this way, Crotaline reminds me more of Hellhammer than Bathory or Celtic Frost. Tom G. Warrior’s (Triptykon) first project,2 Hellhammer distinguished itself more for its chaos and enthusiasm than its execution. Similarly, The Embrace of Cloacal Desire attacks with zealous verve, flitting through nine tracks of intermittently thrashy and doom-laden black metal. Despite the bold mashup of genres, though, Crotaline never quite brings their fangs within striking distance.
Two primary issues plague The Embrace of Cloacal Desire, and each boils down to the same root cause—simplicity. While the drums supply a commendable rhythmic thunder, mostly Crotaline’s performance either plays too safe or lacks the technical firepower to achieve big moments. After a protracted minute-and-a-half intro, opener “Breeding the End” gets properly started. Unleashing a classic thrash riff recalling Bonded by Blood-era Exodus, a peppy bass groove joins in to underpin the melody. The pace slows at the chorus, cutting to a second riff before wending back to the main one. “Widow’s Web” kicks in next, treating listeners to a Venom-meets-Bathory hook that, just like the preceding song, tamps the brakes for vocals and a bridge. The pattern wears thin quickly, and The Embrace of Cloacal Desire suffers from this constricted songwriting—particularly in the back half. Too many half-formed ideas reach for big moments, only to topple into funereal crawls. For an album dedicated to dangerous snakes and sex organs, too often I’m left unthrilled and unfulfilled.
Ultimately, the lack of memorable passages and songs leaves The Embrace of Cloacal Desire as drab and listless as a shed snakeskin. Solid building blocks reside in Crotaline’s DNA, but the shapes of their assembled structures never coalesce into more than their constituent components. Where varying tempos can effectively lead to dynamic pacing and musical climaxes, Crotaline’s overuse of the fast-to-slow momentum shifts undercuts their songwriting. “As the Serpents Feast” exits the chorus and launches into a punky bridge begging for a wailing solo, but instead delivers an understated, unconvincing lead lacking excitement and dexterity. “Red Moon of Despair” starts promisingly enough, yet drops to a two-minute slog of glacial pacing. The same framework repeats on “Beneath the Reeds,” and yet again on “Hemipenes; The Embrace of Cloacal Desire.” Rather than mirroring a narrative or cleverly subverting expectations, these pivots can seem haphazard or lazy, leading to either frustration or boredom.
In spite of a great album concept and comparisons to bands I enjoy, Crotaline’s debut fails to charm my snake. Predictable songwriting and uninspired performances make The Embrace of Cloacal Desire’s thirty-five minutes feel longer than they are, and no song manages to entirely sidestep these issues. Even so, it takes guts to write this wild shit, and even more so to memorialize these ideas in song. Venom lurks within Crotaline, but the band needs to retool their bite. Hopefully they can figure it out and give us a rousing sophomore resurgence. Until then, I’m left to wonder if maybe I’m bored with it, or maybe it’s Crotaline.
Rating: Bad
DR: N/A | Format Reviewed: WAV
Label: Liminal Dread Productions
Websites: Bandcamp | Facebook
Releases Worldwide: April 3rd, 2026
The post Crotaline – The Embrace of Cloacal Desire Review appeared first on Angry Metal Guy.
Nick Oliveri has reached a milestone with his compilation series of deep cuts and unreleased tracks: N. O. Hits At All Vol. 10.
I have been listening to Nick Oliveri and watching him perform for as far back as my memory stretches. Mondo Generator is the band of his that comes first to my mind. I delighted in seeing him with The Dwarves, and I caught as many of the Stöner performances with Brant Bjork as I could. He is perhaps most revered for his Kyuss days, and maybe most famous for his stint with Queens of the Stone Age. Whatever band he is with on stage, I recognize him as an elemental fundament of desert rock history and its continuing environment.
The N. O. Hits At All series digs into Oliveri’s past and gathers together significant musical instances so that they will not be forgotten. In the tenth installment, we get songs from The Dwarves, The Black Armada, The Temple of Daemos, Nick Oliveri’s Death Acoustic, He Who Can Not Be Named, Komatsu, Thee Slayer Hippy. Winnebago Deal, and a cut with Slash.
About this particular selection of songs, Oliveri says, “This record you are holding is Volume 10 from the series of compilations in which I recorded the vocals for bands that I like, and bands that like my singing voice enough to have asked me to guest vocal on a song for them. Some of these have been released, some have not until now. I have sang and/or recorded bass on 50+ releases of bands I love and had the great honor to work with over the past 25 years, and they are now available together for you to trip out on, thanks to the good folks at Heavy Psych Sounds Records. So get your head right and put this record on and play it loud.” That last line says it best, and I am all in. Recommended.
N. O. Hits At All Vol. 10 is out on April 10th from Heavy Psych Sounds Records. Listen and buy at the links below.
Photos by Wayne Edwards.
Links.
Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/rexeverything666
Bandcamp, https://heavypsychsoundsrecords.bandcamp.com/album/nick-oliveri-n-o-hits-at-all-vol-10
Heavy Psych Sounds Records, https://heavypsychsounds.com/
© Wayne Edwards
Raised in Melbourne, Kylie Minogue first gained recognition on the long-running soap opera Neighbors, where her role as Charlene Robinson made her a household name. That visibility led directly into music, and by 1987, she had signed with the production team Stock Aitken Waterman, setting the stage for a rapid transition from television star to chart-topping recording artist. Her debut album, Kylie, released in 1988, established her as a major pop presence. The single “The Loco-Motion” became a defining early hit, reaching number one in Australia and later climbing to number three on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United
The post Complete List Of Kylie Minogue Albums And Discography appeared first on ClassicRockHistory.com.
Bilmuri’s new album ‘KINDA HARD’ is so close that you can taste it, and Johnny has shared one more sneak peek before you get the whole thing.
‘WHERE TO FIND ME’ is the name, and it is another slice of brilliant crossover country catchiness. Bridging tanged guitars and earnest sentiments with crushing riffs and an appearance by French progressive metallers Novelists, it showcases just how finely tuned Bilmuri’s sound has become. Brimming with heart and soul, and possessing the sort of melodies that get stuck in your brain for weeks on end, it’s a perfect final piece of set-up for what is guaranteed to be a barnstormer of a record.
Here it is in all its glory.
‘KINDA HARD’ will be yours on April 10.
It will also feature the already smash-hit ‘ALWAYS LET YOU DOWN’, featuring A Day To Remember. That sounds like this.
Bilmuri will be hitting the road around the world later this year in support of the album. Here are all the dates.
JUNE
06 – AMSTERDAM Melkweg Max
09 – HAMBURG Fabrik
15 – LYON Le Transbordeur
19 – BERLIN Metropole
21 – FRANKFURT Batschkapp
23 – CARDIFF Depot
25 – BIRMINGHAM Academy
27 – LONDON Brixton Academy
29 – GLASGOW Barrowland Ballroom
SEPTEMBER
04 – ORLANDO Hard Rock Live
05 – NORTH MRYTLE BEACH House of Blues
06 – BIRMINGHAM Avondale Brewing Company
08 – INDIANAPOLIS Egyptian Room @ Old National Centre
10 – PHILADELPHIA The Fillmore
11 – PHILADELPHIA The Fillmore
12 – BUFFALO Buffalo RiverWorks
13 – TORONTO HISTORY
15 – MILWAUKEE Landmark Credit Union Live
18 – COLUMBUS KEMBA Live! – Outdoor Amphitheater
20 – ST. LOUIS The Pageant
22 – OMAHA Steelhouse Omaha
23 – FAYETTEVILLE Ozark Music Hall
25 – ALBUQUERQUE Revel Entertainment Center
26 – PHOENIX The Van Buren
27 – ANAHEIM House of Blues
30 – SEATTLE Paramount Theatre
OCTOBER
01 – PORTLAND Theater of the Clouds
03 – RENO Grand Theatre at The Grand Sierra Resort
04 – SAN FRANCISCO The Masonic
The post Bilmuri Share Catchy New Track ‘WHERE TO FIND ME’ Featuring Novelists appeared first on Rock Sound.