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Brazilian death metallers CRYPTA have released “A Portrait of Decay,” their first track featuring new permanent guitarist Victoria Villarreal. Accompanied by an official music video, the single explores dissociation as a way of enduring pain and suffering, offering the first glimpse of the band’s musical direction following the Shades of Sorrow album cycle. Villarreal’s addition […]

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The Chilean thrashmongers in Critical Defiance have been slinging molten riffs and high-octane violence for over a decade, and on fourth LP Rivers of Blood the carnage continues. The band formed in 2010, and though they released a couple of demos and a split between 2014 and 2016, it took nine years before the world got its clutches on full-length debut Misconception. Since then, Critical Defiance has maintained a steady release schedule with sole original member Felipe Alvarado at its epicenter. In his review of Misconception, the esteemed Cherd observed that while Critical Defiance nailed the construction of riffs, weaving them into a coherent whole fell short. Seven years and three albums later, does Critical Defiance drown out the detractions in Rivers of Blood?

Rivers of Blood feels and sounds like the culmination of everything Critical Defiance has accomplished so far. Where Misconception put the world on notice with whirlwind riffs weighed down by a touch of bloat, sophomore record No Life Forms trimmed the fat and honed Critical Defiance’s thrash attack to a keen knife’s edge. Follow-up The Search Won’t Fall… ballooned the runtime back out,¹ seeing a wide range of track lengths and engaging compositions that, while good, dealt less urgency than its predecessor. Like No Life Forms, Rivers of Blood reins in the runtime to a scant half hour while lacerating listeners with razor-sharp riffs, supplying an electrifying swing back into the less-is-MOAR camp. The immediacy of Rivers runs rampant across thirty-one minutes, where Critical Defiance rips and rages across tracks like “Innate to Kill” and “Glorify War” without ever feeling rushed. Conjuring the likes of Kreator, Sadus, and Exumer on Rivers of Blood, Critical Defiance continues their aggrieved assault without compunction.

Alvarado floods Critical Defiance with a talented cast, and nary a dull moment dams the Rivers of Blood. Though featured in previous albums, the acoustic passages on opener “Red Omen” and interlude “Ceremony of the Final Call” imbue Rivers of Blood with wistful moments that offset the murderousness heard elsewhere. Album centerpiece “Valparaíso” also features captivating acoustic strums, but that’s not all—Alvarado channels the spirit of Kreator’s Mille Petrozza on vocals, bassist Diego Tello discharges truculent low-end thunder, drummer Rodrigo Poblete detonates dynamite fills with frenzied velocity, and guitarists Mauricio Toledo and Sebastián Palominos (along with Alvarado) create intricate layers of leads and riffs that guide listeners through the track’s eight minutes. As good as “Valparaíso” is, though, other tracks consistently bolster Rivers of Blood’s savage competence. “Innate to Kill” pushes Critical Defiance’s speed full throttle while “Rivers of Blood” eases the relentless ferocity to highlight clean backing vocals and a pugnacious strut. Additionally, “Glorify War” proves a strong closer. The bass intro barrels into full-blown chaos, and, by the end, Critical Defiance’s wicked barbarity meshes with acoustic frills to end the album by uniting the delicate with the domineering.²

With all the positive momentum condensed into such a tight package, Critical Defiance leaves little room for complaint. The production lends a throwback aesthetic that might seem muddy, yet every instrument cuts through the mix without feeling overcrowded. The songwriting demonstrates clever tension and pacing, where frenzied riffs circulate in swelling storms as songs surge into seductive solos (“Valparaíso”), churning chugs (“The Feeling Destroyer”), and the aforementioned acoustic threads (“Rivers of Blood,” “Glorify War”) that tie the entire album together. Conversely, my quibbles are minor, like wishing for a little more cohesion during the transitions on the back half of “Valparaíso” or a bit more riff development on “The Feeling Destroyer” and “Dead Tongues.” Not that the licks are drab by any means, but Critical Defiance seethes with expertise, and their flashes of technicality characterize the best moments on Rivers of Blood.

Critical Defiance unleashes torrents of riffs and vitriol on Rivers of Blood, imperiling the levees of restraint with its most potent moments. On album number four, these Chileans prove that their arrangements flay with finely-tuned precision and evoke the old school without ever feeling stale. What I enjoy most about Rivers of Blood is the act’s balance—retro and fresh, gentle and primitive, straightforward and complex. Rivers of Blood teems with vitality and a head-rattling punch, and Critical Defiance’s chops and maturation continue to progress and impress to an extent that I eagerly anticipate what they do next. Until then—stay Bloodthirsty my friends.

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Rating: Very Good
DR: 8 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Dying Victims Productions
Websites: Bandcamp³ | Facebook | Instagram
Releases Worldwide: September 25th, 2026

The post Critical Defiance – Rivers of Blood Review appeared first on Angry Metal Guy.

Swedish punk-metal veterans WOLFBRIGADE have unveiled the video for “Doomrunner,” the latest single from their upcoming album Howl From Underground. Due on October 9, 2026, through Metal Blade Records, the record follows 2024’s Life Knife Death and finds the band rethinking how they capture their sound in the studio. Commenting on the new track, the […]

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Palo Alto singer Remi Wolf started off as a kind of alt-pop artist, but she seems to be inching ever-closer to actual pop music. Wolf’s new album Mud comes out next month, and we’ve already posted the singles “Twiggy” and “Bottle.” Today, she shares “I Won’t Cry,” a big, bruised old-school ballad with some country and some Southern rock in its DNA. It’s got a big, melodramatic chorus, and she really sinks her teeth into it. Wolf co-produced “I Won’t Cry” with Jack DeMeo and Solomonphonic, and the three of them co-wrote it with Gigi Grombacher and Jamie McLaughlin. In a press release, she says:

The post Remi Wolf – “I Won’t Cry” appeared first on Stereogum.

Neil Young & The Chrome Hearts are back with Second Song, marking the 80-year-old singer-songwriter’s second full-length collaboration with the group featuring drummer Anthony LeGerfo, bassist Corey McCormick, guitarist Micah Nelson and keyboardist Spooner Oldham.

Mostly consisting of new material (save for two songs written decades ago), the seven songs here touch on Young’s marriage to actress Daryl Hannah and life observations from him surely not being so young anymore. From opener “The Foggy Ege of Time,’ with its plodding piano, and some strange twists to the confessional lyric that creep into cringey-worthy, The Chrome Hearts give Young the backing he needs and solid harmonies for these delicate little ditties.

The sweet “Earth Girl,” and the call to an old friend who might remember what Young remembers in the album’s title track, with its perfect harmonica, are good examples of the laidback vibe around the album. Pushing past the nine-minute mark, the album’s longest track (and the only one featuring the real use of electric guitar), “Soon I Might Be Going,” touches on a whole bunch of ideas — Donald Trump’s renovations to the White House, Young’s estrangement from his daughter, Amber Jean, among them. And although this tune, like plenty here, might play out too long, with lines line, “I miss you like tomorrow, I see you like today,” Young can still deliver some heart-breaking moments with his writing and his shaky high nasal whine.

The two older songs — 1965’s “Casting Me Away From You” and 1964’s “I’ll Love You — are solid enough, with the latter being reworked here specially for Hannah, faring slightly better as a sweet love song. Yes, listeners need to set themselves into a laconic groove for Second Song and quite a few of these numbers might overstay their point. But at 80, maybe Young wishes he could indeed stay around longer. For the time being, we have him and The Chrome Hearts.

~ Ralph Greco, Jr.

Purchase Second Song

Belgian grindcore band LENG TCH’E have released “Hammered Into Collapse,” their first new material since 2017’s Razorgrind. The single arrived on September 24, 2026, through Season of Mist, accompanied by an official music video. The track previews a two-song digital EP of the same name, due on October 23, 2026. Alongside the title track, the […]

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Breaking news.

The post Saliva’s “Sin City Mistress” Music Video Has Received Its Debut appeared first on Theprp.com.

Look out! Here comes the cult-beloved rock legend Todd Rundgren, and he’s got takes! Rundgren has never been shy about sharing his opinions. In 2021, for instance, Rundgren said that he wasn’t attending his own Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction because it “would just be hypocritical.” (He’d already called it a “scam.”) If Rundgren had been in the building that night, he would’ve seen Taylor Swift cover and induct Carole King, but he wasn’t, so he didn’t. Now, Rundgren would like to talk that shit.

The post Todd Rundgren Says Taylor Swift “Ruined Music,” “Not A Great Songwriter” appeared first on Stereogum.

Gdynia, Poland-based black/death metal band FEOMATHAR will release their new EP, Atomic Warfare, on October 16, 2026, through Via Nocturna. The five-track recording will be available on CD and digital platforms, with the title track streaming now. Rooted in an old-school approach to black and death metal, the EP addresses war, human suffering and heroism […]

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After releasing “Hurt” in July and “Sex” last week, 2hollis has announced his fifth album, Pirouette, arriving this fall. The star followup features cover artwork by legendary Japanese artist Yoshitaka Amano, and the third single “Warhorse” is out today.

The post 2hollis Announces New Album <em>Pirouette</em>: Hear “Warhorse” appeared first on Stereogum.