Blog

Spirit Possession are a black metal band from the US and this is their third album. Brought to us by a member of Black Curse/Ulthar, Cathedral Speech contains 43 minutes of engaging blackened mayhem. Spirit Possession are not your average black metal band, so get ready to inject something notable into your listening habits. This … Continue reading “Spirit Possession – Cathedral Speech (Review)”

This is the sixth album by Italian power metallers Frozen Crown. Frozen Crown are one of the absolute best in the business. Although 2024’s War Hearts didn’t ascend to the same stratospheric heights as 2023’s phenomenal Call of the North, it was still a great album, one that continues to get better with every spin. … Continue reading “Frozen Crown – The Legend of the Six Kings (Review)”

Wes Hoffman is a guitarist and vocalist from St. Louis who formed Wes Hoffman & Friends in 2017. The band released its first EP, Rewrite the Story, in 2022, and now returns with its second full-length effort, For the Better. Ten tracks and around 36 minutes of upbeat punk rock are packed into the album. Four songs… Continue Reading →

In June, SOAK returned with a heart-wrenching acoustic ballad called “Death Valley Fridge Magnet.” Now, Bridie Monds-Watson is announcing their new album decembers and sharing the poignant title track.

The post SOAK Announces New Album <em>decembers</em>: Hear The Title Track appeared first on Stereogum.

Brazilian thrash metal outfit CRITICAL FEAR have released “Age of Darkness”, the first track from their forthcoming third album, Dark Fate. Pre-orders for the nine-track record are now open on CD and vinyl. Dark Fate pushes the band further towards the harsher end of their old-school approach, combining thrash metal with a stronger death metal […]

Source

Stow your devices and listen to these telephone-themed songs from Blondie, Chuck Berry, R.E.M. and more.

Kentucky’s veteran death metal crew, Tombstalker, offer a blast from the past in a couple of ways. Firstly, after dropping their solidly impressive debut album Black Crusades back in 2015, Tombstalker continued touring before hitting roadblocks, going on hiatus, and rejigging their line-up. Releasing a couple of EPs in the intervening years, the rejuvenated line-up now unleash their long-gestating sophomore album, Chaos Monolith. Boasting a hulking, extra beefy sound rooted in rank old school values and influences, Tombstalker are not seeking to reinvent the wheel, remaining content to crush the weak through a meaty concoction of throwback old school death, armed with thorny, uncompromisingly brutal bursts of d-beaten violence, charred blackened melodies and rugged doom-death heft, wearing their crust and classic Swedish death influences proudly upon weathered sleeves. Yet does Tombstalker possess the songwriting tools to reawaken and level up in the crowded modern death metal scene?

While the guts of Tombstalker’s trusty formula remain largely intact, Chaos Monolith sounds recharged and revitalized. Despite residing in the retro realms of old school death, Tombstalker plant a muddied boot into the here and now, spiking their buzzsawing Stockholm influences (early Entombed, Dismember) with blackened and crust elements, topped by a chunky modern production. Like any good death metal album relishing in the rotten values of yesteryear, Chaos Monolith comes armed with an endearingly crude graveyard atmosphere and sinister melodicism, shadowing the infectiously beefy riffs, dual harmonies, thrashing rhythms and insidious, knuckle-dragging grooves. Cutting through the mix and leaving a feral imprint on proceedings sit the dominating bellows and sick lower growls of axe-wielding frontman Conqueror Horus.

Fresh out the blocks Tombstalker throw a curveball, dabbling in ominous soundscapes and an extended, slow-burning intro, gradually ratcheting up the tension and momentum before, several minutes in, they finally get cooking, punching out d-beaten rhythms, punky death riffs held together by a prominent doom-laden swagger. Arguably the extended intro could use some trimming, but the remainder of the song hits the mark, creating an ambitious opening impact. Chaos Monolith’s remaining cuts are condensed into more palatable nuggets. Built on a bedrock of burly, crunchy riffs, Tombstalker season their formula with generous sprinklings of blackened, crust, and ingredients, reinforced by steamrolling Bolt Thrower heft, the songwriting maintaining its peppy, deceptively versatile flow. Classic Stockholm melodies infiltrate the heavyweight death-doom haymakers and lurking menace of “Unto the Anvil of War,” “Inexorable Slaughter” rips through their bread-and-butter Swedeath template with punky, blasty results, while blackened thrash meets buzzing death on the horns throwing delight “Fully Armed and Filthy,” complete with gang shouts and an ear-catching chorus.

Later in the piece Tombstalker keep momentum and energy cranked, deftly handling their versatile mix of throwback zest and modern crunch. Crushing, spacey, and sinister, “Penitent Engine” adds tasteful, atmospheric synth work into the song’s rough and rowdy mix, and penultimate cut “Iron Within Iron Without” shifts tempos effortlessly, riding waves of hammering intensity, hacksawing riffs, and bulldozing grooves. Nailing the aesthetics of retro-infected death is one thing, but it would amount to little without the musical and songwriting chops to back up their old school punch. Tombstalker’s experienced craftsman shy away from flashier fretwork or other compositional complexities, instead relying on sturdy, infectious riffs, crafty integration of outside influences into their classic Swedeath core, and skilled threading of nifty solos and foreboding, nostalgic melodies into the fray. The slightly overcooked opening and solid if underwhelming closing track are the main detractors to what is otherwise a consistently entertaining and wickedly addictive platter. On the production front, Chaos Monolith packs a sonic punch but is a loud listen and the guitar tone could use a dirtier edge.

Chaos Monolith marks a killer return from an experienced underground act that has done the hard yards and taken the long-winded route to finally unleashing their second LP. The intervening years have been kind to Tombstalker. Chaos Monolith surpasses their impressive debut and provides a retro-inspired blast of old school death metal goodness. While not quite matching the best death metal of 2026, Chaos Monolith stands out as one of the pure outright fun death platters you will hear this year.

---

Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Awakening Records
Websites: Bandcamp | Facebook
Releases Worldwide: September 25th, 2026

The post Tombstalker – Chaos Monolith Review appeared first on Angry Metal Guy.

Slipknot fans gathered in Los Angeles, Sao Paulo and Wembley to celebrate the band's forthcoming world tour in 2027. Continue reading…

That event was held in Cardiff, Wales this past June.

The post Alter Bridge Share “Silent Divide” & “Addicted To Pain” Live Videos From Their Inaugural ‘Blackbird Festival’ appeared first on Theprp.com.

US heavy metal titans Cirith Ungol return with their seventh album. After the colossal later outputs such as “Forever Black” and “Dark Parade”, the bar is set high. Release is via No Remorse Records on the 30th of October.

Bracing us for impact with some drum fills before anthemic heavy metal riffs fire into action. Tim’s one-of-a-kind vocals quickly join the mix and immediately are my favourite part of this material. While things have changed in the lineup, leaving us with two original members and two Night Demon guys, it is easy to speculate that things might be different than before. It is a shame Greg and Jim are no longer handling guitars, it certainly feels a bit more modern in the riffing than “Dark Parade”, let alone the earlier albums. But with that said, the songwriting is still has some elements of the doomy, bleaker moments and the more epic heavy metal passages. I really loved the two post-reunion albums as well as the “Half Past Human” EP but this record does feel different. Tim’s vocals are inarguably superb but the guitars just feel too much like they’re pulling away from Cirith Ungol and utilising the Night Demon approach.

Sadly this goes from bad to worse with the strange inclusion of some Western elements, jaunty riffing and the sterilisation of the more doomy parts. Simply put, it feels like all of the creativity is in the vocals and the rest is just dragging along behind. If this were some new band I’d probably just turn it off. But the fact it is the legendary band that gave us “King of the Dead”, “One Foot in Hell” and the amazing “Forever Black” (an album that proved that the old guard could come back and still be on top form), it just feels like they are going through the motions here when they do not need to. It saddens me to hear one of my favourite bands go from pioneer and then back to leading the charge after a long hiatus only to then put out something meek and trite. Thankfully the second half of the album has a few more interesting moments where Rob’s drumming can be appreciated more, allowing the power and precision in his playing to be heard. The more epic lead guitar work in “Hollow Nimbus” is cool too. These bits show there is potential to be salvaged but alas this record simply did not cut it for me.

I am left feeling really underwhelmed by this record. Whereas I love the entire discography to date, this felt like something less than a Cirith Ungol album. There are good ideas, some great performances here and there but it just lacks that archaic and mystical heavy metal feeling that makes them such a unique band. Perhaps it’s due to half of the lineup being another band rather than Cirith Ungol or perhaps ideas have run thin with time. Realistically, I will not be revisiting this one but rather sticking to the first six LPs (along with various demos, lives etc). I wish I could enjoy this as much as I do literally everything else that the band has done, but I don’t. All of the five stars are for Tim’s amazing vocals, the saving grace of this slog. I have not enjoyed criticising one of my favourite bands, I am always proud to be a part of the legion, but this one just was not for me. Let’s hope album eight will put them back on track.