Pantera

Full House Brew Crew – Glasgow Grin Review

By ClarkKent on February 25, 2026 in Reviews, Groove Metal, Metalcore, 12 comments

“What do you get when you mix a popular American ’80s sitcom, a ragtag group of brewers, and the Scottish term for the cut to the face of Heath Ledger’s Joker? Apparently, some Greek groove metal. Since Vagelis Karzis (former live bassist for Rotting Christ) formed Full House Brew Crew, in 2009, the band has had a fairly consistent lineup. They’ve also been somewhat consistent with album releases, as Glasgow Grin marks their fifth, though there was a seven-year gap between their second, Bet it All (2011), and third, Me Against You (2018).” Beer me?

St. Unholyness – Through High Holy Haze Review

By Spicie Forrest on January 11, 2026 in Reviews, Black Metal, Doom Metal, Stoner Metal, 25 comments

“As a non-musician, writing music and playing an instrument is always impressive to me, but I am in awe of the successful solo artist. The knowledge and skill required must be staggering. St. Unholyness, hailing from Pfarrkirchen, Germany, is essentially one such project. Aside from conscripting Mac Carrigan to play bass, debut Through High Holy Haze is the singular vision of guitarist/vocalist Christina Earlymorn. As far back as 2008, Earlymorn has been playing in various black metal projects, mostly solo, but Through High Holy Haze is a much wider-ranging affair.” One cowgirl from Hell?

Upon a Burning Body – Blood of the Bull Review

By Dear Hollow on December 14, 2025 in Reviews, Deathcore, Groove Metal, Metalcore, 14 comments

“Upon a Burning Body is back, baby. Your favorite groovy Texans are ready to lay on the hurt with as many riffs as your ears can muster. Predecessor 2022’s Fury offered a no-frills attack that more substantially simplified the attack, recalling more the groove-oriented likes of Pantera or Lamb of God, as opposed to the longstanding comparisons to deathcore’s partyharders Attila and “fight everyone” breakdowners Emmure to whom they’ve been compared in the past.” Tastes like burning.

Nine Treasures – Seeking the Absolute Review

By Andy-War-Hall on October 20, 2025 in Reviews, Alt-Metal, Folk Metal, Progressive Metal, 25 comments

“Nine Treasures has been around since 2010, and yet has always seemed like the new kid on the block. Hailing from Inner Mongolia, China, founder Ashkan Avagchuud pursued the integration of traditional Mongolian instrumentation with heavy metal since day one. Nine Treasures saw success with their first three independent releases, but also saw The Hu steal a bit of their black thunder by becoming a global hit with their take on Mongolian folk metal.” Culture war.

Incite – Savage New Times Review

By Spicie Forrest on August 28, 2025 in Reviews, Groove Metal, Heavy Metal, Thrash Metal, 15 comments

“Within metal circles, one does not simply invoke the Cavalera name. Its crest is adorned with more than just the seminal works of Sepultura. There is ambition there that does not sleep. That great name is ever pushing boundaries, creating new sounds. This is no barren wasteland riddled with fire and ash and dust. There is no poisonous fume for inspiration to choke on. Not with 10,000 artists could you accomplish what those brothers have done; it is folly. Thus, it is with great interest—and a little skepticism—that I was assigned Incite’s seventh LP. Fronted by Max Cavalera’s stepson, Richie Cavalera, Savage New Times promises to be the band’s truest-to-self offering yet. Let’s see how deep the roots go.” Family business.

LOMMI – 667788 Review

By ClarkKent on August 16, 2025 in Reviews, Blues, Doom Metal, Groove Metal, Stoner Metal, 86 comments

“LOMMI first formed in 2007, but these Swedes are essentially digital ghosts. You’d think an 18-year history would at least come with a multi-album discography, but I have no idea what these guys have done between then and the release of their latest (and possibly only) album, 667788. A Google search mostly pulls results for Tommy Iommi; they have no dedicated page on Metal Archives; and even their label, Majestic Mountain Records, has zilch about them on their site. This lack of a written history leads me to have some doubts about the promo’s claim that these guys are a “formidable force in [Sweden]’s heavy metal underground.” Still, I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt that maybe they’re just too trve to have built up a digital presence.” Not Iommi.

Cordyceps – Hell Inside Review

By Andy-War-Hall on July 31, 2025 in Reviews, Death Metal, 22 comments

“Artists don’t necessarily need to draw deep from their inner lives to make enjoyable art, but they do to make great art. Denver, Colorado’s Cordyceps—whose debut EP drew acclaim from the late, great Trevor Strnad—have dug deep on their sophomore album Hell Inside and dredged up something nasty.” Oo, what’s it gonna be?

Mawiza – ÜL Review

By ClarkKent on July 18, 2025 in Reviews, Death Metal, Groove Metal, Metalcore, 24 comments

“Mawiza, an indigenous band from Wallmapu, a territory out of South America’s Mapuche Nation (spanning Chile and Argentina), has seen a sudden rise in recent years. Formed in 2014 as Nunca Seremos Dichosos, their second album, 2019’s Kollong, would go on to win them Chile’s version of the Grammy awards (called the Pulsar Award) for Best Metal Artist. In 2021, they adopted the name Mawiza and decided to sing entirely in their ancestral language, Mapuzungum, instead of Spanish.” Death grooves.

Byzantine – Harbingers Review

By Saunders on June 14, 2025 in Reviews, Groove Metal, Progressive Metal, Thrash Metal, 69 comments

“Defiantly resilient and deeply underappreciated, West Virginia’s Byzantine bring oodles of class and credibility to the often-maligned groove metal game. Their brand of accessible, slick modern metal has seen the Byz lads cultivate a consistently solid career, kicking twenty twenty-plus years ago. Enduring line-up shuffles, break-ups, record label shenanigans, and health concerns, it’s remarkable the 2025 version of Byzantine remains alive and well. Harbingers signals the fourth Byzantine LP since their second coming over a decade back, seventh overall, and first full-length offering since 2017’s solid The Cicada Tree release.” Ornamental progumentus.

Wisdom & Fools – Prophecy Review

By Dr. A.N. Grier on April 24, 2025 in Reviews, Thrash Metal, 20 comments

“As far as I can gather, this two-person outfit was a collaboration between vocalist/guitarist Philip Vargas and bassist John Ramirez, who fronts the one-person progressive death outfit Parasite. The only thing missing is a drummer. So, they bought a computer and did some shit. Prophecy is a brief record that tries to push the boundaries of thrash, technical thrash, and death. The result is a riff machine with harmonizing guitar leads and vocals in the vein of Pantera and Throwdown. It’s an odd combination of elements that could be an absolute hit or a thrash fire behind Albertson’s. Either way, its thirty-six-minute construction should at least get you through your morning coffee shits.” Wisdom, fools, thrash fires.