Formed in the Virginia/DC area in the mid-’80s, a region then more known for its hardcore punk than metal, Deceased slowly built a loyal local fan base as that decade came to an end, kids attracted to the band’s unique take on the nascent death metal sound.

All it took was one six-minute video by comedian Dave Hill to reveal what we’ve all suspected: Black metal fans lack the “humor” gene. When presented with anything— a Youtube video of someone getting hit in the nuts with a ball, for instance—that requires their grim face to contort into something ungrim, and simultaneously makes…

“When you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss also gazes into you,” Nietzsche promised in Beyond Good and Evil, but Mr. Philosophize with a Hammer never did recommend any appropriate mood music for making goo-goo eyes at the infernal regions. Which is why it is such a great thing for we lovers of darkness…

Strange Matter Venue Richmond, VA What kind of a venue could possibly serve as home base for the Monster Manual-toting, frost giant-destroying, death/thrash purveyors Battlemaster? Some sort of Gollum cave or elven hideaway? Wrong you are – the nerd rage brought on by this Richmond wrecking crew fits snugly into local watering hole Strange Matter,…

It’s pretty hard to to determine Cannibal Corpse’s most endearing personality trait. Oh, what’s that: they’re all real nice guys? Oh come on, surely it can’t be that surprising that guys who have made a 24-year career out of writing death metal songs about extreme (and fairly esoteric) murder scenarios could be normal dudes/responsible dads….

The last time we at the dB HQ heard Seattle’s Samothrace was, well, last week, but the last time the quartet made scene-like waves was way back in 2008, on the Life’s Trade LP. What has Samothrace been up to in the years between? Probably writing an epic of Grecian proportions. Actually, that’s exactly how…

Prog nerds rejoice! It’s the new OSI track “Cold Call”. Formed by Jim Matheos (Fates Warning, Arch/Matheos) and Kevin Moore (Chroma Key, ex-Dream Theater) and augmented by Porcupine Tree mind-blower Gavin Harrison, OSI, in its current iteration, is stripped down and ready global domination on the group’s fourth (first non-license for Metal Blade) full-length. OSI,…

Welcome to The Lazarus Pit, a biweekly look at should-be classic metal records that don’t get nearly enough love; stuff that’s essential listening that you’ve probably never heard of; stuff that we’re too lazy to track down the band members to do a Hall Of Fame for.  This week, we go back to the New…

OK, so there is a cynical body of thought that might consider black metal as a live performance artform and argue that the genre is best served by careful cellaring. Like it’s a take-home experience, one to be kept in the studio/bedroom, only ever to be enjoyed on record. Of course when we say “enjoyed”…

Featuring former Landmine Marathon axe-slinger, Eric Saylor, Seas Will Rise is a relatively new entry into the world of thunderously grimy, caustic and brutal hardcore that falls on the punky end of the Swe-death spectrum with touches of crust and enough peace punk influence to have the local pigs salivating at the chance to dust…