LIVE RECAP: One Master at The Bancroft Bar

Stuffed between a car lot and a liquor store, The Bancroft Bar in Spring Valley is roomier than it looks on the outside. Its L-shaped interior leads its patronage nicely along a path to maximum enjoyment — booths for socializing at the starting leg of the L, a cozy bar located in the bend, and […]
LIVE RECAP: Numenorean, Wormwitch at the Brick by Brick

It’s been my quest this year to bear witness to as many live underground metal shows as possible. I’ve seen so many I’d forgotten what it was like to go to an actual music venue instead of an endearingly homely dive bar. San Diego’s Brick by Brick is the real deal — a regal layout […]
LIVE RECAP: Blood Incantation, Qrixkuor at the Til-Two Club

San Diego’s Til-Two Club has history. It bears the ancestral name from its first incarnation in the 1940s, before it shapeshifted into a bizarre hybrid salon/bar/chain live venue called the Beauty Bar. You can read plenty of online articles chronicling its transformation into its current form, but one crucial detail they all seem to leave […]
LIVE RECAP: Void Omnia, He Whose Ox is Gored at the Soda Bar

I knew it wouldn’t take long until I found another reason to revisit ye olde Soda Bar in sunny San Diego. Though the weather was fair, the night’s music would be bringing plenty of gloom ‘n’ doom in the form of Cryptic Languages, Void Omnia, He Whose Ox is Gored, and Samothrace. After circling the […]
SONG PREMIERE: Paraguayan death metal band Verthebral

I wouldn’t consider Paraguay one of the more well-known sources of death metal, but Verthebral seems ready to change that. This fearsome four-piece has been stewing 10 songs for their full-length debut, “Regeneration,” and it’ll be ready to serve on June 29th via Satanath Records. To whet your appetite, we’ve got a sizzling new song premiere […]
SONG PREMIERE: Persian black metal band Zurvan

Rabid, hateful, with a penchant for nihilism — that’s how we’d describe Persian black metal duo Zurvan. With their second full-length album, entitled “Gorge of Blood,” creeping closer toward its June 28th release via Satanath Records, we’re pleased to reinforce their bleak outlook on life with a brand new song premiere. It’s called Filthy Calendar of […]
ALBUM PREMIERE: LLNN + Wovoka’s “Traces/Marks”

LLNN (Copenhagen) and Wovoka (Los Angeles, CA) may be 5,590 miles apart, but their collaborative effort, a split entitled “Traces/Marks” releasing June 16th via Pelagic Records, shares an overwhelming, spirit-crushing bleakness. Luckily, you won’t have to wait to lash your soul to ribbons, as we’ve got the full album for you to hear in its entirety right here. Although they […]
SONG PREMIERE: Belarusian black/death band Ljosazabojstwa

Ljosazabojstwa’s aggressive take on black/death metal turned heads in late 2015 with a rip-roaring three-track demo. Now, with new EP “Sychodžańnie” in the chamber and ready to fire on June 30th via Hellthrasher Productions, it’s clear these Belarusian brawlers will take no prisoners. Take a listen to our premiere of the second track off “Sychodžańnie,” […]
SONG PREMIERE: Canadian Metal Veterans BISON

Three years have passed since we last heard from Vancouver’s BISON with their 2014 EP “1000 Needles.” In that time, these stoner/sludge metal veterans have made a few notable changes, including recruiting ex-3 Inches of Blood lead guitarist Shane Clark to handle bass duties, as well as deciding to record new material in their hometown […]