FlightofIcarus is a father, licensed counselor, and full time metalhead. When he is not working and spending time with family, he is writing furiously to promote underground bands on his own site, Metal Trenches. He believes staunchly in writing only constructive reviews, and his favorite bands include Dark Tranquillity, Enslaved, Poison the Well, and Deftones. You can also buy his ebook, The ABC’s of Black Metal.
Grab a drink and strap yourselves in, because this is a long one. Rather than do a big masturbatory introduction, I’m going to keep it simple. The following is an online correspondence with Val Dorr of Ævangelist over the course of a few weeks. We connected initially over the fact that we grew up in […]
My background is in psychology and counseling, and it has become an inextricable part of how I see the world. This is no different when it comes to my passion for music and interaction with others in the metal scene. So here’s my sub topic for today: hero worship and its effect on the musical […]
Cancelled was conceived as a side project for Marc Bourgon of Fuck the Facts and Greber. It was a pleasant surprise in my rotation given just how different it is from the pack. Given these variations from the norm, I was happy to accept the opportunity to pick Marc’s brain on the new music, his influences, […]
It’s a new year, so no time to waste. Lets get the ball rolling on some new metalcore for your collection. AS A CONCEIT As A Conceit is an Italian metalcore/post-harcore quintet very much in the vein of Architects. Melodic leads mixed with djenty, off-kilter blasts of distortion lead to some righteous riffing. The resulting hooks are […]
It’s that time of year again. Lists, lists, lists. I had a difficult time compiling my more general lists, but choosing my top 5 metalcore releases this year was fairly easy. Mind you once more that I excluded things like mathcore and therefore obvious choices in Dillinger Escape Plan or Zao. This list is focused […]
There are certain smaller groups out there that I just connect with for one reason or another. It usually has a lot to do with a perfect storm of quality music, clear passion, and personability of the musicians involved. The Hudson Horror undoubtedly meet these criteria. I was initially drawn in during the promotion of […]
THE VENUE Welcome to another typically rainy Portland evening. The Hawthorne theater is a popular all-ages venue located at 1507 SE 39th Ave in Portland, OR. It’s in a hip part of town that draws a diverse audience. As you can see below, the décor was fitting of a metal show, especially that glorious poster (RIP […]
It boggles my mind that I can bring up Bandcamp anywhere and still get the response “band what now?” And yet it persists. Despite platforms that criminally underpay the musicians like Spotify and Apple Music becoming the norm, there are SO many reasons I can cite for making Bandcamp your new first stop for music […]
We don’t have to agree on everything. Finding common ground has led to a lot of great things. Let’s put our differences aside and explore some more underground metalcore, shall we? BURN DOWN EDEN This quintet is yet another metalcore act to come to us from Germany. Seems to be a thriving scene growing over […]
THE VENUE The Raven is located on 3100 NE Sandy Blvd. in Portland, OR. It was previously called “The Panic Room.” I was very pleased with this location as the décor and setup were both aesthetically and functionally exceptional when compared to some of the other venues I have attended. The biggest highlight is probably […]
So maybe some of you have been waiting for this? I know I’m late, but it’s simply because I have not been wowed by a lot of metalcore in October. No, I’m not counting Dillinger Escape Plan either. For one, mathcore is a whole different ball game, and for another DEP simply transcend all genre […]
I always found Clinging to the Trees of a Forest Fire to be an incredibly underrated band, as the Denver group’s ability to merge elements of grind, death metal, and other extreme variants together with genuinely inhuman sounding vocals was enticing. Though they released two full lengths and several other demos/splits, the band flew under […]
Meet Finnish progressive metal band, Oddland. Their new album, ‘Origin,’ just came out early this September, and I am not afraid to say that it was one of my favorite surprises this year. I wasn’t sure what to expect pressing play, and even when I thought I had a handle on it with the opening […]
Everything about returning South African brutal death band Vulvodynia‘s new album seems painstakingly constructed to make one feel sick. Their new album, ‘Psychosadistic Design’, represents for me one of the most repellent releases of the year in terms of both intense music and media content. I also think that the band may have topped themselves despite […]
Sheesh, has it been 5 of these already? Hope you’re ready for more. How about that new Norma Jean album? They’ve still got it. And now we’ve got a new Every Time I Die record just on the horizon. With all the excitement you look like you could use some new music in the meantime. […]
Ash Street Saloon is a bar and venue on 225 SW Ash St, Portland OR 97204. This is my second visit for a show, the first being Absu a few months back. It’s been around since around 1994 and never fails to attract some interesting characters. My wife and I grab a beer and then share […]
If you haven’t yet caught our interview with progressive metal band Into The Storm, you should really check that out. The band’s new album, ‘Where the Merfalo Roam’ will be releasing this November through Alive and Breathing Records. I have gone so far as to call this exciting new release “the Gojira album that we really […]
Time to wet your beaks with more delicious metalcore from the underground. I didn’t get a lot of submissions direct this time around, but I wasn’t going to let that stop me. There’s always good music to be find for those willing to look, so I took to Bandcamp in search of the best and […]
