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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.
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 […]
Coma Cluster Void are an eclectic math metal collective with members from USA, Canada, and Germany featuring Mike Disalvo (Ex- Cryptopsy), 10-string guitar, and mind-breaking drumming. Their new album, Mind Cemetaries, is a whirlwind of technical musicianship and is bound to end up on many end of year lists. We got a chance to pick the brains of several […]
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 […]
