Metal Browse All

Ghost B.C., Infestissumam

2013 | Label: Seven Four Entertainment / Republic

By Jon Wiederhorn eMusic Contributor

04.16.13 As soon as Ghost swarmed out of the depths of Linköping, Sweden, in 2010 with their retro occult album Opus Eponymous, the metal community came running. Not only was the band’s underground blend of Mercyful Fate riffs and Blue Oyster Cult melodies instantly appealing, its evil shtick was too goofy to ignore. Fronted by Papa Emeritus II, a cryptic skull-faced vocalist in a pope costume, and backed by musicians who all went under the moniker “Nameless Ghoul,” Ghost were a Satanic Spinal Tap with crafty, infectious songs they clearly sold… more »

JK Flesh / Prurient, Worship is the Cleansing of the Imagination

2013 | Label: Hydra Head Records / Redeye

By Jon Wiederhorn eMusic Contributor

12.12.12 One of the most forward-thinking, restless and prolific figures in metal, Justin K. Broadrick has been on the cusp of grindcore (Napalm Death), industrial noise (Final) and industrial metal (Godflesh) for 30 years. Not content to settle with metal, he has also explored ambient electronica (Techno Animal), post-rock (Jesu) and off-kilter beats and raps (Curse of the Golden Vampire, The Blood of Heroes). Judging by his career arc, he seems to have started out as a hardcore noise junkie before mellowing out and delving into hazier, less violent soundscapes.

Lately,… more »

Pilgrim, Misery Wizard

Label: Metal Blade Records / The Orchard

By Jon Wiederhorn eMusic Contributor

12.05.12 The debut full-length by Rhode Island’s Pilgrim may be one of the most heralded doom-metal albums of the year (along with Pallbearer’s Sorrow and Extinction), but the members of Pilgrim are completely uninterested in the recent rise of hipster doom, which is probably why Misery Wizard sounds so authentically effective. Pilgrim’s apocalyptic tones are generated from piles of Lovecraft, some powerful weed and intensive study of the giants of the first two generations of sludge, Black Sabbath, Pentagram, Trouble Saint Vitus, Sleep and Electric Wizard. By never breaking above a… more »

Pig Destroyer, Book Burner

2012 | Label: Relapse Records

By Jon Wiederhorn eMusic Contributor

10.22.12 Like other extreme acts, Pig Destroyer write songs about murder, insanity and mayhem, but there’s something grimier and more disconcerting about their tunes than your average Cannibal Corpse gorefest. With the release of 2004′s Terrifyer, the band was already rising above the constraints of traditional grindcore, incorporating industrial sound bites, death-groove riffs, doomy atmospherics and math-metal tempo changes into their schizophrenic songs. Brutally misanthropic, their songs grimly reflect the rage, intensity and social disconnect of minds on the edge. Book Burner is no different: “The Bug” begins with a dissonant… more »