ALBUM REVIEW: INVICTRA – OF FLESH, STEEL, AND STONE

INVICTRA prove once again that the music made by the thrash legends (FFO: Testament, Slayer, Metallica, Megadeth, Anthrax) of the ‘80s and ‘90s can still be refined, and more importantly, can stay relevant in 2021. Attacking you with a tornado of heavy riffs, searing solos, sticky melodies, and modern Trivum-esque clean vocals sprinkled around an […]

Album Review: Diceros – Forced Extinction

If there is one thing the new Diceros album is packed full of, it’s nostalgia for this former nu metal savant. Not to say that Forced Extinction is a nu metal record by any stretch of the term, but buried deep within these hard-hitting songs is a serious look back at the more popular mainstream […]

Album Review: Mass Casualty – Death Count

Over the past few years, Buffalo death metallers, Mass Casualty, have found themselves settling into new grooves amidst a few crucial lineup changes. Now, with Tommy Longenecker (lead guitar, backing vocals) having been a part of the band’s writing process for more than two years and Nate White (Sleepers) filling in on drums, Mass Casualty […]

Album Review: THE LONG COLD DARK – THERE ARE NO ANSWERS

Something I’ve been talking about a lot lately is how impressive any longevity is these days when it comes to local bands. The Long Cold Dark of Buffalo, New York have been going strong since 2008, despite the typical lineup issues all bands face, and I think it’s important to reflect on that longevity before […]

SINGLE REVIEW: FIGHT FROM WITHIN – SELF RESCUE MISSION

This was the first song I heard this morning and I’ll be humming the chorus all day. Fight from Within are an up-and-coming metalcore band from Syracuse, NY, featuring Tykeese Breland on guitar (who will be one of the featured artists in our physical May 2021 issue). Stylistically, it’s hard to complain about a band […]

Local Band Reactions: WARBLADE (Rochester Melodic Black Metal)

I decided to start reacting to local bands from WNY I’ve never heard before. To kick the series off, I chose to check out Warblade from Rochester, who unfortunately have been disbanded for some time now. This band rules. Any fan of Dissection and/or Ablaze My Sorrow should LOVE these guys. And if you’re familiar […]

Album Review: Diluted – Unsubscribe

I don’t think it’s any secret, Diluted are my favorite band hands down. I’ve watched them grow not only as a band, but as people since around 2015. They’ve become some of my best friends in the world, and their music has helped me through some of the darkest moments of my life. That’s why […]

Album Review: Hell Ever After – The First Circle

I jammed with the Gomez brothers in a few bands about 20 years ago, and back then I couldn’t have predicted they would one day reunite to form a project like THIS. Hell Ever After might be the most original metal act to come out of WNY in recent memory. Emerging as a metal opera, […]

Album Review: Evergrey – Escape of the Phoenix

One of the most underrated progressive metal bands in the history of the genre strikes again with another incredibly written, immersive listening experience. Evergrey were always a band on the backburner for me. I took a listen to Recreation Day when it first came out, and at the time, their sound just wasn’t strong enough […]

Album Review: Fed Ash – Diurnal Traumas

Last February I booked a noise show at the California Brew Haus in Rochester. In the process of booking this show, I came into contact with Matthew Jaime; a fellow noise artist, who happened to be on tour with his project Machine Moon. After the show, I looked over his stack of tapes that were […]