Brutally Short #1: King Giant, Bearstorm, Khemmis, Valkyrie, Dreadnought

(image by our buried alive intern)

This is the inaugural post of our "Brutally Short" column. Our hands certainly aren't clean of producing them, but we know reading long-winded reviews can be tedious. In an effort to not let so many albums slip through the cracks, "Brutally Short" will deliver around five reviews or so of albums our staff has been recently listening to.

Reviews for Brutally Short #1:

King Giant - Black Ocean Waves
Bearstorm - Americanus
Khemmis - Absolution
Valkrie - Shadows
Dreadnought - Bridging Realms

Check out the reviews after the break!

Exclusive Interview - Josh Weaver (Royal Thunder)

Monday night saw the official start of summer, and for my money, that means two things: softball, and bar patios.  While we didn't get any swings in, this Monday did see Mick and I venture out to the patio of Chicago's Beat Kitchen, where we spent some patio time with Josh Weaver, guitarist for the white-hot band Royal Thunder.  The band's sophomore LP Crooked Doors came out earlier this year, and is a genre-defying medley of damn near all the tropes that make metal and rock great.  We talked to Josh about Royal Thunder's sound, his writing process, and an indie band called Nirvana he listened to in his youth.

Exclusive Interview - Takaakira 'Taka' Goto (Mono)

Last Thursday, I was fortunate enough to sit down and talk with Taka Goto, founding member of the legendary Japanese instrumental outfit Mono.  We chatted about the current tour, Taka's view on what inspires Mono's sound, and some of his favorite metal bands.  On a side note, if you have never seen Mono live then please rectify that ASAP.  The band's performance was full of energy and emotion that was captivating on an unprecedented level.

Check out the interview after the break!

Exclusive Interview - Steve Jansson (Crypt Sermon, Unrest, Trenchrot)

I talked with Steve Jansson from Crypt Sermon about epic doom metal, Dio worship, and the press reaction to their debut LP Out of The Garden. I also spoke with him about recent exploits with death metal band Trenchrot and grindcore band Unrest.

More with Steve after the jump.

Tempel - The Moon Lit Our Path

Nearly three years ago, we received a bandcamp link from a two-man instrumental act called Temple. Self-identified in their description as "instrumental black metal," I was immediately intrigued. While this seemed like a descriptor that would have surely been placed on the metal blogoshpere's carousel of sub-genres already, I couldn't quite place a band that completely fit that label.  Thankfully for my ears, I decided to check out their debut album On The Steps of the Temple (reviewed by Durf here). In the wake of the positive response to the album, the band got picked up by Prosthetic Records, changed their name ever so slightly to Tempel, and have now released a second offering for us to enjoy.  Improving upon the formula from their first album, The Moon Lit Our Path showcases Tempel taking the trademarks of black metal and weaving them into atmospheric elements, soaring guitar solos, anthemic riffs, and unrelenting beats.  What results is a soundscape that is foreboding, serene, and full of heavy energy all at the same time.

Exclusive Interview - Metatron (The Meads of Asphodel)

Recent black/avant-garde/you name it metallers The Meads of Asphodel released their split EP (with Tjolgtjar) called Taste The Divine Wrath. It is a solid taste of what both bands can offer as a full-length and also acts (from The Meads) as a place between Sonderkommando and their future releases. I got in contact with the band's leader, Metatron, to talk about the EP, religion, medieval themes and pure fucking hatred. Enjoy more after the jump.

Concert Review - Steven Wilson (Park West, Chicago, IL June 4,5 2015)

Since we had achieved the unimaginable by interviewing Steven Wilson in-person just over two years ago, Durf and I were determined to not miss him again as he came through Chicago late last week for two shows at Park West.  While we unfortunately fell short in terms of landing another interview, we were lucky enough to catch both shows between the two of us.

Check out our thoughts and some pictures of the show after the break!