From Melville to Metal: The Conceptual Depths of Mastodon’s ‘Leviathan’
Mastodon’s Leviathan is a concept LP inspired by American novelist Herman Melville’s Moby Dick. Think of it as sludge metal’s answer to Dark Side of the Moon.
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MetalMatters: The Best Metal Albums of August 2024
In August’s best metal, Mamaleek defy categorization, Teeth evolve their dissonant death metal, and Vomitrot bounce between death/doom and black metal.
Metallica’s ‘Ride the Lightning’ Turns 40, But the Memory Remains
Yes, Metallica were singing about death—the cartoon skulls and swords I doodled in my notebooks rendered sonically. But they were also singing about life.
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MetalMatters: The Best Metal Albums of July 2024
In July’s best metal, Wormed’s futuristic brutal tech-death is sovereign, Void Witch offer death-doom wickedness, and Malconfort’s off-kilter black metal shines.
Listen Up Gen Xers: Satan Ain’t (Taylor) Swift
I first heard about Slayer in a church in Mississippi. The sermon warned of metal’s Satanic influence. Now we old head-banging Gen Xers are afraid of Taylor Swift?
Fire-Toolz’s ‘Breeze’ Dares to Imagine Joy Within Chaos
It’s a rare artist indeed who can turn tools for expressing existential dread toward a grateful appreciation of life, but Fire-Toolz accomplishes this on Breeze.
MetalMatters: The Best Metal Albums of June 2024
In June’s best metal, Crypt Sermon offer hooks in doom form, Insect Ark stay on the experimental path, and Ulcerate offer despair with technical death metal.
SUMAC’s ‘The Healer’ Is One of the Best Metal Albums of 2024
Experimental metal trio SUMAC return with four tracks, a gargantuan runtime, and an experience that feels both frightening and healing on The Healer.
Alcest Burrow Beautifully Into Their Aesthetic on New Album
With their Les Chants De L’Aurore, the legendary French metal outfit Alcest weave together light and darkness in a characteristically compelling fashion.
MetalMatters: The Best Metal Albums of May 2024
In May’s best metal, the Hope Conspiracy return to pure hardcore form, Unleash the Archers claim power metal fame and Primitive Warfare declare war against all.
![Slash’s Orgy of Destruction [or] ‘Blues Your Illusion’](https://www.popmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Slash-with-Gibson-Les-Paul-720x380.jpg)
Slash’s Orgy of Destruction [or] ‘Blues Your Illusion’
Orgy of the Damned finds Slash and his many guests bashing through the most over-played blues standards with the subtlety and grace of Axl Rose in a china shop.
MetalMatters: The Best Metal Albums of April 2024
In April’s best metal, Locrian fully establish their return, Benighted adorn their anguish in their darkened past, and Inter Arma lead in extreme metal.