Abbath

When Abbath announced that he had left IMMORTAL, it sent massive shockwaves through the metal scene. The iconic frontman had long become the "face" of the Norwegian black scene, his image synonymous with this style. Now the legend returns with his new band ABBATH and a crushing eponymous debut album, unleashing all the fury of a Nordic blizzard at full force. Of course the band is equally at home in writing anthemic mid-tempo hymns. Abbath's characteristic riffing shines clearly through it all: heavy, harsh, and yet catchy and melodic with a touch of epic BATHORY, MOTÖRHEAD, and even KISS. At the same time there is no danger of repeating the formula of IMMORTAL or the mastermind's other project under the moniker I, which was shared with King. The bass player from Bergen has again joined Abbath and brought his impressive song-writing skills to the battlefield. GORGOROTH, GOD SEED, and OV HELL bear witness to King's exceptional talent as a composer, while contributions to AUDREY HORNE and SAHG demonstrate his wide stylistic range. The final keystone to ABBATH lies in the outstanding drumming delivered by the mysterious Creature. The trio has already proved its worth as a live entity at several headlining festival shows as well, where ABBATH were joined by an additional guitarist. 'Abbath' impresses from start to finish. This is exactly the album that all fans of this particular Bergen brand of black metal have been hoping for. Hold on tight or get blown away. ABBATH are here now and ready to conquer the world!


Universally recognized as one of the most potent acts in music today, High On Fire creates modern heavy metal that merges primal fury and aggression, hesher bombast and hall of fame heaviness. Described as "a supersonic exercise in conquest by volume," High On Fire has rewritten the hard rock rule book since its formation in 1998, forging a style and sound that is both critically celebrated and absolutely unique. The group features vocalist and cult guitar hero Matt Pike -- also a founding member of the famed underground band Sleep -- along with powerhouse drummer Des Kensel and talented bassist Jeff Matz. Pike was named as one of Rolling Stone's "New Guitar Gods" and is one of rock's most charismatic figures. High On Fire's latest album De Vermis Mysteriis was released on April 3, 2012.


Since signing with Prosthetic seven years ago, a new SKELETONWITCH album has materialized like clockwork every other October. First, there was the group's sophomore breakthrough, "Beyond The Permafrost." Produced by late GWAR guitarist Cory Smoot and featuring iconic artwork by John Baizley (Baroness, Kylesa, Kvelertak), the album – and subsequent tours with the likes of Danzig, Dimmu Borgir and Amon Amarth – told the world what the rest of Ohio already knew: that SKELETONWITCH was a metal force to be reckoned with. That album's "Soul Thrashing Black Sorcery" would eventually be featured in the video game "Brutal Legend," placing the band in excellent company with digitized versions of Rob Halford, Ozzy and Lemmy.


Then came 2009?s "Breathing The Fire," produced by the legendary Jack Endino (Nirvana, High On Fire, 3 Inches of Blood). Supported by tours with Cannibal Corpse, Children of Bodom and Ozzfest, the album – the band's first featuring bassist Evan Linger, and also their first to crack the Billboard Top 200 – caught the attention of Cartoon Network's Adult Swim, who invited the group to film a zombie-themed video for the song "Bringers of Death" that the band members still haven't stopped hearing about.


In 2011, "Forever Abomination" – produced by Grammy-winner Matt Hyde (Slayer, Deftones) – saw the arrival of drummer Dustin Boltjes (ex-Demiricous), as well as a return visit to the Billboard Top 200. On the road, the group toured alongside Arch Enemy, Kvelertak, The Black Dahlia Murder and Nile before embarking on their most ambitious trek to date: a 63-shows-in-65-days test of endurance that they passed with flying colors.


2013 brings us to "Serpents Unleashed," the group's fifth and latest release. Recorded with Kurt Ballou (Converge, High On Fire, Isis) in Salem, Mass. (insert bad "witch" joke here), the album – which features artwork by Baizley, who returns to the fold for the first time in six years – is another blistering helping of two-and-a-half minute blasts of blackened metal amalgamation. This time around, the band also shows off a few new tricks – note the Scandinavian doom-vibe in the opening of "Unending, Everliving" and the devil's swing of "This Evil Embrace" – but does so without compromising the frosty/fiery/abominable metal spirit or blue-collar humility that has endeared them to so many over the past decade. Ultimately, it's both a fitting testament to what they've accomplished to date, and an exciting nod toward what the future has in store.


Any band whose appreciation of music is broad enough to encompass the likes of Dissection, The Misfits, Iron Maiden, The Doors and Type O Negative is unlikely to be interested in recycling other people's ideas. And as that list of inspirations suggests, Tribulation present to you a record that is both unapologetically ambitious and utterly distinct.

Emerging from the darkness of the Swedish death metal abyss in 2004, the band immediately stood apart from what was already a crowded scene, betraying an uncompromising vision that refused to be shackled by any genre stereotypes. Their exhilarating 2009 debut album The Horror somehow managed to simultaneously conjure the spirits of such old masters as Morbid Angel, while still sounding absolutely fresh, its combination of death metal with thrash, heavy metal and even horror soundtrack influences earning it praising reviews.