Alexander Joseph

Since 1981, the enduring, eternal rallying cry for metal-heads the world over has simply been shouting “SLAYER!” as loud as humanly possible. No sloganeering, no nuance, just people screaming a band’s name at each other in all manner of public spaces. It’s not just the bone-deep, tribal affection Slayer demands from its audience that makes […]

While there’s undeniable sonic weight in Lesser Glow’s formidable brand of sludge metal, what truly sets the Boston band apart is its melodic undercurrent. Its most recent release, this year’s “Ruined” EP, calls to mind Midwest doom-titans Fister and Sea of Bones in its thundering, bass-heavy lurch. But it’s the moments of sung, Pallbearer-esque emotional […]

Longstanding Detroit bruisers Walls of Jericho is one of the earliest progenitors of a distinctly American style of metalcore, which takes two-step ready rhythms and pumps them full of galloping riffs and pinch harmonics. The band, fronted by Candace Kucsulain, has been doing the damn thing since 1998, and its influence on a rising generation […]

A band like The Menzingers is probably the best possible outcome you can hope for when a generation of kids raised on ska-punk and Asian Man Records starts their own bands. While the Philly-based act’s first few records are unabashed in their Less Than Jake and early Against Me worship, it has truly come into […]

While metal is a genre that’s as susceptible to trends as any other one, it’s fair to say that its legions upon legions of fans value consistency the most. Bands that are able to trade on and expand upon a single gimmick for decades are often viewed as heroes of the scene writ large. And […]