Articles by Chris Ayers

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  Spock's Beard

  Brief Nocturnes and Dreamless Sleep

  PUBLISHED Apr 2, 2013

  The departure of a lead singer is a loss that cripples most acts. Fans wondered how Los Angeles prog rockers Spock's Beard would weather fr...

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  Anthrax

  Anthems

  PUBLISHED Mar 19, 2013

  It's tough to please fans with cover albums, as they complain vociferously if bands stay too close to or stray too far from the originals....

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  Kongh

  Sole Creation

  PUBLISHED Feb 5, 2013

  Sometimes first impressions are everything, especially with album cover art. In metal, as opposed to other genres, there's a higher percent...

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  Various

  Hell Comes Home Volume 1

  PUBLISHED Dec 1, 2012

  Along with a T-shirt and digital downloads, this box set from Ireland's raddest label contains a whopping 12 seven-inch records with new an...

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  NonExist

  From My Cold Dead Hands

  PUBLISHED Nov 2, 2012

  When frontman Johan Liiva left Arch Enemy in the late '90s, he immediately found success with his new project, Nonexist. 2002's debut, Deus...

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  Abstracter

  Tomb of Feathers

  PUBLISHED Sep 19, 2012

  San Francisco's Bay Area has inspired some of the most creative metal bands, and Abstracter are cut from this same cloth. Their three-song...

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  Rex Shachath

  Sepulchral Torment

  PUBLISHED Sep 14, 2012

  Hailing from Belfest, Rex Shachath take their curious moniker from the Hebrew word meaning "ruined," as these kingly Irishmen take the rust...

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  Chowder

  Passion Rift

  PUBLISHED Jul 10, 2012

  Previous stints playing with Unorthodox, Revelation and Earthride have instilled bassist Josh Hart with the power of Maryland's doom gods a...