Articles by Manus Hopkins
Toronto's Völur Transcend the Boundaries of Metal on 'Death Cult'
PUBLISHED Nov 11, 2020
The saying "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" can be applied to a lot of metal music. There are bands who have built entire 30-plus year car...
DevilDriver Sound Like a One-Man Show on 'Dealing with Demons I'
PUBLISHED Oct 1, 2020
The new wave of American heavy metal (NWOAHM) was one of the most exciting music movements of the '00s. There are certain bands who grew pa...
Kataklysm Are at Their Tightest and Most Aggressive on 'Unconquered'
PUBLISHED Sep 22, 2020
During these tumultuous and unpredictable times, fans of Kataklysm were able to breathe a sigh of relief when frontman Maurizio Iacono decl...
Marilyn Manson Isn't Shocking Anymore, but 'We Are Chaos' Proves His Staying Power
PUBLISHED Sep 9, 2020
It's hard for an artist like Marilyn Manson to not been considered a has-been. The Antichrist Superstar made his name in the '90s as a shoc...
Black Crown Initiate's 'Violent Portraits of Doomed Escape' Is an Extreme Metal Triumph
PUBLISHED Aug 7, 2020
The biggest names in metal have been pretty quiet this year, at least where new studio material is concerned. There have been albums releas...
Septicflesh's 'Infernus Sinfonica MMXIX' Is a Live Album with Purpose
PUBLISHED Jul 31, 2020
Live albums sometimes feel a little pointless. It's too often they're used as gap-fillers for bands who haven't released anything in too lo...
Ensiferum Bring Extra Vigour to Their Finnish Folk Metal on 'Thalassic'
PUBLISHED Jul 9, 2020
It's easy to argue that Finland's premier folk metal band have perfected a formula that doesn't ever need to be changed. After a couple of...
Carach Angren Embraces Black Metal's Inherent Goofiness on 'Franckensteina Strataemontanus'
PUBLISHED Jun 25, 2020
Nearly two decades into their career, the Netherlands' Carach Angren have earned themselves a respectable reputation in the world of extrem...