Articles by Max Heilman

Portal 'Avow' Extreme Metal Aberration on Their Sixth Album
PUBLISHED May 26, 2021
Everyone acknowledged Portal as trailblazers once they dropped Swarth in 2009 and Vexovoid four years later, but these Australian maniacs h...
Montreal's Spectral Wound Bring New-School Politics to Old-School Black Metal
PUBLISHED Apr 15, 2021
Montreal quintet Spectral Wound have steadily risen to the top of the Canadian black metal underground with one uncompromising, infectious...
Montreal's Spectral Wound Will Quench Anyone with 'A Diabolic Thirst' for Black Metal
PUBLISHED Apr 13, 2021
No matter how many subgenres pour out of black metal, there's always a place for groups like Spectral Wound to keep the foundational flame...
serpentwithfeet Becomes the 'DEACON' of His Own Church of Love
PUBLISHED Mar 22, 2021
The repurposing of gospel music defines Josiah Wise's alter ego serpentwithfeet, reconciling his religious upbringing with his sexual ident...
Architects Tone Down Their Heaviness on Nuanced 'For Those That Wish to Exist'
PUBLISHED Feb 24, 2021
In a world where vocalist Sam Carter wishes he never yelled "BLEGH" before a djent breakdown, British stalwarts Architects have reached a d...
The Body Harness the Heart of Darkness on Pulverizing 'I've Seen All I Need to See'
PUBLISHED Jan 27, 2021
Even without counting the Body's plethora of collaborative efforts, much of this Rhode Island duo's output has a stacked guest list. The mo...
Sigur Rós Rediscover a Piece of Their Own Mythology on 'Odin's Raven Magic'
PUBLISHED Dec 1, 2020
Sigur Rós had begun work on 2002's () when fellow Icelandic musician and religious figurehead Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson approached them about a...
Killer Be Killed Live Up to Their Supergroup Pedigree with 'Reluctant Hero'
PUBLISHED Nov 16, 2020
While solid if taken at face value, the debut Killer Be Killed album definitely watered down the distinctive characteristics of each member...