Interviews

After six successful studio albums, Xentrix shows off all of their technical and lyrical prowess on their new release, Seven Words. While the band has been one of the leading figures in the thrash metal movement, guitarist Kristian Havard says it all comes down to the love of the music that keeps them fueled creatively with each release.

insaenum has returned with a phenomenal third full-length triumph, which is bound to leave listeners speechless: In Devastation punishes by virtue of its beauty and brutality. Sinsaenum stands as the project of Frédéric Leclercq of Kreator, Loudblast, formerly DragonForce, and a slew of other amazing bands.

ManiaCult has all of the usual traits of an Aborted album—brutality, technicality, and absolute craziness. Even with some newfound diversity, Aborted is still a classic gore and guts band. We spoke with Sven de Caluwe about writing and recording the album during the pandemic, the sound behind ManiaCult, and his best music business advice.

Ghost has been on the rise for nearly a decade, getting exponentially larger with each year, each album, and each tour. Ghost has had its best year yet, jumping from theaters to arenas, opening for Metallica, and finishing out their Prequelle tour cycle with US and European tours. We spoke with Ghost mastermind Tobias Forge at the end of the US The Ultimate Tour Named Death. With just one more run of dates before taking all of 2020 off from touring, we found out what we could expect in the next chapter of Ghost…a new album, the end of Cardinal Copia, and a new Papa?

THROWBACK THURSDAY: The Black Dahlia Murder from OUTBURN #51 (2009) The Black Dahlia Murder closed a chapter in its history with the critically acclaimed and fan beloved Majesty DVD. After capping a period that saw the release of three blazing displays of melodic death metal (Unhallowed, Miasma, and Nocturnal), you knew that their next album would be a blockbuster.

Lizzy Borden may take its namesake from an infamous murderer, but the band’s music is intended to take you on a visual journey like no other. Having just returned from a very successful tour with Tyr and Demons and Wizards, we had a great time chatting with the frontman himself about the tour, the anniversary of Visual Lies, and more.

There’s something perfect about Monster Magnet titling an album Mindfucker, and the recipient of this name is arguably one of the finest releases in their nearly 30 year career.

We spoke to multifaceted shred queen Nita Strauss (Alice Cooper, Iron Maidens) directly after her first solo show and the live debut of Controlled Chaos to talk about guitar technique, The Guitar Collective tour, balancing life on the road with Alice Cooper and her own material, and, of course, all about her new album.

On its sixth full-length album, Apocalypse & Chill, through Napalm Records and produced by Westerholt, the band—also featuring guitarist Timo Somers, bassist Otto Schimmelpenninck van der Oije, and drummer Joey de Boer—has introduced new and surprising musical elements that will certainly please its longtime fans while assuredly picking up a few new ones along the way.

In today’s modern metal climate, the melodic death/thrash that emanated from Sweden back in the 90s and mid millennium is looked at quite differently depending on the age of the fan in question. For those who remember, the sound from Gothenburg, Helsingborg, and beyond…