From ‘Ascendancy’ to ‘In the Court of the Dragon’: Ranking the Trivium Discography
Since their formation in 1999, American heavy metal band Trivium has released ten studio albums, sold over one million albums worldwide, and have even been nominated for a Grammy. They’ve achieved a level of stardom few metal bands reach and are one of the kings of modern metal. While all of Trivium’s albums are solid…
Senior Bowl Review: What are the Boys in the Trenches Grilling?
With this year’s Reese’s Senior Bowl in the books you’re probably thinking that you’ve learned everything you need to know about this year’s players and prospects, but I can assure I was out here at the Senior Bowl asking the tough questions that most shy away from, namely: what is your go to grilling meat…
2022 Metal Albums of the Year: Part 2
If you’ve been in the content creation game for long, you know that if you create something in multiple parts and tell your audience when to expect the next part, inevitably something will come up to delay that. That’s exactly what happened with the second part of my look at the 2022 metal albums of…
2022 Metal Albums of the Year (Part 1)
The year has come to a close, so it’s time to talk about the metal albums of the year for 2022. Last year was another great year for metal music. There were a ton of solid releases from bands all across the extreme music spectrum. 2021’s releases were a bit more top-heavy than what we…
2021 or: How I Learned to Stop Cringing and Love the Deathcore
If you’re of a certain age, just seeing the word MySpace brings a flood of emotions, memories, and reactions. MySpace, a driving force behind the cultural movement of sorts, shone a spotlight on some of the best and worst the millennial generation had to offer. As a precursor to sites and apps like Facebook, Twitter,…
North Ave Jax Album Review: “Lazy, but i have goals”
The hardest out the scene in the 802. North Ave Jax, dropped one of the most complete projects of 2022 so far. His album “LaZy, but i have goals” dropped on August 17th, 2022 and I have not stopped listening to it since, so why not put out an album review? The album has no…
Parkway Drive Albums Ranked
It’s not cool to like Parkway Drive anymore. There is a clear shift in the direction of the band, and the days of blast beats and ferocious licks are all but forgotten. Luckily I’ve never been cool, so I’m going to rank all of the Parkway Drive albums. Since Darker Still will be out in…
Music and Sports: Why Cover Both?
At first it may seem out of place for a sports website to venture out and cover music. You may be seeing us on Twitter and asking yourself “why are they talking about a music artist?” The answer is simple. When you really think about it, music is an integral part of the fabric of…
Aaron May “No Recognition”: Album Review
In late June 2022, Aaron May dropped his highly anticipated EP “No Recognition”. Is the album worth a listen and how does it stand up to his previous breakout album “Chase”? Aaron May Background Aaron May is an up-and-coming independent artist out of Houston, TX. He is signed to the independent record label MOVEINTHEAM. Early…
Top Metal Albums of 2022…So Far
If you’re a fan of heavy, extreme music then 2021 was a great year for you. It certainly was for me in that regard. 2021 was perhaps the greatest year for metal that I’ve ever experienced. Some of the greatest albums I’ve ever heard came out last year, in the form of releases from Whitechapel,…
Blast Beats: Top 10 Metal Albums of the Year
It’s the middle of February, so let me be the absolute last to say Happy New Year and to bring you my top 10 metal albums of the year. This is what happens when you miss half a year in new music and have to catch up. In general, 2021 was pretty terrible. But it…
Blast Beats: My Top Ten AOTY List
Always late than never, I present my Top Ten AOTY list Throughout this month I’ve seen end of the year lists that spanned from anywhere from 40-100. I’m going to bring you ten. Ten is a number I feel where I can give you an honest assessment of an album. I’ve listened to these top…
Who Belongs On the Heavy Metal Mount Rushmore?
What is THE Heavy Metal Mount Rushmore? I know it’s fall, which means Mount Rushmore season is ova. We have football to watch, no need to pass the time with intriguing Mount Rushmore topics. But this one in particular was very frustrating to me. You only get four choices, yet without even thinking, I’m sure…
Revisiting A Classic: Rust In Peace
“Humanity Still Producing New Art As Though Megadeth’s ‘Rust In Peace’ Doesn’t Already Exist” -The Onion Pretty Much. Over 30 years later, the fourth installment in Megadeth’s catalog remains as iconic as ever. Its praise has been sung from every corner of metal as elitists and gatekeepers join hand in hand with casuals and dad…
Awkwafina is an unnecessary bump in Marvel’s diversity road
Awkwafina. You may know her, or not. But her name has a bit more spotlight with the coming release of Marvel Studios’ Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Marvel boasts a unique powerhouse film universe with heavy profits that no one has seen before. Everyone enjoys their cinematic projects, but that success cannot…
Revisiting A Classic: Show No Mercy
Disclaimer: There’s an ironic intellectual consumption with metal. Disheveled looking characters in faded shirts speak of a band’s catalogue as if they are historians discussing colonization and conflict. A new band is discovered, and suddenly the community becomes auditory sommeliers. Abrasive and grotesque imagery is revered. Blunt delivery is preferred. Five minutes later and we’ve…
Hip Hop/Rap has evolved beyond The Grammys
It has been two weeks since the 2021 edition of The Grammys aired, and the awards show seemed to leave a stale taste in the mouths of hip hop/rap fans. History has shown that the genre has hardly ever been treated correctly by the Recording Academy, lacking any nuance or respect for what an ever-growing…
Navy Blue and the rise of Ambient Rap
Photo by Patrick Johnson/Hypebeast. Regardless of the names cycling through your playlist, hip hop/rap holds a special place in the music canon. It was birthed in black and Latinx neighborhoods of the 1970s Bronx, and evolved as it weaved its way through the country. Different regions adopted and styled it to their liking, and now…