Like Venom to black metal, so is Possessed to death metal. Possessed defined this infamous region of extreme music, and even the late Chuck Schuldiner looked back on 1985’s Seven Churches as the true godfather. Founding vocalist Jeff Becerra has undergone many trials since releasing that seminal album—including a…

Even without considering the band’s landmark collaboration with Merzbow, Full of Hell embodies boundary-pushing insanity like few others. As the quartet has built on its combination of power electronics, grindcore and black metal, the caustic chaos has yielded mixed results with regard to cohesion. Having recently signed with Relapse…

More than 40 years before he won a Grammy for 2002’s Jamaican E.T., Jamaican-Swiss legend Lee “Scratch” Perry invented dub music. His unmistakable sound has taken him on an illustrious artistic, political and spiritual journey over the course of 68 albums by himself and with The Upsetters. Besides mentoring Bob…

Clockwise from top left: Yann Tiersen, Kishi Bashi, MXMS, Palehound, KEELD, Brasko. It’s easy to get overwhelmed by the sheer volume of music on the internet. Don’t get me wrong; I love how platforms like YouTube, Bandcamp and Soundcloud have opened the floodgates of independent artists. But navigating the flood…

Bad Religion, “Age of Unreason.” By all accounts, L.A.’s Bad Religion was ground zero for the Tony Hawk disciples with a taste for harmonized vocals over D-beat and power chords. The band’s 1982 debut, How Could Hell Be Any Worse?, became the blueprint for ‘90s skate punk, and subsequent releases…

It didn’t take long for Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes to look beyond the ferocity of their 2015 debut Blossom. Carter and his guitar-slinging partner in crime Dean Richardson branched out with conscious lyricism and diversified songwriting on 2017’s Modern Ruin. Where that album used severity to serve more melody,…

With 28 albums to their name over a career spanning decades, Ohio’s Guided By Voices are themselves guided by the industrious creativity of Robert Pollard. His incredible work ethic and unmistakable songwriting have earned the band a hallowed reputation within lo-fi rock. He’s hell-bent on pushing the pace, considering…

During the 2010s indie-rock explosion, Orange County’s Local Natives set themselves apart in a sea of folksy schmaltz with detailed drumming and multifaceted vocal harmonies. Gorilla Manor (2010) and 2013’s Humming Bird took a smarter approach to the pop-rock tropes of the time with a solid foundation in Afro-beat. Violet…

Clockwise from top left: Pieces of a Man, Nate Mercereau, Baloji, 3TEETH, Trade Wind and Quantic. It’s easy to get overwhelmed by the sheer volume of music on the internet. Don’t get me wrong, I love how platforms like YouTube, Bandcamp and Soundcloud have opened the floodgates of independent artists.…

During the five years since Nick Murphy released Built on Glass, he’s reoriented himself as a frontrunner in modern soul. Besides leaving his stage name Chet Faker, the Australian musician and producer embarked on a cross-continental journey of creativity and introspection. From his mother’s living room to Japan, Murphy…