(TheBRHM.com) Jess and the Ancient Ones, Jex Thoth and Lucifer are three of the bands that first come to mind when “occult rock” is brought up. It’s with good reason as those bands really deliver some great albums in that vein. First of All: What Is Occult Rock? I will ...

(TheBRHM.com) This time we’re looking at extremely strong debuts! We’ll start with a band we’ve discussed a bit before in Blind Guardian with their 1988 debut Battalions of Fear. What Type of Vibe Is Blind Guardian? To be honest, there are different vibes with Blind Guardian’s music. It can depend ...

(TheBRHM.com) I’ve always had a love-hate relationship with neoclassical Metal or shred. Shredding—the central part of many neoclassical works—involves the guitarist(s) performing an extended display of their skill. This is often played rapidly but there are pieces with slower, more digestible guitar solos of the same length. The thing is ...

(TheBRHM.com) In the 1980s, heavy metal really made use of emerging music videos to add visuals to their tunes. I also like that music videos remove some of the mystery and vagueness of some songs by showing the story or referencing imagery from the song. Sure, many artists leave their ...

(TheBRHM.com) Before I really dove back into heavy metal and hard rock between 2005-2006, I listened mostly to hip-hop. Anything that was produced in the South or featured Southern artists was my favorite. That was pretty much a period of 2000-2008 when I was really hunting mixtapes, commercial releases, and ...

(TheBRHM.com) Formed in 1968, Black Sabbath is a band that holds the distinction of being the first heavy metal band. It will be argued that other bands did a heavier rock sound before Sabbath—and that’s true—but none of those bands really hit the sound that would be foundation of heavy ...

(TheBRHM.com) Every so often, I enjoy some country music but it’s often a couple of loose songs that I just really dig. Just like any genre, you can hear something from an artist, not enjoy most of their catalog, but dig a handful of songs. The last time we looked ...

(TheBRHM.com) One album that absolutely slammed from start to finish was 3 Inches of Blood’s second album Advance and Vanquish. Released in 2004, this is an album that metal fans who are into meaningful lyrics and complex guitar work might overlook. That’s not a knock on 3 Inches of Blood’s ...