(Our writer DGR obviously had a shit-ton of fun listening to Scumbag’s new EP, and probably just as much fun coming up with the word salad needed to describe the experience. See for yourselves. And listen for yourselves.)

Every year while questing in the wilds of heavy metal we find ourselves discussing a new death metal discovery out of New York. It goes without saying that New York as a state and its surrounding areas have a deep, deep, deep history with death metal and has long codified its own regional flavoring of it with mega-sized headlining bands that seem to inspire everyone nearby. You could name the greats for days but it’s likely you’ve known your chosen few already.

One of the reliable things about the area though is that for as boneheaded and dumb as death metal can be, New York, through its adaptations of brutal death and slam, has created something that exists on polar opposite ends of the spectrum, equal parts insanely technical and impressive and just about as brain-dead as a boulder. The megalopolis city on its own is a hive of activity. Continue reading »