I’ve never heard this band, and this post is about critics, not the band:

ABHOR’s masterful (and MORIBUND debut) “Ab Luna Lucenti, Ab Noctua Protecti” is released! and lately, it’s been slaying the critics worldwide, as these snippets are testament to:

•“Abhor seem to want to transcend, and judging by the quality of the songwriting, musicianship, and esoteric hymns found here, they have succeeded” – Zero Tolerance [5/6 rating]

•“The two different elements, raw and symphonic, combine very well…intersects nicely with moments of despair and melancholy” – About.com

•“Packs in enough weird character to make this well worth the time of occult metal voyagers” – MetalReviews.com [8/10 rating]

•“A pretty successful effort, and an enjoyable and accessible listen” – Eternal-Terror.com [4/6 rating]

•“An epic release and could end up making my top ten list at the end of the year” – Wickedchannel.com

•“So different and a refreshing change from either the full-on symphonic or grim black metal you get most of the time” – Absolute Zero Media webzine

Yes, they rave about everything.

And yet… and yet there’s a lack of real substance.

What can we learn about The Critics?

Bill Zebub has a radio show Monday nights midnight-3am on 91.1FM.

• WFMU live stream

Free Thrash show in Philadelphia
Saturday, October 1
2:00pm – 6:30pm

FDR Skatepark (Entrance at 20th & Pattison Avenue)
Philadelphia, PA

FREE * All Ages

Bands:

Anvil Bitch – Legendary Old School Philly Thrash, Tearing it up since 1985!

Condition Critical – New School Ragers from South Jersey. Think Kreator meets Morbid Saint & Demolition Hammer in the middle of hell.

Bitchslicer – Obscene Philly Thrash since 2001

Possessor – Pure EVIL New School Thrash from Virginia since 2009

God Sex Weapons – New School Bangers from Levittown, PA

Special Guest:

DJ GR/EG – Host of Philly’s Metal Mondays & Hessian Aggression, who will be spinning nothing but the finest old school metal on vinyl between bands.

• Event on FacePalm

In 1994, Nile recorded a demo, Worship the Animal. This is from their early years when they still wrote death metal riffs, before the indie/rock/prog influence took hold. It will be released on October 11 on Goomba Music.

• Nile – Worship the Animal demo (1994) [Mediafire, 32mb]

Rigor Mortis and four modern metal bands are going to tear up the outskirts of Houston, Texas on Saturday October 1 from 8 – 11 pm.

You all know Rigor Mortis as innovators in the realm of non-effete melodic metal, intricate song structures, daring instrumentals and a bizarre and disturbing sense of humor. Now you have a chance to see the original line-up live, after a short drive (by H-town standards) and some metalcore.

• Rigor Mortis, Carry the Storm, Critical Assembly, Decimation Theory, and Mechanisms of a False Reality – Live In Houston, Texas – Saturday, October 1

…from the dude from Allegeaon, whatever that is:

Review up.

Go here to listen live. Saturday 10 PM – 1 AM CST.

The Dallas Observer has set up a democratic poll to very democratically elect a local band as “Best Metal Act” of the year.

Naturally, every band and their dog’s dogs are gaming this system, in tribute to the true nature of democracy (buying votes with lies).

That means that in order to compete, all contestants need to rig the vote… see where this is going?

• Dallas Observer: Polls: Best Metal Act

Warbeast is the latest band of Rigor Mortis vocalist Bruce Corbitt, who is also interviewed on our site.

He could use your votes.

He appears to be trying to reform melodic black metal, death/black and the hopes/aspirations of the older work. Dissection, Dawn and Eucharist fans take note.