My name is Adam and I’m the strapping young lad you’ll probably see doing reviews around here. Born and raised in Toronto till 15, and I lived in Cape Town, South Africa till I was 20. Having been bit by the metal-junkie bug before I left Canada, coming to a less developed internet situation (3G cap a month, my god!) starved my metal hunger and made it monstrous, leading me to scour used cd stores, music stores having sales and whatever publications i could find about metal in Cape Town (which wasn't impossible, but more difficult then Toronto). Since my father was back and fourth from the two countries, I would write several pages long lists of bands I would want mp3's of back from Canada. It would be when returned to Canada that I went into overdrive about everything I could learn about the genre, about every sub-genre and every sub-sub-genre; which genres were redundant or just renames of others, and which had merit. I now go to every show I can make and play the guitar to metal as much as I can between work and living.

Favourite Acts: Death, Boards of Canada, Agalloch, Kampfar, Ulver, Black Sabbath, Reverend Bizarre, David Bowie, Annihilator, Cannibal Ox, Akercocke, Judas Priest, Motorhead, Atheist, Type O Negative, Dismember, Lantlos, King Crimson, Wounded Kings, Autopsy, Megadeth, Jesu, Nile, Discharge, Thergothon, Blut Aus Nord, Coldworld, Deicide, Blind Guardian, Gorillaz, Nevermore, St.Vitus, Iron Maiden, Sisters of Mercy, Morbid Angel, Slayer, Necrophobic, Sleep, Bathory, Ahab, At the Gates, Interpol, Amon Amarth, Sepultura, Arkona, Rory Gallagher, Pagan Altar, Mayhem, Carbon Based Life Forms, Celtic Frost, Dark Angel, Aphex Twin, Judas Priest, Jedi Mind Tricks, Emperor, Angra, Pagan’s Mind, Kreator, Electric Wizard, Metallica, Pain of Salvation, Kylesa, Darkthrone, Burzum, Behemoth, Angel Witch

Favourite genres: I like pretty much all metal so I’ll just list it off

1
• Black Metal (including: Early Black Metal, Ambient Black, DSBM, Folk/Viking/Pagan, post-Black)
• Doom Metal (including: Trad Doom, Funeral Doom, Gothic Metal, Doom/Death, Epic Doom)
• Dark Metal (Think Agalloch, October Falls, Uaural or Empyrium)

2
• Death Metal (Including OSDM, Death/Doom, Melodic DEATH, Technical Death, Progressive/Death, Blackend Death)
• Progressive Metal

3
• Thrash Metal (Including: Technical thrash, Cross-over and Death/Black/Thrash)
• Power Metal (Including: Power/Prog, Power/Thrash,)
• Traditional Metal (including: NWOBHM, Speed Metal, Hard rock/Heavy Metal, proto-Metal)

4
• Stoner Metal (Including: Stoner Rock, Stoner/Doom)
• Sludge Metal (Including: post-Metal, Drone, Stoner/Sludge)
• Folk Metal
• Symphonic Power/Black/Folk/Death Metal

5
• Grindcore and Crust Punk
• Industrial Metal
• MELODIC Death Metal (Including: Melodic Death/Metalcore, Melodic Death/Power)
6
• Groove Metal
• Metalcore/Deathcore
• Djent/Technical Metal

I also have a liking for Hardcore Punk, Post-Punk and Gothic Rock, New Wave, Ambient, Trip-Hop, Hip-Hop, Industrial, Industrial Rock, Classic Rock, Jazz Guitar/Jazz Fusion, Blues, post-Rock, Shoegaze, Bitpop and Neo-Folk.

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The big bad Administrator of Axis Of Metal; by the name of John Carlo!

Hi, I’m Alex. A/S/L?

I grew up listening to a combination of whatever my friends listened to and whatever my parents thought was garbage, and eventually got into metal in the most hardcore way possible: I heard a Metallica song in a Dragon Ball Z music video. As an 11 year old, thought I had found the most badass thing in the world. I would later grow up to realize that 11 year olds are stupid. Since then, not only has my appreciation for music widened exponentially, but I’m pretty sure I could beat my 11 year old self up, too.

Favourite genres: Progressive rock/metal, stoner rock/metal, sludge metal, power metal, traditional metal, jazz fusion, post-rock

Favourite bands: 3, Baroness, Bison BC, Blind Guardian, Boris, Clutch, The Company Band, Dark Suns, Disillusion, Earth, Earthless, Galactic, the Gathering, Iron Maiden, Kamchatka, Kamelot, King Hobo, Larry and His Flask, Lionize, Mastodon, Mono, Murder by Death, Opeth, Pain of Salvation, Pink Floyd, Porcupine Tree, Riverside, Symphony X, Tom Waits, Ufomammut, William Elliott Whitmore

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Hey hey everyone, my name's Anthony and I'm a photographer-turned-writer for this here site. I was born and raised in Toronto and I'm currently in school here for my main gig; film production, editing and sound recording. I've been shooting concerts for nearly as long as I've been listening to metal, so I'm psyched to be shooting for this fine site.

As for the music, I've always been into the droning, stoner/sludge side of things, but I still love me some thrash, prog, traditional and crossover-punk. I've also got alot of love for the proto-metal and heavy psych bands of the late 60s and early 70s.

Some favorite metal acts: Black Sabbath, Motorhead, Slayer, Venom, the Melvins, Sleep, Om, High on Fire, Corrosion of Conformity, Big Business, Harvey Milk, Boris, Baroness, Mastodon, Kylesa, Weedeater, Zoroaster, Kyuss, Tool, Intronaut, the Isosceles Project, the Great Sabatini.

Non-metal favorites: King Crimson, Santana, Rush, Cream, Deep Purple, Jimi Hendrix, Can, Frank Zappa, Captain Beefheart, Parliament-Funkadelic, Herbie Hancock, Miles Davis, Jeff Beck, A Tribe Called Quest, MF Doom, Madlib, POS, Fugazi, Fucked Up, Black Flag, Talking Heads.

A lesser addition to the Axis team. I, Chris Hernandez am into all things dark, moody, melodic and sombre. I typically spend the majority of my time playing video games so you might not see too much content from on here, but I do my best to blow everyone away when I do slam out a review. I came from a humble writing position at Igxpro.net, a video game news/reviews site, but I have always had a passion for music and metal in general. I got into metal and music in general from watching anime music videos that I would wait hours to stream on good old dial-up internet. Now I have accrued quite a collection of music spanning all genres and am always excited to learn of more, new and interesting bands. That's all I have to say about that.

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Word-slinger and auditory addict. Former college disc jokey, emptier of tumblers, devourer of books, and connoisseur of riffs. I'm the unexpected metal head among my peers. My musical tastes run the gamut from scorching, blister-inducing grind to Wagnerian overtures to bourbon-soaked, juke joint blues. I have a keen taste for skull-crushing doom and dirty, fuzz-laced rock cranked out through tube amps.

I don't own a patched vest, but I've got better beard genes than you. My work day is spent around 18-wheelers and diesel fumes while I formulate poetry and prose in my skull.

I'm a tough critic with strong opinions. If I happen to review something and give it a perfect score, I've been thoroughly impressed. Don't expect too many of those. Bribing me with a bottle of single malt scotch may earn you a few extra points. Yes, I do drink like an old man. Now, get off my lawn.

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Hello everybody my name is Adam Deane of course most of you that listen to the show or have seen the reviews I normally just go by Deane, just sounds cooler. But anyways, I am the other half of the creation that is Axis of Metal. This love child was created by Mr.Fritz and myself one chilly fall night. We figured, that we both shared a love for heavy metal and we needed something to fill our time. I had also thought that since I couldn’t play an instrument to save my life, I could jump into the mad world of heavy metal by criticizing others, so the Axis was born.

I had journeyed through my early years mainly listening to alot of music that had been popular at the time; lots of radio rock I guess you could say. I had discovered Ozzy and Black Sabbath in late elementary school and it just took off from there. See I was raised in Hamilton, Ontario where for someone like myself there isn’t much of anything to keep my mind occupied besides playing pool and throwing cold beverages at people from car windows, so I had spent alot of my time diving into the underworld of heavy metal. From Ozzy and Sabbath I dove into melodic death metal with the likes of Amon Amarth and once I received that taste of death metal I continually craved a harder and more extreme sound.

That does pretty much sum everything up, I tend to have periods in which I pick a genre and search the internet for bands. In early high school I had discovered Opeth and a new love had been born for progressive metal. I like to think that I am pretty well ranged in all different types of styles that are found within heavy metal, but really I am no expert.

Some of my favorite acts include Opeth, Insomnium, Ozzy Osbourne, Agalloch, Dream Theater, Iced Earth, Death, Obituary, Darkthrone, Emperor, Ihashn, Marduk, Watain, Dio, Black Sabbath, Blind Guardian, Swallow the Sun, Kreator, Slayer, Seven Kingdoms, Into Eternity, Bloodbath, Porcupine Tree, Iron Maiden, Daylight Dies, Screamer, Fisthammer, Dissentient and there is just too much to list.

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First off, Fritz isn't my real name. It's a nickname I've had for so long, that I forget sometimes that my real name is Paul. So for all intents and purposes all you fine people can call me Fritz.

Anyway I'm one of the co-founders of Axis Of Metal, which I created out of a love for all things heavy. Admittedly my first foray into music wasn't so heavy. At twelve i developed a love for grunge music, which then lead to a love of classic rock, and punk. Then as I consumed almost every piece of music in said genres I needed something with a bit more intensity, and something more extreme. One day I was walking through the halls in my high school, and i heard music blasting out of someone's headphones, and it was exactly what I was looking for. So after I found out that it was Slayer's "Disciple" I went home that day, and listened to every song Slayer had ever released, and that's how it all started.

So that's my story, so why not go out and listen to me blabber on, on the podcast or go and read what the Axis Of Metal's writing team has to say. Axis of Metal is created by metal heads, for metal heads.

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I’m Rob. I listen to music. I play it too. Sometimes I write about it… but mostly I complain about it. I dig most forms of heavy music from Death Metal to Drone to Hardcore to the sorts of thing that shouldn't be spoken of on this website. I know what I like and I often consider a band being “just okay” far worse than it being terrible; being terrible is far more entertaining. I'm a student hailing from the South of England. Spending my time, drinking, listening to music, talking about music, playing music in any band I can get into, drinking and sometimes studying, but only sometimes.

Deep beneath the halls of the Axis of Metal, lost to the sounds of grinding gears and strewn far between a maze of rusted metal pipes, you will find one little office (it's actually the old janitor's closet) with a door barely hanging on its hinges. If one be so bold as to venture close to this ominous looking place, one can but faintly hear the murmurs of a crazed man locked behind this door - dribbling nonsense as as he types away on his archaic typewriter. That man is me - the editor for the axis of metal.

Obviously, none of what was just said is true (save perhaps the crazed part), but there's not much else to say - no fancy tale of how this person came to be, or how it is he ended up joining the Axis. Being a simple man who finds his joys in the simpler aspects of life, I just juggle my free time and lend a helping hand with the Axis whenever I can.

Anyway, since I can only imagine you're probably nodding your head off as I blabber on about useless bits of information, I'll cut straight to the chase - I've a wide taste in music (questionably wide), and I share some common interests with the crew here at axis. I venture more along the sides of progressive, goth, symphonic, folk and melodic death metal, but I've delved into various genres to expand those musical boundaries. As the (currently) sole editor for the Axis of Metal, I will do my best to ensure you guys will be reading the finest tuned articles possible - just don't lynch me if I make the occasional Freudian slip.

Hi guys! Stephen here :) I’m just a guy who pretty much appreciates all things music and art. It is what I live and do everyday, I will say it is an interest that occupies too much of my time hahaha. My approach towards appreciating music is to be as open-minded as possible and do not be afraid of trying new and different things! But mainly, most of my time is dedicated towards metal (Mostly Black and Death), punk (Crust, D-beat, Hardcore) and also other genres such as post-rock, trance etc. To keep a long story short, metal has taught me to appreciate music more than I used to do and I am grateful for that.

This is what I feel about my favourite genre in metal:

Black Metal is a timeless piece of magic(k)al art that is not limited by boundaries. Be it musical or aesthetics wise, it contains an honest and raw essence that is capable of not only satisfying the most abrasive of listening ears, but also an elevation to a higher state of transcendence. For years, the sphere of what we considered Black Metal has since expanded. It is mainly because of the myriads of influences that have been brought into the genre itself. Moreover, the influx of experimentations has rendered traditional Black Metal characteristics invalid. This is another trait that attracted me, for one, artists could then create their own art which allow the categorisation of Black Metal to be a certain state of emotional and feelings, rather than that of musical qualities. However, it is still mostly a personal experience to undergo. For the most part, it is different for everyone and I definitely respect that. Listening to Black Metal for me is like opening the floodgates to an ever-flowing source of energies where they are being channelled and manifested in the form of music which we are able to comprehend. Through passion and dedication, one will be able to realise the true potential of the magick that is in work. With that set into stone, the occurrence of change as we know it will be bestowed upon the listeners themselves where they will bask in all the glory and rewards. It is like an endless quest on the path towards spirituality.

Axis of Metal is me showing my appreciation to the music that has been keeping me alive. I also have a personal blog -Thelightoftheinvictus.tumblr.com which I write reviews for during my free time. I am always open to views, discussions and criticism. So, shoot me an email if you would like to talk :)

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The PitGoddess is a long-time extreme metal fan and writer. Like The Ferrett, I've held this alias for almost a decade, so it's likely we've met in the inter-tubes before. I recently finished graduate school and AoM has graciously invited me to write for them, allowing me to find new bands that I have missed while chained to a desk in a dark library.

To list the bands I love would be futile, but I will say my favorite bands are Acid Bath, Exodus, Death, Dissection and Kyuss. I guess that's a weird list, but I love what I love. Speaking of, I love going to live shows and fests. Something about meeting people, feeling high energy and seeing crazy good bands makes for a really great time.

Although metal has never made me money, music is one of my passions!

Alias: Rostheferret
Position: Reviewer, Ranter, Reluctant Co-Editor
Age: 24
Location: London, England
Genre Preferences: Progressive, Avant-Garde, Experimental, Technical, Djent, Trad, Black

Favourite Artists: Adagio, Anthem, Baroness, Chthonic, Death Angel, Decadence, Fjoergyn, Gargoyle (Jpn), Haken, Kalevala, Leprous, Lucifugum, Pin-Up Went Down, Plus-Tech Squeeze Box, Project Hate MCMXCIX, Redemption, Sigh, Sikth, Tesseract, Thy Catafalque, Von Hertzen Brothers, Zigoku Quartet

Having held an internet presence using this alias for over a decade now, odds are if you've come across the name in the past it was myself. As for my musical history I suppose it's appropriate to say I arrived on my obsession backwards, for years holding little more than disdain and derision for a genre so seemingly obsessed with pointless brutality over composition; the likes of Deftones, Korn and Slipknot that serves as an introduction for so many flooding my musical palette, deterring my interests and yielding my only interpretation of what the genre involved. Ironically, it was Cannibal Corpse's “Vile” that first corrected me; played at high volume at a youth club by an elder metal fan angrily pushing the bleeding ears of the Green Day fans away from the stereo. I left that day clutching borrowed copies of Children of Bodom's “Hatebreeder,” the aforementioned Cannibal Corpse album, Metallica's “Cunning Stunts” on VHS and a whole new musical interest.

Arriving at a number of forums, I soaked up knowledge like a sponge, progressing through the stages of opinionated idiot to an arrogant elitist on a crusade before finally calming down, chronicling the last four years of my journey of discovery with self-published reviews. In the decade since my initial discovery, my tastes have mellowed and expanded to encompass most of the metal genre and beyond, constantly in search of something new and exciting, always seeking to expand my own musical knowledge. Black Metal with a Didgeridoo? Death Metal Disco? Trance Metal? Sign me up. I also have a strange obsession regarding the music of Asia, but I can't explain that one.

I have long since devoted far too much of my time writing - much to the amusement of my family who note the science-obsessed child now does far more writing than the English Lit. student - and have been self-publishing reviews since 2008; archives of music reviews can be found here and Film can be found here, though since joining Axis both have largely become defunct. I'm a keen globetrotter and, too, document my travels here, on an old blog originally designed to publish a novel that was abandoned due to time constraints.

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What's up everyone? I'll be representing North Carolina, USA around here, hope you all enjoy it. Saw a facebook post asking for writers, pursued it, and here we are now. Very grateful to be a part of this experience, and really looking forward to sharing with y'all.

I've been listening to metal since late high school, and it is easily my favorite genre of music. As a singer, it'd be easy to assume I would be a huge power metal junkie, but not so! I can really get into any genre (except Doom, still working on that..), and my favorite tends to be the really weird avant garde/progressive stuff. Failing that, I typically prefer black and death metal, but thoroughly enjoy nearly all genres.

I love music in general, not just metal, particularly a bunch of hipster music, musicals, classical, choral, and the occasional hip hop recommendation from a friend.

Favorites: Cynic, Turisas, Deathspell Omega, Devin Townsend, Diablo Swing Orchestra, Skeletonwitch, Valient Thorr, Ihsahn, Rhapsody, Vektor, Neurosis, and many more, but I'll stop here for now...

Non metal favorites: Rimsky-Korsakov, Rachmaninoff, Schubert, Eric Whitacre, Fleet Foxes, Les Miserables, Scarlet Pimpernel, Liszt, Orban, Faure, Verdi, John Rutter

You can call me Wally, it’s cool. Writing autobiographical blurbs makes me feel awkward, but so does a lot of stuff. I am an artist and musician from Detroit, MI, USA. I’ve been playing in bands for about 15 years now, starting way back at the innocent age of 14. I used to design graphics professionally, but now I help run a beer and whiskey bar.

I love music. LOVE IT. I fucking love all kinds of music, but metal is my favorite. No other music moves me spiritually, calms me physically, or challenges me mentally in quite the same way. In my free time when I am not writing for AoM you can find me cleaning my house with headphones in or playing Nintendo.