A pandemic-induced shutdown has seemingly only emboldened and sharpened Royal Honey, a Pittsburgh act that has been making tasty cocktails out of equal parts glam and punk for several years now, their months-and-months-long quarantine resulting in a rather succulent sophomore effort called Sweet Heat that evokes good times, boozy vibes, and smoky little venues. Opener “Cut N Run” gets the dice rolling and the glitter flying with a spiked fruit punch that conjures UFO and...

Unassumingly releasing their very first cassette album (its only physical format so far) on Devil’s Night 2020, Vicious Blade, a new Pittsburgh death/thrash/crust project featuring members of Tartarus, Commit Suicide, and Complete Failure, deals swiftly and brutally with poseurs in blood-hungry Napalm Death-meets-Midnight fashion. Consisting of five brief tracks totaling over just thirteen minutes, this self-titled debut is punctuated by the frightening roar of Clarissa Badini and the deft guitarwork of Jeff Ellsworth and Erik...