Archive for Shores of Null

The 10 Best Italian Metal Bands, According to the Country’s New Post-Metal Phenoms Orbita (Exclusive)

Posted in Exclusives, Interviews, Lists with tags , , , , , , , , , on 08/18/2026 by Kurt Orzeck

Thanks to readers of The Bad Penny, our new series in which we ask bands from non-U.S. countries to list the best heavy bands from their homeland is really taking off. (Look below for all the editions we’ve run thus far). Today we have the distinct pleasure of presenting you with picks from Italy’s Orbita. Even to their Italian brethren, the post-metal/doom quartet from Bologna are fresh faces, having only released a demo up to this point. That’s about to change, though, when the band busts out their much-awaited debut LP, Farewell to All We’ve Lost, on October 9 via Aural Music.

Give one of Orbita’s early tracks, “This Flesh,” a spin below, and then get blown away by the young team’s impressive knowledge of their country’s best heavy bands after that.

One of the best bands in Italy, Hate & Merda stands as a unique force in the noise/sludge/drone scene. This extremely powerful duo is capable of delivering the heaviest and most desperate music, while also comforting the listener with nihilistic lyrics, making us feel less lonely in this crazy-spinning world. The Italian language is not a limit at all, as we are all able to understand the feeling and the astonishing force in their music. A truly underground gem for everyone who still believes in DIY. 

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The Violent Sleep Of Reason Episode 5, 4.19.17

Posted in MP3s, The Violent Sleep of Reason with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on 04/29/2017 by Kurt Orzeck

Varg’s Götterdämmerung album cover

The Bad Penny’s new program through Radio Free America, “The Violent Sleep of Reason,” focuses on new and upcoming heavy-metal releases. The show’s fifth installment featured new cuts by VargNecrowretchAll HellTombs, Suffocation and Coltsblood.

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