Let me start off by saying that my first encounter with this Norwegian death metal combo appropriately named Killing for Company was a most pleasant one and that I grew to love them more and more as time went on. Rotten and catchy death metal that reeks of corpses, coffins, and cardinal sins. Oh yes,…
This is the second The Who-related book by author Ian Snowball that I have been lucky enough to get my wrinkled hands on. The first one, which was a thorough and compelling tribute to The Who drummer Keith Moon, was a great read, and this new one by Snowball is no different. As with the…
Russian trio Distant Sun develop an appetizing power metal style on their second album "Into the Nebula". Very much guitar driven in terms of the harmonies and potent, melodic riff action, many German influences from Blind Guardian and Helloween to Rage come up when taking in "My Trust", the double kick crusher "God Emperor", or…
The sixth album from Sweden’s Witchery contains a few new members in the six-year break between efforts. Welcome vocalist Angus Norder and drummer Christofer Barkensjö to the fold – joining long-timers Patrik Jensen, Richard Corpse, and Sharlee D’Angelo on "In His Infernal Majesty’s Service". Once again dishing out thirteen spitfire cuts of blackened speed/thrash metal,…
Hailing from the fjords of Norway and the dark forests of Sweden, Parsifal have been in existence since 2012, releasing their debut album "Here from the Past" a year later. "Heavy Duty" is the follow up, and my first experience with the power metal group. The band straddle the line between conventional Helloween/ Freedom Call…
This self-titled effort by the Bulgarian outfit named Eufobia consists of ten tracks that all incorporate different elements from (melodic) death metal, hardcore, and metalcore. Truth be told, none of the songs appeal to me whatsoever. It is not that the quartet cannot handle their instruments or anything like that, but their tunes are utterly…
The brutal Polish death metal horde named Hellspawn has been around for a few years now and released rather solid and entertaining albums that strike a fine balance between old-school extremity and slightly more modern and technical death metal. When I listen to this 2016 album of theirs dubbed "There Has Never Been a Son…
Bringing back the primitive raw blackened thrash that has the spirit of old-school fire at heart, Norwegian trio Vesen do not falter on album five "Rorschach". The guitar tone is deadly, occasional blast beats break up the normal up-tempo, punk-ish drumming, while the bass has as much an importance a la Venom and Motörhead. Beyond…
Recorded on December 18th, 2015 in Norrköping, Sweden, «De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas Alive» consists solely of the 1994 debut album by Mayhem entitled «De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas» performed live in its entirety. I know that some of you out there might question and wonder whether a Mayhem live offering containing renditions of their greatest ever…
An Italian thrash band formed by brothers Dado (vocals/guitar) and Jacopo (drums) Cardi, Adversor comes on the heels of the break up for H.O.S. who were together for 9 years and released one album "The Beginning" on the same label. "Rise to Survive" sees the four-piece (rounded out with guitarist Aurora Merci and bassist Emanuele…
Boneyard Dog is an Irish classic rock band with a strong bluesy/70’s template based on this record. Forming in 2015 and the brainchild of singer Rob Mancini and guitarist Davy Kerrigan, the lineup also contains drummer Ron Wikso, infamous Rainbow keyboardist Tony Carey, and numerous guests on bass, backing vocals, and harmonica. The sound this…
I have always had a thing for the Swedish outfit Diabolical. Not in the sense that I am a devoted fan or anything like that, but I do think that they may released some rather cool and underrated records that still sound pretty good when I spin them today. That especially goes for "A Thousand…
The Finnish black horde known as Korgonthurus, which was spawned in the year 2000, has been rather consistent and active over the years in terms of recording and releasing music and so on. Quite a few demos, EPs, split releases, and compilations by the band are floating around in the underground these days, but this…
Oddhums is a trio from Spain, an unusual moniker for a band but entirely accurate based on their four song EP "The Inception". These musicians traverse a post-metal, post-sludge, semi-grunge and doom world where the riffs are big, the vocals often distant, and the element of suspense omnipresent for what will come next. Keeping the…
The third album from Starkill represents a little bit more of a stylistic shift beyond their noted melodic power/death metal propensities. Only natural it seems, as "Shadow Sleep" should be a record that takes the quartet from being more of a buzzworthy band into a flag bearer for where the genre is going. Keeping the…
The legendary vortex of crazy rock ‘n’ roll that was and is Mötley Crüe played its final show ever at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on New Year’s Eve 2015, and there is no doubt that what the audience witnessed that night was something historical and highly emotional. After all, we are talking about…
A live album from the Dynamo Open Air performance in 1992, Pestilence reaches back into the archives for "Presence of the Pest". No one can deny the band’s impact on the scene, moving from a more thrash oriented sound to being very progressive and death/jazz fusion oriented and back to a more controlled thrash/death sound…
The Australian black metal outfit Astral Winter is back with yet another epic album filled to the brim with grandiose melodies and sweeping atmospheres. This third full-length assault is even more symphonic and grand in scope than its two predecessors, but such is musical evolution, I suppose. After all, the two previous outputs kind of…
The Swedish black horde named Khaospath has struck again! This 2016 opus of theirs entitled "…For the Devil Speaks the Truth", which is the follow-up to the 2014 debut album, consists of nine raw, aggressive, and melodic tunes that hearken back to the early waves of Norwegian and Swedish black metal. While the sound is…
Johnny Gioeli balances his melodic hard rock work with Axel Rudi Pell and his roots of AOR/rock in Hardline. "Human Nature" is the fifth Hardline album, continuing forward with keyboardist/ producer Alessandro Del Vecchio and the same lineup from "Danger Zone" released in 2012. Vestiges of Aerosmith and Y&T come peeking through the bluesy melody…
