THE ABSENCE – A Gift for the Obsessed

It is good to be a metalhead and I pity the fool who can’t stand metal because this is what it’s all about, this is the stuff your Ride the Lighting/Master of Puppets/Rust in Piece/Arise was made of, and above all, Death from their last three albums. To be sure, there’s plenty of old In…

FORTE RUIN – Rebuilding the Machinery

The Finnish six-piece named Forte Ruin recently released this cool EP of theirs entitled "Rebuilding the Machinery". Musically and stylistically speaking, we are dealing with melodic death metal with a modern sheen to it. Quite a few progressive metal as well as thrash metal elements sneak into the mix too.   The EP is comprised…

TEMPERANCE – Of Jupiter and Moons

Now, I am not usually the kind who gives a rat’s rear end about bands changing vocalists unless the vocalist happens to BE the band, as is the case with Chiara Tricarico and Temperance. All of the charm and everything that made Temperance uniquely stand out from the pack, along with the very soul of…

JAMES CHRISTIAN – Craving

House of Lords frontman James Christian released this fourth solo output of his through Frontiers Records quite recently and the result is a fairly good one although it lacks an adventurous spirit. Christian is obviously a gifted songwriter with a knack for coming up with strong melodies and infectious vocal lines, which is as evident…

EMERALD SUN – Under the Curse of Silence

The Greek power metallers collectively known as Emerald Sun are definitely marking their 20th anniversary in style by means of this excellent 12-track onslaught of theirs. In many ways, the band sound like a cross between Judas Priest, Accept, and Iron Maiden, which is to say that there is an overload of meaty and bombastic…

PESTILENCE – Hadeon

Right off the bat, I have to admit that I have never been a tremendous fan of these guys. I do own and enjoy both "Consuming Impulse" and "Testimony of the Ancients" on CD but neither the weird-if-ahead-of-it’s-time "Spheres" (probably influenced by Cynic) or the post-reunion albums, with the exception of "Obsideo" have really captured…

INFERNO METAL FESTIVAL – DAY 3 –

IHSAHN live@Inferno Metal Festival 2018Photo by Stig Pallesen/StiPa Photography   On Saturday I skipped so many bands I don’t really know what’s wrong with me. I was mainly interested in Nordjevel, Ihsahn and Satyricon. I kinda saw Memoriam tho, I was there physically but I got bored, my mind was elsewhere and I kind of…

SHEZOO – Agony of Doubt

The hard-hitting Swiss/Dutch ensemble known as Shezoo released this 10-track album of theirs just a few months ago and it is most definitely a welcome addition to the European power metal/hard rock canon. Inspired by legendary acts such as Dio, Accept, Judas Priest, and Led Zeppelin, this cool quartet turned out to be a nice…

GRIFT – Vilsna Andars Boning

This two-track EP by the magical and mysterious Swedish entity known as Grift is an evocative and highly atmospheric release that is as moving as it is haunting. Gärdefors’ strong, booming voice reeks of passion while the acoustic guitars both vibrate and resonate with depth and meaning.   There is an emotional intensity to this…

THUNDER – Stage

This nicely packaged 2CD/DVD live package combo by British rockers Thunder shows that these guys are still firing on all cylinders and most capable of delivering a kick-ass show that other bands can only dream of doing. With a set list that encompasses and covers pretty much the entire career and discography of the band,…

MEKA NISM – The War Inside

Meka Nism is reported by the promoters as a cross between Arch Enemy (growling, death-LIKE riffing) and Lacuna Coil (cleans and rocking melodies) and I must say the description is spot on, though I hear some metalcore leaning in the breakdown-like structure of the main riffs as well as in some melodies. The band used…

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