PIG’S BLOOD – A Flock Slaughtered

The bestial black/death metal squadron that is Pig’s Blood did not exactly blow my tits and dick off when I reviewed their previous self-titled full-length assault, but this time around these ugly fuckers have really upped their warped game, which is to say that this new 32-minute long detonation of theirs is quite something. We…

LASTER – Het Wassen Oog

Sometimes adding a qualifier to a single word genre implies dilution of said genre. Such is the case with atmospheric black where predominantly one hardly expects brutal ancient black metal to reign through the compositions but rather gentle eclectic, almost and often shoegazing music with occassional bursts of raw black, for good measure. The Dutch…

CROWN OF AUTUMN – Byzantine Horizons

It’s raining metal in Italy! This is apparently true of more than one genre (power metal) although the gothic melodeathsters, Crown Of Autumn (COA), stylistically and vocally recall Frozen Crown despite having nothing to do with power metal. Similarities notwithstanding, COA, which formed in 1996, folder a year later and reactivated in 2010, is powered…

TELEPORT – The Expansion

Dissonant metal is an aquired taste. It could be dreadfully brutally boring (Pyrrhon) or it could breathe fresh air into stagnant melodicism without sacrificing brutality (Ulcerate). The Slovenian blackened death metal ensemble consisting of Jan Medved (guitars & vocals), Matija Dolinar (guitars), Lovro Babič (bass), and Darian Kocmur (drums), are actually straddling both tendencies on…

SPY # ROW – Blood Brothers

The German trio named SPY # ROW has been together for ages despite the fact that these guys are quite young. Apparently, they started jamming together when they were only kids, which explains why the promo sheet states that they are experienced musicians who have been at it for years. To be a bit more…

BLOOD RED THRONE – Brutalitarian Regime

"Souls Of Damnation" was an incredible piece of work, recognized by many as their best album. As is often the case, however, it precipitated significant changes. Before the next album, the band parted ways with Earache Records and one of its two founders. Although Daniel "Død" Olaisen (guitars), Osvald "Vald" Egeland (vocals) and Erlend Caspersen…

BJØRN RIIS – A Storm is Coming

The ridiculously skilled guitarist and songwriter Bjørn Riis (Airbag) is something akin to a prog rock genius as evidenced by this sprawling 51-minute gem of an album of his, which revolves around themes such as loss, emptiness, and human relations(hips). In many ways, “A Storm is Coming” is a superb follow-up to “Coming Home” (2018)…

EVULSE – Call of the Void

This neat little 10-minute EP by the Oakland-based Evulse is comprised of four foul and hard-hitting death metal tunes that will pummel you to…well, death. Concise, to the point, and sharp as a fucking razor, these guys are not about to waste your time as evidenced by the explosive and highly charged album opener Hypochondria,…

IRON MAIDEN – 2019 Remasters

The larger-than-life entity that is Iron Maiden released some of the most breathtaking and downright awe-inspiring records back in the 80s that still stand tall and proud as milestones within the heavy metal genre today. These guys are so much more than a simple heavy metal ensemble and their compositions encompass so many remarkable things…

HELHEIM – Rignir

The past eight years or so have seen Norway’s renowned Viking metallers Helheim release some of their finest and most absorbing records ever, and yours truly is very happy to report that this brand-new offering of theirs is way up there with the very best of them. What sets "Rignir" slightly apart from its predecessors…

LUCY IN BLUE – In Flight

Although the Icelandic Lucy in Blue are labeled a prog band, one could argue that some of their compositions are almost akin to melancholy pop music with elements and touches of 60s psychedelia (think very early Pink Floyd) and 70s progressive rock ala Camel’s "Mirage" masterpiece to it. In other words, this marvelous 8-track opus…

Load More