ALBUM REVIEWS

RECENT ALBUM REVIEWS

  • DEATH KARMA – The History of Death and Burial Rituals Part 1

    Death Karma consists of members from mysterious Czech ensemble Cult Of Fire. Debut full-length "The History of Death and Burial Rituals Part 1" is released on the mighty Iron Bonehead label so automatically there the expectations somewhat increase. Death Karma plays a hybrid of death/black metal and this is some juicy stuff. A riff fest…

  • VILE CALIBER – Tomorrow’s For Those Who Dare

    Finnish hard rock with a modern touch at times, Vile Caliber release an album in "Tomorrow’s For Those Who Dare" that has a lot in common with 80’s arena headliners like Skid Row and Warrant, along with a touch of that Euro-sleaze that has made a resurgence. Big hooks, party lyrics, and easy on the…

  • CIEN – Ecce Homo

    Cień is a Polish black metal horde that has been around for a few years now and released a handful of different outputs so far. Musically speaking, "Ecce Homo" is an interesting and catchy slab of melodic and yet aggressive black metal with a slightly raw edge to it. One of the things I like…

  • NERVOUS IMPULSE – Time to Panic

    Fra Montreal, Canada kommer grindcorebandet Nervous Impulse. Bandet ble startet opp i 2009 og "Time to Panic" er deres andre fullengder. De spiller en brutal og litt kaotisk variant av grindcore. Ikke noe jeg personlig er større fan av. Jeg finner litt her og der jeg kan like, men i det store og hele er…

  • NIGHTMARE WORLD – In the Fullness of Time

    Threshold rhythm guitarist Pete Morten happens to be the vocalist of this power/progressive metal sextet Nightmare World, finally pulling together their first full-length album "In the Fullness of Time" after beginning as a group in 2006. Considering Pete’s duties since joining Threshold in 2012 it’s understandable that this band would be not the full-time priority…

  • MILKING THE GOATMACHINE – Goatgrind

    Geiteskallene i Milking the Goatmachine har vært i studio igjen og spilt inn sitt sjette album. «Goatgrind» heter skiva denne gangen og her er som vanlig geita i fokus. Jeg skal ikke påberope meg all verdens kjennskap til bandets diskografi. Har kun hørt ei låt i ny og ne, men har et inntrykk av at…

  • MY GRIMACE – Grim Serenades

    Normally worry sets in when bands try to accomplish too much genre blurring right out of the gate. Errors can come up in terms of smoothing out the songwriting and focus – fortunately that’s not the case though with Finland’s My Grimace on their album "Grim Serenades". Active since 2007, the band has released a…

  • MICK WALL – Getcha Rocks Off: Sex & Excess. Bust-Ups & Binges. Life & Death on the Rock ‘n’

    If you were reading Kerrang! back in the 80s or if you are simply fond of reading great books on awesome hard rock and heavy metal bands then there is a pretty good chance that you have either stumbled on or come across the name Mick Wall before. Wall is the author of books such…

  • DROWN IN BLOOD – Addicted to Murder

    An Italian death metal quartet with an appropriate band name, Drown in Blood on their first album "Addicted to Murder" serves up 8 songs in a tidy half hour package. Despite Gigi’s intricate and popping bass antics, most of these tracks are barely beyond by the book numbers that I’ve heard from better acts like…

  • SIX FEET UNDER – Crypt of the Devil

    Believe it or not, ‘Crypt of the Devil’ is the 14th studio album from Six Feet Under. Ok, that includes the two ‘Graveyard Classic’ albums, but that is still a fairly impressive output. Six Feet Under are one of those marmite bands – you either like them or you don’t, and if the only thing…

  • BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME – Coma Ecliptic

    Since 2000, Raleigh, North Carolina’s Between the Buried and Me have been cultivating an ardent following as their style morphs everything from metalcore and avant-garde to progressive metal. "Coma Ecliptic" is their seventh studio album, serving up 11 tracks in a 68 minute package that is exhilarating, mind-bending, and further proof that the band are…

  • CREAM – The Complete Vinyl Reissues

    Up next, the vinyl re-release of Cream’s complete back catalogue of studio and live albums (1966 to 1972). Most of you out there know at least something about this seminal act, but just as a refresher – Cream were a 1960s British Rock Supergroup Power Trio consisting of bassist/singer/harmonica-player Jack Bruce, drummer Ginger Baker, and…

  • TAU CROSS – Tau Cross

    Tau Cross is a punk/metal crossover ‘supergroup’ formed by Rob Miller of UK veterans Amebix and Away of the hugely influential metal act Voivod. The remainder is fleched out by members of crust act Misery. On hearing the first two songs, my hopes for this album soar. ‘Lazarus’ and ‘Fire in the Sky’ have that…

  • HARD ACTION – Sinister Vibes

    Heavy music has always been about that release – energetic, emotional, the feeling of connection from thoughts to output. Finland’s Hard Action on their "Sinister Vibes" album bring me back to those teenage angst days when all we wanted to do was scream and shout at the world without getting in trouble. 10 songs of…

  • BLASPHEMY – Fallen Angel of Doom… (re-release)

    The Canadian black metal squadron that is Blasphemy hardly needs any introduction. Within the metal underground, it is considered a legendary band and a pioneer of what has later on been termed war metal. Ferocious, morbid, and inhumanly aggressive metal of the highest order, you fucks! The infamous "Fallen Angel of Doom…" album was recorded…

  • SAMMAL – Myrskyvaroitus

    70’s progressive rock continues to thrive, especially when younger musicians create their own ideas from the well of Uriah Heep, Deep Purple, and others. Welcome to Finnish act Sammal, who return to the scene with "Myrskyvaroitus". They sing in their native tongue, and musically you’ll get a lot of jam-oriented progressive rock – guitars and…

  • GRAAL – Chapter IV

    Here is an Italian melodic hard rock act with proto-progressive tendencies, especially in the fluid keyboard department on their latest album "Chapter IV". This is my first experience with Graal, and I like their classic appeal with musicality at hand. The vocals are very mid-range with occasional upper reach flourishes, reminding me a lot of…

  • BLACK PESTILENCE – Outsiders

    Black Pestilence omtales gjerne som et litt punka black metal band. Kan også kalles punkrock for enkelhetens skyld. Det er jævlig fengende med et godt driv i alle låtene, flust med headbangervennlige partier og en skitten rå vokal samt enkle gode riff og en herlig basspumpe som gjør dette til en meget lyttervennlig pakke. Det…

  • RED MOON ARCHITECT – Fall

    Founded as a solo project by drummer/ keyboardist Saku Moilanen, the band has expanded to a full-fledged five-piece in the time between the debut album "Concealed Silence" and the current follow up "Fall". Employing two vocalists for clean melodies in Anni Viljanen and harsh growls with Juuso Turkki, Red Moon Architect entice through their melodic…

  • ESCHATON – Sentinel Apocalypse

    While New England may be well known on the universe for its metalcore development, there is just as potent a technical death metal scene lurking for those who wish to seek it out. Drummer Darren Cesca has the most notable experience under his belt – working with acts like Arsis, Vile, and Incinerate among others.…

  • EREB ALTOR – Nattramn

    The fifth studio album from Sweden’s Ereb Altor, "Nattramn" straddles the epic Viking meets doom metal sound that made their last album "Fire Meets Ice" very noteworthy. Expanding to a four-piece last year as bassist Mikael enters the fold, Bathory is a prominent influence, but a lot of their previous Forlorn doom roots do creep…

  • FURIA – Nocel

    «Nocel» by Furia has to be one of the best Polish black metal releases to see the light of day in 2014-2015. We are dealing with a somewhat original and certainly a varied and captivating piece of work here that all you black metal-loving scum-fucks out there ought to check out immediately. «Nocel» contains 8…

  • KING GIANT – Black Ocean Waves

    Southern metal appears to be a fusion of doom metal and stoner rock with a strong semblance of groove and soul at the heart of it all – that would be the style on display with Virginia’s King Giant on their third studio album "Black Ocean Waves". Down-tuned guitars, ominous Glenn Danzig-oriented melodies, and a…

  • KORPIKLAANI – Noita

    Korpiklaani is one of those bands you always need around on a three-day festival, preferably playing early day three. If you still struggle drinking beer & Jägermeister after a full on Finish folk-metal attack, you might as well crawl back under the stone you woke up from. "Noita" are these finish forest men´s ninth excuse…

  • NOMANS LAND – Last Crusade

    Russian Viking metal from Nomans Land on their fifth full-length "Last Crusade" and first for Massacre Records. Strengths on songs like the marching "Sons of the Nord" and spider-web oriented "Warrior’s Path" reside in the cat and mouse chase the guitarists employ against the drumming – sometimes working in tandem, at other times emphasizing the…

  • DIENAMIC – Afterlife

    Dienamic is a Norwegian quintet that straddle the lines of thrash and metalcore on their second full-length "Afterlife". I’d say the musical foundation leans more towards the former, while vocally and transitionally at times the latter aspect comes into play. The band hones in on strong hooks right out of the gate, keeping a lot…

  • TRIXTER – Human Era

    Having lived through the melodic hard rock heydays in the 1980’s and its subsequent freefall during the 1990’s while alternative, grunge, and nu-metal took over the mainstream, many bands had to find greener pastures or wait until the scene morphed again. Thanks to the internet connectivity leveling the playing field and putting music choices back…

  • CUT UP – Forensic Nightmares

    When Sweden’s Vomitory retired in 2013, people wondered if any of the musicians would move forward in other bands. Cut Up is your answer, at least in terms of the ex-rhythm section bassist Erik Rundqvist and drummer Tobias Gustafsson – recruiting Fetus Stench guitarist/ vocalist Andreas Björnson and ex-Coldworker guitarist Anders Bertilsson to fill out…

  • CAVE OF SWIMMERS – Reflection

    A duo from Venezuela transplant themselves in Miami, Florida and develop an interesting progressive hard rock meets doom metal cocktail – that’s a brief synopsis of what to expect when taking in Cave of Swimmers on their second album "Reflection". G.E. Perez handles vocals, guitars, 6 and 4 string bass, plus synth while Toro is…

  • JADED STAR – Memories From the Future

    Sometimes hanging one’s hat on former band activities doesn’t tell the whole story. Ex-Iced Earth drummer Raphael Saini for instance was only in the band for one year- appearing on their last studio album Plagues of Babylon – while ex-Visions of Atlantis vocalist Maxi Nil spent 2009-2013 in that Austrian symphonic/melodic power metal act. Rounding…