ALBUM REVIEWS

RECENT ALBUM REVIEWS

  • APOPHYS – Prime Incursion

    Active for 3 years, Dutch technical death metal act Apophys finally release their debut album "Prime Incursion". The band features current God Dethroned drummer Michiel van der Plicht, and as a five-piece do not waste any time getting to the nuts and bolts of their style. Expect a sledgehammer riff and tempo attack, while the…

  • DAWN OF VALOR – Tribulations of War

    Admiration exists for musicians who forge paths that may lurk in the shadows in terms of stateside reverence. Minnesota’s Dawn of Valor in their seven year existence have recorded two previous EP’s prior to their debut album Tribulations of War. One foot firmly in the traditional metal style, another in an old school power platform,…

  • NIGREDO – Facets of Death

    Nigredo hails from Greece and was spawned in 2013 by Maelstrom (drums) and A. (guitars, bass, vocals). Nigredo performs intense, ugly, and aggressive black metal with a sinister and nihilistic vibe to it. Some of the riffs and moods conveyed by the band on this 20-minute EP remind me of that insane US outfit named…

  • DAMNATION ANGELS – The Valiant Fire

    The second studio album "The Valiant Fire" from UK symphonic power metal act Damnation Angels is ideal for those who love Kamelot, Nightwish, and Epica for certain. The band continue to balance out their heavy guitar passages with this darker, keyboard orchestration that sets up songs like "Finding Requiem" and "Everlasting" in this sweeping, cinematic…

  • EVO / ALGY – Damned Unto Death

    Evo from Warfare and Algy Ward of Tank join forces for their first EP "Damned Unto Death", a 6 song effort containing 3 originals and 3 cover tracks. Evo handles drums and vocals while Algy takes on the bass and guitars – and this is pretty much a crossover punk/ metal effort that digs into…

  • SERPENTINE – Circle of Knives

    The 3rd album from UK melodic rock band Serpentine comes at a time with member shifts, as vocalist Adam Payne and bassist Owen Crawford make their debut for the group. Knowing how strong 2011’s "Living & Dying in High Definition" was with previous singer Tony Mills (Shy, TNT), the band aim to keep their strong…

  • MAGNUM – Escape from the Shadow Garden- Live 2014

    Recorded on a series of European shows in support of their last studio album, "Escape from the Shadow Garden- Live 2014" is a 12 song showcase of a good cross-section for Magnum’s discography. Melodic rock icons of the UK, you’ll get early material like 1978’s "Kingdom of Madness" and three songs from the 1985 classic…

  • ENSLAVED – In Times

    With Emperor inactive, Enslaved occupies no. 1 spot in progressive black metal in my book. Not content with serving pure black metal and drawing from many sources inside and outside the metal genus, Enslaved have always crafted quality work, work that is not pretentious, artistic, yet catchy. "In Times" (IT) is no different. Under an…

  • SOUNDS OF FURY – Mediocracy

    Switzerland is probably not well known on the technical death metal side when it comes to their metal scene- but Sounds of Fury aim to put themselves on the map in this genre. Starting in the summer of 2011, "Mediocracy" is their second full-length album, a 9 song/ 39 minute outing that places equal value…

  • KISKE/SOMERVILLE – City of Heroes

    The second project album between vocalists Michael Kiske and Amanda Somerville, "City of Heroes" contains 12 songs of varied melodic hard rock and semi-power metal numbers, some of which work better than others. The commercially obvious "Rising Up" could be a more gothic/symphonic rendition of "Future World", while "Breaking Neptune" is another mid-tempo, chorus driven…

  • INQUISITION – Ominous Doctrines of the Perpetual Mystical Macrocosm (re-release)

    Up next is the re-release of the fifth album from Colombian kings of Black Metal Inquisition. There is no difference to track-listing or mastering and no bonus tracks but the cover has (once again for this series of reissues) received a welcome upgrade. Those who know Inquisition already will know what to expect here –…

  • HOUSE OF LORDS – Indestructible

    There’s something to be said for consistency in any band or genre. House Of Lords in their second go around certainly have been the measuring stick for said benchmark – as "Indestructible" is their 10th studio album in their career, and 7th since their resurrection in the 2000’s. It’s helpful that vocalist James Christian has…

  • DENIZEN – Troubled Waters

    Stoner hard rock from France, Denizen on their fourth full-length album "Troubled Waters" have their addictive, bluesy-oriented style down pat. Honing in on key riffs/grooves and building out songs from there, "Whore Smoker" and "Heavy Rider" are two of the 10 cuts that keep the quartet in line with acts like Soundgarden, Clutch, and possibly…

  • SINNERS MOON – Atlantis

    Sinners Moon is a six-piece symphonic metal act from Slovakia that on their debut album "Atlantis" create a lot of similarities to Nightwish, Epica, and Children of Bodom in terms of their songwriting and performances. Containing male and female vocals that cover the spectrum of operatic and clean work to growls, tracks like "Fly to…

  • ACID WITCH – Midnight Movies EP

    Shrouded in mystery, this is a Michigan outfit that play a Halloween inspired form of horror-oriented psychedelic metal. Active since 2007, they’ve released two studio albums plus a number of EP’s and split offerings – the latest EP before us now being the 4 song "Midnight Movies". Paying tribute to some of the best movie…

  • PARADISE LOST – A Plague Within

    The arrival of new PL album has caught me completely by surprise. Century Media dumped it in my account and I was at once startled by the way the cover of "The Plague Within" reminded me of PL’s first album "Lost Paradise". There was once a time (1999-2004) when this band had all but abandoned…

  • MORDENIAL – Where the Angels Fall

    Although starting in 2008, progress has been slow in the development of Swedish melodic death/thrash outfit Mordenial. As a trio, the members currently play in other acts, plus drummer Matthias Fiebig took over on vocals when they lost their singer in 2012. Finally this year, the 11 song debut album "Where the Angels Fall" has…

  • REACH – Reach Out to Rock

    "Reach Out to Rock" is the debut album from Sweden’s Reach, a melodic hard rock quartet that give hope to those who love newer music in that classic 80’s style that brought joy to arena audiences worldwide. Active since 2012, the 10 songs show a remarkable sense of maturity in understanding all the proper facets…

  • APOCROPHEX – Suspended From the Cosmic Altaar

    A New Jersey duo, Apocrophex perform a technical brand of death metal on their debut album "Suspended from the Cosmic Altaar". Justin Buell handles all the instruments while Pete Colucci does the vocals, and the 9 songs provide an outer space whirlwind lyrically and musically. Punishing arpeggios, crazy double bass/ time signature changes, and sick…

  • CINIS – Subterranean Antiquity

    Cinis er for meg et helt ukjent polsk death metal band. Ser på internettet at bandet ble dannet i 2003 og at de har sluppet to fullengdere. En i 2008 og en i fjor (2014). Det er den siste jeg sitter med her nå og siden plateselskapet har tatt seg tid til å sende en…

  • INHARMONIC – Flesh Inferno EP

    Inharmonic er et finsk oldschool death metal band. Musikken er ganske variert. God growl, en dyktig metaltrommis, to gode gitarister med en del ålreite riff. Bassmannen gjør sitt uten å gjøre seg bemerket. Midtempo-ish med triggede basstrommer, helt grei death metal. Godt produsert, helt greie låter, men ikke noe mer. Hadde dette vært ei digital…

  • KARYN CRISIS’ GOSPEL OF THE WITCHES – Salem’s Wounds

    Karyn Crisis… I remember her leading the mighty New York act Crisis during 1993-2006, and seeing the band live on tour with Voivod and Pro-Pain during their ascension. Now back with her own Gospel of the Witches, the band contains notables like her husband Davide Tiso, Immolation’s Ross Dolan, Tombs’ Mike Hill, and Vaura’s Charlie…

  • DRAKKAR – Run with the Wolf

    An Italian power metal band with an epic foundation, Drakkar return relatively quickly for their fifth studio platter "Run with the Wolf"- three years beyond their last "When Lightning Strikes". The quintet now have a steady lineup in their ranks, and deliver another testament to the fantasy laden, warrior battles of their lyrical dreams fueled…

  • NOCTURNAL – Arrival of the Carnivore – Reissue

    Having recently taken in the latest studio album from German blackened thrashers Nocturnal "Storming Evil", another record label MDD felt the time was right to re-issue their debut album from 2005 called "Arrival of the Carnivore". Originally released on From Beyond Records (a sub-label of Displeased Records), this 34 minute effort is another strong document…

  • NOCTURNA – Lucidity

    Symphonic power/progressive metal is probably not at the top of the UK scene, so when a band like Nocturna comes around with their debut EP "Lucidity", you take more than a cursory glance at the proceedings. The quintet develop a sound that is melodic and progressive, the drumming in line with Children of Bodom while…

  • ECNEPHIAS – Ecnephias

    This Italian quintet have been around since the late 90’s as Ecnephias, releasing their fifth, self-titled studio album. The 11 songs in the main (outside of "Here Begins the Chaos" and "Satiriasi" as intro/outro) give the listener a lot of gothic/death textures, the band setting things up with atmospheric elements, clean/growling vocals, and a lot…

  • NOCTURNAL – Storming Evil

    Forming out of the ashes of Bestial Desecration in 2000, Nocturnal is a German blackened thrash act determined to keep the spirit of their early Teutonic roots alive and thriving. They’ve released a number of albums, EP’s and split releases in their 14 year plus existence – as "Storming Evil" is their third full-length studio…

  • RAZOR – Violent Restitution + Shotgun Justice + Open Hostility – reissues

    Kjappriffthrashspeedmetalkameratene i kanadiske Razor er en kvartett de fleste thrash og speed metal fans i hele verden kjenner godt til. Bandet ble dannet i Guelph, Ontario i 1983 og de herjet som verst fra 1985 til 1991 da de ga ut hele sju fullengdere. Etter dette ble det kun ett album til (Decibels 1997). De…

  • ETERNAL SOLSTICE – Remnants of Immortality

    Tracing back their history to the first death metal roots in the late 1980’s, Eternal Solstice hail from the Netherlands and release their fourth studio album "Remnants of Immortality" – their first in 18 years. No matter – high quality European death metal is on display, the type that put Dismember and Grave on the…

  • ALCOHOLATOR – Escape From Reality

    Hailing from Montreal, Canada it’s obvious that these gents love all types of alcohol based on their name alone. Nothing wrong with that- we all know that liquids such as beer, wine, whiskey, and vodka certainly liven up any party, and metal can fuel libations to an even higher degree. "Escape from Reality" is the…