ALBUM REVIEWS

RECENT ALBUM REVIEWS

  • TOTO – XIV

    TOTO hardly need any introduction, and I dare say most of you out there are familiar with at least a couple of their hit singles. Unless you have been hiding under a rock for 35 years, that is. Anyway, I was not really sure what to expect from this brand new TOTO album given that…

  • SIX FEET UNDER – Crypt of the Devil

    The well-known death metal entity known as Six Feet Under who has been vomiting forth catchy, gory, and entertaining albums for 20 years now has returned from the grave and is once again ready to assault our senses by means of a brand new and sonically depraved 10-track offering entitled «Crypt of the Devil». Most…

  • BARREN EARTH – On Lonely Towers

    This is a very pleasant surprise. This offering contains a little bit of everything I love about metal: now a Borknagar-like "Frozen Processions" (the best track on the album) through My Dying Bride-ish "Set Alight" and "Vault", with a bit of Opeth thrown in "Howl" but not as much as they used to, "On Lonely…

  • GRUESOME – Savage Land

    Gruesome er et såkalt superband med en klar mening i livet; å være en hyllest til den første death metal bølgen i Florida og da spesielt til bandet Death. Det her er som å sitte og høre på «Scream Bloody Gore», «Leprosy», «Spiritual Healing» og «Human» samtidig. Låtene har det samme drivet, det er den…

  • GRENOUER – Unwanted Today

    After taking in this Russian alternative metal/ rock band Grenouer with their 2013 release "Blood on the Face", I can’t say that I was overly excited to hear this eighth studio album "Unwanted Today". Sure, if you don’t mind hearing similar recycled fare like "I Can’t Stand It" and "A Little Too Obsessed" mirror Sevendust,…

  • LAGO – Tyranny

    This Arizona four-piece deliver brutal death metal from an older, American perspective on their "Tyranny" album. Decapitated, Morbid Angel and Suffocation do factor in to a lot of the frantic riffs, high end guitar transitions, and deep guttural bellows for "I", the hive swarm "Concede to Oblivion" as well as dramatic 6:54 closer "Pox of…

  • WINDSOR DRIVE – Windsor Drive

    Glad to see German label AOR Heaven expanding their signing horizons into newer bands from the United States like Windsor Drive. This is a four-piece from Wisconsin that have slowly built a following through a series of EP releases since their 2007 beginnings, taking advantage of chances to open for a number of independent pop/…

  • BURWEED – Hide

    Scandinavia appears to have a lock onto the multi-faceted approach to heavy music. Hailing from Finland, Burweed unleashed a debut album "Hide" of post-metal that incorporates a lot of grit, sludge, and doom to assault your ears from a wide lens. The trio lock onto certain grooves and choose to add texture and ambiance in…

  • GRUESOME – Savage Land

    Gruesome is a relatively new outfit performing old-school death in the vein of the Death’s mighty «Leprosy», «Spiritual Healing», and the likes, and let me tell you what; this album entitled «Savage Land» simply rules, slays, and…did I already state that it RULES? Alright then, let us proceed. Gruesome consists of members hailing from various…

  • IMPALERS – Prepare for War EP – re-issue

    A Danish thrash band that have two current releases on the market – Crime Records will issue their second full-length album "God from the Machine", while Evil Eye Records felt their independent 4 song EP "Prepare for War" needed a second chance to be heard. At 4 songs and 14 minutes, you’ll get two originals…

  • DEAD EARTH POLITICS – Men Become Gods EP

    10 years going, Austin Texas’ Dead Earth Politics establish an interesting mixture of power thrash and groove metal on their latest EP "Men Become Gods". At 4 songs and 18 minutes, a lot of the twin guitar elements possess this Iced Earth meets Iron Maiden marching template- while some of the rhythmic grooves and vocals…

  • THE POODLES – Devil in the Details

    Remember a time during the 1990’s when melodic heavy metal/ hard rock couldn’t gain any traction following its MTV, arena headlining heydays just a few short years before? Fortunately times have changed, musicians and fans alike have broken away from the corporate mold and more than ever we are seeing a healthy return to songwriting,…

  • CHRONICLE – Welcome the Darkness

    Chronicle is a hard-hitting metal outfit hailing from my windy Danish hometown, namely the red-neck haven known as Frederikshavn. It was quite by chance that I stumbled on this very promising act while browsing on Bandcamp. The band consists of four young dudes and «Welcome the Darkness» is their first official release, but sinister rumors…

  • SHEOL – Sepulchral Rains Below the Temple

    Sheol hails from the UK (שְׁאוֹל ("she’ol") is Hebrew for "grave") and their brand of death metal can be described as innovative and that is what this genre needs desperately.Starting out back in 2012, the EP "Sepulchral Rains Below the Temple" is their first proper release and what a surprise packet this was.If you like…

  • CYRAX – Pictures

    Inventive progressive metal here through the Italian five-piece Cyrax, as their second album "Pictures" throws down all dynamic nuances possible in terms of styles and left-field outlook to create a unique, intriguing 9 track output. Classical flairs in the instrumental and choral sections careening headlong into semi-thrash like Symphony X maneuvers for "The 7th Seal",…

  • WARDENCLYFFE – Control All Delete

    Witty title for an album, I must say – a play on the infamous computer keyboard task that hopefully will unfreeze or clear a program you may be stuck in. Sweden’s Wardenclyffe started in 2011, releasing their demo "Ordo ab Chao" a year later and signing a record deal to finally release a full-length record.…

  • INCANTATION – Entrantment of Evil

    Entrantment of Evil", the very first official release by now legendary US death master Incantation saw the light of day back in 1990.The four tracks are now being re-released on vinyl by Hells Headbangers and this is a treat for all death heads out there who worship at the altar of Incantation.Musically "Entrantment of Evil"…

  • MALTHUSIAN – Below The Hengiform

    Malthusian hails from Ireland and unholy f**k their good.Their MMXIII demo (released, yes you guessed it, in 2013) was a formidable piece of blackened death metal but when received the EP "Below The Hengiform" my jaw dropped. Cold, unforgiving death in the familiar veins of Portal and Ævangelist, you just know you´ll like it. Production…

  • RELOAD – Hotter Than a Bullet

    Another entry in the melodic hard rock scene, the Greek quintet Reload started in 2012 and releasing their debut album "Hotter than a Bullet". Gaining production support from Firewind’s Bob Katsionis, these 10 songs possess a lot of AOR/commercial slant, the guitar playing providing that hard rock spark while the main riffs and vocal melodies…

  • AURON – Auron

    Active since 2007, Russian band Auron spent many years perfecting their skills on the musical front for this self-titled, debut record. You’ll get 12 tracks – the final 2 sung in Russian, and of the other 10, 1 is a classical instrumental piece "Prelude in H-moll" while the other 9 are in English. Auron are…

  • CORPUS CHRISTII – PaleMoon

    Dette portugisiske en-manns black metal bandet har jeg ærlig talt ikke fulgt med på siden jeg ble skuffet av «Tormented Belief» i 2003. Den gangen mener jeg og huske at de var to mann. Men nå er de altså bare en. Jeg likte «The Fire God» fra 2001 veldig godt, men mistet interessen da «Tormented…

  • BLEEDING GODS – Shepherd of Souls

    Forming out of their seasoning in several Dutch metal acts like Altar, Supreme Pain, and Sinister, Bleeding Gods is a new outfit delivering heads down death metal with thrash overtones on their debut album "Shepherd of Souls". Outside of the acoustic/ narrative "Ixmucané (I)" 3 minute piece that appears as the fifth track, the 9…

  • DISLOYAL – Godless

    Den polske death metal scenen har det med å produsere nye gode band med jevne mellomrom. Enkelte av dem er faktisk veldig gode også, så det er en liten fryd å følge med på hva som skjer der. Mange mindre band har fått god drahjelp av suksessen til band som Vader og Behemoth. Andre igjen…

  • CRIMSON WIND – Last Poetry Line

    Italy has established a healthy presence in the power metal marketplace through the years, so it shouldn’t be a surprise that since 2008 Palmero’s Crimson Wind are another entry hoping to breakthrough with their symphonic power wares. "Last Poetry Line" is their second full-length album, and first with their latest vocalist Guido Macaione, a 10…

  • GOUGE – Beyond Death

    Gouge har jeg sett live en gang, for to år siden i Verkstedhallen sammen med Nekromantheon og Heroinne. Jeg husker jeg fikk litt bakoversveis (i det korte håret) den gang og ser i min anmeldelse av konserten at dette skulle jeg sjekke ut mer. Det løftet holdt jeg ikke, det vil si ikke før nå.…

  • ERED – Night of Eternal Doom

    Spanish black/death metal act Ered have been around since 1998 releasing various demos and splits, with ‘Night of Eternal Doom’ coming as their third album length release. In terms of sound, this feels (roughly) like early Dissection with a bit of South American rabidity thrown in. Ered are extremely strong rhythmically and are capable of…

  • MARDUK – Frontschwein

    If my maths is correct, then ‘Frontschwein’ is the lucky 13th full-length from Swedish blasphemers Marduk. As you can guess from the cover, ‘Frontschwein’ sees the band return to one of their favourite topics – WWII. The title translates as ‘front pig,’ a reference to the soldiers who served as cannon fodder during this dreadful…

  • EDEN’S CURSE – Live With the Curse

    A live double album used to document a place in time where a band felt comfortable with their previous 3-4 studio records, and signaled the end of one chapter in their career and the beginning of another. Eden’s Curse feel the need to capture their current lineup on stage, as "Live with the Curse" is…

  • GALAR – De Gjenlevende

    "De Gjenlevende" is the third full length release from Bergen trio Galar. This is melodic black metal with a strong edge of folk and I like the way the two genres are blended here; the folk is convincing and the BM part is fast and brutal. Of course it is all in Norwegian so they…

  • SOLANUM / EPI-DEMIC – Passages to Lunacy

    This 8 track split contains an even 4 songs per band. Up first is Solanum, sounding like a cross between early Slayer/English Dogs/Agnostic Front/Razor. All good places to come from. I find I like the style here more than the actual songs. It’s not that they are bad – not by a long shot, it…