RECENT ALBUM REVIEWS
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GLACIAL MASS – The Passion
RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://xtxax.bandcamp.com/album/the-passion The musically compelling force of darkness known as Glacial Mass, which consists of members Themis and Manos, is a frighteningly heavy and claustrophobic proposition that promises a deep, introspective journey through the worst alleyways and oddest corners of the mind – a proper examination of one’s true self and an…
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MARTYRDOOM – As Torment Prevails
RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: https://martyrdoom.bandcamp.com/ It’s been awhile since I reviewed something from my native Poland, let alone something good, so the 2nd (after Grevious Psychosis²⁰¹⁷) full length from the death metal doomsters Martyrdoom (the most brilliant name since Cryptopsy?), As Torment Prevails²⁰²³ released on October 23rd via Memento Mori, is a great opportunity…
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MISTRA – Waltz of Death (single)
RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://mistra.bandcamp.com/album/waltz-of-death-single What we have here is really interesting, and although I hardly ever bother reviewing singles, I simply could not resist the temptation to write a few short sentences about this wicked slab of vinyl that I was lucky enough to get my filthy paws on. Dark and melancholy and with…
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WHITE WILLOW – Ex Tenebris (2024 Remaster)
RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://whitewillow.bandcamp.com/album/ex-tenebris-remaster Recently remastered by White Willow’s very own Jacob Holm-Lupo and sporting the original cover artwork, this 2024 version of the band’s sophomore album Ex Tenebris (1997) is a most welcome addition to the prog music library. Venturing into darker and more world-weary territory than its predecessor did, the LP feels…
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UNCANNY – Shroomsday
RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://www.facebook.com/uncannysounds/ This is my first encounter with the charming and delightfully wonky progressive metal band from Norway known as Uncanny, and I must say that I find this eclectic and perfectly unpredictable eight-track offering of theirs, which will be out in April, quite beguiling and seductive. While their soundscapes undoubtedly are…
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HELSINKI HORIZON – Sirens
RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://helsinkihorizon.bandcamp.com/ Helsinki Horinzon’s second release ’Sirens’ is a cross-genre conceptual album, and a different kind of heavy: the more quiet, lurking sort that ambushes you when you least expect it. ’Sirens’ develops into a sphere of gravitational force, where units and subdivisions converge to make an expertly paced rotation. The more…
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THUNDER – Live at Leeds
RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://www.thunderonline.com/ The awe-inspiring British rockers Thunder are on grand form on this powerful live recording from the archives, which just goes to show that these gentlemen are at their fiery best when belting it out on stage in front of a loud, appreciative audience. Recorded at First Direct Arena in Leeds…
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ALKALOID – Numen
RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: https://alkaloid-band.com/ As in my review of the second Alkaloid’s album, Liquid Anatomy²⁰¹⁸ (5/6) I again refer to the debut The Malcuth Grimmoire²⁰¹⁵ as one of the greatest most complete progressive death metal works in the genre one I sincerely believe it will one day will be mentioned in one breath…
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GOTUS – Gotus
RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://www.facebook.com/gotusmusic/ This deftly executed slab of varied hard rock nearly got away from my enormous review pile but luckily found its way to the CD player before it was too late – something that I am extremely grateful for as the music housed in this great-looking jewel case is a fine…
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THEOCRACY – Mosaic
RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: https://theocracymusic.com/ The Georgian progressive power metallers Theocracy is one of metal’s lesser known bands, possibly because they are born again Christians (as opposed to cultural Christians) and are not ashamed to sing about the Gospel of Jesus Christ and how it’s mankind’s only hope. Indeed, as I state in my…
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SMOKING SNAKES – Danger Zone
RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://www.facebook.com/smokingsnakesofsweden/ Yes, this is just what I was in the mood for today – a raunchy and fiery blast of sleaze metal with a raw edge and a lively atmosphere to it. Swedish delinquents Smoking Snakes recently released this eleven-track debut offering of theirs via Frontiers and it ticks a lot…
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EDIT THE TIDE – Reflections in Sound
RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://linktr.ee/editthetide The upcoming EP titled Reflections in Sound by the British alt. rockers Edit the Tide is a real treat to the ears and a stately piece of work with its five tracks sounding absolutely immense and as pristine and powerful as possible. I recall listening to their first couple of…
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COBRAKILL – Serpent’s Kiss
RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://www.facebook.com/cobrakillrocks/ The German heavy metal/hard rock outfit known as Cobrakill unleashed their sophomore effort a couple of months ago via Frontiers and this 12-track slice of fiery fun is filled with adrenaline-fueled riffs, gang vocals, and a bad-ass attitude. There is no shortage of vigor and quality to this 80s-inspired blast…
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CRAZY LIXX – Two Shots at Glory
RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://www.crazylixx.com/ Swedish hard rockers Crazy Lixx are consistently good and never cease to impress me with their high-octane, glam metal-fueled brand of loud, anthemic music. Well-played, tight as fuck, and relentlessly entertaining sum things up rather nicely, I think, and those attributes and characteristics also apply to Two Shots at Glory.…
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HONEYMOON SUITE – Alive
RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://honeymoonsuiteband.com/ Alive by the Canadian melodic rockers Honeymoon Suite was an album that I had looked forward to receiving and reviewing, and the cool thing is that it did not disappoint. Featuring some superb guitar work, excellent keyboard atmospherics, a tight and energetic rhythm section, and not least a great vocal…
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WOLFEN RELOADED – The Ghost from Within
RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://www.facebook.com/wolfenreloaded/ This is my first encounter with the German rockers known as Wolfen Reloaded and I must say that I find this sophomore effort of theirs titled The Ghost From Within an engaging and delightful listen. Containing bucketloads of muscular riffs, magnificent vocal hooks, and interesting arrangements, the LP immediately stands…
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JIM PETERIK & WORLD STAGE – Roots and Shoots Volume One
RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://jimpeterik.com/ There are few songwriters out there who can top the legendary Jim Peterik (Pride of Lions) when it comes to crafting a delicious AOR tune filled with irresistible hooks. This instalment in the “World Stage” project sees him teaming up with renowned singers and musicians such as Kevin Cronin (REO…
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CEDRIC BURNSIDE – Hill Country Love
RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://www.cedricburnside.net/ Renowned blues maestro Cedric Burnside is one of the greats of the genre and his upcoming album titled Hill Country Love is nothing short of a triumph. The vibrant aura and heartfelt passion of the material make for a frighteningly convincing, outright authentic, and emotionally gratifying listening experience that speaks…
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JACK RUSSELL/TRACII GUNS – Medusa
RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4HBC3DZwjOaVS5TQEt7fwB Medusa turned out to be a rather uplifting and enjoyable listening experience to these ears – more so than many of the other Frontiers projects conceived by the label – due to the style and tone of the record having a cool, groovy, and seventies-ish hard rock vibe to it.…
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GRAND – Second to None
RELEASE YEAR: 2024 BAND URL: https://www.facebook.com/grandthebandsweden/ Swedish melodic rockers Grand are back with a new, pristine-sounding album that leans heavily towards AOR, which is no bad thing in my book, and I could easily see this outfit appealing to fans of Def Leppard, the Joe Lynn Turner-fronted version of Rainbow, and late eighties/early nineties Foreigner just…
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BECOMING THE ARCHETYPE – Children of the Great Extinction
RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: https://www.facebook.com/becomingthearchetypemusic The Georgian Christian progressive metallers Becoming the Archetype (BtA) may be very well known to Christians who love metal but I suspect they are virtually unknown in the greater heavy metal community, possibly due to Christian lyrics most people who aren’t Christians have no interest in reading much less…
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DURBIN – Screaming Steel
RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://www.facebook.com/DurbinRock/ I quite enjoyed the pounding heavy metal exercise by the talented singer James Durbin that was The Beast Awakens, which came out in 2021. Rooted as it was in classic eighties-flavored metal inspired by the likes of Accept, Judas Priest, DIO, Jag Panzer, and NWOBHM in general, it provided lots…
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BALANCE OF POWER – Fresh from the Abyss
RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://www.music-merchant.shop/en/balance-of-power/ The long-running British outfit named Balance of Power will unleash their next batch of songs via Massacre Records in April, and if aggressive and melodic metal with countless cool and interesting layers to it is your particular brand of vodka then you need to make sure that you check this…
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SOULCARRION – Enthrone Death
RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://godzovwarproductions.bandcamp.com/album/enthrone-death The latest death metal bombardment by the Polish tormentors Soulcarrion picks up where last year’s self-titled EP left off. What we have here is savage and vile death metal that is surprisingly catchy given the raw, chaotic, and oftentimes dissonant nature of the material, and “morbid metal” seems like a…
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CRYPTOPSY – As Gomorrah Burns
RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: https://cryptopsyofficial.bandcamp.com/ While I admit that the Canadian brutal technical death metal purveyors Cryptopsy have one of the best names and (legible!) logos in metal, I don’t quite hold them in such high regard as others. True, Whisper Supremacy¹⁹⁹⁸ was once in heavy rotation in both my CD player and my…
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THE GRANDMASTER – Black Sun
RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://orcd.co/thegrandmasterblacksun The debut offering by The Grandmaster titled Skywards (2021) was a very entertaining and solid slab of epic heavy metal, and I recall thinking that this was one of those Frontiers Records projects that I would like to see continue and record a follow-up, which is exactly what has come…
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JORDSJUK – Råtner på Rot
RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://www.facebook.com/jordsjuk I bought the very first tune that Jordsjuk released digitally a while back, namely the fierce and vicious ‘Stein til Byrden’, and I have eagerly followed their online activity ever since and also ended up purchasing the ‘Siste Skanse’ track, which was yet another frighteningly convincing slab of groove-laden black…
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SACROFUCK – Święta Krew
RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://godzovwarproductions.bandcamp.com/album/wi-ta-krew A brutal and relentlessly aggressive barrage of pulverizing death metal awaits all who dare enter the twisted sphere of this unholy act. The ugly beauty of this ten-track is that Sacrofuck deliver enough jackhammer riffs and spiteful vocals to turn your face into oatmeal, and there is no let up…
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SYLOSIS – A Sign of the Things to Come
RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: https://www.sylosis-band.com/ Sylosis is a British metalcore act with some thrash and groove metal influences of which you could not tell that they were British just by listening to their vocalist who sounds so like the New American Heavy Metal screamer I was actually shocked to learn he was not an…
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THUNDER – Live at Islington Academy
RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://www.thunderonline.com/ The fabulous British rockers Thunder have unearthed a cracking good and highly energetic live recording dating back to late December of 2006 when they played a surprise gig at the Planet Rock Christmas party, which took place at the Islington Academy in London as the title of the release aptly…