RECENT ALBUM REVIEWS
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JERRY BLOOM – Deep Purple – A Matter of Fact
Let me start by saying that I love and cherish Deep Purple, especially the Coverdale/Hughes era, but in no way do I consider myself an authority on the band’s nearly 50 year long history. I was therefore very much looking forward to reading author Jerry Bloom’s upcoming book entitled "Deep Purple – A Matter of…
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SOILWORK – Live in the Heart of Helsinki
I remember when bands used to issue live albums after four studio records, often to eat up label contract responsibilities or buy a little breathing room off the touring circuit so that a band could maintain some sort of sane life. Sweden’s melodic death meets groove juggernaut Soilwork felt the time was right after nine…
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LUCKY BASTARDZ – Alwayz on the Run
An Italian four-piece born in 2008, Lucky Bastardz has taken the opportunity to play internationally on festival and local stages for a variety of hard rock and heavy metal acts – both of the melodic and extreme variety. "Alwayz on the Run" is their third full-length, a 12 track effort that delivers just under an…
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STARGAZERY – Stars Aligned
The second album from Finnish heavy metal act Stargazery marks the return of a classic style that has its roots in Tony Martin-era Black Sabbath, Dio, the dramatic aspects of Whitesnake, and even guitar-hero musicians like the late, great Gary Moore. The band waste no time getting to the major musical hooks and then wrap…
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EUROPE – War of Kings
Experiencing a second revival heals all personal wounds or musical trends that may have swept away a successful act’s first go around. For hard rock act Europe, everyone who grew up in the 1980’s probably remembers their melodic foundation, Joey Tempest’s smooth vocals, and the pinnacle success of their third album "The Final Countdown". Since…
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DESOLATE SHRINE – The Heart of the Netherworld
The Finnish blackened death metal act Desolate Shrine issue their third album "The Heart of the Netherworld", digging deep into the rawness and primal instincts of the genre for these 7 songs. LL handles all the instrumentation while dual vocalists RS (Roni Sahari, also in Lie in Ruins) and ML shriek and growl through this…
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THE AGONIST – Eye of Providence
Change is an inevitable part of the music business these days. Lineup shuffles occur because opportunity strikes, creative visions shift, or people just tire of the grind that can be involved in touring the globe for months bleeding into years on end. For "Eye of Providence", the fourth studio record for Canada group The Agonist…
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REVOLUTION SAINTS – Revolution Saints
It was a rather sad day when guitarist Doug Aldrich announced that he had decided to leave the mighty Whitesnake and instead focus on other bands and projects of his, but when I read and heard about this new band named Revolution Saints featuring Aldrich on guitar, Deen Castronovo (Journey) on drums and vocals, and…
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MANIFEST – …and for this we should be Damned
Manifest slipper i disse dager sitt nye album kalt «…and for this we should be Damned». Dette er bandets fjerde fullengder og helt klart deres mest komplette album så langt. Skiva inneholder ti gode varierte låter som tikker inn på nesten tre kvarter. Innspilt i Das Boot Studio og den er både mikset og mastret…
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HEAVYDEATH – Eternal Sleepwalker
This Swedish trio accurately portray their style based on their band name alone. "Eternal Sleepwalker" is a 7 song, 52 minute record featuring slow doom with strong death nuances. Guitarist Nicklas Rudolfsson has a dual hypnotic clean voice and equally ripping growl, often intertwining both aspects from line to line (check out "Eat the Sun").…
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ANDSOLIS – Vigil
Heidelberg, Germany may not possess the most well-known melodic, progressive death metal scene, but this seven-piece aim to change the landscape. Andolis (Old Norse for ‘in opposition to the sun’) differ from a lot of their contemporaries in the sense that blistering technicality is not at the forefront of their musical outlook – they prefer…
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DEATH KARMA – The History of Death & Burial Rituals part I
Slovakian/Czech duo Death Karma are in fact 2/3rds of Cult of Fire, so we can reasonably expect an accomplished and well put together piece of work. "The History of Death & Burial Rituals part I" does not disappoint in that regard. The production is modern and clear, but maintains the power of the tracks, while…
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NEIL DANIELS – Killers – The Origins of Iron Maiden: 1975-1983
I cannot praise author Neil Daniels enough for writing this excellent and highly entertaining biography on the early days of Iron Maiden. Needless to say, Iron Maiden is one of the very best heavy metal bands of all time, and I do adore most of their work, but the first two albums featuring vocalist Paul…
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DIMESLAND – Psychogenic Atrophy
Abstract metal – a veritable kitchen sink approach to construction, performance, and outlook – is not an easy style to accept. Patience is a must, allowing the songwriting to sink in multiple times and probably in a multitude of ways. Hailing from Oakland, California – Dimesland is a quartet that on "Psychogenic Atrophy" deliver 8…
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UFO – A Conspiracy of Stars
Certain artists attain a level of comfort that they can churn out high quality albums with regularity. We often wonder in what vacuum this aspect exists, but as a faithful fan of melodic hard rock and heavy metal I’m thankful that we have vanguard acts like UFO proving that their best years can be as…
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DEEP PURPLE – Long Beach 1971
Her kommer en skikkelig godbit for Deep Purple fans. Et bootleg-opptak fra Long Beach i 1971. Ble spilt inn av radiostasjonen KUSC og harmed god lyd. Opptaket inneholder kun fire låter: «Speed King», «Strange Kind of Woman», «Child in Time» og «Mandrake Root». Kan ved første øyekast virke som litt lite, men tro meg, dette…
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PERIPHERY – Juggernaut: Alpha + Juggernaut: Omega
Two new studio albums from this Washington, DC. band who have changed the modern progressive metal game around because of their sonic outlook, Djent nuances, and broader strokes with which to paint their sound. "Juggernaut: Alpha" and "Juggernaut: Omega" serve up 17 songs and 80 minutes plus of music, and assuredly will not change your…
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KEEP OF KALESSIN – Epistemology
Six albums in and once again Keep of Kalessin are pushing things forward and ringing the changes. First up is the fact that Obsidian Claw has taken over vocal duties. There is as much vocal range as before – clean, epic-sounding, rough BM-esque and more than a few spoken passages. Generally things work well enough…