RECENT ALBUM REVIEWS
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IRON LAMB – Fool’s Gold
The second album from Sweden’s Iron Lamb "Fool’s Gold" is another homage to a bygone period of hard rock/ metal history – the Fast Eddie Clarke years of Motörhead. As a quintet songs like "Smile Now Cry Later" and "Mockingbird" possess this added girth and rhythm possibilities that take punk-oriented, raw hard rock from the…
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JOEL MCIVER – Bible of Butchery: Cannibal Corpse: The Official Biography
The biography entitled "Bible of Butchery" by well-known author Joel McIver chronicles and details the existence and career of one of the most popular and best-selling death metal bands to ever grace the shit-stained face of the earth, namely Cannibal Corpse. The band has existed for more than 25 years now and is showing no…
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ARVAS – Black Satanic Mysticism
"Black Satanic Mysticism" is an album title that sounds very much like a 90’s Mayhem title. This can be both good and bad, depending on how the album actually sounds. It’s also important to keep the sound a little modern so that it does not become too clishé. So the question is: Do the guys…
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NAPALM DEATH – Apex Predator – Easy Meat
"Apex Predator – Easy Meat" is grind pioneérs & legends Napalm Death´s 15 release since their crucial for the genre debut Scum. Barney & Co still manages to stay relevant after all these years and even I have to admin I am not the biggest NP fan around "Apex Predator" is quite good. Personally I…
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SCANNER – The Judgement
You may need a scorecard to keep up with all the twists and turns in this German speed/power metal act’s career. Loads of member changes (Efthimios Ioannidis is their fifth vocalist – the ultimate number of members since their 1986 start is over twenty), two permanent breakups and reformations, not to mention the 13 year…
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IN VAIN – The Little Things That Matter
It’s always nice when a band seeks out your critical opinions based on earlier reviews of previous material. Spain’s In Vain met my approval on their second album from 2012, "In Death We Trust" – and still plug away independently on their third full length "The Little Things That Matter". The 9 songs appear to…
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CARACH ANGREN – This Is No Fairytale
Carach Angren returns in 2015 with a new story to tell. Last time they told us different war stories while this time, it’s a grim and dark version of Hansel and Gretel (along with some other snacks). The album starts off in a similar way as the previous albums, with an intro, consisting mostly of…
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CARE OF NIGHT – Connected
A new AOR oriented hard rock act from Sweden that features former Seven Tears members Jonathan Carlemar (guitar) and Kristofer von Wachenfeldt (keyboards), Care of Night is a quintet that deliver uplifting music and hooks which would have been huge in the 80’s on their debut album "Connected". Think of artists such as Journey, Survivor,…
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BENIGHTED – Brutalive the Sick
Benighted er et av Frankrikes mest brutale death metal band. De er store i undergrunnen der nede og de har hatt en viss suksess også utenfor sitt hjemland. Spilte blant annet på Inferno for noen år siden. Var en hel-vet-es knallgig, mener jeg å huske. Bandet ble dannet i 1998 og de har gitt ut…
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ENSIFERUM – One Man Army
One of the true folk metal giants are back with the release of the album "One Man Army". A beautiful album that will probably fit right in to a standard folk metal collection. The album starts off with the track "March of War". A track that sets the epic atmosphere in motion, and that immediatly…
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IMPERA – Empire of Sin
A classic four-piece in the traditional sense of the word is present for the third studio album from Impera "Empire of Sin". Assembling a killer lineup in vocalist Matti Alfonzetti, guitarist Tommy Denander, bassist Mats Vassfjord, and drummer J.K. Impera, the 11 songs on this record combine the classic bluesy hard rock of the 80’s…
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REASONS BEHIND – The Alpha Memory
Always a contender in the power metal game, Italian musicians have also presented flourishes of bombast and symphonic touches – so it’s natural to see bands like Reasons Behind combine the two sub-genres on their debut album "The Alpha Memory". Pluses include a natural drum punch from Riccardo Grechi that benefits driving material like "Under…
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WIND ROSE – Wardens of the West Wind
Italian power/progressive metal acts tend to have a huge connection to the neo-classical/ symphonic scene – which probably comes natural to them due to their appreciation for the genres growing up. Wind Rose are another quintet who straddle the line between all these genres on their second album "Wardens of the West Wind" – pushing…
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SOLEFALD – World Metal. Kosmopolis Sud
The thing about Solefald is that it is not to be taken too seriously. That isn’t really saying anything about the quality of a band, though. What says something about a band that isn’t to be taken too seriously, is whether the band knows it themselves or not. Solefald definetly knows it, and that makes…
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BLOODLASH – Drowning Amidst the Nebulae
Originally released on their own in 2012, Finnish label Inverse Records felt this Mexican progressive death metal act Bloodlash deserved a wider push and issue their debut EP "Drowning Amidst the Nebulae". 4 songs in 22 minutes that have as much in common with Dream Theater and Lamb of God as they do Opeth and…
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GAMMA RAY – The Best (of)
Gamma Ray where founded by Kai Hansen in 1989 after he left Helloween. The music of Gamma Ray sounded where much alike his german peers, but in my ears never reached Helloeween´s height. Now after 25 years, Gamma Ray´s first ultimate best-of compilation sees the light. There have been a couple before this but release…
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EXHUMED – Gore Metal: A Necrospective 1998 – 2015
Exhumed har spilt inn en ny versjon av "Gore Metal". Hvorfor vet jeg ikke, men de har nå gjort det. Personlig mener jeg slike nyinnspillinger er helt unødvendige, men det er nå meg. Hva skal man si om dette da? Bedre lyd er det blitt, trommingen er 70 ganger bedre enn på originalen, riffene kommer…
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THE NEAL MORSE BAND – The Grand Experiment
Involved in Spock’s Beard, Transatlantic, and Flying Colors through the years, Neal Morse is a progressive rock icon, especially for the current generation of fans to savor. "The Grand Experiment" is his latest studio record with The Neal Morse Band, also pushing the talent of drummer Mike Portnoy, Randy George, Bill Hubauer, and Eric Gillette…
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MARTIN POPOFF – Sail Away: Whitesnake’s Fantastic Voyage
Finally! Have long have we not waited for a proper, well-researched, in-depth, and entertaining biography on the hard rock blues monster that is Whitesnake? Well-known author Martin Popoff, who has written books on Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, and Judas Priest among others, apparently took it upon himself to write a detailed biography chronicling the life…
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AKTOR – Paranoia
An international trio consisting of Professor Black from Chicago, IL and Finnish musicians Jussi Lehtisalo and Tomi Leppänen, Aktor perform an infectious brand of metal that has Top 40/ psychedelic inflections. Expect straight clean vocals, simpler focused chord progressions, and a lot of keyboard nuances from the new wave community (think Berlin and Missing Persons).…
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LONELY ROBOT – Please Come Home
A project from mastermind producer, guitarist and vocalist John Mitchell (It Bites, Frost, Arena), Lonely Robot explores atmospheric and progressive textures along with science fiction/ human race lyrics on the debut album "Please Come Home". Bassist Nick Beggs and drummer Craig Blundell are the main components helping to flesh out the ideas, along with guest…