ALBUM REVIEWS

RECENT ALBUM REVIEWS

  • SLASHER – Katharsis

    We all know the potency of Brazilian thrash since the breakthrough of Sepultura – and here is another act hoping to crush the competition through their second full length "Katharsis". The five piece deliver a style that certainly has those gallop riffs and up tempo snare/ double bass hits that are necessary requirements for neck…

  • PSYCHOTIC DESPAIR – Words for Empty Spaces

    Tsjekkiske Psychotic Despair er et band jeg ikke har vært borti tidligere, men er fornøyd med at jeg sjekket ut den siste skiva deres. «Words for Empty Spaces» heter den og er bandets tredje. Gode låter, mange temposkifter som seg hør og bør, hyppig veksling mellom tsjung tsjung riff og mer tekniske raskere riff, aggressiv…

  • HELL:ON – Age of Oblivion

    Argh….jeg skulle ønske jeg hadde sjekket ut de to siste skivene til Hell:On i kronologisk rekkefølge og ikke den nyeste først. For i og med at den var ganske bra og denne ikke helt i samme klasse, så ble denne så mye dårligere. Jeg kjenner jeg ble skuffa først, deretter pissed på meg selv pga…

  • WICKED SENSATION – Adrenaline Rush

    The fourth album from German melodic hard rock act Wicked Sensation has an interesting twist – due to personal health struggles, normal vocalist Robert Soeterboek had to step down from singing and in his place seasoned singer David Reece (ex-Accept, Bangaloir Choir) came in. "Adrenaline Rush" contains 11 songs of driving material, straddling the line…

  • SEDUCED – The Proclamation

    Da er det opplest og vedtatt. Det finnes flere black/death metal band i Østerrike enn Belphegor. Seduced er også et slikt band fra alpelandet og med «The Proclamation», som er bandets andre opus, tar de et langt sjumilssteg mot tronen av østerisk extreme metal tronen. Det er fortsatt et godt steg opp til de aller…

  • ORANGE GOBLIN – Back from the Abyss

    Ben Ward & Co is back once again with a powerfull piece of stoner metal. "Back from the Abyss" is the eight in line for this UK act and they seem to handle the genre like it´s their own these days.From the qute original opener Sabbath Hex to the fast paced Bloodzilla to the instrumetnal…

  • VARIOUS ARTIST – Live at Wacken 2013

    Skal man først gi ut en DVD + CD i forbindelse med verdens største metalfestival Wacken, så kan man like godt gjøre det på denne måten. Trippel DVD med 103 låter fra 43 band og en dobbel CD med 32 låter fra like mange band. 2013 var det året da Wacken var badet i sol…

  • IN SANITY – Gates of Insanity

    A German band straddling the lines between Gothenburg death metal and American modern aspects, In Sanity on their debut album "Gates of Insanity" establish a potent style that while very easy to identify their influences could develop into something guaranteeing longevity. Vocalist Erik Sollmann has that gritty, harsh texture to make "Outburst in Ashes" and…

  • CLEAVER – The Sickest Tales EP

    Dette er midtempo death metal av den heavy typen. Tunge riff dominerer de to første låtene. På den siste er det mer fart i selve hovedriffet, men ellers handler dette om midtempo. Vokalen er tøff, god og litt tørr growl. Passer godt til musikken. Lyden er rå så det holder. Ja, hva mer kan man…

  • BOTULISTUM / GÖLL – Botulistum / Göll

    Dying Sun Records were kind enough to mail me a copy of this split CD consisting of 2 songs by Botulistum and 6 songs by Göll, both of which hail from the Netherlands, and this release was something out of the ordinary in more than one way. Both entities vomit forth a strange sewer-brew of…

  • ATAVISMA – Where Wolves Once Dwelled

    Franske Atavisma spiller tung death doom med klare spor fra den gamle svenske dømetallbølgen som herjet på begynnelsen av 90-tallet. Veldig tunge riff og ultra-mørk growl kombinert med semi-melodiøse riff, tshugga tshugga partier og temposkifter gjør at dette låter riktig så bra. Produksjonen er nesten fraværende og lyden er lav og dårlig. Riktignok er dette…

  • KING DIAMOND – Dreams of Horror

    The 23 tracks on offer here have been chosen by Andy LaRoque and King D from the Roadrunner and Metal Blade back catalogue, so they cover the band’s full career. All of the material has been remastered and ‘enhanced’ to what Andy and Kingy D would refer to as ‘ultimate editions’. I don’t have loads…

  • CRETIN – Stranger

    Cretin er et band jeg egentlig ikke har ofret så mange tanker til før, men nå er de klar med ny skive og etter en liten tyvlytt, fant jeg ut at dette ville jeg sjekke ut mer. Tre av medlemmene har en fortid i Exhumed, to er eller har vært med i Repulsion, en er…

  • ARMAGEDDON – Captivity & Devourment

    Armageddon er det nye bandet til ex-Arch Enemy guitarist Chris Amott. Eller nytt og nytt! Det ble startet opp første gang som et prosjekt av Chris i 1997 og igjen fra 2000 til 2002 da bandet/prosjektet ble lagt på is. Nå som han har droppet ut av Arch Enemy har han igjen fått liv i…

  • ZOM – Flesh Assimilation

    ‘Flesh Assimilation’ is the debut full-length from Irish death/black trio ZOM. To be honest, I have always had a bit of a problem with this band. I have seen them live on numerous occasions and left for the bar before the sets were over, and have checked out but was unimpressed by their 2013 EP…

  • THAW – Earth Ground

    "Earth Ground" is the second full-length release from Polish BM act Thaw. The sound borrows a little from the anti-cosmic writings of Blut Aus Nord. It starts quite cold and brutal but soon becomes something calmer and more mid-paced, quite hypnotic in an almost-but-not-quite industrial kind of way.  The guys all know their way around…

  • DISASTER – Blasphemy Attack

    Sharing a name through the years with a boatload of acts from all across the globe, this Disaster hails from Columbia and is a quartet of musicians in the thrash mold for their debut album "Blasphemy Attack". Heads down, raw thrash is how these musicians handle their material, keeping the transitions very simplified while the…

  • MORTUARY DRAPE – Spiritual Independence

    Ten years on from the disappointing ‘Buried in Time,’ Italian extreme metal pioneers are back with their fifth full-length release ‘Spiritual Independence.’ For those already familiar with the band, I can say the style is no different from anything they released before – a hybrid of death/thrash metal with tons of eerie atmosphere and compelling…

  • HELL:ON – Hunt

    Ukrainsk extreme metal er ikke et tema jeg er så veldig velbevandret i, men da bandets gitarist og manager Alex tok kontakt med meg tidligere i høst, oppdaget jeg til min store overraskelse at jeg allerede hadde en CD fra dem liggende klar for en (veldig sen) anmeldelse. Da var det like greit å sette…

  • CRAZY LIXX – Crazy Lixx

    Considering my love of 2010’s "New Religion" but less than enthusiastic outlook on the follow up 2012’s "Riot Avenue", this self-titled fourth studio effort from Sweden’s glam/hard rock/metal oriented Crazy Lixx did have me treading cautiously. After numerous spins, the polish is back in the production and vocal department, and boosts the hook/ retention factor…

  • GUERRA TOTAL – Cthulhu Zombies & Anti-Cosmic Black Goats

    Guerra Total er et colombiansk speed/thrash/black metal band. I sine beste stunder ikke ulikt våre egne Infant Death i stilen. I sine verste stunder ulikt alt annet jeg har hørt de siste 10 – 15 årene. Tekster er på spansk og så mye mer vet jeg ikke om bandet enn at de startet opp i…

  • ANTHRAX – Chile on Hell DVD

    Anthrax er et band jeg har fulgt mer eller mindre siden en gang på midten av 80-tallet da "Spreading the Disease" ble med hjem etter ett av mange besøk i Trondheims beste vinylsjappe Playtime. Som mange andre mistet jeg vel litt av interessen da de, som haugevis med andre band på den tiden, begynte å…

  • LAST LEAF DOWN – Fake Lights

    Swiss shoegaze band Last Leaf Down originally began as a doom/dark metal outfit a decade ago, strongly using Katatonia as an influence to drive their sound. Finally mutating to this newer direction in 2007 thanks to the additions of vocalist/ guitarist Benjamin Schenk and drummer Patrick Hof, the quartet recorded a promo EP in 2011…

  • LORDI – Scare Force One

    Looking like Gwar, performing in a commercial-oriented 80’s hard rock style, "Scare Force One" from Finland’s Lordi gives the listener another 13 tracks of moderately fun, easy on the ears material. If you desire pure entertainment value, simpler grooves, and Mr. Lordi’s throaty voice, there will be a few cuts that work – the Accept-ish…

  • STYXIAN INDUSTRIES – The Last Generation

    Styxian Industries is a sick and twisted black industrial metal outfit hailing from the Netherlands, and this 5-track EP of theirs entitled "The Last Generation" is an interesting and captivating release. I am not familiar with their other releases, but after having listened to this EP I will for sure make up for that and…

  • 1349 – Massive Cauldron of Chaos

    The well-known Norwegian black metal force named 1349 has once again unleashed an aural apocalypse for all you chaos-loving fuckers out there to enjoy and take pleasure in. The new album entitled "Massive Cauldron of Chaos" most definitely lives up to its title in that we are presented with an extremely tight, bombastic, well-written, and…

  • SPACE VACATION – Cosmic Vanguard

    The third record for heavy metal band Space Vacation riles up all the aspects that made me a fan of a genre for life: the high octane power of striking the right guitar chord, the strong bass thump, the explosive grooves and tempos, and hooks aplenty from all areas of vocal melodies/harmonies as well as…

  • PRIMUS – Primus & the Chocolate Factory with the Fungi Ensemble

    Strangeness has been a constant in this trio’s career. Primus from the United States, an oddball act content to march alone, melding funk, punk, and alternative rock into their own sound. "Primus & the Chocolate Factory with the Fungi Ensemble" is another of those experimental records, consisting more of loops, sound effects, and alternate noise…

  • STEIGNYR – Tales of a Forgotten Hero

    Steignyr er et helt nytt bekjentskap for undertegnede. Spansk keltisk metallisk folkrock med både kvinnevokal og mannlig growl. Kan kanskje minne litt om en blanding av Nightwish og Finntroll, to band jeg ikke har så stort forhold til. Jeg kjenner dem begge godt, men er ingen stor fan av noen. Dermed skulle man tro at…

  • IN FAITH – There’s a Storm Coming

    When done correctly, melodic hard rock has a special place in my collection – as artists hone in on crafting catchy songs with strong hooks on the vocal and musical sides and let their playing ability shine as a result of the compositions at hand. In Faith is a new British band that contains veterans…