ALBUM REVIEWS

RECENT ALBUM REVIEWS

  • DRUNK THRASHER – Raining Vomit

    RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://godzovwarproductions.bandcamp.com/album/raining-vomit This blistering and maniacal output by the Polish one-man outfit known as Drunk Thrasher is exactly what the mood called for today. Intense, fast-paced, and utterly evil-sounding, this is raw thrash/speed metal from the underground designed to break your neck and strangle you to death. The vocals are caustic and…

  • RITUALS OF THE DEAD HAND – The Wretched and the Vile

    RELEASE YEAR: 2024  BAND URL: https://lnk.to/thewretchedandthevile The crushing metal outfit sporting the wicked moniker Rituals of the Dead Hand recently unleashed a six-track torrent of harsh and cynical soundscapes that fall somewhere between doom metal, sludge, black metal, and even death metal at times. Does it work? You can bet your saggy ass that it works!…

  • PRAGATA – Rise of the New Empire (Demo 2024)

    RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://pragata.bandcamp.com/album/rise-of-the-new-empire-demo-2024 Released in early February via Bandcamp and sporting a brilliant and perfectly evocative album artwork, this 4-track slice of harsh and hypnotic black metal by the US horde known as Pragata is catchy as hell and rather well-arranged. Its gloriously lo-fi sound and the unpolished nature of the song material…

  • THE CHRONICLES OF FATHER ROBIN – The Songs & Tales of Airoea – Book II – Ocean Traveller

    RELEASE YEAR: 2023BAND URL: https://fatherrobin.bandcamp.com/album/the-songs-tales-of-airoea-book-ii The first installment of the trilogy by the splendid Norwegian prog rock ensemble known as Chronicles of Father Robin was a mind-blowing musical experience in that it captured a richly layered atmosphere with an earthy and folk-ish feel to it that was unlike anything that I had come across before.…

  • KOLDBRANN – Den 6. Massedød (Manna fra en Annen Himmel)

    RELEASE YEAR: 2023  BAND URL: https://koldbrann.bandcamp.com/album/den-6-massed-d-manna-fra-en-annen-himmel I rarely bother covering singles but this vicious 2-track slab of harsh and unnerving black metal by the fearsome Koldbrann simply needs to be featured on this hallowed webpage of ours and so here we are. Containing two exclusive non-album tracks that that will melt your face and turn your…

  • WALTER TROUT – Broken

    RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://www.waltertrout.com/ The upcoming record by blues rock legend Walter Trout entitled Broken is nothing short of spectacular, and the entire thing is brimming with atmosphere, heart, soul, and some of the best riffs and licks that I have ever come across, which is saying something. This twelve-track output packs so much…

  • BRUJERIA – Esto Es Brujeria

    RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: https://www.brujeria.com/ The Californian grindcore death metal groove act Brujeria (Spanish: witchcraft), which performs their vocals exclusively in Spanish, was formed by John David “Juan Brujo” Lepe, Patrick “Adam Bomb” “Fantasma” Hoed, William David Gould “Güero Sin Fe” Junior (Faith No More) Eric Reed “Jello Biafra” “Hozicón Jr.” Boucher and (until…

  • STATUS QUO – Official Archive Series Vol. 2

    RELEASE YEAR: 2023BAND URL: https://www.statusquo.co.uk/ Few acts are as cool and entertaining as UK legends Status Quo are, and their latest output is the second entry in their inspired Official Archive Series appropriately subtitled Vol. 2. Captured for posterity at the hallowed 02 Arena in London back in December 2012, this one is quite special…

  • LA MER – Tetrahedra

    RELEASE YEAR: 2023  BAND URL: https://godzovwarproductions.bandcamp.com/album/tetrahedra Not knowing quite what to expect from this visually intriguing album sporting a painting by Henri Martin as its cover artwork, I was pleasantly surprised by it morose mixture of catchy black metal, goth rock, and industrial music. La Mer sounds different to pretty much everything else out there and…

  • ARABS IN ASPIC – The Magic of Sin (Remixed and Remastered 2023)

    RELEASE YEAR: 2023BAND URL: https://arabs.bandcamp.com/album/the-magic-of-sin The sixth LP by the magnificent and eclectic prog rockers Arabs in Aspic originally came out in 2017 and contained lyrics and song titles in Norwegian, but this reworked, remixed, and remastered version of Syndenes Magi has undergone quite the change and now features words in English, hence the title…

  • ARABS IN ASPIC – Victim of Your Father’s Agony (Remixed and Remastered 2023)

    RELEASE YEAR: 2023BAND URL: https://arabs.bandcamp.com/album/victim-of-your-father-s-agony The fifth record by the magnificent Norwegian ensemble known as Arabs in Aspic, which originally came out in 2015, is an evocative journey through glorious psychedelic landscapes shaped by hazy atmospheres, doom-laden riffs, and epic vocals that never fail to impress me. Impressive actually would have been a rather apt…

  • ARABS IN ASPIC – Pictures in a Dream (2023 Remix and Remaster)

    RELEASE YEAR: 2023BAND URL: https://arabs.bandcamp.com/album/pictures-in-a-dream This remixed, re-edited, and remastered 2023 edition of the otherworldly and all-enveloping Pictures in a Dream by the Trondheim-based prog rockers Arabs in Aspic is a proper musical treat and treasure trove. If you want warm and fuzzy guitars, 70s-flavored riffs worth dying for, and vocals that speak to the…

  • MESAVERDE – All is Well

    RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://mesaverde.bandcamp.com/album/all-is-well I thoroughly enjoyed the debut offering by the eclectic Oslo-based ensemble known as MesaVerde, namely the engrossing KY album that came out in October 2022, and I was very much looking forward to this sophomore effort of theirs. In simple terms, All is Well surpasses its predecessor in every conceivable…

  • NYRST – V​ö​ld

    RELEASE YEAR: 2023BAND URL: https://nyrst.bandcamp.com/album/v-ld The Icelandic black metal force known as Nyrst blew me away by means of their tightly executed debut offering from 2020 titled Orsök, which was also released by the consistently brilliant people at Dark Essence Records. It goes without saying that I had high expectations for Völd and I was…

  • LINUS KLAUSENITZER – Tulpa

    RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: https://artofpropaganda.bandcamp.com/album/tulpa Linus Klausenitzer is Alkaloid’s powerful bassist and on October 6th last year the man decided to release his solo album Tulpa²⁰²³ via AOP Records. To succeed in this endeavor he had asked many renown contributors to take part in it, among whom are Juggernaut’s Javier Perera Martin on vocals,…

  • ZMARŁYM – Ziemie Ja​ł​owe

    RELEASE YEAR: 2023  BAND URL: https://godzovwarproductions.bandcamp.com/album/ziemie-ja-owe Godz ov War Productions have an uncanny talent for unearthing some of the best and most interesting black/death/speed/thrash metal acts and albums the underground has to offer, and this five-song collection by the darkly engrossing Polish band known as Zmarłym fits into the label’s impressive roster rather splendidly. Exploding right…

  • VALHALLA AWAITS – Perdition

    RELEASE YEAR: 2024  BAND URL: https://www.facebook.com/ValhallaAwaitsband/ Hard, heavy, and crunchy-sounding rock with an abundance of passion and vigor to it is what you get on the upcoming album titled Perdition by the awe-inspiring British outfit named Valhalla Awaits, and the undeniable fact is that it sounds amazing and that the band a whole is really firing…

  • OCTOBER TIDE – The Cancer Pledge

    RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: https://m.facebook.com/octobertideband October Tide (henceforth OT) had been formed in 1994 by two Katatonia members Sven Fredrik Norrman and vocalist Jonas Petter Renkse and persisted for 5 years and two albums (Rain Without End¹⁹⁹⁷ and Grey Dawn¹⁹⁹⁹) before breaking up for a 10 year hiatus. They returned with A Thin Shell²⁰¹⁰…

  • MORBID SACRIFICE – Ceremonial Blood Worship

    RELEASE YEAR: 2023  BAND URL: https://godzovwarproductions.bandcamp.com/album/ceremonial-blood-worship What we have here is filthy and rotten death metal from Italy courtesy of the ugly quartet known as Morbid Sacrifice, and this short and pulverizing record of theirs is undoubtedly one of the catchiest outputs that I have come across lately. Efficiency is clearly something that these guys are…

  • BLOEDMAAN – Castle Inside the Eclipse

    RELEASE YEAR: 2023  BAND URL: https://lnk.to/castleinsidetheeclipse Boasting some incredibly evocative and darkly fascinating artwork and housed in a beautiful digipak, this deeply atmospheric and melodically strong effort by Bloedmaan is nothing short of fantastic and I am finding it hard to believe that it is the intriguing entity’s debut album. By Odin, this is some fucking…

  • ABSQUE COR – Na Zawsze Cieniem​.​.​.

    RELEASE YEAR: 2023BAND URL: https://godzovwarproductions.bandcamp.com/album/na-zawsze-cieniem What a terrifically brooding and majestic opus this is! The Polish ensemble known as Absque Cor offers atmospheric black metal with variety and plenty of interesting shifts and moods to it, and there is a bleak, windswept beauty to its six lengthy compositions that immediately stands out and grabs the…

  • DOMINION OF SUFFERING/PHOBONOID – Dominion of Suffering/Phobonoid

    RELEASE YEAR: 2023  BAND URL: https://godzovwarproductions.bandcamp.com/album/dominion-of-suffering-phobonoid Fucking hell, this is some delightfully intense, unsettling, and interesting stuff courtesy of Dominion of Suffering (Slovakia) and Phobonoid (Italy). While the former serves up claustrophobic, fast-paced, and somewhat deranged black metal that recalls certain French Orthodox BM outfits, Phobonoid is a far trippier and more surreal listen and one…

  • ROBBEN FORD – Night in the City

    RELEASE YEAR: 2023  BAND URL: https://www.robbenford.com/ The legendary guitar-slinger Robben Ford is a true master of his craft as evidenced by the quality of his recorded works and live performances be that as a solo artist or a member of various bands such as Yellowjackets and L.A. Express. Also, the number of renowned artists and musicians…

  • CULTUM INTERITUM – Sacrum Funeral

    RELEASE YEAR: 2023  BAND URL: https://godzovwarproductions.bandcamp.com/album/sacrum-funeral What we have here is a six-track album by the Polish horde named Cultum Interitum that dabbles in murky and unpleasant black metal with a charcoal-stained mood and a grimy vibe to it. The sound is so frigging pitch-black that I am absolutely positive they recorded this sinister musical curse…

  • THE SURVIVAL CODE – Whispers of Woe

    RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://www.thesurvivalcode.co.uk/ Hailing from the glorious city of London and specializing in potent and emotionally charged rock that leans slightly towards Foo Fighters and Feeder, The Survival Code is simply a great band and an utterly enjoyable listening experience with longevity to it. Packed to the rafters with good riffs, infectious melodies,…

  • NATTMANN – Et Jordsmonn Av Døde

    RELEASE YEAR: 2024  BAND URL: https://www.facebook.com/nattmannofficial The Norwegian black metal duo Nattmann e-mailed us a digital copy of their latest release, namely the 4-track EP sporting the evocative moniker Et Jordsmonn Av Døde, and let me start out by saying that I am grateful to these skilled dudes for doing so. This is a convincing and…

  • BLACK EUCHARIST – Inn of the Vaticide

    RELEASE YEAR: 2023  BAND URL: https://godzovwarproductions.bandcamp.com/album/inn-of-the-vaticide This is my first encounter with the infernal black metal trio from the US known as Black Eucharist, and I must say that I am utterly pleased with this crushing slab of musical unholiness that they have vomited forth. For one thing, efficiency and catchiness seem to be the order…

  • TEMPLE BALLS – Avalanche

    RELEASE YEAR: 2023  BAND URL: https://templeballsrocks.com/ These feisty Finnish hard rockers never cease to amaze me, and their latest offering appropriately named Avalanche contains an abundance of hooks and thrills that will make you lose your mind and go wild. You will also find your hand and fingers reaching for the “Repeat” button again and again…

  • HELMET – Left

    RELEASE YEAR: 2023  BAND URL: https://www.helmetmusic.com/ Noise rock pioneers Helmet surely need no introduction as their impact on fans, critics, and other artists has been (and is) rather significant, and their influence on genres such as nu metal and alternative rock is undeniable. It is as simple as that, really. Page Hamilton (vocals, guitars) may be…

  • MADDER MORTEM – Old Eyes, New Heart

    RELEASE YEAR: 2024  BAND URL: https://maddermortem.bandcamp.com/album/old-eyes-new-heart Is there even any point in trying to categorize or label the unique sound conjured up by one of Norway’s most enticing musical outfits, namely Madder Mortem? Thirty years into their career and they still manage to amaze and excite me – how awesome is that?! Incorporating traits from doom…