ALBUM REVIEWS

RECENT ALBUM REVIEWS

  • TERMINAL DEATH – Terminal Death

    Terminal Death er nok et ukjent band for mange. Tidlig amerikansk death metal. De var aktive mellom 1984 og 86 og ga ut kun en rehearsal tape og en demo. Musikalsk var de på sluttet et sted mellom Possessed og S.O.D.. Før det var de et litt mer pønka band. Jeg vil si at de…

  • VENI DOMINE – Light

    Never thought I would successfully take in the fusion of progressive rock and doom metal, but somehow, someway Sweden’s Veni Domine make this work on their 7th studio album "Light", their first in quite some time (as "Tongues" came out in 2007). Keyboardist Olov Andersson and bassist Klas Pettersson are the newest members, and you’ll…

  • PERFECT VIEW – Red Moon Rising

    Italian AOR meets hard rock bliss here through the quintet Perfect View. This 11 song record "Red Moon Rising" is the band’s sophomore outing, and those who love classic Europe, Winger, Dokken, and Journey will treasure this band’s songwriting. Pristine, bright keyboards, spot on happy melodies, and this driving sense of tempo makes "By My…

  • SINISTER – The Post-Apocalyptic Servant

    What else can you do if you are the Dutch death metal band Sinister that you haven’t tried before? Keeping the same lineup as 2012’s "The Carnage Ending" is a start (and first for the band’s career) – but on their eleventh album "The Post-Apocalyptic Servant" the quintet decide to tackle a conceptual record for…

  • ORIGIN – Omnipresent

    Jeg var ingen stor fan av Jason Keyser da han tok over vokalistrollen i Origin etter James Lee, men nå har han funnet sin rolle i bandet og gjør sine saker riktig så bra. Han får ut sitt potensiale til fulle og imponerer veldig på bandets nyeste opus «Omnipresent», og med det beviser han en…

  • VALLENFYRE – Splinters

    What happens when you take 4 well known death/doom metal musicians and put them together to relive the past glories of early death metal? You get the second album "Splinters" from UK act Vallenfyre. Paradise Lost’s Gregor Mackintosh handles vocals/guitar, My Dying Bride’s Hamish Glencross is on second guitar, Scoot on bass, and At The…

  • INANIMATE EXISTENCE – A Never-Ending Cycle of Atonement

    Småprogga teknisk god death metal fra californiske Inanimate Existence. Det heter seg det er brutalt også, men jeg er ikke helt enig i det. Derfor dropper jeg den delen i beskrivelsen. Selvfølgelig, det er antydninger til det brutale i musikken, men ikke nok til at man behøver å ta det med. Det skal litt mer…

  • SONIC SYNDICATE – Sonic Syndicate

    As my age advances, keeping one ear to the modern ground remains a see-saw battle. Change is inevitable, often hard to accept. Sweden’s Sonic Syndicate sonically live for an alternative rock meets metalcore style, featuring good cop/ bad cop vocals, a boat load of purpose ‘groove’ parts and staccato oriented chord choices and tones along…

  • THE KILLERHERTZ – A Killer Anthem

    Forming a couple of years ago this Danish quartet perform in a melodic hard rock/ metal mold that has instant hook and harmony appeal on their debut album "A Killer Anthem". You’ll get 11 songs containing a lot of 90’s era Megadeth and Metallica leanings along with a little bit of that stoner hard rock…

  • GREY SKIES FALLEN – The Many Sides of Truth

    The fourth studio album for New York’s Grey Skies Fallen, "The Many Sides of Truth" contains 4 long vocal songs and 3 instrumentals. As far as what to expect stylistically, the quintet meld the best aspects of progressive, doom, and extreme metal to create a sound quite unique. All 3 aspects can be heard for…

  • SEPTICFLESH – Titan

    Dette er storslagen symfonisk extreme metal av ypperste merke. En flott blanding av kun det beste fra de musikalske verdener som er verdt å høre på. Dette er rett og slett totalmetal. Og det er det beste jeg kan si om denne skiva. Egentlig burde det holde også, men det er vel noe urettferdig mot…

  • ARCH ENEMY – War Eternal

    One of the toughest things in metal these days to keep under wraps is lineup changes. Thanks to the flood of instant communication tools, cell phones, and social media/ internet connections, band members need to guard these events like the Secret Service or Fort Knox for fear of rumors and false information. So let’s just…

  • IQ – The Road of Bones

    The newest studio album from UK progressive rockers IQ is another stunner, proof that open spaces provide exciting moments. In 5 songs you’ll get cinematic landscapes, serene melodies, rhythmic build ups, swaying grooves in jazz and rock tempos – and occasional forays into exotic cultural territory to give the title track, 19 minute plus "Without…

  • AMBERIAN DAWN – Magic Forest

    The fifth proper studio album (as last year’s "Re-Evolution" featured re-recordings of previous songs for their new vocalist Capri to sing on), "Magic Forest" adds another 10 songs to this Finnish group’s symphonic, melodic metal register. A new record deal represents a fresh start, and after a few exposures to the uplifting "Dance of Life",…

  • THE CHANT – New Haven

    Finnish atmospheric rock from the seven-piece The Chant that rolls comfortably into studio album four "New Haven". Fusing the best of melancholic chord progressions, simplified rock/ doom grooves, and nuances of tranquility and darkness – making "Playwright", the jagged, semi-discordant "Cloud Symmetry", and The Gathering-oriented "Come to Pass" addictive, enthralling, and worthy of intense listening…

  • DUST BOLT – Awake the Riot

    Munich, Germany’s Dust Bolt return for a second full length in "Awake the Riot" – another thrashing effort that has more North American/ Bay Area nuances than their own Teutonic heritage. Tracks like the speedy "Soul Erazor" and "Agent Thrash" have more in common with Agent Steel meets Slayer/ Sepultura, the guitar team of Lenny…

  • ALLEGAEON – Elements of the Infinite

    Keeping up their bi-annual studio record pace, Colorado’s Allegaeon secure two new permanent members to the lineup through guitarist Michael Stancel and drummer Brandon Park, and now release their third album "Elements of the Infinite". Stylistically balancing the modern advantages of technology while also being slightly technical in their death metal brand, what’s always been…

  • CANNABIS CORPSE – From Wisdom to Baked

    Jeg har ikke vært noen megafan av det Cannabis Corpse har gitt ut av plater tidligere. Jeg syntes det har vært kult og litt tøft, men ikke så veldig mye mer. Var derfor en smule skeptisk da ny skive dukket opp i mailboksen. Men er nå ca tre uker senere en god dose mer positivt…

  • VANHELGD – Relics of Sulphur Salvation

    May the worms have mercy on my ears! Vanhelgd and their third full-length "Relics of Sulphur Salvation" delivers on all death metal accounts. The swedes reinvents the vintage formula of chrushing doom laden death metal with such finesse that all you kids out there better start taking notes. Vanhelgd keeps their promises on this third…

  • SONIC STATION – Next Stop

    Sonic Station is a Swedish AOR band on their second album "Next Stop" – changing things up from a project oriented outfit to more of a solid band entity. Composer/producer/ guitarist Alexander Kronbrink has a love of Westcoast and US AOR, as these 11 songs have a lot in common with Giant, early Richard Marx,…

  • CAPTAIN BLACK BEARD – Before Plastic

    Sweden seems to be per capita one of the greatest ratios when it comes to killer rock and metal musicians. Captain Black Beard hail from Stockholm, and on their second album "Before Plastic" throw down 11 tracks of kiss ass melodic hard rock in a classic American meets European framework. There’s as much 220 Volt…

  • NUNSLAUGHTER – Angelic Dread

    Nunslaughter can for sure be labeled as pioneérs of the death metal genre. The started out back in 1987 and have since then an massive back catalogue that contains numerous splits/Ep´s/compilations and full-lenghts. "Angelic Dread" is a two disk release that contains new material on the first disc and re-recorded material from various 7" on…

  • NOVERIA – Risen

    Italian progressive metal lives again through Noveria on their debut album "Risen". We have a quintet on this 9 track effort that rivals a lot of the content not only of their domestic brethren but also some of the latest records from Symphony X. Masterful vocal prowess from Frank Corigliano, spirited keyboard lines of a…

  • NINTH CIRCLE – Legions of the Brave

    An interesting and very entertaining melodic metal band from California, Ninth Circle on their third album "Legions of the Brave" assemble the best aspects of late 80’s/ early 90’s power/ progressive metal along with a strong AOR vocal harmony sheen. Heir Apparent, Psyco Drama, and early Royal Hunt come up the most when taking in…

  • TANKARD – R.I.B.

    Who could write 3 decades of albums about the frothy suds and allegiance to beer? German thrashers Tankard make a living at their love of all things alcohol related, cruising into their 16th studio record with "R.I.B." … "Rest in Beer". A party atmosphere permeates material like the punky, up tempo "Fooled by Your Guts",…

  • MICHAEL SCHENKER AND FRIENDS – Blood of the Sun

    A fun release for guitarist Michael Schenker to take on some of his favorite songs through the years along with an all start cast of singers, "Blood of the Sun" is a 14 track record featuring the likes of Gary Barden, Jeff Scott Soto, Joe Lynn Turner, Tommy Shaw, Jeff Pilson, Paul Di’Anno, and Sebastian…

  • NIGHT RANGER – High Road

    California’s Night Ranger continue to re-establish themselves as one of the premiere American melodic AOR meets hard rock acts through their consistent live performances as well as cranking out potent studio albums. Their last two studio records (2007’s "Hole in the Sun" and 2011’s "Somewhere in California") possess the right balance between catchy rockers, good…

  • UNDER THE CHURCH – Under the Church

    Under The Church is the latest addition to the retro swe-death wave that are flowing in over the metal land. Only this time it´s not men in their early 20´s that are hammering out chrushing old school death metal. This time is some of the pioneérs from the old days that are having some form…

  • PILLORY – Evolutionary Miscarriage

    Her handler det om teknisk brutal death metal. Bandet kommer fra Boston, USA, de har holdt det gående i elleve år og «Evolutionary Miscarriage» er deres andre fullengder. Det går forholdsvis raskt unna og enkelte ganger går det så raskt unna at overgangene kan minne om hakk i en vinyl der stiften hopper bittelitt. Jeg…

  • URIAH HEEP – Outsider

    UK hard rock veterans Uriah Heep charge forth on their 24th studio album "Outsider". Guitarist Mick Box remains the lone original member, but vocalist Bernie Shaw and keyboardist Phil Lanzon have been in the band now for 28 + years – so the vision and integrity are firm on high quality songwriting and performances. We…