RECENT ALBUM REVIEWS
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ICED EARTH – Plagues Of Babylon
The model for metal bands to stay relevant in the public eye remains familiar to most long-timers. It’s all about delivering in the flesh live: be it a sweat club to hundreds or an expansive festival main stage for tens of thousands, you are measured by the power of the performance. Leader Jon Schaffer of…
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HADEA – Fabric Of Intention
Changing names after the tragic loss of drummer Hunter Holland, North Carolina’s Gollum are now known as Hadea. Gaining a new record deal, this album "Fabric of Intention" is a veritable music stew in the highest form: experimental, progressive, heavy rock with doom, sludge, groove, and thrash/death overtones. Mastadon, Tool, King Crimson, Lamb of God,…
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TEMNEIN – 404 B.C.
Temnein is a progressive extreme metal band with thrash/death influences. On their debut album "404 B.C." you can expect a wide array of tempos and aggression throughout, at times highly engaging in a melodic thrash/death framework and then at other times harsh and abrasive. Guitarists James Camozzi and Florian Frandidier steal the show on cuts…
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LEGION OF THE DAMNED – Ravenous Plague
The sixth studio album from Dutch band Legion of the Damned continues in their tradition of pummeling the listener with their brand of death-oriented thrash metal: primal and inflicting punishing blows to the brain and body. "Ravenous Plague" keeps the emphasis on the metal: guitars that churn with jackhammer precision, bass that reverberates to the…
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BLACK MAGIC – Wizard’s Spell
A Norwegian duo with a debut album release that appears to be a final call to arms, as information about the group is minor at best. The 9 track record contains a NWOBHM foundation, along with elements of speed and thrash metal at times – the guitar work finding a comfort between Angel Witch, Iron…
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THAUROROD – Anteinferno
When you’ve had six singers come through the fold in a melodic progressive/ power metal band such as Finland’s Thaurorod, stability could be an issue as you release your second full length album "Anteinferno". Fortunately for the sextet, I think they’ve found the right powerhouse in Sweden’s Andi Kravljaca- a 30 something vocalist ripe with…
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SUICIDAL ANGELS – Divide And Conquer
Consistency counts in the metal realm. Fans have certain expectations when it comes to their favorite bands, and the ones who remain steadfast in their stylistic beliefs usually gain the most adulation. Out of the newer breed of thrash bands, especially hailing from outside the North American shores, Greece’s Suicidal Angels appear to be solid…
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CORPSESSED – Abysmal Thresholds
The metal year 2014 has just begun but allready we have an contender for "best album of the year". Corpsessed come crushing out of the gate with their debut on Dark Descent Rec "Abysmal Thresholds", a leathal dose of death metal that took me really by surprise. These finns really get down to business and…
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LAY DOWN ROTTEN – Deathspell Catharsis
Even though "Deathspell Catharsis" is the seventh full -length release from German bruisers Lay Down Rotten, this is the first time I have ever had a chance to check out their stuff. I can’t comment, therefore, on what came before this, but "Deathspell Catharsis" is death metal that has a strong melodic element. What I…
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MEMENTO WALTZ – Division By Zero
19 years into their recording careers and with a series of demos and EP’s under their belts, the time is right for this Italian progressive metal band to release their debut album "Division By Zero". It’s not as if the quartet struggled with numerous lineup changes: 3 of the four members have been involved since…
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AFTERLIFE – Symphony Of Silence
Female fronted symphonic metal is the dish du jour today with this Italian five-piece. Starting as a cover band in 2009, they eventually wrote and recorded originals, to the point of releasing a demo in 2010- and now unleashing their debut album. At 12 tracks and a little over an hour of music, Afterlife could…
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LASERGUYS / SRAM – Split 7
Laserguys er Trondheims grindcorestolthet mens Sram er et russisk grindcoreband som jeg ikke vet stort mer om enn at de kommer fra Moskva. Nå har disse bandene gitt ut en split 7 tommer med fire låter hver. Laserguys gir oss god kjapp grindcore slik vi vet de kan, mens Sram leverer noe mer undergrunnsaktig grindpunk…
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FALLEN ARISE – Ethereal
Symphonic gothic metal can be a hit or miss proposition to my ears. Too many acts careen off the deep end into orchestration and bombast, leaving the ‘metal’ side to occasional flourishes with the electric guitar. Greek sextet Fallen Arise have been in existence for 4 years, releasing an EP "Eternal" in 2011 prior to…
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RUSTFIELD – Kingdom Of Rust
An Italian progressive rock/ metal act with a debut album "Kingdom of Rust", Rustfield was born in 2007 so the quintet certainly have had a long time to cook up and compose these 12 tracks. Rather than set out for a distinct sound, I feel that the material seems to have a bevy of diverse…
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SILENT FORCE – Rising From Ashes
Alex Beyrodt can be forgiven for the 6 year lapse between studio records for power metal outfit Silent Force. His guitar skills are in high demand, beyond his own work in the bluesy hard rock act Voodoo Circle he also is active in Sinner and Primal Fear on a recording and touring basis. With DC…
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Black Metal – Beyond the Darkness
Not that long ago the British-housed Black Dog Publishing released a book entitled "Black Metal – Beyond the Darkness", which covers and focuses on a variety of different subjects related to black metal music and the entire black metal culture, so to speak. Some of the authors featured include Nathan T. Birk, Nick Richardson, Jon…
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NECROFILTH – Devil´s Breath
"Devil´s Breath" is the debut release of filthy death thrashers Necrofilth. Since getting together back in 2008, this US trio have been active on the demo/EP/Split arena but have now finally gotten 13 tracks of pure and dirty old school combined on one disc. "Devil´s Breath" resembles an underground release with muddy sound/production layered on…
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WOLFHEART – Winterborn
Sometimes musicians understand intuition better than the fans. In the case of Tuomas Saukkonen, he needed to shut down all activities with Before The Dawn, The Final Harvest, Black Sun Aeon, Dawn Of Solace, and RoutaSielu at the beginning of this year to regroup and refocus his endeavors solely in this melodic death metal act…
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BRAIN DEAD – Menace From The Sickness
Old school style thrash metal from Italy here with the quintet Brain Dead and their second album "Menace from the Sickness". Naming themselves after an Exodus song, it shouldn’t be surprising that a lot of their riff tricks, tempo changes, and spirit resides in that classic Bay Area mold. Vocally Felix Liuni has a barking…
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KRISIUN – Apocalyptic Revelation re-release
"Apocalyptic Revelation" er i mine ører den beste skiva til brasilianske Krisiun. I forhold til debuten «Black Force Domain» er den omtrent like kaotisk, mer brutal, mer intens, litt mer strukturert og mye mer gjennomført. Trommemonsteret Max har roet seg litt, men ikke nok til å kunne friskmeldes helt enda, og godt er det. Moyses…
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SWITCHBLADE – Heavy Weapons
Eight years beyond their initial arrival on the scene and with a series of demos/ single releases under their belts, finally the debut album from Israel traditional metal quintet Switchblade comes out in the form of the 9 song "Heavy Weapons". Solidifying a permanent lineup this year with a new bassist and third guitarist in…
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TED NUGENT – Ultralive Ballisticrock
70´s rock hero Ted Nugent are still alive and kicking and to prove it he´s releasing another live album (last one from 2009) baptised "Ultralive Ballisticrock". Personally I´ve never been a huge Nugent fan, but I remember giving the man a chance when I was in middle school and not being to impressed. He´s incredible…
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MOUNTAIN THRONE – Stormcoven
The debut album from German ‘ancient metal’ quartet Mountain Throne, "Stormcoven" is an 8 song affair that has a boatload of old influence appeal. Clocking in at a tidy 38 minutes and change, the band perform in a manner that crosses the lines between doom, NWOBHM, and epic metal. Feel the devil’s swing in the…
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ROTTREVORE – Hung by the Eyesockets
Another "comeback", this time a successfull one.. Rottrevore released the fantastic "Iniquitous" back in 1993 and then when dormant. They reunited back in 2011 and released a three song demo called "Blind Sided Attack" to much praise among the hungry old school Rottrevore fans. Dave Rotten and his Xtreem Records (ES) picked it up and…
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ETERNAL HELCARAXE – Against All Odds
Eternal Helcaraxe as a very interesting and underrated black/pagan metal band hailing from Ireland. I`ve followed them ever since their first demo, "Palest Kingdom", and they seem to develop and get better by each release of theirs. "Against All Odds" is their first proper full-length album and a great one at that. The opening song…
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INQUISITION – Obscure Verses for the Multiverse
Inquisition was a unknown entity in my book when I received their "Obscure Verses for the Multiverse". This Colombian two piece outfit´s sixth full-length release is a masterpiece in black metal with influences from both death and thrash metal. The beauty of this album can be summerized in one word, diversity. "OVftM" does not settle…
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DEAKON – Miel
"Miel" by the Russian horde known as Deakon is a bit of an odd release. Well, maybe odd isn`t the proper term for it, but it`s certainly different and experimental in that it contains a single long track lasting for 50 minutes. The most proper description for this experiment of sorts would probably be something…
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KRISIUN – Black Force Domain re-release
"Black Force Domain" er debutskiva til de brasilianske brødrene i Krisiun. Den kom ut første gang i 1995 på det lille brasilianske undergrunnsselskapet Dynamo Brazilie. To år senere kom den ut på tyske Gun Records men det er først nå den er skikkelig tilgjengelig for verdensmarkedet. Dette er enkelt. Dette er pur kaotisk brutalitet. Dette…