RECENT ALBUM REVIEWS
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ABOMINANT – Onward to Annihilation
Kentucky´s death metal main boys Abominant is back with their tenth opus since the debut "Unspeakable Horrors" back in 1996 so it´s safe to say these boys keep a busy schedule. "Onward to Annihilation" is a formidable piece of death metal, performed just the way you know it will. Vocalist Mike Barnes & Co keep…
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DENNERS TRICKBAG – Denners Trickbag
Legendary guitarist Michael Denner is probably best known through the years for his contribution to Mercyful Fate and King Diamond in the 1980’s and 1990’s. This latest band Denners Trickbag formed in the summer of 2012, and Michael felt it was important to surround himself with Danish musicians not involved in his previous metal circles.…
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SANGRE DE MUERDAGO – Deixame Morrer no Bosque
Roughly translated as ‘Blood of the Mistletoe’, SDM are a neofolk act from Galicia. The main instrument is acoustic guitar with some clean vocals, male and female. Add violin, hurdy gurdy and percussion (mostly limited to some kind of bass drum or floor tom that strikes once per bar when used) plus a few other…
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THE MEZMERIST – The Innocent, The Forsaken, The Guilty
Shadow Kingdom’s reissue of ‘The Innocent, The Forsaken, The Guilty’ includes both the 1983 and 1985 EPs (plus a DVD too, I think – not included in the promo). Vocals and guitar are covered by an individual calling himself The Mezmerist and drums on the 1985 EP were actually handled by the one and only…
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MINISTRY – From Beer To Eternity
The 13th studio album from industrial metal veterans Ministry is also one of their most eclectic. The final album with guitar playing from Mike Scaccia, who died unexpectedly on December 23, 2012 due to a heart attack, "From Beer to Eternity" contains all of the sampling, loops, computer-laden effects, and monotonous driven fare you’ve either…
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RANGER – Knights of Darkness
I miss the art of the mini-LP. Especially when you wish to make a first impression- isn’t it easier to just come bursting out of the gate with your best 4-6 songs, rather than hoping you can come up with 10 killer tracks? Ranger are a four piece speed metal band hailing from Helsinki, Finland,…
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HOUSTON – II
This Sweden band made quite an impression on the classic AOR crowd with their debut self-titled album in 2010- with lots of talk of a revival of the movement thanks to their stellar hooks and songwriting. "II" will be measured accordingly to see if Hank Erix, Ricky Delin, and Freddie Allen can make lightning strike…
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SECRETS OF SIN – Future Memories
Southern German symphonic metal band Secrets Of Sin release their debut full length album "Future Memories"- gaining a new female vocalist in the process with Christina Glover. These 11 tracks clock in at a reasonable 58 minutes, presenting a down to earth melodic style with variant clean vocals from guitarist Robert Mansk and a sound…
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COFFINS – The Fleshland
Blytung death-doom er hva vi får fra japanske Coffins. Et lite 70-talls preg finnes i enkelte av låtene, noen raskere partier finnes også, men for det meste handler dette om doom/death metal av typen midtempo med seige tunge nedstemte riff. Kan minne litt om Entombed i sine seigeste tider rundt «Left Hand Path» og «Clandestine»…
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TABERAH – Necromancer
It’s always exciting to watch the development of a band- especially one who impressed you right out of the gate like Australia’s Taberah. In 2011 their first album "The Light Of Which I Dream" put the four-piece on my musical radar screen, developing strong vocal and guitar harmonies that would appeal to Iron Maiden and…
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PENTAGRAM CHILE – Malefice
Pentagarm Chile (formely known as Pentagram but due to respect for Bobby Liebling and his Pentragram they changed name a couple of years ago) is a bona fide cult act. They have been forerunners of evil trash metal sporadically since their first demo back in 1986. Since their inception "The Malefice" is their debut full-length…
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RAVING SEASON – Amnio
If you are going to approach a deeper sonic ambiance in the gothic doom metal genre, you might as well assemble a varied group of musicians. Case in point- this Italian band, with seven full time members: three female (Laura- keyboards, Judith- clean and soprano vocals, Federica- extreme vocals) and four males (Marco Cattaneo- bass,…
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ICED EARTH – Live in Ancient Kourion
To be honest, I have not given Iced Earth´s studio albums much notice the last 10 years or so. 1991´s "Night of the Stormrider" is the only IE album that really hit home in my book but I did really like their second vocalist Matt Barlow much better than Greely that sang on that one.…
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HAKEN – The Mountain
Opening this third album with a sparse piano ballad that evokes classic Queen feelings in "The Path", the sextet Haken think the time is now to broaden all horizons with their progressive metal thoughts. "The Mountain" is their debut for Inside Out Music, and a perfect addition to the label because the band uses every…
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EXHUMED – Necrocrazy
Exhumed had kind of a comeback in 2011 with "All Guts, No Glory". The foursome had polished their sound and added some melody to their gore metal (a term they coined with their debut of same name back in 98). The demo’s, tons of splits and the debut sat the pace for goregrind/death metal but…
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ASHES OF ARES – Ashes of Ares
Odds are in your favor that if you’ve followed the power metal world for any length of time (especially the mainstays in the North American scene), you know 2 of the players in this new band Ashes Of Ares. Vocalist Matt Barlow spent years in Iced Earth, and drummer Van Williams spent the bulk of…
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PRIMITIVE MAN – Scorn
Blackend Doom bandet Primitive Man består av medlemmene Ethan Lee McCarthy, Jonathan Campos og Bennet Kennedy. Disse gutta har pølsefingrene og syltelabbene godt plantet i andre grindcore og ekstrem metalband som Clinging to the Trees of a Forest Fire(CTTTOAFF, si det fort ti ganger og du får en kvikk lunsj), Death of Self, Withered og…
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SINNER – Touch Of Sin 2
What do you do when your old master tapes are lost- or rather mysteriously burned in an accidently fire? In the case of veteran German heavy rock band Sinner, you figure the time is as good as any to re-record some of these classics, as well as round off the package with a few new…
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AVENGED SEVENFOLD – Hail to the King
Heavy metal bandet Avenged Sevenfold fra Huntington Beach, California – har spesialisert seg på å gjøre heavy metal med en ny tvist og dermed gjort den mer tilgjengelig for kidsa. Hyllesten kom først etter utgivelsen av platen Waking the Fallen(2003) og arbeidet deres senere har blitt kronet med heder og ære som å headline The…
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MASADA – Hideous Rot
The US death metal force known as Masada is back. Not that long ago I reviewed their "Suffer Mental Decay" 2-track demo and I really liked that piece of raw, dark, and filthy death metal. "Hideous Rot" is a 5-track release comprised of 3 new songs and the two songs off the aforementioned demo. There`s…
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ETERNAL LEGACY – Seeking No Peace
There’s something special about Cleveland metal. You can feel the blue collar work ethic pour through the performances, the songwriting, and the undeniable integrity for the cause at hand. Eternal Legacy is a quartet hailing from this active scene, plugging away nicely in the trenches for 10 years. "Seeking No Peace" represents their third full…
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LEGEND – The Dark Place
After a triumphant gig at the most recent Keep It True festival in Germany, the UK traditional metal band Legend return with their first studio album in 10 years, "The Dark Place". Those who love a pure sound with a clear, open snare tone, warm guitar harmonies, and clear vocals that send chills down your…
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FERGIE FREDERIKSEN – Any Given Moment
62 years young, Fergie Frederiksen is most known in the melodic rock circles for his work on Toto’s "Isolation" album in 1984. Dabbling in music on a side basis while running a restaurant in the late 80’s and early 90’s, he’s worked on a couple of band projects and solo albums since- with "Any Given…
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GRAVE – Morbid Ascent EP
"Morbid Ascent" er en fem spors EP fra det svenske death metal bandet Grave og dette er en liten perle for dømetalfans. EP-en inneholder to helt nye låter («Venial Sin» og «Morbid Ascent»), en coverlåt av Satyricon’s «Possessed» samt en remix av «Epos» og en nyinnspilling av den gamle demolåta «Reality of Life». For å…
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ISVIND – Daumyra
The Norwegian black metal band known as Isvind released an album entitled "Dark Waters Stir" back in 1996 and I`ll be the first to admit that I haven`t really heard any of their releases since then. Until now, that is. The upcoming album, "Daumyra", doesn`t present us with anything new or groundbreaking as such, but…
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THUNDER AND LIGHTNING – In Charge of the Scythe
A German melodic metal act with strong power/traditional tendencies, the appropriately named Thunder and Lightning release their fourth full length studio album "In Charge of the Scythe". For my first exposure to this act I’m really impressed with their blend of engaging guitar riffs and melodies, the unique mid-range vocal parts from Norman Dittmar and…
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NECRONOMICON – Rise of the Elder Ones’
‘Rise of the Elder Ones’ is the fourth full length release from Canadian deathsters Necronomicon. The music is the same blackened death metal we’ve seen from these guys before, with the addition of some keyboards here and there to provide depth and add a symphonic edge. Once again the songs are good and the chops…