RECENT ALBUM REVIEWS
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IMMOLATION – Kingdom of Conspiracy
Here´s a contender for Best Album of 2013. Immolation´s ninth output "Kingdom of Conspiracy" is a lession in violence and technicality that takes almost anyone back to school. This is the definition of pure death metal done the US way. Technical start/stop arrangements with great harmony delivered with a punch that sweeps you of your…
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MAGNUS KARLSSON’S FREE FALL – Magnus Karlsson’s Free Fall
Guitarist Magnus Karlsson may be best known as a songwriter and producer working with Allen/ Lande, Starbreaker, and Kiske/ Somerville among others- as well as joining the veteran power metal outfit Primal Fear in 2008 and being a recording/ touring partner with them ever since. Here he is with his first solo venture, a 12…
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STREAMS OF BLOOD – Ultimate Destination
The German black metal band named Streams of Blood released their second full-length album not that long ago and named it "Ultimate Destination", and let us take a closer look at that, shall we? Streams of Blood perform aggressive, violent and quite catchy black metal in the vein of bands such as Marduk, Triumphator, Panchrysia…
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JORN – Traveller
The eighth studio album under the Jorn moniker features a new songwriting partner in Wig Wam guitarist Trond Holter who joined the band with fellow Wig Wam bassist Bernt Jansen in the fall of 2012. "Traveller" is similar to what you’ve expected through the years- a melodic hard rock/ metal effort with a boatload of…
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GEORGE BELLAS – Astral Projection
Another instrumental venture for guitarist George Bellas on this album "Astral Projection"- teaming up once again with drummer Marco Minnemann as George handles the bass and keyboard duties in addition to his dazzling proficiency on the axe. The 15 tracks mix up exotic scales, eclectic rhythms, and an overall outer world feel, as to be…
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WEH – Folkloren
To be honest, I know very little about Weh, but "Folkloren" is an acoustic album coming from a background of Norwegian folklore. The instruments are confined to guitar and vocals with a few bars of piano and about 8 seconds of tambourine – all played by Erik E. The sound is warm and deep –…
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REBELLIOUS SPIRIT – Gamble Shot
We’ve officially hit critical mass in the sleaze metal / hard rock movement when four musicians in the 17-20 year age range from Germany named Rebellious Spirit push their wares out to the world on this debut album "Gamble Shot". Admitting an affinity for current artists such as H.E.A.T., Reckless Love, and Hardcore Superstar, the…
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SOLOTHUS – Summoned from the Void
Solothus from Finland were formed in 2007 and released their first demo in 2011. "Summoned from the Void" is the band`s debut album, and I`m willing to let you in on a little secret right here and now; their debut album is a damn fine and well-crafted slab of heavy, bone-crushing doom/death metal. So there…
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DJEVEL – Besatt av Maane og Natt
The Norwegian entity named Djevel, which was conceived back in 2009, released its second full-length album entitled "Besatt av Maane og Natt" via Aftermath Music not that long ago. As the band name and title of the album suggest, we are dealing with cold, pitch black and atmospheric black metal with a rather old-school, traditional…
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MARKONEE – Club Of Broken Hearts
It’s a healthy time to be a melodic hard rock fan- tons of new acts sprouting about in all corners of the globe, while many of the veteran acts gain a resurgent burst of live action and also seem to be releasing killer studio product. Hailing from Italy, Markonee started in 1999 and have released…
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ADVENT HORIZON – Immured
An older release I know, but I was recently sent this by postal mail (the way we used to get music to review before digital files became the norm) so now is as good as time as any to hunker down and put words down about Advent Horizon. Progressive rock is the name of the…
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WHITE WIZZARD – The Devils Cut
The third album from California’s White Wizzard represents another member change in the vocalist role as Joseph Michael takes over. Rest assured that bassist Jon Leon as main songwriter and leader has not sacrificed the quality of his output due to all the member changes (12 former members in their 6 year existence) as "The…
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ARCKANUM – Fenris Kindr
I’ve been a fan of Shamaatae’s work since about four albums back, so was looking forward to getting my hands on this one. Unfortunately though, it has turned out to be my least favourite of the Arckanum records I’ve heard. The sound has slowed down quite a bit, which isn’t a problem per se, as…
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TANK – Breath Of The Pit
Band name claims when members split are commonplace these days: courts must be so happy watching 2 versions of Queensryche duke it out for overall rights as they put out new product. Bassist/ vocalist Algy Ward has been on the sidelines with Tank due to personal health issues, and meanwhile a new version of Tank…
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VERMINOUS – The Unholy Communion
The Swedish death metal force named Verminous have returned after a 10-year hiatus and recorded their follow-up to the "Impious Sacrilege" album (2003). Things haven`t really changed that much since 2003 in the sense that Verminous still sound like Verminous and that their particular brand of death metal is still unrelentingly filthy, rotten and disgusting…
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LEPROUS – Coal
What is progressive music these days? Experimental, complex, often using themes from the jazz, fusion, or classical realms to enhance compositional outlooks- it certainly incorporates far reaching diversity that moves beyond conventional verse/chorus, three chord writing. Add in the aggressive distortion attack of electric guitars and an act like Norway’s Leprous mutates into a progressive…
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THE AMENTA – Flesh is Heir
Det er alltid moro å gjenoppdage band. Australske The Amenta er et slikt band jeg har gjenoppdaget dette året. De må være en av de best bevarte hemmelighetene innenfor extreme metal og her i heimen var deres nye CD feilmerket og dermed en veldig godt bevart hemmelighet. Fant heldigvis ut av det og den siste…
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BRUTUS – Behind The Mountains
Throwback retro hard rock is all the rage in Europe these days. It’s like the 1970’s music scene took the latest time machine and warped 40 years ahead, infiltrating young musical minds to strip down their sound, go back to basics, and re-create psychedelic, groovy riffs and strong basic drum tempos. Brutus are a part…
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DAYS OF ANGER – Rise Above It All
Parting ways with former record label Massacre Records in September of last year, Days Of Anger is a three-piece Swedish band who didn’t remain in the unsigned ranks for very long. Italian upstart Coroner Records signed the group following a preview of this new material, and out comes an 11 song sophomore effort with the…
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SORCERY – Legacy of Blood – Rerelease
Take a guess, do you think I enjoy the swedish death/thrash metal outfit Sorcery? Hint: http://www.eternal-terror.com/reviews/index.php?id=3129 Correct, and therefore it´s with quite pleasure I received "Legacy of Blood" the other day. A new album already by these old-schoolers you say? No, "Legacy of Blood" is actually a re-release of their (now) classic debut from 1991…
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KALMAH – Seventh Swamphony
There’s something to be said for consistency when it comes to melodic death metal. It’s a sub-genre where people logically expect certain criteria: a harmonic element needs to be present (usually from a guitar or keyboard riff standpoint), the tempos can be fast and furious or at a normal anthem pace, and the main vocals…
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MAVETH – Coils of the Black Earth
Finnish foursome Maveth does not hold anything back on their full-length debut "Coils of the Black Earth". Evil death metal with a primitive setting just makes the album a fabolus listening for the seasoned death metal fanatic. The music is well played with just enough finesse to not sound either to simple or to "new…
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OLIVA – Raise the curtain
De fleste husker nok Jon Oliva fra Savatage, videre som Jon Oliva’s Pain og nå bare som Oliva med albumet "Raise the curtain",Som han beskriver som sitt første soloalbum. Jeg var stor fan av Savatage, så det var med stor spenning jeg trykte play på dettealbumet. Første som slo meg at dette hørtes veldig pompøst…
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NOX ULTIMA – From Delirium to Catharsis
After a string of demos and an EP the Finnish horde known as Nox Ultima has vomited forth its debut album, which is entitled "From Delirium to Catharsis". The album contains 8 songs that sound like a mixture of mid-tempo black and death metal to my ears. None of the 8 tracks on the disc…
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LOST WEEKEND – Evermore
Classic British AOR oriented melodic rock on display here with this six-piece. "Evermore" is their latest album, a 12 song platter filled with the spirit of Thunder, Bad Company, and a hefty amount of all eras UFO to these ears. Keyboardist Irvin Parratt has a bright tone to his work- living for the 80’s with…
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MASTERPLAN – Novum Initium
Change is a constant in today’s music business. Priorities differ, people need to make a living, and sometimes individual freedoms win out over group satisfaction. In the case of Masterplan, vocalist Jorn Lande felt the time was right to step away from the band for the second and probably final time- leaving guitarist Roland Grapow…