ALBUM REVIEWS

RECENT ALBUM REVIEWS

  • RETALIATORY MEASURES – Withdrawal Syndromes

    Forming in 2009 and releasing a demo plus a promo CD within the first two years of existence, you can tell that Finnish deaththrash/ Bay Area-influenced quintet Retaliatory Measures appear to know what they want and are in a creative flow. "Withdrawal Syndromes" is their debut album, and only one of the ten tracks makes…

  • DARE – Calm Before The Storm 2

    Singer/ songwriter Darren Wharton in current times is part of the reformed Thin Lizzy lineup touring the globe- with Dare being his own original melodic rock/ AOR band. "Calm Before The Storm 2" is the seventh studio album from the group, with Darren finally securing the rights a decade beyond its original release. Rather than…

  • DOMINANZ – Devoured By The Black Hole

    Here is an unreleased track from the forthcoming album for Norwegian atmospheric metal band Dominanz. With band members more well-known for their black metal roots, "Devoured by the Black Hole" is a mid-tempo thunderous arrangement with rough vocals and appropriate atmospheric breaks. Frode’s consistent snare/ double bass slam couples magnificently with Jorn’s churning riffs and…

  • PARAGON – Force Of Destruction

    Proud and bold, traditional metal captures my head and heart for it brought me to this movement and forever it will stay as a first love. Germany’s Paragon are one of the consistent purveyors of heads down, ‘balls to the wall’ riffs, pounding bass and drums along with a singer adept in the ways of…

  • DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT – Epicloud

    Multi-dimensional artist Devin Townsend isn’t content to remain stagnant with his music. Chances are just when you think you figure him out, another curve ball or 180 degree twist is thrown into the mix. Such is the case with "Epicloud" from the Devin Townsend Project. Alternative, progressive, melodic, heavy, eccentric, addictive- all accurate adjectives when…

  • GERMAN PASCUAL – A New Beginning

    The vocalist for the last Narnia album and current co-vocalist of Divinefire blazes his own trail with this debut solo record "A New Beginning". These 10 songs reside in a melodic power metal realm as German ascends to the upper reaches with a firm grasp of Ronnie James Dio, David Coverdale, and Jorn Lande as…

  • CRYPTOPSY – Cryptopsy

    Cryptopsy‘s seventh release does everything opposite of their 2008’s release, "The Unspoken King". This is Cryptopsy back to their trademark form (well not their "None So Vile" form, that album is yet to be matched). This self titled album puts the death back in their music and after a couple of spins its actually quite…

  • RED MOON ARCHITECT – Concealed Silence

    When artists like Tuomas Saukkonen from Before The Dawn and Markus Vanhala of Omnium Gatherum/ Insomnium recommend a band, my eyes and ears perk up to take notice. Red Moon Architect comes from Finland, with RoutaSielu keyboardist Saku Moilanen founding the group. In this doom/ death act he handles the bass, drums and keyboards- rounding…

  • MODERN DAY CITIZEN – From The Shell

    Five piece alternative metal with large post-grunge leanings on the debut album from Finland’s Modern Day Citizen. Adequate vocals, decent harmonies and predictable riffing and grooves means my tolerance level waned quickly with "From the Shell". Insert any Shinedown /3 Doors Down -like act and I wouldn’t be able to tell the difference with songs…

  • AXEHAMMER – Marching On

    Originally developing their sound through a couple of demo releases in the early 80’s, California metal act Axehammer laid dormant for many years- releasing only an EP in 1998 called "Lord of the Realm" before Sentinel Steel Records would put out their debut album "Windrider" in 2005. Lineup changes take place again before this second…

  • ILL NINO – Epidemia

    Ill Nino is a six piece metal act that incorporates an interesting cocktail of Latin beats, alternative clean singing with psychotic screams, and obvious nu-metal / groove rhythms that motivate frantic audience action. Founded in 1998, they’ve sold a few million copies of their previous five studio albums and gained support slots on Ozzfest and…

  • BEARDFISH – The Void

    It’s great when a band willingly expands their influence palate without sacrificing the qualities that make their style so great. Sweden’s Beardfish has been one of my favorite progressive rock bands over the past decade- there’s just something soothing about their grooves and knack for constructing dynamically engaging and appealing arrangements. The seventh album "The…

  • WITCH CROSS – Fit For Fight (Re-release)

    One of the early Danish traditional metal acts, Witch Cross may not have received much attention for this debut album back when it was originally released in 1984 on Roadrunner Records. Now ready for another re-release on Hells Headbangers , this 8 song, 41 minute record should be essential for anyone into early NWOBHM along…

  • SINISTER – The Carnage Ending

    What do you do if you are a singer in a death metal act and your whole lineup leaves you following the release of your last studio album? If you are Adrie Klossterwaard, without hesitation you find two new guitarists (Dennis Hartog, Bas Brussaard) and a new rhythm section (bassist Mathijs Brussaard and drummer Toep…

  • SAINT OF DISGRACE – For My Pain demo

    Forming in 2009, "For My Pain" is the third demo from Finnish melodic death metal sextet Saint Of Disgrace. This 3 song effort whirls by in a scant 11 minutes and 24 seconds, but the addictiveness will win over all who miss older melodic death metal. Strong guitar melodies in the old In Flames vanguard,…

  • ENCHANTYA – Dark Rising

    The debut album from Portuguese gothic metal band EnChanTya "Dark Rising" falls in line with the lighter side of things- keyboards abound, female melodies resound and this is not the next coming of Moonspell. The quintet deliver 13 songs and 61 minutes with a slightly dramatic feel, occasional extreme vocals breaking up the monotony of…

  • REDLINE – Vice

    A Birmingham, UK band who play a self-described version of ‘nu-classic rock’ on this album "Vice", Redline certain evoke feelings of Whitesnake, Judas Priest, Mike DiMeo-era Riot and German melodic power through these 10 songs. Kez Taylor as a vocalist has a natural AOR timbre to his voice, melding together the power of James Christian…

  • STERBHAUS – Angels For Breakfast… And God For Lunch

    Death/thrash with a sense of humor- this quartet Sterbhaus combine a vicious musical outlook with humor lyrics and titles that I’ve never heard before. "Frogboiler" and "Retardival" seem to be two that made the synapses percolate on the Swedish band’s second full length album "Angels For Breakfast… And God For Lunch". The lyrics for "Insecticide"…

  • PAPA ROACH – The Connection

    This alternative hard rock act has come a long way from their "Infest" album days when "Last Resort" (with its "Hallowed Be Thy Name" riff similarity) ruled the airwaves in America. Vocalist Jacoby Shaddix had to undergo vocal surgery to remove a node on his throat shortly after finishing the recording sessions for this album…

  • KIX – Live in Baltimore

    Recorded in front of their hometown crowd, one of the pioneers of the East Coast hard rock movement Kix may not play the circuit as much since their break up in the mid 1990’s, but one can clearly hear through "Live In Baltimore" they have not lost any of their good time party swagger for…

  • DOCTOR SPEED – Face To Face

    An older band playing traditional power metal from Germany, the debut album "Face To Face" from Doctor Speed is a classic tale of desire versus execution. I feel that the quartet have all the right intention to play like their heroes- Helloween, Grave Digger, Gamma Ray, etc. The problem is, songs like "The Hammer", "We…

  • IVORY MOON – Dark Time

    This is my first exposure to the Italian seven-piece outfit Ivory Moon- and this is their third album "Dark Time". The band plays an epic brand of symphonic metal, benefitting from the use of dual male/ female vocals plus two guitarists so the basic foundation is a touch heavier than most bands of this genre…

  • FORGOTTEN SOULS – Sirius 12

    Some days you need experimental music in your life. To open horizons, broaden perspective, even to feel alive and free- that’s the goal Poland’s Forgotten Souls set out with on this fourth album "Sirius 12". No one disputes the metal elements in the drum and guitar departments- but prepare yourself for dynamic industrial rhythms, swirling…

  • DARK SKY – Initium

    Dark Sky come from Southern Germany and "Initium" is the fifth album from the quintet. Originating in 1982, they went quiet for almost a decade after recording two demos- but since 2000 have been actively recording and playing shows whenever possible. Their sound represents an amalgam of European power metal and melodic hard rock with…

  • SEAX – High On Metal

    It’s awesome when a local band in my area gains the chance to move up the ranks. This debut album "High On Metal" from Massachusetts traditional/ speed metal band Seax originally hit the streets as their own self-financed independent release. EBM Records likes the upside potential of their sound, and now will be re-issuing the…

  • KILL RITUAL – The Serpentine Ritual

    Ex-Imagika guitarist Steve Rice and fellow drummer Wayne DeVecchi started this new act Kill Ritual in October 2010, recruiting former Eldritch guitarist Roberto Proietti, former Dark Angel bassist Danyael Williams and Bay Area vocalist Josh Gibson to flesh out the final lineup. "The Serpentine Ritual" is their debut album, an 11 song recording that lends…

  • LOVE.MIGHT.KILL – 2 Big 2 Fail

    Congratulations are in order for drummer Michael Ehre. He recently gained one of better slots in power metal by becoming the new drummer for German heavyweights Gamma Ray. On the heels of this announcement comes the second studio album from his melodic metal outfit- who impressed me very much last year with "Brace For Impact".…

  • MAGICA – Center Of The Great Unknown

    Romania’s Magica return with another female fronted melodic power/ heavy metal album with "Center of the Great Unknown"- their sixth full length in their 10 year history. Naming themselves after one of Dio’s latter albums, the five-piece have more in common with Helloween and Nightwish than the former vocal master. Ana Mladinovici possesses a serene…

  • PASTORE – The End Of Our Flames

    Brazil has always been a favorite touring spot in the hard rock/ metal community. So many major artists have related tales of the large festival crowds and passionate audience feedback, and it is not surprising that Iron Maiden, Megadeth, and Rush have all filmed professional videos through the years capturing some classic live performances. In…

  • TYGERS OF PAN TANG – Ambush

    One of the originators who spearheaded the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal movement of the late 1970’s to early 1980’s, Tygers Of Pan Tang decide to team up with producer Chris Tsangarides who they worked with on 1980 album "Wildcat" and 1981’s "Spellbound" to deliver another potent studio album "Ambush" for 2012. Guitarist Robb…