RECENT ALBUM REVIEWS
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LOVERBOY – Rock N Roll Revival
Late August 2002 at Hampton Beach Casino in New Hampshire I witnessed the VH1 Classic tour with Eddie Money, Survivor and this Canadian melodic rock/AOR outfit sandwiched in the middle. They would be my favorite of the night because Mike Reno still could hit those high notes from “Turn Me Loose” and “Workin’ For The…
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DOWNSPIRIT – Bulletproof?
Limited time on planet Earth means individuals who burn with creative ambition often pour out of their brains, fingers, hands, and legs as much as humanly possible. Once one band gains establishment, personal endeavors in another direction may take shape. Guitarist Cedric ‘Cede’ Dupont formed the quintet Downspirit in 2009, probably best known through the…
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HOLY KNIGHTS – Between Daylight And Pain
You’d never guess what sub-genre of metal these Italians display based only on their moniker right? We must be dealing with an industrial, metalcore, or black metal set of musicians right? Oh… my bad- it’s symphonic power metal, the kind that Rhapsody (Of Fire) put on the map 15 years ago and resonates with fans…
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REPLOSION – The Resting Place Of Illusion
Progressive metal has always been one of my favored genres to listen to. My mind engages with musicians pushing their ability to the limit, opening the floodgates with a multitude of riffs, key signature/ time changes, and expressive melodies while pulling this together in a cohesive manner. Where you can have a bass guitarist take…
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CANDLEMASS – Psalms for the Dead
Every story has a beginning and an end. In the story of Swedish doom metal legends Candlemass the beginning was “Epicus Doomicus Metallicus” (1986) and the ending is “Psalms For The Dead”, according to the band themselves. Candlemass could have done like fellow doomsters Saint Vitus did in 1995 and invited back their original singer…
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OVER YOUR THRESHOLD – Facticity
Progressive death metal can be a challenging genre to navigate. When does something become too abstract to latch onto, resulting more in a lack of sonic separation than actually delivering impressive songwriting? Should the musicians extract every minor time change and dexterity finger/ chord tricks in their repertoire? I appreciate intelligent phrasing and innovative approaches…
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PHANTOM-X – The Opera of the Phantom
Love the play on Iron Maiden’s infamous classic song with the title of this fourth album from Texas traditional metal act Phantom-X. Those who long for the days of early Dio, Savatage, and Metal Church will find plenty to savor in the heads down sounds, searing leads, thunderous rhythms and multi-octave melodies within these 16…
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ETERNAL ESSENCE – A Light in the Distance
Taking the jump from an instrumental progressive rock outfit to a full fledge vocal outfit may be murky waters for some artists- but not for New Jersey’s Eternal Essence. Recording four instrumental albums during 2005-2010, vocalist Maria Vastano enters the fold to hopefully expand their following- and the contrasts between their conventional stance and her…
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THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA – Internal Flight
When you have two headlining metal bands with prolific careers like Soilwork and Arch Enemy, how does one find the time to pursue a left of center throwback classic hard rock record? In the case of vocalist Bjorn ‘Speed’ Strid and bassist Sharlee D’Angelo, you team up with keyboardist Richard Larsson, guitarist David Andersson and…
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CANNON – Burning Love
Hannover, Germany’s Cannon originally began as a five piece metal act in 1986, releasing their debut album "Thunder And Lightning" in 1988. Label struggles and stolen master tapes would eventually signal a downturn in the band’s longevity, leading to a break up in 1996. They reunited in 2003 as a four piece, with guitarist Walter…
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DARKTRIBE – Mysticeti Victoria
Founded in 2009 by brothers Anthony and Julien Agenello on vocals and drums respectively, the four piece heavy/ power metal band Darktribe hail from France and quickly recorded their “Natural Defender” EP that same year. Before me stands their debut album, an 11 track, almost 54 minute recording that straddles the past with the present…
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OCEANS OF NIGHT – Domain
I received an album late last year by a band called Oceans of Night. When I say received, I actually mean to say that I requested this album from the bands headmaster Scott Mosher. This album has been lying in my desk drawer ever since it dropped into my mailbox all those months ago, and…
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BARONESS – Yellow & Green
Within the gossipy world of metal and rock nerds, something close to panic happened this spring. Baroness had released three tracks from their upcoming double-album The Yellow and Green. The tracks were Take My Bones Away, March To The Sea and Eula. The first track on that list made a lot of Baroness fans to…
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I SPIT ASHES – Inhaling Blackness… Reflecting Light
Metal 2.0 as a style apparently incorporates cyber computer/ industrial elements into normative modern philosophy. Germany’s I Spit Ashes (what a great moniker) wish to develop fresh terrain with their cross-pollinated material for this debut 11 track album “Inhaling Blackness… Reflecting Light”. Keyboard touches and electronic samples punctuate important chorus and bridge work in “Crossing…
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PRETTY MAIDS – It Comes Alive (Maid in Switzerland)
Believe it or not but its actually been 30 years since guitarist Ken Hammer and (still) vocalist Ronnie Atkins formed Pretty Maids. The two Danes still keeps the band fresh and 2010’s "Pandemonium" was a relatively good listening experience. I remember trying to get into Pretty Maids back in my youth, mostly because the name…
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SUTURE – Skeletal Vortex (re-release)
Brutal death metal for the brave. Suture is back on the map after splitting up back in 2008. The US trio released "Skeletal Vortex" right before they called it quits but Soulflesh Collector Rec thought it would be nice to re-release the album as the now reunited band write new material. Their debut release "Carnivorous…
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EMERALD – Unleashed
A Swiss act that doesn’t worship at the altar of melodic hard rock? Yes indeed, the veteran sextet Emerald choose to deliver old school power metal with inspiration from North America and mainland Europe on this sixth full length “Unleashed”. In existence for 17 years, the follow up to 2010’s “Re-Forged” feels very comfortable for…
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BONDED BY BLOOD – The Aftermath
Third albums are often seen as the make or break propositions for a band’s long term success. If you can’t figure out how to establish your own niche by that time, it’s probably best to seek out new avenues in terms of major lineup changes and/or breaking up the band altogether. California’s Bonded By Blood…
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METAPHYSICS – Beyond The Nightfall
An aggressive progressive metal quintet from Italy, Metaphysics release their debut album “Beyond The Nightfall” almost seven years into their existence. A previous 4 song demo “Evolution” hit the streets in 2007, and as a result of a compilation appearance on the Italian version of Rock Hard magazine gained label interest – bringing you up…
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MORBID SAINT – Spectrum of Death (re-release)
Relapse Records have re-released Morbid Saints (now) classic thrash metal album "Spectrum of Death", originally released back in 1988. This re-release is not the first but this release has two brand new songs recorded by the reunited band just for this version. Morbid Saint where one of the pioneers of the thrash metal movement back…
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DYING FETUS – REIGN SUPREME
If it works, why change it? Dying Fetus is back on the radar with 2012’s "Reign Supreme", a typical DF record filled with slamming death metal. Their seventh release follows the formula that we all know and love and continues where 2009’s "Descend into Depravity" left off. The US trio with vocalist John Gallagher in…
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MALICE – New Breed of Godz
One of the originators in the West Coast traditional metal movement of the 80’s, Malice released two full length albums and did numerous tours in Europe and North America but didn’t make that major breakthrough- a victim of management and record label turmoil. Returning to the scene with 3 of the original members (Jay Reynolds-guitar,…
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5 STAR GRAVE – Drugstore Hell
A six piece modern metal act from Italy, 5 Star Grave on their second album “Drugstore Hell” aim squarely at the heart of youthful rebellion with these 11 songs. The stuttering computer vocal effects on “Death Put A Smile On My Face” give the band an industrial edge to their normal punk rock influenced metal…
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BROKEN HAND CHARITY – Democrusade
You always worry that after a band impresses you with their debut effort, the follow up is going to be like a struggle climbing up the mountain to sustain interest. For Danish alternative hard rock act Broken Hand Charity, I didn’t let my worrisome fears take over- especially when the initial propulsive/ aggressive riff charge…
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GREAT WHITE – Elation
The soap opera antics in the 80’s hard rock scene seem to be getting out of hand when you have two versions of a band slugging it out in the marketplace. L.A. Guns has Traci Guns on one corner, and Phil Lewis/ Steven Riley parading another version due to a 50/50 ownership of the trademark.…