ALBUM REVIEWS

RECENT ALBUM REVIEWS

  • AGE OF DISTRUST – Whispers of War (EP)

    Here is a 6 song EP from the heavy power thrash act Age Of Distrust who hail from central Ohio. There are elements of death metal in the occasional harsh vocals or faster rhythms, but for the most part I would say the quartet’s influences come from the Megadeth, Falconer, and Iron Maiden mold. Bassist…

  • NOMAD SON – The Eternal Return

    Hailing from Europe’s forgotten pearl of Malta, Nomad Son delivers heavy, drony guitar driven doom metal with keyboards tastefully added as instrumental relief, helping to drive the music out of predictability and repetition. The band specialises in two very distinct sounds, the first being the classic doom sound of slow, drawn out guitars with steady…

  • LILLIAN AXE – XI: The Days Before Tomorrow

    Louisiana’s Lillian Axe emerged during the latter days of the glam/ hair metal movement in the late 80’s and continue to slug and crawl their way through the musical landscape, intent on appeasing their fans and not succumbing to any negativity that may appear on most musicians radar screens. With a new singer Brian Jones…

  • PACT – The Dragon Lineage of Satan

    Pennsylvania act Pact are so fresh out of the gates of hell that as yet no website exists for them and it is difficult to get information on the band. That is something which is sure to change over the next while, once people get to hear this amazing debut and the band begins to…

  • ANGELINE – Disconnected

    Swedish melodic hard rock is more than buzz worthy in today’s scene- it’s highly contagious. Founded in 1987, Angeline have been slugging it out in the scene off and on for 24 years, quickly releasing “Disconnected” after their spring 2010 “Confessions” offering. The 12 songs on “Disconnected” appear to have one toe dipped into the…

  • PRIMAL FEAR – Unbreakable

    This German band’s determination to remain at the forefront of the traditional power movement is unwavering. Since the late 90’s Primal Fear have been averaging a new studio album every 18 months, following lengthy touring cycles and adequate down time. The younger crew could learn a thing or two about their obvious attention to professional…

  • SARKOM – Exit Terra

    Sarkom consist of members from various other Norwegian metal bands and it works really well this time too. They do not put out the most extreme music and show that sometimes less is more. Don’t get me wrong though, they still take you down a dark and dirty path; leave your newly washed clothes at…

  • AZAGHAL – Nemesis

    There were very few releases in 2011 that really made my jaw hit the floor. Thank all that is unholy, then, for the good folk at Moribund Records who have finished the year in style with cracking releases from Satan’s Host, Pact and best of all, this little gem from Finland’s Azaghal. As this is…

  • KROSSFIRE – Learning to Fly

    Power metal from the small Eastern European country of Bulgaria- the five piece Krossfire have a single to their credit in 2008 and spent years honing their craft before this debut album. As a result their sound is an amalgam of the epic nature from Manowar, the occasional orchestrated moments of a Labyrinth and melodies/…

  • HOUSE OF SHAKIRA – HoS

    When you replace three core members of a group, slight apprehension lingers in the back of the mind if you’ve been a long time supporter of said band. Such is the case currently facing Swedish melodic hard rockers House Of Shakira- as ex-Mind’s Eye vocalist Andreas Novak takes over the microphone duties and there’s a…

  • DEGRADATION – Juggernaut

    This Chicago, IL four piece send your headspace into a tailspin with this debut album “Juggernaut”. Welcome to the thrash arena, with whirlwind riffing, spitfire vocals and soloing skills rivaling the best in the Bay Area. Songs like the up tempo “The Reckoning” on through to the triplet heavy rhythmic “Trail Of Sin” serve up…

  • ARCKANUM – Helvítismyrkr

    "Helvítismyrkr" is the seventh full-length album from multi-instrumentalist Shamaatae. Those new to Arckanum can expect modern-sounding black metal with a Viking edge (although Shamaatae is at pains to stress that his music is chaos-gnostic rather than Satan inspired).  The layered sound and balanced production work well to create an engrossing and atmospheric journey and the…

  • GATE TO KHAOS – Decay

    Have you ever got this creepy, but good, feeling down your back, when it comes to music? Those single bands that really gives you goosebumps! Gate To Khaos is one of them. Gate To Khaos is black metal with attitude. The old black`n roll style comes straight in your face on this masterpeace. Some people…

  • ARCHITECTS – The Here and Now

    Architects present fairly typical post-hardcore fare: alternated shouted vs melodic, clean vocals, plenty of impact points in the songs where all instruments pound the same note for effect and as much change and unpredictability as can be built into a track. For those who already like this genre, this is a very solid album. The…

  • BEYOND THE BRIDGE – The Old Man and the Spirit

    Nothing like listening to a progressive rock/metal seven piece band from Germany- you can guess they leave no part or sound unturned with two guitarists, two keyboardists, and two vocalists in the fold. A concept album dealing with the polarity between superhuman awareness and spirit, Beyond The Bridge have a lot in common songwriting-wise with…

  • ARCHGOAT – Heavenly Vulva (Christ’s Last Rites) EP

    Of all the bands out there playing bestial, primitive Black Metal, Archgoat probably rank top for me. While the bludgeoning beats and guttural, almost grindcore vocals add intensity and demonstrate a supreme will to tear down all that is holy, it is the groove-laden slower sections that really plunge in the sacrificial dagger, making these…

  • SUICIDE ANGELS – Bloodbath

    One of the new wave of European thrash acts to gain critical attention and veteran band appreciation would be this Greek band Suicidal Angels. Proving that slow and steady band development wins the race from their humble 2001 beginnings, guitarist/vocalist Nick Melissourgos started the group and slowly morphed his teenage school band dream into a…

  • HRIZG – Inferno (EP)

    Clocking in at 27 minutes, ‘Inferno’ is actually close to album length, but it is described as an EP so if punters pay EP prices for it, it should provide some value for money. The music is orthodox one-man Black Metal played in the vein of the Scandinavian masters and while there are moments of…

  • AN AUTUMN FOR CRIPPLED CHILDREN – Everything

    In ‘Everything’, Dutch 3-piece An Autumn for Crippled Children create a sound that is a fusion between post-rock and depressive Black Metal. The distorted rhythm guitars and screamed vocals are fairly typical BM fare, but clean leads and a relatively unfuzzy bass provide a warmer, more melodic edge and help create the aforementioned post –…

  • KHOLD – Masterpiss of Pain

    Khold’s debut full-length “Masterpiss of Pain” was originally released by Moonfog in 2001. Back then it was well received, without creating too much of a stir, which is strange really, because even 10 years later it manages to sound fresh, modern and original. The music is mostly mid-paced BM with a slight industrial feel and…

  • LUNOCODE – Celestial Harmonies

    The Italian progressive metal group Lunocode return to the scene after last year’s “Last Day Of The Earth” EP with their first full-length album, the 5 song “Celestial Harmonies”. The first four compositions are much shorter than “The Origin Of Matter And Mind” finale, as that alone comprises 29:34 of the 57 minute album! Vocalist…

  • UNDEAD CREEP – The Ever-Burning Torch

    If you ever needed proof that you don’t have to be Swedish to play Swedish Death Metal, here it is! “The Ever-Burning Torch” sounds like it was recorded in Sunlight Studios in 1991 (think “ Left Hand Path” and you won’t be too far off), even though it was released this year and Undead Creep…

  • KRAKEN DUUMVIRATE – The Astroglyphs of the Ritual of Deluge (EP)

    Finland’s Kraken Duumvirate play experimental black metal with a hint of electronic doom. This EP contains an intro and outro track set around the 18 minute title track. Think programmed drums that crawl at an ominous pace, keyboards that swell and fall off and slightly detuned guitars all working together to cloak the listener in…

  • THRALL – Vermin To The Earth

    Tasmania’s Thrall play a modern form of BM that has elements of post hardcore and black n’ roll. The music is hate fuelled and misanthropic and the concentration is on atmosphere and the creation of dark sonic sculptures rather than hooking the listener with catchy riffs and memorable refrains. To be fair, Thrall do a…

  • THRONE OF KATARSIS – Ved Graven

    Having never heard this act before, I was quite eager to check out this release and see what Throne of Katarsis have to offer. I’m sorry to say that I’m not so impressed with what I hear. This is Norwegian BM played in the brutal, lo-fi style of the early to mid 90’s. Nothing wrong…

  • IAIN ASHLEY HERSEY – Vintage Love – Best Of

    This 15 song album is a compilation of guitarist Iain Ashley Hersey’s work from 1999-2008, consisting of various cuts from his 3 studio albums and closing with an unreleased track “Red Head Rampage”. Rounding out the lineups with some of the best melodic hard rock bassists, drummers and keyboardists in the business, you’ll get to…

  • LEVIATHAN – Beyond the Gates of Imagination

    There are more than a few Leviathans out there, so right from the start, I should point out that this is the Westphalian one – not the other German one or Wrest’s BM one man band. The music on offer is progressive melodic death metal with a slight folksy edge and right from the very…

  • THORNS – Thorns (re-issue)

    Thorns have been around since the late 80’s/early 90’s and are hailed by many as having been a major influence on the Norwegian BM scene right from the start. Indeed, it has been said that Euronymous was so taken with Snorre Ruch’s guitar work that he invited Snorre to join Mayhem and that although Snorre…

  • LEE SMALL – Jamaica Inn

    New Shy vocalist Lee Small unleashes a solo album with contributions from Gypsy Rose guitarist Martin Kronlund, Saracen keyboardist Paul Bradder, and fellow Gypsy Rose drummer Imre Daun. “Jamaica Inn” is more of a bluesy affair, stripped down with a Bad Company meets Led Zeppelin in an Eric Clapton feel. You can’t deny Lee’s expansive,…

  • SUICIDE SILENCE – The Black Crown

    “The Black Crown” offers up 40 minutes of unremarkable deathcore. There are a few good riffs in here and some of the drumming is excellent (especially the blast sections), but the whole screamy deathcore vocals thing doesn’t do it for me and makes the record more annoying with each listen, I’m afraid. Fans of the…