ALBUM REVIEWS

RECENT ALBUM REVIEWS

  • UNEXPECT – Fables Of The Sleepless Empire

    I’m not going to deny that this is a much anticipated release, and I must admit that I was more than sceptic towards it, since their former "In A Flesh Aquarium" means so much to me. (read review of that album HERE). And it took me some time to break the codex within " Fables…

  • UNEXPECT – In A Flesh Aquarium

                             Part I – the asylum If this isn’t the hardest to get metal album of all ages, then you can call me a clown. And I am no clown. I have tried to understand this, but when I see one picture in my head…

  • SLEEPING VILLAGE – Fragments (EP)

    The village slumbers, drugged by dark sorcery. Mournful wails emerge from a cave of white noise like some melancholy beast coming out to prowl. Stringed instruments produce background fuzz, but clean, picked chords shine through like sunlight penetrating the still air of a forest glade now and then. Somewhere in the distance, blasting beats presage…

  • BEHEMOTH – Abyssus Abyssum Invocat

    Woohoo, a new Behemoth CD. Buuuuhuu, it’s a re-release of two earlier EP’s. My mood changed quickly since I first got the info about this double digipack. I initially thought it was a whole new Behemoth CD. Well, not really, since I did not have any info that there was a new CD in the…

  • IF ONLY – No Bed Of Roses

    A re-release of this UK AOR album from 1992, a tribute of sorts to vocalist Tina Egan who passed away in 1999. “.No Bed Of Roses” features the original 12 song album plus 5 bonus tracks, 4 of which feature ex-Girlschool vocalist Jackie Bodimead who left the band at the eleventh hour before recording this…

  • HEMOPTYSIS – Misanthropic Slaughter

    Maybe as my years advance my tolerance level for certain trends goes by the wayside. Arizona’s Hemoptysis possess a killer growler in guitarist Masaki Murashita – he could be a distant Ron Royce twin in his maniacal phrasing and inflections. Outside of that though, musically the four piece follow a lot of the new breed…

  • ALYSON AVENUE – Changes

    To the benefit of these Swedish musicians, former vocalist Anette Olzon moving on to superstar act Nightwish could move a few more eyeballs in Alyson Avenue’s direction. Marking the third album in their career, “Changes” represents the vocal debut of Arabella Vitanc and continues their classy, melodic rock direction they’ve gained critical and audience acclaim…

  • ACYL – The Angel’s Sin

    Acyl hails from France and plays some kind of groovy new metal (nu metal?) with a twist, incorporating a few African elements here and there. And that’s about it. The music don’t make me feel anything at all, its like I don’t care if its there or not. Meaning it’s not really bad, but also…

  • DJEVEL – Dødssanger

    I have a dream. If Djevel opened, Koldbrann continued and a dynamic 1349 closed, that would’ve been a dream come true. True Norwegian Black Metal? Who gives a fuck. This is simply put great Norwegian black metal. Great songs. Great riffs. Surprising parts. The sound is great. The musicianship is great. The vocals are great.…

  • NECROVOROUS – Funeral For The Insane

    Greek death metal with obvious 90’s influences on their sick debut “Funeral For The Insane”. Raw production, low tones, and this overriding sense of true spirit run through songs like “The Flesh That Smiles” and “Malignant Entrapment”. Asphyx, Master and Autopsy are three big influences that come to mind – but the European sense of…

  • ROB MORATTI – Victory

    As quickly as Canadian singer Rob Moratti slid into the progressive rock band Saga for “The Human Condition” album in 2009, he would exit almost as quickly as original front man Michael Sadler had a change of retirement plan. Using this new found popularity to his best advantage, Rob assembles an impressive stable of musicians…

  • SHIFT – Watch It Burn

    Shift is an exciting chapter in the musical underground of Melbourne’s dark, gloomy streets. Having taken on the task of releasing 4 EP’s back to back, “Watch It Burn”, the sequel to 2010’s “Faceless”, marks the halfway mark for these Australian metal heads. The EP delivers six tracks which mixes together aspects of thrash, hardcore…

  • CONSFEARACY – Consfearacy

    With the advent of affordable home studio equipment and sharing files through the internet, you no longer need to have physical proximity to develop a formidable band. What’s even better, as bands tour the globe they develop the seeds of jamming ideas with other musicians – and many handpick the best of the bunch without…

  • ENCOFFINATION – Ritual Ascension Beyond Flesh

    Doom metal is created for people with plenty of time, and I can’t talk big, since that’s something I neither have nor have had. There’s been very little doom metal for this guy over the years. U.S. band Encoffination has done something with this when mixing a good dose of death metal with the heavy…

  • STREAM OF PASSION – Darker Days

    A female Mexican vocalist and five male Dutch musicians form a potent gothic metal act on their third full length “Darker Days”. Marcela Bovia certainly has much in common with current Nightwish vocalist Anette Olzon on songs like the power ballad “Our Cause” and happier, up tempo “This Moment”. I suppose if you like the…

  • DECEASED – Surreal Overdose

    Six years since their last studio release doesn’t mean this Virginia death/thrash band have been idling their minutes away twiddling thumbs. Jumping back onto his drum kit, vocalist King Fowley is living proof of the eternal power of heavy metal. Joining him on “Surreal Overdose” is longtime bassist Les Snyder, studio guitarist Mike Smith and…

  • PRIVATE ANGEL – Nailed

    Third album for this group of German musicians who have known each other for 25 years. With this being my first exposure to Private Angel, I went into “Nailed” hoping for solid traditional hard rock that seems to be a trademark of this country. I believe this 11 song album delivers in spades – even…

  • MORBID ANGEL – Illud Divinum Insanus

    "Illud Divinum Insanus" must surely be one of the most eagerly awaited Death Metal releases of recent years. It marks the return of David Vincent after an absence of a decade and a half and is the band’s first output in eight years. Not only that but it is the first official recording without Pete…

  • RANDOM EYES – Light Up

    After a three year break and some lineup shuffles (new drummer, two new guitarists), Random Eyes hit the market with their third album “Light Up”. With former Adagio vocalist Christian Palin at the helm, these 10 songs are compact, to the point melodic metal numbers with a strong sense of modern/gothic sensibilities in terms of…

  • YES – Fly From Here

    Worry creeps in when such a long standing, renowned progressive rock act such as Yes decide to put out a new studio album – their first in 10 years. Especially when vocalist Jon Anderson is no longer in the picture. This doesn’t stop Alan White, Chris Squire, and Steve Howe from continuing forward with Canadian…

  • LIONVILLE – Lionville

    West Coast / AOR project from guitarist/ vocalist Stefano Lionetti – featuring Lars Safsund (Work Of Art) on lead vocals, and guests well known in the AOR world like Bruce Gaitsch, Tommy Denander, and Sven Larsson among others. Lionville bursts with melodic power, strong vocal and musical hooks and is perfect in any collection of…

  • KILL TECH – Inappropriate

    "Inappropriate" is the first full-length release from Norwegian Death/Thrash five-piece Kill Tech. As an opening statement, it is a promising proposition. The emphasis is on the song-writing, which is varied and dynamic. This is thankfully not one of those releases where each of the band members is too concerned with showing how fast and technically…

  • SISTER – Hated

    Another sleaze hard rock act from Sweden coming out with their debut album “Hated”. Raw, punk -filled energy with angry, profanity-laced lyrics – I would normally think songs like “Body Blow”, “Werewolves On Blackstreet” and “Too Bad For You” come more from the LA Guns meets Skid Row school of thought. For some reason Sister…

  • LOVE.MIGHT.KILL – Brace For Impact

    Veterans in the metal business get used to moving swiftly as bands run their course or musicians part ways for a host of personal or professional reasons. It may have shocked some in late 2010 when Metalium announced their retirement after 13 years and nine CD’s, and yet Henning Besse and Michael Ehre have plunged…

  • BARN BURNER – Bangers II: Scum Of The Earth

    Stoner heavy metal from this Canadian quartet on their second full length. Guitarist Kevin Keegan doubles on vocals, giving Barn Burner a despair with devilish delivery on immediate chug-a-long songs such as “Quest For The Cube” and “Brother Fear”. Ultimately these 10 songs are fuel for the bar hopping brigade – who will be swept…

  • LANTLÔS – .neon

    Black/Shoegaze/Progressive reminiscent of Drudkh, at least until the 2nd track. Then it becomes pure Black Metal with an average production. But at least it’s not “true” black metal production where you can’t hear shit except for the screaming. It’s a little one-dimensional, that is one motif appears to dominate the entire song. Some may found…

  • UNDEATHRONEABLE – Decreation

    This French horde appear like two thirteen year old boys in the booklet rambling on about Satan and death in a really childish way. Well, it’s the music I am here to review and sorry guys, sure you put a lot of work into this, but to me it sounds uninspired and boring. I have…

  • FALCONER – Armod

    I can only imagine what the meetings between band and record label were like in regards to this latest Falconer album “Armod”.   Band: “We are going to do a full length album embracing Swedish folk music with 100% Swedish lyrics.”   Label: “Huh?”   Band: “It’s only going to be a one time thing. Our true fans…

  • POOR GENETIC MATERIAL – Island Noises

    German progressive art rock band with seven players (including Martin Griffiths on recitation and Pia Darmstaedter on the flute) hit the streets with a 14 song, double disc. Lyrically loosely based on Shakespeare’s The Tempest, Poor Genetic Material aren’t very upbeat in their songwriting – preferring to use atmosphere and slower build ups to get…

  • IWRESTLEDABEARONCE – Ruining It for Everybody

    Iwrestledabearonce, the American metal band with the original name, is back with their second full length effort, “Ruining it for everybody”, the follow-up to 2009’s “It’s All Happening”. Mixing together several musical genres the American five-piece creates a musical landscape fitting somewhere between pop based synth and modern metalcore insanity. With modern day metalcore as…