ALBUM REVIEWS

RECENT ALBUM REVIEWS

  • LOST IN THOUGHT – Opus Arise

    Outside of Threshold and To-Mera, I can’t say I’ve been avidly following the UK progressive metal market as of late. Hailing from Wales, Lost In Thought formed in late 2007 with guitarist David Grey and bassist Simon Pike, filling out the lineup with keyboardist Greg Baker, drummer Chris Billingham and vocalist Nate Loosemore. After recording…

  • LABRADOR – The Intruder In Your Eyes

    Not sure if I would name my band Labrador, no matter what kind of music I was planning to play. But hey, that’s me! Anyway, what we have here is a one-man project from Oslo, the man behind it all is a guy called Felipe Pavez, who has composed and also done all vocals and…

  • CIRCLE OF SILENCE – The Blackened Halo

    German five piece who have garnered strong media support for their two previous releases since their 2005 formation. “The Blackened Halo” is my initial sojourn into this five-piece and their heavier, power metal style – focusing on dual rhythm/lead guitar riffs instead of pumping in keyboards. Vocalist Nick Keim has a unique timbre to his…

  • MARDUK – Iron Dawn

    Two fast one, one slower. A fine EP filled with Marduk-ian hate and intensity. Insane vocals from black metal’s best vocalist. What more can you ask for? Ah yes, a full-length. But that’s for 2012… And we know that Marduk can be trusted! www.marduk.nuwww.regainrecords.com

  • NORTHER – Circle Regenerated

    Once a band establishes their sound, the next entity to unravel will be the personality and business ethics facing a set of musicians. For Finnish melodic death metal act Norther, a major lineup shift takes place as guitarist/vocalist Petri Lindroos no longer will be dividing his time between folk metal band Ensiferum (where he has…

  • NECRODEATH – The Age Of Fear

    Having no previous experience with Necrodeath, it was not until the eleventh track that I realized this was a compilation album. That really says it all about their self repeating ways. The Italian band released their debut in the late 80’s and the thrash metal they perform is in the vein of Exodus and Legion…

  • DEATH WOLF – Death Wolf

    Noisy, raucous and intent to maim all who dare challenge their conviction, Death Wolf arise out of the embers of Devils Whorehouse. Formed by Marduk bassist Morgan, this Swedish quartet produce quite the music cocktail of horror rock, doom and slight twinges of Smashing Pumpkins in this 12 song platter. Witness “Morning Czar Shineth” and…

  • CALIBAN – Coverfield

    When a release consist solely of cover songs it should preferably be a full album. When there is no original material to begin with, I feel kind of cheated when just getting an EP. Full albums of regurgitated material should come at reduced price anyway. Releasing cover albums is a nice way of paying homage…

  • HARD – Even Keel

    Hungary’s Hard comes back quickly with a third album “Even Keel”. Good time, four to the floor hard rock is in effect – blues-based with a lot of Sunset Strip meets Krokus influence. In other words, songs like “Speeding Into Slow” and “Pretty Little Liar” have the chorus harmonies and Les Paul-infused guitar riffs one…

  • THE MALADRONIA INSTITUTE – Somewhere Else

    The Maladronia Institute has played concerts at most of the local venues in Trondheim, and are now planning to present the band and its music to the remaining parts of Norway. My question is: Why only Norway? These guys deliver a very professional and impressive debut, and there is no doubt in my mind that…

  • ROULETTE – Better Late Than Never (re-release)

    Swedish melodic rock / AOR band who originally delivered this music in the 80’s but never got a proper album release during their existence. Only singles would ever come out until a 2008 re-release on English label AOR-FM… so Yesterrock believed in Roulette enough to give a bigger push and “Better Late Than Never” comes…

  • VARIOUS ARTISTS – Rock For Japan (double CD)

    It’s excellent to see a roster of bands come together so quickly for the relief fund of Japan, a Far Eastern country devastated by earthquakes and tsunamis over the month of March. So here’s a double CD set of mostly unreleased or alternative takes of material from the AOR Heaven roster. 34 songs and 34…

  • ACID WITCH – Stoned

    “Stoned” is the second full-length release from Detroit doom-merchants Acid Witch. This time around the guys have gone for a straight-forward approach. The tracks are simple, catchy numbers that mix groove-laden doom with psychedelic keyboards and retro horror movie sound bites. From the very start it is obvious that these guys are here to have…

  • INSIDEAD – Chaos ElecDead

    Greek modern thrash from this quartet, the debut album from Insidead “Chaos ElecDead” is another decent attempt at musically bridging the old school philosophy with new breakdown aggressive ethics. Winning the Wacken Metal Battle competition in 2009, you can hear through material like “Blood 4 Blood” and “Rise My Head” the band have the spirit…

  • HAMMERFALL – Infected

    Back when America spent a major part of the 90’s reinventing what ‘heavy’ music was really about, many younger European artists influenced by the early 80’s traditional/ NWOBHM movement began a resurgence in the look, attitude and force of classic metal. There may have been glimmers of hope thriving from the veterans, but the debut…

  • SATOR – Under The Radar

    Twenty years rolling out their punk/ rock montage, Sweden’s Sator assault all senses with their eighth full length “Under The Radar”. 11 songs that run from fast and furious quick hitters like “S.T.S” and “When You Lie Down With Dogs” that evoke The Ramones meets The Knack against mid-tempo efforts like “Tonight’s The Night” and…

  • NEKROMANTHEON – Divinity of Death

    In 2010 the three piece band Nekromantheon from Kolbotn, Norway released "Divinity of Death", the follow-up full length album to their 2007 "We’re Rotting" EP. It is limited to 500 copies on vinyl, where 150 of them are splatter-green in order to match the albums artwork. Early 2011 the "Divinity of Death" became available on…

  • BELIEVER – Transhuman

    This is not the Believer of my youth. Back in the days when “positive/Christian” metal had as many skeptics as pure followers in the 80’s and early 90’s, this Pennsylvania band gained a major buzz for their progressive thrash stance while not overly Bible thumping with their lyric content. After a decade long plus hiatus,…

  • SHADOWMAN – Watching Over You

    There’s something spine-tingling when you hear musical chemistry translate into a top to bottom par excellence record. Take the British melodic hard rock band Shadowman. The rhythm section of bassist Chris Childs and drummer Harry James coming from Thunder, guitarist/ keyboardist Steve Morris from Heartland, topped off by vocalist Steve Overland most known for his…

  • CHAOS INVOCATION – In Bloodline With The Snake

    I love the underground. To be more precise, the black metal underground. I read in magazines and webzines that there are 99 % shit, while every now and then there is a noteworthy band arising from the surface of the said underground. And when these artists or journalists, or both, don’t dare to mention any…

  • SACRED DAWN – A Madness Within

    An Illinois five piece, Sacred Dawn impressed me with their debut album “Gears Of The Machine – A New Beginning” in 2008 and I’ve been patiently awaiting the follow up “A Madness Within”. These musicians aren’t afraid to mix up the parameters of progressive and power metal, using a plethora of sounds and tones to…

  • LEGIO MORTIS – The Human Creation And The Devil’s Contribution

    This third album from the German dark/ death metal sextet rumbles through 12 tracks of pedestrian offerings. A lot of sound, a lot of fury, not much significance. When the best track is Legio Mortis’ interpretation of “Pity The Sadness”, a Paradise Lost cover, you know the originals must have serious issues. Whiny vocals, overblown…

  • ASCENSION – Consolamentum

    Life has it’s beginning. Life has it’s end. And life has it’s breathing moments that is called living. Some live in pain. Some live in joy. Some live in indifference. Ascension’s "Consolamentum", if I have understood what is to be understood, is about life and death and what’s in between. Musically speaking, which is the…

  • PENTAGRAM – Last Rites

    Ah sweet doom. The genre provides the emotional mind dump humans need when stress, anger, sadness, shame and madness all roll into one. The musicians behind the movement channel their creativity in a direction they know will never become this lavish, million selling jet set lifestyle. “Last Rites” revels in the 70’s roots of hard…

  • ARTIZAN – Curse Of The Artizan

    When you follow the scene for decades as I have, you find certain members who may have fallen off the face of the earth… only to return smarter, wiser and with more seasoning to take another crack at glory. Such would be the case for vocalist Tom Braden, who if you remember the progressive/ power…

  • SCAR SYMMETRY – The Unseen Empire

    Since expanding to dual vocalists, Sweden’s Scar Symmetry haven’t really captured the magic that Christian Alvestam gave on their first three studio albums. “The Unseen Empire” represents their fifth in the discography, another melodic death metal affair with fervent rhythms, loads of groove parts to keep the pit mongers happy but really sees the sextet…

  • NECROPHAGIA – Deathtrip 69

    And there, in the middle of "Naturan Demonto" I just got that feeling… You know, shouldn’t I rather play "Season Of The Dead" instead of wasting much time with music made after 1987? Of course not, but the great homage to that album, as well as being the third chapter in Necrophagia’s respect to the…

  • HELL – Human Remains

    Recreating a bevy of demo material from the early 80’s, this UK band Hell prove the British true metal movement is still alive and well with this album. Receiving high praise across the metal press board, songs like “On Earth As It Is In Hell” and “Let Battle Commence” revive the fire and brimstone approach…

  • THUNDERBOLT – Dung Idols

    I wondered what happened to this fine Norwegian traditional metal five piece, as it’s been five years since their last album “Love And Destruction”. They haven’t been idle on the live show front, gigging throughout Europe on tours with Sabaton, Paul Di’Anno and Tim “Ripper” Owens – so it’s an appropriate time for “Dung Idols”…

  • KENS DOJO – Reincarnation

    Sure, the guest list is quite impressive, you have Nils K Rue from Pagan’s Mind, Michael Eriksen from Circus Maximus, Eirikur Hauksson from Magic Pie, and the one and only Glenn Hughes. Add keyboard wizard Ken Hensley, bass guitarist Morty Black and drummer extraordinaire Truls Haugen, also from Circus Maximus, talk about all-star team! And…