ALBUM REVIEWS

RECENT ALBUM REVIEWS

  • BIGELF – Money Machine (Reissue)

    Being a big fan of Bigelf’s 2008 release “Cheat the Gallows” I was anxious to check out their previous endeavors, and with the reissues of their first three albums the perfect opportunity arrived. The reissue of the bands sophomore album “Money Machine” is added five bonus tracks in the form of one Thin Lizzy cover…

  • FRACTURE – Simple Chaos

    Australian progressive metal with slightly computerized/ mechanically inclined tendencies on this debut album. Tony Markou’s guitar tone has that sinister underground crunch, while musically songs like “Frame Of Mind” and “The Grand Illusion” bring to mind Fates Warning of the 90’s careening into Evergrey. David Bellion runs rings around 95% of the progressive vocalist circuit,…

  • ENEMY OF THE SUN – Caedium

    Nu-metallish weird heavy metal atonal and multi-instrumental, hard to classify, elements of thrash, metal core, death. Very original sounding, great songwriting, Fear Factorish rhythms (Ticket, 7), disjointed, lots happening within one song, Sepultura, Life of Agony from Soul Searching Sun, Dimebag’s guitar on Idiot Box of Anthrax Volume 8 album, Middle Eastern influence, scope reminiscent…

  • EVOCATION – Apocalyptic

    When it comes to certain death metal bands, one doesn’t expect radical shifts in terms of tones, aggressive attitude or instituting fresh spices to their style. What gravitates people to groups like Dismember, Obituary, and the like is their unyielding desire to execute their songs and patterns on their own terms – commercial appeal has…

  • ELOA VADAATH – A Bare Reminiscence of Infected Wonderlands

    Very weird. Now Opeth, now Gollum, Arcturus from "La Masquerade Infernale", very varied material, no concern for genre identification, hard to classify, classical elements, like Solefald, just a little of everything. Their MS site says it’s different and boy is it! Grandiose interacts with primitive, delicate and subtle with raw and crude, commercial with extreme.…

  • ROSS THE BOSS – Hailstorm

    At 56 guitarist Ross Friedman still waves the banner for old school traditional power metal on this second release "Hailstorm". Most of you are familiar with his Manowar past resume, so I won’t bore you to death with ancillary details. Ross The Boss’ debut album "New World Leader" met with critical acclaim, especially for those…

  • SYMPHORCE – Unrestricted

    Andy B. Franck has two concurrent metal bands taking his time – the more traditional power outfit Brainstorm and this slightly more mainstream sounding Symphorce. Slowly evolving away from their Nevermore penchant, Unrestricted officially signals the demise of their old ways. Bright piano, swirling keyboard effects and streamlined riffing equals Symphorce’s assent into pure modern…

  • FORBIDDEN – Omega Wave

    One of the big surprises when it came to the Chuck Billy Thrash Of The Titans benefit a few years ago would be a smoldering set from the Bay Area thrash band Forbidden. They sold their fair share of albums during the late 80’s and early 90’s, fusing a slightly traditional meets technical flare to…

  • HARDBONE – Dirty -N- Young

    Hamburg Germany’s Hardbone drop more back to basics AC/DC style hard rock on this record. A touch rawer than Australia’s Airbourne and not quite in the class of Sweden’s Bullet, the quintet live for the 1974-1979 Bon Scott-led era, bleeding for that cause on tracks like “Demon In The Glass” and “Doin Well Raisin Hell”.…

  • OSCULUM INFAME – Manifesto From The Dark Age

    “Manifesto…” is a compilation made up of two demos – “Sadomatic Impure Archgoat”, originally released in 1994 and “I’a aem’nh s’ha-t’n” from 1995. These are followed by two tracks from a split demo with Funeral released in 1996, “Whisper of the Witch” and “Unholy Mighty Blood”. As you might imagine we are looking at demo…

  • UNRULY CHILD – Worlds Collide

    Marcie Free and company reunite with the original Unruly Child members 18 years after their debut album, and Worlds Collide is a decent smooth melodic hard rock record. Loads of Whitesnake and Led Zeppelin influence through songs like “Insane” and “Love Is Blind” – complete with a slick Hollywood type production. Numerous vocal harmonies, equal…

  • KATRA – Out Of The Ashes

    Finnish act Katra follows up their 2008 debut "Beast Within" with a new 10 song album of gothic metal with just as equal an emphasis on the melodies as the music. Whether electric and intense such as opener “Delirium” or harmonic in terms of the keyboard/ guitar syncopation within “Vendetta”, Katra isn’t relegating their style…

  • SECRET SPHERE – Archetype

    Italian power metal sextet who certainly live in the happy multi-tracked, fast tempo world with this sixth record Archetype. Early on in their career they certainly took on a lot of the qualities that made Rhapsody and Labyrinth stars – a high pitched vocal presence, symphonic elements through the keyboard play as well precise, stirring…

  • STARLIT – Ataraxis

    Evidently, if you put a couple of samples in a loop and add some random plucking of a guitar in the background, you can sell it off to record companies as dark ambient black metal. No vocal, no bass, no drums and absolutely no black metal related elements what so ever. I’m sorry, but just…

  • 7 DAYS – Into Forever

    Songwriter/ guitarist Markus Sigfridsson doesn’t want to let his creative brain lay idle during the living years. Beyond his main work with acts like Darkwater and Harmony, he began 7 Days as a project for his outside compositions that didn’t quite fit into either of these acts. Into Forever is their second release, and for…

  • MELECHESH – The Epigenesis

    DIFFERENT. Strong Middle Eastern influence, like more aggressive Orphaned Land meets Mastodon with all the epickness, heaviness, variety, more compositions than songs. Some great guitarwork, very apocalyptic, urgent. Overall, rather strangely unfamiliar, original, strong influence of classic rock with modern metal guitars. Scope reminiscent of Nile’s slower more epic compositions. Reminds me of Gollum (vocals).…

  • MOON – Lucifer’s Horns

    What’s happening in Poland right now?! Moon reformed, Magnus reformed, Mastiphal reformed and Nergal of Behemoth swinging the axe against cancer! To the people in the know there are no surprises here! If you are familiar with Cezar’s work with Christ Agony as well as the previous Moon albums you are betting on a sure…

  • ABORYM – Psychogrotesque

    “Psychogrotesque” is a daring odyssey into the bleakest recesses of the human soul. The opening samples hint at a dark and unhinged narrative as we begin a journey of schizophrenic intensity, a journey that takes us from post black metal, seething with industrial overtones through introspective passages ornamented with jazz sax and electro-flavoured synth. A…

  • MICHAEL HARRIS – Tranz-Fused

    This would be one of the better guitar oriented instrumental albums to enter my laptop in a long time – but not for the obvious reasons. Michael Harris has chops – and prefers to tackle as many side genres as possible with "Tranz-Fused". “Seizure Salad” has a progressive jazz meets amusement park theme, with guitars,…

  • DISTURBED – Asylum

    One of the bands out of the American modern metal movement who’ve handled the changing sales climate well – still gathering chart topping action and sold out concert tours – would be Illinois’ quartet Disturbed. If I had to put a finger on why, it would be their ability to employ incessant hooks from both…

  • PLEROM’S GATE – Pass the Gate of Pleroma

    Let us rejoice, for lo and behold we have another Polish death metal band. It is very important to me, as a Polish born American to hear about and promote metal bands in Poland, ESPECIALLY those offensive to Catholic Church. Presently, this foul institution responsible for numerous atrocities in history, suppression of science and human…

  • DISBELIEF – Heal

    Very good technical death/thrash in the vein of…well, that’s the thing I can’t compare these guys to anyone, maybe Sodom or Destruction. Seeing as this is also a German band, maybe I’m not that far off. The music is very well written and enjoyable.  It’s actually more thrash than death, but influence of the Floridian…

  • ANCESTRAL LEGACY – Nightmare Diaries

    A heavier Lacuna Coil before it went pop “metal”. A lot of melody and very catchy gothic metal with some death/black influences, mostly female vocals, accompanied by black metal rasps. Lots of variety within 1 song structure, always a plus. Good musicianship and songwriting. Reminds me of a more modern “Gothic” from Paradise Lost. Nothing…

  • DARKSEED – Poison Awaits

    Oh , shit, is that Paradise Lost I hear? No, it’s Darkseed. Ah, okay. Could have fooled me. The music is enjoyable, but I have this uncontrollable urge to check the credits: did we thank Nick Holmes and Co., ahem, for inspiration? Oh, that’s right, it’s a promo DOWNLOAD, so no booklet. Okay, it’s only…

  • ISSA – Sign Of Angels

    Norwegian female vocalist Issa releases her debut album with fine backup from Uli Kusch on drums, Ronny Milianowicz as producer and various Swedish metal notables on the songwriting front. Slick melodic rock, loads of American AOR/ West Coast tendencies through material like “I’m Alive” and the Journey-esque “River Of Love”. I do here some Brother…

  • SOULFLY – Omen

    Since their 1998 self-titled debut CD, Max Cavalera’s Soulfly have managed to release quite a few amazing albums containing tribal, groove driven metal that defied description and incorporated vast amounts of intercontinental music and guest musicians on their albums. While this "tribal" metal sound was first successfully created on Sepultura’s 1996 release "Roots", it’s Mr.Cavalera…

  • MALEVOLENT CREATION – Invidious Dominion

    More mature and better sounding record than "Doomsay X" but pretty much good ol’ Malevolent Creation at its deadliest. I think it’s their fastest, the most brutal creation (no pun intended) yet. If you didn’t like them before "Invidious Dominion" won’t change your mind one bit. No melodies, no hooky, sing-songy parts just a straight…

  • DOOMSHINE – The Piper at the Gates of Doom

    As the name suggests this is a doom metal band. It’s doom in a vein of Solitude Aeturnus, only better in my opinion. It appears to be either a Christian band or a secular one inspired by biblical mythology. The musicianship could rival My Dying Bride, and I don’t write this lightly as MDB is…

  • DRUDKH – The Swan Road (re-release)

    This is a monotonous, melodic, but rather bleak, almost-an-instrumental, affair. It’s one of those that do nothing for you but you don’t hate it either. And vocals, well, they are in Russian. I pass on free shit (freemetalalbums.com) on the net when sung in Russian all the time, so why should this be different? Russian…

  • HAIL OF BULLETS – On Divine Winds

    In death metal, there’s little to innovate regarding the music component of the genre. Everyone knows what conventional aspects are a given: roaring growls, maniacal screams, buzz saw guitar tones and a rhythm section that plays like it’s fighting to get out of harms way in shark infested waters. Yet Dutch veterans Hail of Bullets…