RECENT ALBUM REVIEWS
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CORRODER – Tombs of Terror
RELEASE YEAR: 2022BAND URL: https://corroderofficial.bandcamp.com/album/tombs-of-terror Thanks to the good folks over at heavymetal.no who posted a short news article about Norwegian outfit Corroder’s latest demo EP, I discovered this 5-track grenade and checked it out on Bandcamp only to find that it is just as filthy, vile, and delightfully unhinged as I had hoped it…
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EDGE OF FOREVER – Seminole
RELEASE YEAR: 2022BAND URL: https://www.facebook.com/edgeofforeverband/ Italian hard rockers/heavy metallers Edge of Forever are back with a new opus, and let it be known that I am thoroughly impressed with how melodically strong and energetic this record sounds. The songs and lyrics revolve around Native American culture and what awaits you are an abundance of hooks,…
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KRAEMER – All the Way
RELEASE YEAR: 2022BAND URL: https://www.facebook.com/erikkraemer12/ The brand-new outfit named Kraemer, which is essentially a project designed to display the talents of vocalist Erik Kraemer (Simulacrum), will release this eleven-track effort of theirs in just a few days, and what we have here is basically hard rock that is well-played and nicely produced but which lacks…
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THE FERRYMEN – One More River to Cross
RELEASE YEAR: 2022BAND URL: https://www.facebook.com/TheFerrymenofficial/ I have had a soft spot for the project The Ferrymen since their debut in 2017 and it is therefore pretty damn brilliant to be able to state that this sparkling new effort of theirs evocatively titled “One More River to Cross” is a real delight to listen to and…
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ROTHADÁS – Kopár Hant… Az Alvilág Felé
RELEASE YEAR: 2021BAND URL: https://rothadasdeathdoom.bandcamp.com/ While there is no shortage of classic Peaceville-imitating bands on the death/doom (or doom/death, if you will) market one hardly expects it to come from Hungary yet that’s where the duo comes from armed just with one demo prior to this debut LP, simply named “Rothadas”²⁰¹⁹ released on their current…
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CAP OUTRUN – High on Deception
RELEASE YEAR: 2021BAND URL: https://www.facebook.com/capoutrun/ When glancing at the album cover, I had no idea what to expect, but “High on Deception” turned out to be a spirited melodic prog rock offering with quite prominent traces of AOR coursing through it. This Swedish/American gang of hugely skilled musicians sure know how to keep things interesting…
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MUERT – Haeresis
RELEASE YEAR: 2022 BAND URL: https://smarturl.it/Haeresis The Spanish squadron known as Muert will soon unleash the utterly chaotic and completely unhinged opus titled “Haeresis”, and there is a lot for you to look forward to here if grinding black metal madness from the wrong side of the tracks appeals to you. As evidenced by the…
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THE MURDER OF MY SWEET – A Gentleman’s Legacy
RELEASE YEAR: 2021 BAND URL:The Murder of My Sweet | Facebook This is my first encounter with the act known as The Murder of My Sweet, which features Angelica Rylin and Daniel Flores, and the quality of this brand-new opus of theirs made me go back and check their previous outputs in order to…
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WINGLESS – Nonconform
RELEASE YEAR: 2021BAND URL: https://facebook.com/winglessofficialI It’s about time I have heard from my native Poland death metal scene (where I currently reside) which boasts the likes of Behemoth, Azarath and Vader, to mention just the most excellent ones. The occassion is the doom/death trio Wingless who have recently released their fourth , after “Hatred Is…
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ATHEMON-Athemon
RELEASE YEAR: 2021 BAND URL: http://flyathemon.bandcamp.com/ The international (Brazilian-British) progressive melodic groove doom metal act, Athemon, released their debut self-titled album some time last year but only now was I able to take on this fairly unique fantastic record. At the core guitar groove of ancient Machine Head and Skinlab (remember them?) or Pissing Razors…
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MONO – Pilgrimage of the Soul
RELEASE YEAR: 2021 BAND URL: https://www.monoofjapan.com/ The experimental rockers Mono released this deeply atmospheric offering of theirs a few months ago, and if you have yet to pick up on this latest output by the Japanese ensemble, then now is the time to invest in this mesmerizing 57-minute journey through ethereal and otherworldly spheres…
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JIM PETERIK & WORLD STAGE – Tigress – Women Who Rock the World
RELEASE YEAR: 2021BAND URL: https://www.facebook.com/officialjimpeterik Renowned songwriter and Pride of Lions mastermind Jim Peterik is probably most known for crafting Survivor’s immortal anthem “Eye of the Tiger”, but as evidenced by the latest entry in his World Stage discography, there is so much more to the legend than infectiously catchy AOR tunes with an…
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BLOODY FALLS – Burn the Witch
RELEASE YEAR: 2021 BAND URL: https://www.facebook.com/BloodyFalls Finnish act Bloody Falls dabble in groove metal with prominent overtones of thrash metal and melodic death metal to it. Rumbling and aggressive but always with a keen focus on weaving appealing melodies into the mix, this ten-track effort by the Finnish quintet shows potential and hints at…
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DARKEST MIND – Oracle of Death
RELEASE YEAR: 2021BAND URL: https://smarturl.it/Oracleofdeath Released late last year by Immortal Frost Productions, “Oracle of death” by the Belgian melodic black metal act Darkest Mind is a muscular-sounding collection of deftly executed epics that sound remarkably triumphant. What amazes me is the fact that this one is merely the group’s debut offering (they released a…
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ZELBO – In My Dreams
RELEASE YEAR: 2021BAND URL: https://www.facebook.com/ZELBOtheBAND/ The Norwegian outfit known as Zelbo is a new addition to the scene but comprised of seasoned veterans and more or less spearheaded by the talented Dag Selboskar who has trod the boards with the band Da Vinci. What exactly does “In My Dreams” have to offer other than its…
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HELMET – Live and Rare
RELEASE YEAR: 2021 BAND URL: https://www.helmetmusic.com/ “Live and Rare” captures Helmet in all their raw glory in New York (1990) and Australia (1993), and there is an unbridled enthusiasm and a huge sense of joy permeating these two shows that makes for an entertaining listen. The 1990 concert from the legendary CBGB is the most…
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INFERNAL HATE – The Order of the Black Kestrel
RELEASE YEAR: 2021 BAND URL: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Infernal-Hate/189959921028828 Pulverizing death metal that reminds me of Krisiun and to a much lesser extent Behemoth around the time of “Thelema.6” is what we have here, and the Spanish horde known as Infernal Hate has unleashed a brutal slab of music that is as catchy as it is crushing. Although…
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ZAHN – Zahn
RELEASE YEAR: 2021 BAND URL: Zahn | ZAHN (bandcamp.com) Released a few months ago via Crazysane Records and consisting of members from Heads, this German act is something out of the ordinary and offers a dynamic mixture of post-rock, noise rock, sludge, avantgarde music, and experimental ambient. Deeply unsettling at times (check the eerie tracks…
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ANTI RITUAL – Expel The Leeches
RELEASE YEAR: 2021 BAND URL: https://indisciplinarian.bandcamp.com/album/anti-ritual Look at that beautiful cover – do you think these guys sing love songs on “Expel The Leeches”? Indeed, the music of this 30 minute recording is as crude, ugly and brutal as the guillotine on its cover, a hardcore punk crust with generous helpings of death…
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MERCURY X – Imprisoned
RELEASE YEAR: 2021 BAND URL: https://www.facebook.com/MercuryXofficial This talented Swedish quartet offers an interesting take on prog metal and delivers an impressively heavy slab of colorful and dynamic music that is anything but short on emotional intensity and passion. While there are obvious parallels between Mercury X and Dream Theater, the former is a much more…
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AGARTHIC – The Inner Side
RELEASE YEAR: 2021 BAND URL: https://www.facebook.com/Agarthic The majestic-sounding “The Inner Side” by the Italian symphonic metallers known as Agarthic was a most positive surprise to these ears and a fascinating, well-composed offering that possesses depth and plenty of colorful nuances with respect to layers, textures, and details. While epic in scope and somewhat bombastic in…
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DEATH ANGEL – The Bastard Tracks
RELEASE YEAR: 2021 BAND URL: https://www.deathangel.us/ Også i Coronaens 3. år ruller Thrash maskineriet Death Angel ufortrødent videre. Siste fullengder “Humanicide kom ut i 2019, og EP’en “Under pressure (Queen/Bowie versjonen) kom i 2020. Sist gang undertegnede så gruppa live, reiste de på turne med felles thrash kompanjonger Testament og Exodus. Årets utgivelse, The…
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THREE DEAD FINGERS – All Worlds Apart
RELEASE YEAR: 2021 BAND URL: https://www.facebook.com/threedeadfingers/ What we have here is relatively modern-sounding thrash metal (with a few metalcore and melodic death metal touches to it) that recalls The Haunted and Reclusion to a certain extent – only that Three Dead Fingers sound slightly filthier and rawer than the two aforementioned outfits, that is. If…
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THE DESIGN ABSTRACT – Metemtechnosis
RELEASE YEAR: 2021BAND URL: https://facebook.com/thedesignabstract/ “Technotheism”, The Design Abstract’s third and Voiicide’s (vocals, bass, scoring, sampling, programming) and Logan Mayhem’s (guitars, modular synthesis) fourth album (previously as Design) was good if a very flawed effort suffering from overwhelming form over content and, specifically, the techno synth and keyboard elements overwhelming both the death metal…
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THE DESIGN ABSTRACT – Technotheism
RELEASE YEAR: 2021 BAND URL: https://facebook.com/thedesignabstract/ When Fear Factory had released their groundbreaking second album “Demanufacture”¹⁹⁹⁵ they have inadvertently spawned a whole slew of imitators, although, Initially, only the known acts such as Darkane and Soilwork started incorporating the clean/growl dynamics in their sound but soon brand new outfits cropped up, Scar Symmetry and…
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OBSCURA – A Valediction
RELEASE YEAR: 2021BAND URL: https://realmofobscura.com/ I’m probably going to be called a contrarian for saying this but I don’t consider this German progressive technical melodic death metal act a revelation it seems to be so universally regarded. True, the first two albums: “Retribution”²⁰⁰⁶ and “Cosmogenesis”²⁰⁰⁹ had borne a promise of the “we may have a…
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BLOODRIDE – Idiocracy
RELEASE YEAR: 2021 BAND URL: https://bloodride.bandcamp.com/album/idiocracy Released a few months ago via the ever-reliable Great Dane Records, Bloodride’s latest opus is a no-holds-barred thrash metal onslaught capable of pummeling you to death and burning your house down. These skilled Finns have a great knack for crafting memorable hooks, and from a purely musical perspective…
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CRYPTOBIOSIS – Chainsaw Crucifixion
RELEASE YEAR: 2021 BAND URL: https://www.facebook.com/cryptobiosismetal/ The German squadron known as Cryptobiosis deliver sharp, punishing death metal with a good melodic flair to it and this 12-track effort of theirs named “Chainsaw Crucifixion” is some pretty enjoyable stuff thanks in large part to the strong riffs and the utterly aggressive vocals that are all…
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ADVENT OF FIRE – Verikaste
Dark, rumbling, and raw death from the murky depths of Finland is what we are dealing with here and this is my first encounter with quintet but given that the band is relatively new and have only released a number of demos prior to this ugly 9-track effort of theirs, that is perhaps understandable. Anyway,…
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SHY, LOW – Snake Behind the Sun
The US quartet known as Shy, Low released this utterly intriguing post-rock gem of theirs just a couple of months ago and this is undoubtedly one of the most captivating releases that I have come across lately. Given that the term post-rock is rather diffuse, let me merely state that these guys conjure up uniquely…