RECENT ALBUM REVIEWS
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NIDHOEGGR – Arise
"Arise" by the Swiss act Nidhoeggr, which is their sophomore full-length opus, is a relatively entertaining foray into folk metal with a few touches of pagan metal and death metal added for good measure. Its brisk pace and galloping rhythms add an uplifting feel to its eleven compositions and the melodic death metal influences that…
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PERFECT PLAN – Live at Sharpener’s House
I am quite fond of "All Rise" and "Time for a Miracle" by Swedish AOR/melodic rock outfit Perfect Plan and although one might question whether this live offering of theirs (or rather live in the studio during the pandemic) is essential as such, let me just say that it is primarily one for the fans.…
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LAND OF GYPSIES – Land of Gypsies
Arising from the ashes of the band known as Gang of Souls comes the sparkling new act named Land of Gypsies and this skilled outfit deliver a good, solid dose of classic hard rock inspired by early Whitesnake, Bad Company, Foreigner, and to a lesser extent the mighty Led Zeppelin. Consisting of eleven songs and…
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THY LIGHT – Thy Light
Given that this EP by the Glasgow-based black metal act Thy Light is not exactly brand-new anymore (it was released roughly five months ago) but ended up in my mailbox last week, we shall deal with this atmospheric and melancholy gem in just a few short sentences. Its aura is one of deep-seated longing and…
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ERZSEBET – The Blasphemous Lady
Symphonic black metal with a raw edge to it is what we have here and this Countess Bathory-themed EP consisting of six tracks is some rather interesting stuff in large part due to good melodies, varied vocal work, and a sinister aura. Alternating between fast-paced, tremolo-picked parts and slow, brooding sections, the sound of "The…
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STORMGREY – DNA of Chaos
A potent mixture of death metal and thrash metal is what we have here and this Lithuanian act deliver an old-school blow to the skull by means of pummeling riffs, bone-crushing passages, and utterly dark vocals. With their style being firmly rooted in old-school metal and boasting a nicely organic sound, "DNA of Chaos" looks…
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HYPOCRISY – Worship
If there’s one thing you can confidently say about this Swedish blackened melodic death metal act is that they do whatever they want whenever they want for however long they want to do it. From the extreme but not very innovative beginnings through development into a first class melodic death metal act and subsequent, thankfully…
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LEVERAGE – Above the Beyond
The Finnish heavy rock ensemble known as Leverage released their fifth full-length opus via Frontiers not that long ago and these guys are nothing if not productive. "Above the Beyond" is an eclectic mixture of hard rock and heavy metal where various ideas and traits from progressive rock and even folk-ish music sneak into the…
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WAYWARD SONS – Even Up the Score
UK hard rockers Wayward Sons may well have released their best album yet in the shape of this hugely energetic output of theirs entitled "Even Up the Score". No-frills rock ‘n’ roll with plenty of punch, dynamics, and substance to it is the order of the day here, and as evidenced by the record’s four…
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JEFF SCOTT SOTO – The Duets Collection Vol. 1
Jeff Scott Soto is an incredibly talented musician/songwriter and what better than having him team up with such excellent vocalists as Eric Martin, Alirio Netto, Mats Leven, Renan Zonta, Erik Martensson, and Johnny Gioeli among others for an album’s worth of big, vibrant hard rock tunes? From melodic hard rock to something heavier and more…
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CRAZY LIXX – Street Lethal
A new album by Crazy Lixx usually means that we are in for a cracking good time and "Street Lethal" is no exception to that rule. With an overwhelming sense of energy and drive, these lovable Swedes deliver some hugely entertaining anthems that highlight some of the best aspects of hard rock and glam metal.…
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ALAN PARSONS – The Neverending Show – Live in the Netherlands (2CD + DVD)
The legendary Alan Parsons whose name is often associated with the work that he did for The Beatles did a run of shows in Europe in the spring of 2019, and the one in Utrecht, The Netherlands, was recorded and filmed for posterity. What is "The Neverending Show – Live in the Netherlands" like then?…
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RHAPSODY OF FIRE – Glory For Salvation
Når Rhapsody of Fire kommer med ny plate så er det en velkjent og utprøvd formel som brukes. Besetninga i bandet har forandret seg en del, i og med at orginalmedlemmer som Luca Turilli (gitar) og Fabio Lione (vokalist) ga seg I bandet for henholdsvis ti og fem år siden. Så i dag er eneste…
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AQUILUS – Bellum I
The Australian progressive neofolk black/death metal one man act Aquilus (meaning something male dark-colored and swarthy) has just (December 3rd) released its second full-length, "Bellum I", which comes ten years after the also fantastic if slightly inferior debut, "Griseus"²⁰¹¹. The level of musical genius which had gone into the making of this new masterpiece is…
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LAURA SHENTON – Deep Purple Slaves and Masters: In-depth
Having read a few other titles in the "In-depth" series by author Laura Shenton, all of which have been informative and interesting, I am happy to report that this one right here is actually the best one yet and that the subject matter is one that appeals to me greatly. Having been a huge fan…
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FANS OF THE DARK – Fans of the Dark
There was something about the old-school horror movie album cover and the Maiden-esque font that I found quite attractive the first time I glanced at this CD and as luck would have it, the brand-new act using the moniker Fans of the Dark is in actual fact a pretty good addition to the ever-expanding melodic…
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EXODUS – Persona Non Grata
The term "thrash metal" was coined in February 1984 by Kerrang! journalist Malcolm Dome in reference to Anthrax’s song "Metal Thrashing Mad". Prior to this, Metallica’s founding guitarist James Alan Hetfield had referred to Metallica’s sound as "power metal", so, although many credit Metalica’s and Megadeth’s founding guitarist, David Scott Mustaine, with birthing the genre…
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LAURA SHENTON – Deep Purple Fireball: In-depth
The 1971 LP entitled "Fireball" by the hard rock pioneers Deep Purple has always occupied a rather special and intriguing position in the group’s catalogue of albums, and it is undoubtedly one of the more divisive entries in their discography. Obviously, that makes for a great topic of discussion and so Laura Shenton’s study of…
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AUTOKRATOR – Persecution
Who’s to say that heavy metal, even extreme metal, must always be against Christianity unless the artists are themselves Christians? A band can explore a historical drama without taking sides or, as with the death/black metal French duo, provide historical context as a background for violent and crushing music while clearly sympathetic with one side.…
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L.A. GUNS – Checkered Past
The raunchy rockers L.A. Guns are back and this latest output of theirs, "Checkered Past", contains some of their most inspired and musically rewarding tunes to date. There is something uncompromisingly raw and unfiltered about the whole affair that appeals to me greatly, and the vibe and feel of their classic material are very much…
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ENUFF Z’NUFF – Enuff Z’Nuff’s Hard Nite
Renowned hard rockers/glam metallers Enuff Z’Nuff have always praised The Beatles and been quite vocal about how much the Fab Four have inspired them over the years and the impact that the Liverpool legends have had on Enuff Z’Nuff’s own material. It was therefore a most pleasant thing to receive a copy of "Hard Nite"…
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AYREON – Transitus
Over the past 26 years and 10 epic albums, Arjen Lucassen has made a firm name for himself in progressive rock/metal circles with his Ayreon project. Each release has been an epic tale filled with rich characters, impressive chops, and vocal guests from all areas of the metal spectrum. 2004’s "The Human Equation" and the…
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CHRONICLE – Memento Mori
The Danish death/thrash metal outfit known as Chronicle released this rather excellent 5-track EP last year, and I must say that I am glad that I managed to get my filthy paws on this one. While I really do like the band’s previous releases, "Memento Mori" is without a shadow of doubt their best one…
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INSANIA – V (Praeparatus Supervivet)
The Swedish outfit Insania is back after a long hiatus, but nothing has changed from a purely musical perspective as such, and these veterans still deliver galloping power metal with a strong melodic flair to it and as much bombast as you could possibly want. Double-bass drumming and heavy bass lines, sharp and beefy riffs,…
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LAURA SHENTON – Jethro Tull Minstrel In The Gallery: In-depth
Author Laura Shenton’s book on Jethro Tull’s classic "Minstrel in the Gallery" LP (1975) is an informative and nicely structured piece of work where said album by the renowned prog rockers is viewed from various angles and placed in a larger historical context. While I do wish that Shenton would voice her own opinions and…
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MEMORIA AVENUE – Memoria Avenue
This Norwegian band is a new addition to the melodic rock scene and their self-titled debut effort is a rather slick and highly polished affair with roots firmly planted in 80s-inspired AOR. While these guys are obviously skilled musicians, the majority of songs on the disc are unfortunately somewhat forgettable and there is neither a…
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BLOOD RED THRONE – Imperial Congregation
I have a weird (admittedly) habit of listening in succession to the entire back discography of a band I know well and respect before reviewing their latest album and the Norwegian death metallers, Blood Red Throne (BRT), are no exception. Their previous installment, "Fit To Kill"²⁰¹⁹, was a very good record showing even progressive tendencies…
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BONDED – Into Blackness
You would think that a band formed in 2018 by former members of the thrash metal icon, Sodom, Bernd "Bernemann" Kost (Guitars) and Markus "Makka" Freiwald (Drums) would simply sound like its extension, especially given the production handled by the same Cornelius "Corny" Rambadt at Rambado Recordings who produced Sodom, but Bonded, currently consisting of…
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MASSACRE – Resurgence
I don’t care what anybody says, "Back From Beyond" was a brutal yet very catchy slab of hardcorish groove/death metal and a worthy follow up to Massacre’s classic debut, "From Beyond". It was also a very good response to the thrash/groove oriented clean sung "Promise" and a natural bridge between the two. It didn’t have…
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KNIGHTS OF THE REALM – Knights of the Realm
Featuring past and present members of Tiamat and Eclipse, Knights of the Realm is a marvelous new addition to the heavy metal genre and these wicked Swedes sure know how to keep the listener engaged throughout by means of wildly energetic and hook-laden songs. One can easily draw parallels to such pioneers and legends as…