RECENT ALBUM REVIEWS
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INFRARED – From The Black Swamp
How do you define a perfect thrash metal album in the XXI-st century? Firstly, it helps a lot if your roots go all the way back to the roots of the genre (1985) even if you disappear for 5 and then for 14 years and your first life didn’t result so much as in a…
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ANETTE OLZON – Strong
Compared to Anette Olzon’s (ex-Nightwish) other project named The Dark Element and the two albums released under that moniker, this solo offering of hers sounds much more organic and better suited to her voice, which makes "Strong" a real treat where the skilled singer is giving it her absolute all and conjures up a fiery…
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SIMON GODDARD – Bowie Odyssey 71
The follow-up to the widely acclaimed "Bowie Odyssey 70" by author Simon Goddard was something that yours truly had been looking forward to for quite some time and I am thrilled to report that what we have here is nothing short of a flawless masterpiece. In short, Goddard’s latest excursion into David Bowie’s early years,…
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SEVEN SPIRES – Gods of Debauchery
The US symphonic metallers known as Seven Spires released this lengthy opus of theirs via Frontiers not that long ago and its sixteen compositions are heavily influenced by bombastic black metal, gothic metal, and dark metal. In other words, this is a rather dynamic and musically varied piece of work in that it draws on…
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SEPIROTH – Condemned To Suffer
I believe what this world needs is more death metal as it is like its mirror showing it in its true colors. As death metal often surprisingly has generous amounts of melody so this world often suprisingly can be pleasant to the senses. One of such acts is the Dutch quartet Sepiroth, funded in 2003…
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FELLED – Intimate Earth
In the onslaught of fantastic releases from Trivium, Carcass, Rage and Aborted I have almost forgotten that it was possible to happen upon an average, that is, a good but not great release. Such are essential to preserve a reviewer’s integrity so for this reason alone I’m glad that I grabbed this debut album from…
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EDGE OF PARADISE – The Unknown
I quite liked this US group’s previous output and so naturally, I was looking forward to this follow-up record of theirs, the 10-track offering named "The Unknown". Edge of Paradise dabble in something akin to modern-sounding melodic metal with symphonic and gothic overtones to it, and the cool thing about this 2021 opus of theirs…
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ROBLEDO – Wanted Man
“Wanted Man” is the debut album by wildly talented Chilean vocalist James Robledo, and although I was entirely convinced or all-out impressed his work with Sinner’s Blood and their “The Mirror Star” record, this solo project of his is a much more rewarding listening experience in every sense of the word. Existing somewhere between melodic…
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ROBIN RED – Robin Red
Swedish vocalist Robin Red (Degreed) released this enjoyable slab of hook-laden rock music just a few weeks ago and the result is most definitely a satisfying one in that it boasts strong song material and a genuine sense of passion and joy throughout. The awesome Dave Dalone (H.E.A.T.) provided guitars and also acted as producer…
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TRIVIUM – In The Court Of The Dragon
Whatever you can say about the progressive thrascore ensemble Trivium frontman Matthew Kiichi Heafy (vocals, guitars) is that he is far from lazy. This incredibly talented and creative guitarist, vocalist and songwriter has been making music since he was 17 years old, at the time of Trivium’s debut album, "Ember To Inferno" (2003), simultaneously also…
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INGLORIOUS – Heroine
Now this is what I call a pleasant surprise. I had no idea that the awesome British hard rockers Inglorious were working on an album containing covers by female-fronted bands and artists, so this one instantly found its way to the top of my pile of albums to review. Although covers albums usually suck ass…
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GERSEY DEOFUL – The Barren Path – Demo 2021
I was lucky enough to get my filthy paws on the tape version of this wicked 3-track demo output by the US black metal outfit Gersey Deoful, and what we have here is essentially a raw, unpolished, and catchy slab of melancholy music where the emphasis is on strong melodies. What immediately appealed to me…
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OCEANS – We Are Not Okay
"I can’t handle feeling this way anymore" exclaimed in pure anguish at the start of a recording leaves no room for doubt: this is not going to be an album filled with life-affirming odes to happiness engandered by this wonderful world. Then again, the schizofrenic cover and the simple title should have done the job…
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RAGE – Resurrection Day
It looks and sounds like a little more than a coincidence that the new, twenty-fourth Rage album (twenty-fifth, if you count Avenger’s "Prayers Of Steel" as the debut) bears a similar title as Evergrey’s landmark 2003 release, "Recreation Day". Whether we like it or not, bands watch and emulate one another but it’s not always…
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INSOMNIUM – Argent Moon
As the Finnish melodic death metal act is one of the major reasons why human beings have been furnished with ears I was pleasantly surprised when they released a new EP just 2 years after their last full length, "Heart Like A Grave". The album marked the addition of a second clean vocalist who was…
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CARCASS – Torn Arteries
I don’t care what they say: the British legend Carcass did not reunite just to cash in on the past as one of the most influential bands in death/grind and melodeath and the 2013 "Surgical Steel" proved it while the best track off of the triumphant comeback, "316 L Grade" provided an idea for my…
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ABORTED – Maniacult
"La Grande Mascarade" EP (2020) was a promise of good things to come, as I asserted in my review (4.5/6). When you have been on the death/grind market for 26 years you really have to work hard to make a difference, especially on your 11th album. While not as fantastic as "The Necrotic Manifesto" (2014),…
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BODYGUERRA – Fire & Soul
The Spanish hard rock outfit Bodyguerra’s upcoming full-length opus titled "Fire & Soul", which is comprised of thirteen tracks in total – two of which are bonus cuts, is characterized by Ela Sturm’s vocals and the varied guitar work of Guodo Stoecker, but frankly, there is nothing truly interesting going on here as such. Some…
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LAURA SHENTON – Emerson Lake & Palmer Pictures at an Exhibition: In-Depth
This is an interesting little book by author Laura Shenton that fans of Emerson, Lake and Palmer as well as lovers of prog rock in general ought to find worthy of exploring in more detail. In all honesty, I was not terrible impressed by Shenton’s book on the late, great Cozy Powell (Rainbow, Whitesnake, Black…
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HIMMELLEGEME – Variola Vera
Back in 2017 when Himmellegeme’s debut offering "Myth of Earth" came out, I was absolutely floored by the sheer depth and (cinematic) scope of their work and just how utterly original and deepfelt it all sounded. Fast forward to 2021 and their sophomore effort entitled "Variola Vera" is about to be released by the ever-reliable…
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BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME – Colors II
Between The Buried And Me (BTBAM) is a band I first encountered through their cover album "The Anatomy Of" (2006) on which they played songs by the bands they were most influenced by such as Metallica, Sepultura, Queen, The Smashing Pumpkins or Soundgarden, to name but a few. I was very impressed by it and…
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ALIRIO – All Things Must Pass
The incredibly talented Brazilian vocalist Alirio Netto (Shaman, Khallice) released these ten tracks of his not that long ago via Frontiers and "All Things Must Pass" is melodically strong and pretty damn impressive with respect to its massive sound and punchy production. As opposed to numerous other releases by the label, Alirio’s brand of hard…
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CRUZH – Tropical Thunder
The kick-ass Swedish combo that is Cruzh recently unleashed this eleven-track torrent of infectiously catchy songs and what we have here is a stellar example of how to craft an album that is wildly memorable and loaded with excellent vocal hooks that will bring a smile to your face. In many ways, "Tropical Thunder" is…
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SPEKTRA – Oveload
Spektra is a brand-new outfit hailing from Brazil and "Overload", which was produced by the skilled combo of Alessandro del Vecchio (who seems to appear on nearly every Frontiers release these days!) and Jeff Scott Soto, is the group’s debut offering. Actually, Del Vecchio and Soto have either written or co-written all eleven tracks that…
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THE END A.D. – It’s All in Your Head
The Philadelphia-based act appropriately named The End A.D., which is essentially a hardcore- and punk-influenced metal outfit, is about to unleash this short 5-track onslaught of theirs via Fastball Music in October. This is quite the vicious and aggressive EP, and the fucker is as raw and unrefined as it is in your face and…
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BLOOD RED SAINTS – Undisputed
The British melodic hard rockers known as Blood Red Saints quite recently unleashed this eleven-track effort via Frontiers Records, and what these gentlemen conjure up is something akin to a cross between FM and Def Leppard, which means that you get a fair number of tasty melodies, solid hooks, and big choruses that are dying…
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UNFORGED – Eye for an Eye
The German outfit Unforged dabbles in something akin to a mixture of modern thrash metal and groove metal that recalls such acts as Pantera, Pissing Razors, Machine Head, and Trivium, and "Eye for an Eye", which sports a pretty cool album cover, is the group’s first full-length assault. With an abundance of punchy riffs, crushing…
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MAYANK – Mayank
Mayank is a brand-new outfit featuring the talented Gui Oliver (Landfall) on vocals and what we have here is melodic hard rock that veers towards AOR acts such as Journey, Foreigner, Boston, and Winger. The project’s 11-track debut offering is easy on the ear and quite straightforward in terms of its arrangements and structures and…
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LONG SHADOWS DAWN – Isle of Wrath
Featuring the inimitable Doogie White (Michael Schenker Fest, Alcatrazz, ex-Rainbow) on vocals and the hugely skilled multi-instrumentalist Emil Norberg (Persuader), Long Shadows Dawn offer epic hard rock that is filled to the brim with great melodies, wicked riffs, and gorgeous vocal hooks. This is quite powerful and hard-hitting stuff that has way more in common…
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MONSTEREO – In the Hollow of a Wave
Norwegian rockers Monstereo offer something a little out of the ordinary in the sense that their refreshing and vital-sounding mixture of all things psychedelic and spacey is quite easy to lose oneself in and be carried away by. Imagine if early 70s Deep Purple got together with Hawkwind and then invited the guys from Kyuss…