ALBUM REVIEWS

RECENT ALBUM REVIEWS

  • CLOUDS – Doliu

    When it comes to doom/death it’s a secret of Polichinelle that Peaceville, and I don’t just mean the Peaceville Tree (Anathema, My Dying Bride, Paradise Lost) but any which have ever been on that legendary label, including Katatonia and Opeth, are the cream of the crop. Few bands have been able to, while influenced by…

  • PARADISE LOST – At The Mill

    Året er 2021, og Covid-19 pandemien er enda over oss. Verdens befolkning begynner å bli vaksinert, men enn så lenge er det dessverre langt mellom konsertene. Det betyr at band må tenke nytt, og i 2020 fikk vi ett helt nytt konsept med online konserter, som folk kan streame hjemme i sin egen stue. Paradise…

  • TAAKE – Avvik

    The renowned Norwegian black metal entity Taake hardly needs any introduction and what we have here is essentially a compilation record consisting of three different split releases and an exclusive bonus track. That right there should be more than sufficient information to seriously whet your appetite and make you invest your time in "Avvik". With…

  • SOULLESS – Shine in Purity

    When a one-man atmospheric black metal band has a noose hanging from its logo you don’t expect it to live past the first recording, let alone two: "Lost In Mind" (2018) and "Unreachable" (2019). Yet the 22 year old multiinstrumentalist vocalist known only by the mysterious name Rivanectomy persisted for not just one more record,…

  • THE BEAST OF NOD – Multiversal

    The Massachussettsian progressive metallers The Beast Of Nod, seem to have honed their skills enough on two EPs: "Enter The Land Of Nod" (2015) and "Arrival" (2016) as well as one full length, "Vampiria: Disciple Of Chaos" (2018) to create a worthy follow-up, so why is this year’s "Multiversal" such a magnifiscent display of instrumental…

  • Tony Drozdjek’s Witchcraft – Egos Never Die

    What we have here is a highly captivating compilation album that is both historically interesting and exceptionally cool, namely "Egos Never Die" by the Norwegian entity known as Tony Drozdjek’s Witchcraft. In many ways, it sounds like a cross between Budgie, early Iron Maiden, Angel Witch, Saxon, and to a lesser extent Judas Priest around…

  • THE ABSENCE – Coffinized

    Whether or not we’re ready to accept it melodic death metal (melodeath) is no longer a genre where one can still sound innovative but it is still one where quality, engaging records can be conceived. Arguably the first melodeath album was Death’s "Human", but I think it’s fairer to say that the genre was born…

  • ONDFØDT – Norden

    Ah yes, a new album by Ondfødt – what more could a guy ask for on a rainy and windswept day such as this? The Finnish black metal artillery unleashed a fabulous slab of highly intense, deeply atmospheric, and utterly memorable music back in 2019 via Immortal Frost Productions, and judging by the quality of…

  • MARILLION – With Friends at St. David’s

    What we have here is a wonderful 2CD set containing an exceptionally atmospheric and deftly executed live performance from a 2019 show in Cardiff by the British prog rock pioneers Marillion. That in itself ought to tell you all you need to know and get you excited, but we shall proceed as we usually fucking…

  • THRONUM VRONDOR – Dies Tenebrosa Sicut Nox

    The musically ferocious horde known as Thronum Vrondor is an interesting encounter and I must say that I find their bludgeoning yet nicely varied brand of highly intense black metal quite appealing. "Dies Tenebrosa Sicut Nox" is their fourth full-length and the Belgian outfit delivers their menacing, blackened message in a convincing manner. This latest…

  • MARK SPIRO – Traveling Cowboys

    The highly skilled songwriter Mark Spiro recently released this solo effort of his titled "Traveling Cowboys", and we are essentially treated to fifteen compositions that are perhaps best described and classified as AOR rock with pop sensibilities to them and an abundance of vocal hooks. Melodically strong and boasting good vocals and great musicianship, these…

  • Robert Shelton, Dave Laing, Karl Dallas and Robin Denselow – The Electric Muse Revisited: The Story of Folk into Rock and Beyond

    Originally published back in 1975 and now updated with new chapters by author Robin Denselow, "The Electric Muse Revisited" is an illuminating work that traces the path from old Traditionals, roots music, and the blues to the electrified folk (rock) of the late 1960, early 1970s, and also the present day where genres such as…

  • THIS ENDING – Needles Of Rust

    This Ending’s debut album "Inside The Machine" (2006) came out back in the time when I was high on all things Dark Tranquillity and, by extension, all things melodic death metal (melodeath for short). The album was unashamedly borrowing from Gothenburg trio (At The Gates, In Flames, Dark Tranquillity) as well as from Soilwork, Hypocrisy…

  • HELLOWEEN – Helloween

    In the unlikely case you haven’t figured it out by now, Iron Maiden and Megadeth, Helloween’s two biggest influences, are my favorite bands (vide: my reviewer’s moniker). It is a curious phenomenon that genre creators rarely stay inside the box they have build and the German power metal originator is no exception. At a time…

  • SWEET OBLIVION FEAT. GEOFF TATE – Relentless

    Melodically rich (prog-ish) metal featuring the inimitable Geoff Tate (ex-Queensryche) on vocals is what we have here and let me start off by saying that I find their 2021 opus more exciting, emotionally charged, and memorable than its predecessor from 2019. While the first one was a solid effort and an enjoyable listen, these sparkling…

  • FEAR FACTORY – Aggression Continuum

    The Los Angeles-based industrial metal construct Fear Factory (FF) is one of those bands dear to my heart who provided sountrack to my adolescent and early adult struggle with "Self-Bias Resistor" my personal life anthem when I heard the extremely seminal "Demanufacture" (1995) which reminded me of Ministry, Sepultura and Type O’Negative and which inspired…

  • FALSE MEMORIES – The Last Night of Fall

    The Italian ensemble known as False Memories dabbles in melodic metal with gothic touches and somewhat subtle doom metal undertones to it, and "The Last Night of Fall" boasts a strong and meaty production that carries punch while the compositions are quite varied and go from mellow and tranquil to thick, heavy, and lofty as…

  • ICON OF SIN – Icon of Sin

    Icon of Sin is yet another project shaped and put together by Frontiers Records and that kind of thing usually goes one of two ways, as you can probably imagine. These skilled Brazilian musicians dabble in 80s-inspired heavy metal with plenty of hard rock references thrown into the mix, but sadly, this is just one…

  • SAVE THE WORLD – One

    Frontiers recently re-issued Save the World’s 2017 album simply titled "One" and what we have here is melodic hard rock with prominent traces of AOR to it, which means that we are served big choruses and strong melodies as well as lots of glorious harmonies and wicked hooks. This is quite varied stuff and somewhat…

  • SAVE THE WORLD – Two

    Dan Tracey (Alan Parsons Project) and Robert Wright are back with their sophomore album appropriately titled "Two" and as with its predecessor "One", we are talking melodic hard rock with pop sensibilities (and a whole lot of other musical influences and traits on top of that). These guys definitely have a good ear for great…

  • ROBIN MCAULEY – Standing on the Edge

    Now this is a real treat and what a joy it is to hear the best voice in rock i.e. Robin McAuley (MSG, ex-Survivor, Black Swan) firing on all cylinders throughout these eleven instantly appealing compositions that contain many interesting layers and nuances. There is a melancholy tinge and a heartfelt quality to the lyrics…

  • SUNBOMB – Evil and Divine

    I was quite looking forward to checking Sunbomb out as I like and admire Tracii Guns’ (L.A. Guns) style of playing and his way of crafting meaty riffs that go straight for the throat, but "Evil and Divine", which is the group’s debut offering, is sadly a bit of a letdown and an underwhelming affair.…

  • SONIC HAVEN – Vagabond

    Sonic Haven’s "Vagabond" is essentially a classic-sounding heavy metal record with an emphasis on hooky melodies and infectiously catchy riffs. What immediately stands out when listening to the German act’s LP is the sense of sheer joy and enthusiasm that courses through its eleven enjoyably punchy and driven compositions. Vocalist Herbie Langhans (Firewind) is in…

  • TEMPLE BALLS – Pyromide

    Finnish outfit Temple Balls delivers an explosive cocktail consisting of fiery 80s-inspired hard rock, which is to say raunchy riffs, an insanely solid rhythm section, vocals that go straight for the throat, and an atmosphere that evokes images of what it must have been like hanging out at the Rainbow Bar and Grill in L.A.…

  • SEVENTH CRYSTAL – Delirium

    Swedish quintet Seventh Crystal is a relatively new addition to the melodic hard rock scene and this sparkling debut offering of theirs is a slick, professional-sounding piece of work that packs a punch while simultaneously bombarding the listener with pop-like hooks and great vocals. There is very little that is new or different here compared…

  • TOMMY’S ROCKTRIP – Beat Up by Rock N’ Roll

    Tommy Clufetos (Black Sabbath, Ozzy Osbourne, The Dead Daisies) recently released this marvelous slab of vibrant, lively, no-frills hard rock that sounds as inspired as it does enthusiastic. Along with a hugely talented cast of friends including Eric Dover (Slash’s Snakepit, Alice Cooper), Tommy tears through eleven self-penned compositions that lack neither hooks nor dynamics.…

  • INNER EARTH – Arcane State

    German prog metal outfit Inner Earth has released this musically intriguing 10-track effort of theirs and this is a most interesting album containing some pretty impressive stuff. There is a good flow to the compositions, which entails that immersing oneself in its emotive songs feels as if you are taken on a journey, and they…

  • ÅRABROT – Norwegian Gothic

    Avantgarde noise rockers Årabrot, who dabble in everything from the surreal and carnivalesque to punk-influenced sounds and dark Americana, recently released this defiantly unclassifiable album appropriately titled "Norwegian Gothic". Actually, the influences that I mentioned before are just the tip of the iceberg and as this energetic new opus of theirs emphasizes, the very notion…

  • CODE – Flyblown Prince

    The experimental black metal entity that is Code has consistently released superbly written and deftly executed records that transcend and defy genre conventions and even conventional songwriting, and it is therefore downright thrilling to hold a copy of their brand-new onslaught titled "Flyblown Prince" in my hands. While terms such as post-black metal and avantgarde…

  • TURBULENCE – Frontal

    Now this is some impressive and incredibly varied stuff. Entitled “Frontal” and containing eight rather lengthy compositions that fall within the progressive metal sphere, the Lebanese outfit named Turbulence has crafted a dazzling and memorable slab of emotionally charged music that is as challenging as it is rewarding. Things move seamlessly from aggressive, hard-hitting parts…