ALBUM REVIEWS

RECENT ALBUM REVIEWS

  • RELEASE THE BLACKNESS – Tragedy

    Out of the 3 chosen releases from the Italian stable, Cult Of Parthenope: Gates Of Doom, Vilemass and Release The Blackness, that last one is definitely the most interesting. Essentially, their debut full length, "Tragedy" could have been written by Matthew Kiichi „Matt" Heafy somewhere between his CAFERNAUM and TRIVIUM’s "Embers To Inferno" days, that…

  • GATES OF DOOM – Aquileia Mater Aeterna

    Italy gives birth to many worthy acts in extreme melodic metal, need we but mention Hideous Divinity, Sadist or, most pertinent in this case, Fleshgood Apocalypse. A fair newcomer, Gates Of Doom, they may be somewhat symphonically similar sounding to FLESHGOD APOCALYPSE but they are more akin to Germany’s HEAVEN SHALL BURN or to the…

  • MORPHIUM – The Fall

    The Spanish metallers Morphium spew forth a high-energy brand of pounding yet varied metalcore with plenty of influences from death metal and goth metal to it, and there is groove, crushing breakdowns and atmospherics aplenty here, my friends. Lots of clever details and intriguing layers present themselves throughout and the members of the quintet clearly…

  • TERMINAL CARNAGE – The Sickening Rebirth

    Here is yet another quality death metal release from the ever-reliable Great Dane Records and what we have here is a lean, concise 31-minute onslaught by the German duo known as Terminal Carnage. With an emphasis on thick grooves and dark, rumbling riffs, these grumpy-looking fucks deliver some hard-hitting passages and heavy blows here with…

  • GOLGOTHA – Remembering the Past/Writing the Future

    The Spanish doom metal outfit Golgotha, which was conceived nearly thirty years ago and hails from Palma de Mallorca, recently unleashed this EP of theirs, but although only five tracks are listed on the sleeve, there are in fact eight pieces present on the disc. The last three songs are simply orchestral renditions of the…

  • CULT GRAVES – Strange Customs

    Hailing from San Jose in the US and dabbling in filthy, rumbling, and dissonant death metal, Cult Graves are the sound of an awful nightmare (think a Fulci movie in overdrive) and that is obviously a compliment and a good thing in this case. There is a wildly unnerving vibe shimmering underneath it all and…

  • EVULSE – Pustulant Spawn

    Yes, this is just what the good doctor ordered, namely a short, concise slab of raw and filthy death metal spawned in the deepest pit of hell (or in this case Oakland as that is where Evulse hail from). I was quite fond of their previous demo/EP, the ear-splitting "Call of the Void", and this…

  • DECEPTION – The Mire

    Often bands which go through more than one life, usually under a different name, end up worse than their original self. The Norwegian melodic blackened death metal act, Deception, are an example of the opposite, on their 3rd full length, in the 9th year of their existence, with only 2 founding members and under a…

  • DEEDS OF FLESH – Nucleus

    One of the leading purveyors of technical brutal death metal, the Californian Deeds Of Flesh is renowned for intricate works such as "Path Of The Weakening" (1999) and, especially, "Reduced To Ashes" (2003), but, due to cirrhosis death of a founding vocalist and guitarist (2018) they have been delaying new material, this here, "Nucleus" coming…

  • ALWANZATAR – Den Glemte Dalen

    Here is a sloppily written review of a rather interesting and intriguing synth-driven record masterminded by the skilled musician known as Krizla (Tusmørke), and what we are dealing with here is essentially a collection of otherworldly and surreal-sounding tunes that will serve your current need for escapism perfectly. By means of analogue-sounding synthesizers, flutes, and…

  • THE SMASHING PUMPKINS – CYR

    Few late XXth Century bands have had such thunderously explosive yet haystack career as the Chicagoan alternative rock act, The Smashing Pumpkins who, led by the charismatic vocalist, guitarist William Patrick "Billy" Corgan, having imploded the charts with their 2nd album, "Siamese Dream" completely took the world by storm with the massive masterful double album…

  • HULDER – Godslastering Hymns Of A Forlorn Peasantry

    While I’m quite used to one-man male projects, even of black metal variety, I wasn’t aware of any female equivalents besides, of course, Amalie "Myrkur" Bruun, until, this, here, Hulder who is a fascinating young Oregonian by the name of Marz Riesterer. On her debut full length Lady Hulder presents herself as a Carl Jungian…

  • UNBOUNDED TERROR – Infernal Judgement

    Sometimes a band’s debut album achieves a cult status, especially, if that band breaks up shortly thereafter only to later reunite with a different lineup, inluding a new vocalist. Such is the case with Spanish old school death/doom act, Unbounded Terror and their "Nest Of Affliction" (1992) album, recorded with Antonio Pereida (guitars, vocals). The…

  • VECTOR SEVEN – Electric Blood

    Vector Seven’s darksynth/synthwave opus entitled "Electric Blood" is a fabulous homage to cinematic horror films and soundtracks from the late 70s, 80s, and early 90s, and these eleven hooky songs rarely fail to deliver bold results. While parts of "Electric Blood" are warm and pulsating, others possess an almost steely modernist edge, which makes for…

  • BRUNHILDE – To Cut a Long Story Short

    Since this one nearly slipped away from my pile of stuff to review and was released about a month ago, let us cut to the chase and do a very short review of it and simply state that Brunhilde’s latest offering consists of energetic, fiery tunes filled with fist-pumping riffs and aggressive, punk-ish vocals coursing…

  • SUPERLYNX – Electric Temple

    I am extremely fond of the previous offering by the psychedelic stoner rock/doom metal act from Oslo known as Superlynx, more specifically the one titled "New Moon", and so this upcoming record of theirs bearing the evocative moniker "Electric Temple" is obviously something that I have been looking forward to for a while now. So…

  • SHORES OF NULL – Beyond The Shores (On Death And Dying)

    As the brewing storm closes in gentle, very MY DYING BRIDE violins usher in a heavy doomy riff SWALLOW THE SUN and KATATONIA both would be proud to own, the characteristic melody and Davide Straccione’s clean vocal similar to Aaron Stainthorpe’s of My Dying Bride but more dramatic and DEPRESSED, then Swallow The Sun’s Mikko…

  • DORMANTH – Complete Downfall

    Remember that feeling when you were listening to a "new" band which, with their very own melodies and riffs brought the memories of old greatness? In the vast sea that is melodic death metal there aren’t that many bands who can smell, feel and look like the genre classic with sinews, bones and blood of…

  • EVERGREY – Hymns For The Broken

    In my 3 recent reviews of Evergrey’s last 3 albums I made references to the album which started their oceanic trilogy, "Hymns For The Broken" (2014) hinting, at the time, my intent to review it as the only album from the trilogy without the review on our zine. Given that this is the album which…

  • DOBBELTGJENGER – Smooth Failing

    Now this is one album that yours truly has very much been looking forward to seeing that its predecessor, "Limbohead", has grown on me immensely over the years and turned into one of my personal favorites. The Norwegian rock (and I am using the term ‘rock’ loosely here) ensemble dabbles in something that I can…

  • DARRYL W. BULLOCK – The Velvet Mafia: The Gay Men Who Ran the Swinging Sixties

    "The Velvet Mafia: The Gay Men Who Ran the Swinging Sixties" by skilled author Darryl W. Bullock is something out of the ordinary and a hugely fascinating study of some of the most legendary (and in many cases infamous) managers, promotors, record label executives, artists, and producers who populated the London scene back in the…

  • THE NOVA HAWKS – Redemption

    The British combo The Nova Hawks was quite the pleasant surprise to yours truly and presents something akin to a fiery mixture of (Northern) soul music, raw blues, and vintage hard rock. If you want hazy atmospheres and fuzzy riffs as well as bluesy licks that are rather infectious and melodies that are like earworms,…

  • ZEROZONIC – Aftersane (Daniel Olaisen Series)

    "Zerozonic will get much better on the follow-up, but to see how and why you have to wait one more month" wrote I in the conclusion of my review for Zerozonic’s sophomore album, "God Damn Better Best". That was back in July 2019 and only now am I able, for this reason or another, to…

  • THE STONE – Kosturnice

    The Serbian horde known as The Stone is a musically intriguing entity and this upcoming opus of their titled "Kosturnice" is akin to a raging black metal tempest capable of leaving you spellbound. With its morose and oppressive aura, the entire affair slithers and slides through grand and massive soundscapes where epic melodies and sharp,…

  • FLYING CIRCUS – Flying Circus

    The German outfit Flying Circus is an interesting and musically eclectic one that falls somewhere between psychedelic hard rock and 70s-inspired prog rock, and the result is both impressive and quite intriguing. This is essentially a best of, but the cool thing is that the group have re-recorded all tracks dating from before 2011 and…

  • MNHG – Mundare

    The ugly German black ‘n’ roll entity that is MNHG recently spat forth this straightforward, catchy, and utterly vile forty-minute opus via Immortal Frost Productions and if you dig bands such as Bestial Mockery, Nifelheim, Satan Worship, Aura Noir, ancient Bathory, and old Sodom, this one is for you. Raw and rumbling yet not without…

  • ANNISOKAY – Aurora

    And is okay? An’ is’ okay? Neither. As it turns out these post-metalcore Germans are big fans of Michael Jackson (as am I) and in his "Smooth Criminal" he asks "Annie, are you okay?" so the band answers "Annie’sokay" without the "e" and the apostrophe. Simple? Simple yet original, but their music is rather more…

  • TAAKE/HELHEIM – Henholdsvis

    What could be better than two legendary Norwegian entities joining forces for a four-track split EP? Apparently, nothing. Brilliant black metal stalwarts Taake and the hugely creative Viking metallers Helheim surely need no introduction,  and besides,  the quality of "Henholdsvis" pretty much speaks for itself. In Taake’s case, this is the third split 10-inch EP…

  • 3.2 – Third Impression

    This is the third record in renowned musician Robert Berry’s prog rock trilogy comprised of songs where certain ideas, themes, and melodies were written years ago by the aforementioned Berry and the legendary and sadly missed Keith Emerson (ELP). A few years ago, Robert decided to revisit some of the material that the two gentlemen…

  • KREEK – Kreek

    The relatively new UK hard rock outfit that is Kreek, which is spearheaded by former Bigfoot vocalist Antony Ellis, recently released this debut offering of theirs via Frontiers Records, and there is a strong emphasis on melodies and harmonies here. Comprised of ten compositions and produced by Daniel Rossall, the album contains its fair share…