ALBUM REVIEWS

RECENT ALBUM REVIEWS

  • NECK OF THE WOODS – The Annex Of Ire

    While I appreciate bands who always splendidly deliver what I expect of them (Testament, Kreator, Evergrey, etc.) the primary reason while I love being a reviewer is the perpetual opportunity to discover fresh, innovative approach to heavy music. One of such bands was, and still is, the New Zealander deathsters Ulcerate, whose every album is…

  • AXE TOSS – Deception

    Can blackened Viking death metal successfully mix with groove? This Norwegian quintet attempts to prove it can on their debut album, as they meld "The Avenger" Amon Amarth riffs, "Antigone" Heaven Shall Burn melodies and "Sacrament" Lamb Of God rhythm for an interesting, if flawed slab of extreme craft. Axe Toss was probably formed around…

  • SENESCERE – Alive But Somewhere Else

    Looking at the rich, colorful cover and the band’s logo two unrelated things come to mind: the Finnish melodic gothic/death metallers, Sentenced, and the 2nd album from 80s German disco/pop artist Modern Talking, "Let’s Talk About Love", but neither can actually be associated with these progressive melodeath Marylanders and their 2nd installment, beyond the cover,…

  • IN SANITY – Welcome To The Show

    Back in a day, when In Flames had started distancing itself from melodic death metal, countless bands were emulating their older, core sound. Few, if any, would rather take on their latter material, particularly "Reroute To Remain/Sountrack To Your Escape", but that is exactly where the German melodic death/power metallers stand, with a nod to…

  • BAD COMPANY – Desolation Angels (40th Anniversary Edition – Remastered and Expanded)

    I might as well start out by telling you that I am a ridiculously huge fan of Bad Company’s marvelous “Desolation Angels” record from 1979 and that I consider this invigorating opus one of the most overlooked ones from the glorious 70s. Why is that? Well, the songs are stellar and range from intoxicating, stadium-sized…

  • ANDRALLS – Bleeding For Thrash

    Sometimes a reviewer’s task is similar to the gold seekers after the gold rush: seek the precious ore though you shall find none. The Brazilian "fastthrash" outfit, as they call themselves may be bringing 6th album for your consideration, but they sound like debutants on the telling and pretentiously named "Bleeding For Thrash", so much…

  • MYRKUR – Folkesange

    Of all the black metal artists that have emerged over the past decade, Danish phenom Myrkur (or Amalie Bruun, as her folks know her) has been the most exciting to watch. A strong female role model, her music up until this point has been concise, ethereal, fearsome black metal with choral and folk influences, and…

  • THUNDERSTICK – Something Wicked This Way Came (Live in France)

    Recorded live in France late last year, this delightfully unpolished and fiery 9-song offering by the NWOBHM underdogs Thunderstick is a real treat for two specific reasons, one being that the tunes lifted from their thrilling “Something Wicked This Way Comes” record (2017) sound superb in a live setting and the other being that the…

  • KING DUDE – Full Virgo Moon

    King Dude has, along with fellow doomstress Chelsea Wolfe, taken the dark folk sound to new and dangerous places over the past few years. Albums such as 2012’s “Burning Daylight” and “Songs Of Flesh And Blood” from 2015 were ominous and bloodthirsty, even with the stripped-down folk, and the mystery surrounding the man have just…

  • BODY COUNT – Carnivore

    In his book "Heavy" Dan Franklin describes heavy metal as "full‑on, intimidating, exhilarating and addictive…bloodletting for the excessive soul" which "suits a person who sometimes feels too much and wants to be consumed by sound and fury". I could not think of a better description for the Los Angeles rap/hardcore heavy metal outfit Body Count’s…

  • FLYING CIRCUS – 1968

    The German outfit Flying Circus is an interesting one and has released a number of critically acclaimed records in the past that merge progressive rock and bombastic hard rock to great effect. Luckily, this latest endeavor of theirs evocatively entitled “1968” is no different and is a warm and entertaining slab of otherworldly rock with…

  • MY DYING BRIDE – The Ghost Of Orion

    My Dying Bride being one of my favorite bands, I always dread a little the first contact with new material. "Feel The Misery" was, after all, such a fantastic release that it was hard to think how they would even match it, let alone top it. While they did neither, on their 14th album they…

  • LAURA SHENTON – Dance With the Devil – The Cozy Powell Story

    Laura Shenton’s informative 208-page book on legendary drummer Cozy Powell (Rainbow, Jeff Beck, Black Sabbath, Whitesnake, Forcefield, ELP, etc.), which is neither an official nor authorized biography of the great man as such, serves as a clear and concise overview of Powell’s fantastic career in music. I must admit that this is one piece of…

  • MARTIN POPOFF – Sabotage! Black Sabbath in the Seventies

    Noted author Martin Popoff pretty much always delivers the goods when it comes to writing informative and fascinating books on bands and “Sabotage!”, which chronicles Black Sabbath’s meteoric rise to fame in the 70s, is no different. Its 292 pages primarily focus on the musical content of the heavy metal forefathers’ first 8 (and utterly…

  • PORN – No Monsters in God’s Eyes – Act III

    Dark and brooding, thick and pulsating, the industrial metal rockers named Porn are back and this upcoming 13-track opus of theirs might in fact be their most accomplished and emotionally charged offering to date. I love how the music brings to mind such wicked bands and artists Depeche Mode, Ministry, Paradise Lost, The Cure, and…

  • ARS VENEFICIUM – Usurpation of the Seven

    The Belgium-based black metal entity known as Ars Veneficium is one that yours truly is quite fond of and it is always a treat to review and listen to their outputs, a perfect example of that being this brand new full-length assault of theirs evocatively titled “Usurpation of the Seven”. In the past I have…

  • POLARIS – The Death of Me

    It’s been a while since I reviewed a metalcore album, chiefly because nothing interesting caught my attention, that is, until this 2nd full length from the Australian progressive vein of the genre. "The Death Of Me" is an excellent release with very interesting and often unusual song structures, and with creative strength pulled from multiple…

  • DEMONHEAD – Black Devil Lies (Bonus Track Edition)

    Truth be told, I did not come across the name Demonhead until quite recently when I spotted a gig advert for an upcoming show with these cool Australians supporting Geoff Tate’s (ex-Queensryche) solo act, so these were guys were an entirely new phenomenon to me and this 15-track effort of theirs definitely turned into a…

  • PSALM ZERO – Sparta

    Being, as I am, an avid fan of both Depeche Mode (especially of the Alan Charles Wilder era) and heavy metal, I often wonder what the two would sound like combined, something Depeche Mode themselves came close to on the classic "Songs Of Faith And Devotion" (1993) album, and which they sadly never continued. On…

  • SLAVE ONE – Omega Disciples

    How much originality does the modern death metal have? Is the genre on the roundabout with constant view to the past, back where things were great and innovative? On their 2nd album, the French quintet proves that death metal can still sound fresh and daring without having to reinvent the proverbial wheel. Having formed in…

  • ROBERT MICHAEL ‘BOBB’ COTTER – The Complete Misfits Discography….

    As its title so neatly suggests, “ The Complete Misfits Discography” is essentially an overview of the countless official and unofficial releases by the legendary Misfits that are circulating out there in today’s market as well as those by associated acts such as Danzig, The Undead, Doyle Wolfgang von Frankenstein, Samhain, Michale Graves, Dr. Chud,…

  • IHSAHN – Telemark

    Since disbanding the mighty Emperor in 2001, Ihsahn has been exploring progressive and experimental territory with his solo project, finding many different areas that he has created some very exciting music in. With seven full-length albums under his belt, he has decided to release two EP’s this year that will embody his love for Norway…

  • PAUL ZOLLO – Conversations With Tom Petty – Expanded Edition

    The tragic loss of Tom Petty in 2017 was a devastating blow to rock ‘n’ roll music and the fact that Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (i.e. the band) is gone for good is truthfully quite an awful thing to contemplate. The group was unique and so was Petty himself; not only did he craft…

  • ABISME – As Fear Falls In

    The Spanish black/death metal squadron Abisme offers a blistering take on aggressive yet melodically rich extreme metal that clearly owes a lot (and in some respects pays homage) to Swedish acts such as Sacramentum, Necrophobic, Dissection, At the Gates, and Dismember. Relentless and punishing, “As Fear Falls In” shows depth and skill with respect to…

  • BATTERING RAM – Battering Ram

    It’s been a while since I have reviewed a hard rock/heavy metal album, much less a good one. Although this Swedish construct is fairly new, Battering Ram show a notable potential with their debut album, somewhere between British and Scandinavian Arena Oriented Rock, on one hand, and New Wave Of British Heavy Metal, on the…

  • GARY MOORE – Live From London

    The sadly missed Gary Moore (Thin Lizzy, BBM) surely needs no introduction; the guy revolutionized the blues and did wonders for hard rock and classic too, and let us not forget that he played a pivotal part in crafting Thin Lizzy’s “Black Rose” (1979) LP. Recorded at the awesome Islington Academy in London back in…

  • ANNIHILATOR – Ballistic, Sadistic

    What does annihilator do? Annihilator annihilates, that is, destroys everything in its path without a second thought or prejudice. In the case of the Canadian thrash/heavy metal Annihilator it is all too true on the so aptly named "Ballistic, Sadistic". Many legendary thrash bands claim return to the initial "old school" form and some deliver…

  • FRAYLE – 1692

    Cleveland’s Frayle made some waves in the doom fraternity with their 2018 “The White Witch” EP, their ethereal blend of doom metal and post-metal a breath of fresh air amongst their peers. Female-fronted doom (and the occult rock revival) were already in vogue, but Frayle had an interesting, even balance of sound and dynamic that…

  • DOMINIA – The Withering Of A Rose

    Even though all three of the original Peaceville Trinity (Anathema, My Dying Bride, Paradise Lost) started out as death/doom projects, all fairly equally dividing the death and doom, already on their 2nd album (the legendary masterpiece "Turn Loose The Swans" by many regarded as their best) My Dying Bride showed a great gothic metal tendency,…

  • MIKE BARNES – A New Day Yesterday – UK Progressive Rock & the 1970s

    The brilliantly titled “A New Day Yesterday” by Mike Barnes is a magnificently in-depth study of British 70s prog rock and bears all the trademarks of a true labor of love on the part of the author. This warm and funny account of one of the most marvelous and often-times misunderstood musical eras is sufficiently…