ALBUM REVIEWS

RECENT ALBUM REVIEWS

  • BLAZE BAYLEY – Live in Czech

    I fucking love Blaze Bayley! His songs and records are so ridiculously underrated and overlooked that it hurts. The two LPs that he did with Iron Maiden (“The X Factor” and “Virtual XI”) are magnificent and the ones released under the Blaze and Blaze Bayley monikers are generally pretty damn fabulous too. This upcoming “Live…

  • DWAAL – Gospel of the Vile

    A suffocating sense of impenetrable darkness envelops the listener the very minute those huge, crushing chords and mournful soundscapes emanate from the speakers, and from that point on there is no turning back. The Oslo-based Dwaal revel in various different genres and styles of expression such as doom metal, sludge, post-black metal, and claustrophobic ambient…

  • VLAD IN TEARS – Dead Stories of Forsaken Lovers

    The German collective named Vlad in Tears is not only a talented bunch of musicians, but also a highly productive one in that “Dead Stories of Forsaken Lovers” is their 8th full-length record since the band’s inception back in 2006. Mixing huge-sounding rock with mournful melodies and introspective lyrics, this LP walks that fine line…

  • NEW MODEL ARMY – From Here

    The fact that British rockers New Model Army are still out there and sound as potent and vital as ever (as evidenced by the quality of this passionate 2019 offering of theirs) is great, but what truly blows my mind here is how bleak and heartfelt their latest creation comes across. Perhaps the fact that…

  • JOSEPH THOLL – Devil’s Drum

    An intriguing mixture of hard rock, post-punk, and 70s classic rock-inspired stuff with hooks aplenty to it, “Devil’s Drum” by the skilled Swedish multi-instrumentalist Joseph Tholl (ex-Enforcer, VOJD, Robert Pehrsson’s Humbucker) sounds and feels utterly warm and familiar and yet there is something quite fresh and delightfully invigorating about this 9-song output of his. Traces and…

  • DEADSPAWN – Pestilence Reborn

    Just when you thought the 2020 will start without any significant head turners in our metal realm, in comes Deadspawn tearing through your pitiful life with boundless brutality, power and near-perfect blackened death/deathened black, and creativity not heard since Revocation’s "The Outer Ones", with bleak lyricism, perfect sound, yet strangely leaving you filled with hope…

  • RAGE – Wings of Rage

    Having released a whopping 22 full lengths, and having gone through multiple lineup changes the Herne, North Rhine-Westphalia-based German ensemble were more than ready for a summary album and that’s what the apptly named "Wings Of Rage" is all about, succeeding both as a career summary (the stylistic variety informs of the past better than…

  • T.O.M.B. – Thin the Veil

    As raw as a bleeding wound and just as punishing as a glorious wrestling match, the nasty underground phenomenon that is T.O.M.B. has awakened from its slumber and spat forth an unholy musical brew consisting of dissonant black metal, claustrophobic dark ambient, vile noise, and depressing doom metal. This is as pitch black and oppressive…

  • REVOLUTION SAINTS – Rise

    The debut offering by Revolution Saints was a tad mediocre whereas its successor was better and most certainly a step in the right direction. Now, the trio seems to have well and truly unlocked its potential and conceived a batch of infectiously catchy tunes that draw heavily on 80s-inspired hard (melodic) rock. The opening salvo…

  • RAISED FIST – Anthems

    Raised Fist conjure up a potent brew of metalcore and punk-ish hardcore with a solid dose of groove and grit to it. I will be the first to admit that this particular genre (or mixture of genres, if you will) is not really my cup of tear as such, but you can easily tell that…

  • ODIOUS MORTEM – Synesthesia

    Ah, brutal tech death metal. I’m a big fan of a lot of bands that fall under this banner, but as the years progress, the level of quality and originality keeps rising with some acts evolving and others sadly regressing and growing stale. The template is straightforward: intense weight and speed; intricate leads and solos;…

  • IRON MAIDEN – Remasters 2019 (The Last Batch)

    The pioneers and legends that are Iron Maiden released the last batch of their 2019 re-masters not that long ago and this time around we are dealing with the following discs: “Dance of Death” (2003), “A Matter of Life and Death” (2006), “The Final Frontier” (2010), and “The Book of Souls” (2015). The remastered audio…

  • DEFEATER – Defeater

    Boston (melodic) hardcore outfit Defeater is something out of the ordinary in so many ways. It is not that they do not offer up hyper-aggressive and fear-inducing music of the most punishing kind, because they most certainly do, but there is something deep and profound about their grief-stricken and emotionally heavy song material that sets…

  • DOWNES BRAIDE ASSOCIATION (DBA) – Live in England

    I was massively excited about this 2CD/DVD live offering by the legendary Geoffrey Downes (YES) and renowned producer Christopher Braide (collectively known as the Downes Braide Association or DBA) simply entitled “Live in England” which came out late last year. Thankfully, their stellar brand of prog rock with pop-like undertones to it sounds superb in…

  • LAURA COX – Burning Bright

    This is my first encounter with Southern heavy blues guitarist/vocalist Laura Cox and a most satisfying one at that in case you were wondering. Comprised of ten atmospheric songs, “Burning Bright” is a solid offering in terms of style, sound, and quality. Personally, I think a bit more grit and rawness would have suited the…

  • DRAGONFORCE – Extreme Power Metal

    Dragonforce have never managed to…well, how to put this? The truth is that I have always found these guys an utter bore and their particular brand of cheesy and overblown power metal is comical for all the wrong reasons. It is not that this ensemble cannot play, because they most certainly can, and in terms…

  • LAST TEMPTATION – Last Temptation

    Last Temptation’s self-titled LP was one that I was very much looking forward to checking out as it was said to be vintage-sounding hard rock inspired by the glorious 70s and early 80s not to mention that such prominent musicians as Vinny Appice (DIO, Black Sabbath), Rudy Sarzo (Ozzy Osbourne, DIO, Whitesnake), Don Airey (Deep…

  • OFFICIUM TRISTE – The Death Of Gaia

    Officium Triste’s previous album, "Mors Viri", was excellent doom/death/funeral, part Peaceville Three (Anathema, My Dying Bride, Paradise Lost) stylings part early Swallow The Sun and Katatonia (the latter technically, also Peaceville) for a work of incredible finesse, beauty, melodic harmony and heavy metal craft. Crafted a whopping 6 years later, "The Death Of Gaia", exceeds…

  • QAYIN REGIS – Doctrine

    This 4-track debut album by the Spanish black metal occultists Qayin Regis turned out to be a pretty damn wicked surprise to yours truly. Its intriguing and deeply unsettling artwork was instantly appealing and I had a feeling that I was in for a morose treat as I pressed play, which, I am happy to…

  • QUIET RIOT – Hollywood Cowboys

    In hard rock and heavy metal circles, Quiet Riot is a cool and well-respected phenomenon and for good reason as these guys have churned out some classic and much-loved records over the years, and the 2017 effort entitled “Road Rage” definitely proved that these guys could still rock with the best of them. Although the…

  • NIHILISM – Apocalyptic Fate

    Great Dane Records have unearthed some pretty damn solid extreme metal releases these last few years and “Apocalyptic Fate” by the French death metal squadron known as Nihilism is no different. This is a rumbling, rotten, and thoroughly old-school record loaded with lethal riffs, morbid atmospheres, and slightly ambiguous lyrics that contain references and nods…

  • FOREIGNER – Double Vision: Then and Now Live. Reloaded

    The marvelous Foreigner surely need no introduction as these guys are responsible for crafting some of the most cherished and memorable (hard) rock tunes known to man, and ever since the band’s inception back in 1976, guitarist and musical visionary Mick Jones has kept Foreigner on the road and in the studio. It is remarkable…

  • THE DARK ELEMENT – Songs the Night Sings

    Featuring the skilled Anette Olzon (ex-Nightwish) and Jani Liimatainen (ex-Sonata Arctica), The Dark Element dabbles in symphonic metal with sing-along choruses aplenty and subtle progressive undertones to it, and this 11-track LP has a rather modern and polished sheen to it. Many strong melodies and clever arrangements present themselves throughout and Olzon’s voice sounds good…

  • FEN – The Dead Light

    Fen’s previous album, "Winter" (2017), made significant waves among the progressive black metal fans, because of its unique combination of delicate, dreamy shoegazing passages with brutal and uncompromising black metal, but the band still lacked clear compositional direction. On "The Dead Light", released this month, Fen provides that direction while not completely avoiding the pitfalls…

  • EDGE OF PARADISE – Universe

    The symphonic metal outfit Edge of Paradise, which hails from Los Angeles, has steadily grown in stature and strength over these past few years thanks to some memorable live performances and solid releases, and this brand new 10-track offering of theirs entitled “Universe” shows a lot of musical growth and potential. I used the phrase…

  • PINK FLOYD – The Later Years 1987-2019

    This single CD set by the legendary Pink Floyd, which is culled from the huge and expansive box set bearing the same title that was recently released, is an interesting collection of cuts and tracks by the Gilmour/Mason/Wright-led line-up (or the 1987-2019 era, if you will) and nicely illustrates the many positives of this period…

  • ONIRICOUS – La Maldición

    This vile and nasty 6-track mini LP/CD by the Spanish death metal warmongers known as Oniricous turned out to be a really wicked surprise in that it offers well-written, memorable, and hugely atmospheric tunes that hearken back to the glory days of the aforementioned genre. With an emphasis on raw brutality and a truly sinister…

  • MYSTAGOS – Azoth

    This is my first encounter with the one-man black metal entity known as Mystagos, and I must say that its raw and murky atmosphere is right up my alley. Deeply rooted in the occult and with a thorough grasp of how to evoke a truly sinister aura by means of strong (dissonant) riffs and unsettling…

  • MESHIAAK – Mask of All Misery

    Meshiaak’s debut album, "Alliance Of Thieves", was a decent slab of thrash metal with strong progressive leanings, hinting at that direction for the follow up. Released about 3 years later, last month’s "Mask Of All Misery" presents a more mature band, with less thrash and more traditional metal/hard rock leanings, even blurring the line between…

  • HOLLYWOOD VAMPIRES – Rise

    Hollywood Vampires is something quite special and unique, and these guys have been making waves in the rock community these past few years thanks to a string a marvelous live performances and a pretty damn wicked debut LP. As you can probably tell, I have been anxiously awaiting the arrival of their follow-up and I…