ALBUM REVIEWS

RECENT ALBUM REVIEWS

  • MARILLION – Marillion with Friends from the Orchestra

    “Marillion with Friends from the Orchestra” is (apart from being a nice surprise) a compelling collection of songs that beautifully showcases the more cinematic scope and feel of Marillion’s expansive sound and style. It is refined and pristine, but it also ranges from brooding and introspective to loud and bombastic. In other words, this is…

  • STATUS QUO – Backbone

    “Backbone” by the legendary Status Quo came out quite a while ago but it is just so damn cool and well-crafted that it simply needs to be reviewed on these pages before the year ends. Following the death of Rick Parfitt, one often came across one of those awful naysayers or disbelievers who believes that…

  • TYKETTO – Strength in Numbers Live

    Tyketto is an underrated and to some extent overlooked outfit that just so happened to release the fantastic “Strength in Numbers” record back in those murky and rather dreadful early 90s when nobody basically gave a shit about melodic rock. Fortunately, Tyketto are still out there touring and kicking ass, and it is fucking beautiful…

  • IMMANIFEST – Macrobial

    No one with even a passing appreciation of symphonic black metal can deny the prowess of "Spiritual Black Dimensions", "Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia" or "Death Cult Armageddon". On these albums Dimmu Borgir perfected the genre unlike either before or ever since. The Floridian sextet Immanifest boldly walks the same path on their debut full length, but…

  • THE DROWNING – The Radiant Dark

    "Senescent Signs" (2016) was an excellent slab of early Peaceville doom/death, with superb songwriting, which proved the British quintet was capable of creating masterpieces. No wonder, then, that "The Radiant Dark", exceeds its predecessor in every way and is easily the genre’s best album of the year. The Drowning was formed in Cardiff, Wales, UK,…

  • GRAND SLAM – Hit the Ground

    I have been awaiting this album by the ridiculously underrated Grand Slam for what seems like years now and I cannot even begin to describe just how fucking awesome it is. Has it been worth the wait? Obviously! Does it rule beyond belief? Most definitely! The band will forever be associated with the legendary Phil…

  • PAGANIZER – The Tower Of The Morbid

    Roger "Rogga" Johansson breathes, lives, eats, drinks, pees and defacates old school death metal, such as Down Among The Deadmen, Megascavenger, Paganizer, and his solo project simply named Rogga Johansson, among many. The, crushing, rusty and typical stylings are evident on this Paganizer’s 11th output, yet with disappointingly too few hooks or melodies of Rogga’s…

  • FILTHGRAVE – Necromantic Rituals

    A couple of years ago I came across a solid and vile demo release by the Oslo-based black metal act Filthgrave that I found quite entertaining and full of potential, and I was curious as to how these morose dudes would develop their musical sound and style in the future. The answer has arrived in…

  • SODOM – Out Of The Frontline Trench (EP)

    It’s amazing to think that Sodom have been around since 1981, producing incredible music that has become seminal in the worlds of both thrash and black metal. Even in the dark 90’s when metal was overlooked by many, the German legends (most importantly band-leader Tom Angelripper, the Lemmy of thrash) produced some of their finest…

  • NOVEMBERS DOOM – Nephilim Grove

    The early Peaceville Trinity of Anathema, My Dying Bride and Paradise Lost pioneered the doom/death genre later expanded by the likes of Opeth with even more pronounced light-dark/piano-forte dynamic, especially in vocals. On their 11th offering in a whopping 30 year history, our very own Chicagoan pride and joy fuse both influences, with mixed results.…

  • RATTENFÄNGER – Geisslerlieder

    It has been quite a while since the Ukrainian death metal mongers Rattenfänger unleashed their utterly dark and brutal debut offering (i.e. “Epistolae Obscurorum Virorum” from 2012), but to my great surprise this sophomore effort of theirs showed up in my mailbox recently. Boasting a line-up consisting of skilled and seasoned veterans from acts such…

  • TUSMØRKE – Leker for Barn, Ritualer for Voksne

    Norwegian prog rockers Tusmørke are a bunch of fantastic musicians who keep throwing us musical curve balls, and we should all be fucking grateful for that. True to the band members’ unquenchable thirst to widen their musical horizons, their latest endeavor is nothing less than a record comprised of music from two musicals for children,…

  • WAYNE HUSSEY – Salad Daze

    The renowned and highly skilled guitarist Wayne Hussey (The Mission, ex-Dead or Alive, ex-The Sisters of Mercy) published this hugely charming and entertaining autobiography of his via the ever-reliable Omnibus Press earlier on this year, and I might as well start out by saying that this is one piece of literature that you do not…

  • ASHEN CROWN – Obsolescence

    The momentum, the careful buildup of aggression and hooks, is one of the most essential elements of a great metal album, as is the ability to keep it intact throughout. This British death/groove metal quintet showcases the importance of the momentum by being remarkably inconsistent at it on their debut LP. "Ashen Crown" is a…

  • BÖLZER – Lese Majesty

    When it comes to hype, Bölzer took first prize with their 2013 debut EP, "Aura", a collection of music that deserved all the hoopla. Their distinct mixture of black and death metal, infused with sludge and their own brand of atmosphere, was a breath of fresh air at a time when we needed musical oxygen…

  • THE END A.D. – Badlands

    The raw and delightfully unpolished outfit appropriately named The End A.D., which hails from the lovely city that is Philadelphia, is an interesting musical encounter. For one thing, they shamelessly mix thick and filthy punk rock, huge thrash-influenced riffs, and the loud and nasty vibe of hardcore to great effect. It all sounds pretty fucking…

  • KALDVARD – Dømt til Bål og Brann

    Last year yours truly had the pleasure of reviewing Kaldvard’s very first output, namely the 8-track offering that was “Fossegrimens Pant”. Although I was not blown away or swept off my feet by that particular release, their intriguing mixture of pagan metal and black metal had potential aplenty to it and there were some truly…

  • VINSTA – Drei Deita

    A little while ago I reviewed the new Haunter album, an impressive take on the old Opeth, having remarked on how many bands attempt to tap into that, admittedly, rich vein. This Austrian yodeling melodic death/folk duo has a similar approach, but draws the line between ancient Opeth and where Opeth begun to get bored…

  • CREATURE – Hound

    Fuck yes, this is just what I needed; a new EP by one of my favorite British thrash-infused hardcore/grind metal bands! I am of course referring to the Birmingham-based Creature and the utterly fierce (and appropriately titled) ”Hound” EP that was unleashed just a few weeks ago.  The previous output by the band (“Hex”) blew…

  • MARA – Rök

    Mara hail from the frostbitten shores of Sweden and dabble in aggressive pagan black metal with a strong presence of rawness to it that harkens back to the early-to-mid 90s. In addition, there a numerous passages that are slightly more earthy and pagan-like to be found on the disc too. Musically, these dudes move back…

  • FROSTMOON ECLIPSE – Worse Weather to Come

    Morose Italian black metal mongers Frostmoon Eclipe have been a tad hit or miss for yours truly ever since the ensemble spat forth its first few demos and whatnot twenty-something years ago. However, this brand new effort of theirs, which is appropriately entitled “Worse Weather to Come”, is something else entirely and it blew me…

  • MARTIN POPOFF – Sensitive to Light – The Rainbow Story

    Author Martin Popoff hardly needs any introduction as he has written numerous (and important) books on all things hard rock and heavy metal for years now, and his reflections on and insights into the music that you and I love and cherish so much are often quite brilliant and thought-provoking. The legendary Rainbow needs no…

  • STEVE LAMACQ – Going Deaf for a Living

    This wickedly funny memoir by music journalist (NME) and radio host (The Evening Sessions) Steve Lamacq feels destined to become one of the high literary points of the year for yours truly. “Going Deaf for a Living” details Lamacq’s upbringing and introduction to music and how he eventually turned into a journalist, radio host, and…

  • RIMFROST – Expedition: Darkness

    The Swedish horde Rimfrost have been churning out melodic and thrash-inspired black metal for quite a few years now and this brand new offering of theirs represents yet another solid and catchy slab of epic metal. With its rather prominent parallels to outfits such as Immortal and Tyrann (and perhaps even some of the late…

  • PISSED REGARDLESS – Imperial Cult

    Crossover/thrash metal hybrids a’la Suicidal Tendencies can be a pain to review and this San Francisco Bay Area quitet was no different on their unremarkable EP "Feed The Birds". This is why "Imperial Cult" is such a jawdropping surprise, balancing Darkest Hour’s melodicism and feeling against brute force of Slayer. Pissed Regardless was formed in…

  • KONKHRA – Alpha And The Omega

    In the early 90s, thrash/groove, spearheaded by Exhorder, Pantera and Machine Head, stood up to the sudden grunge/alternative tsunami, and later to nu metal and metalcore. Some adapted to stay popular but others, such as this Danish quartet Konkhra refused the change. Their 7th full length finds them doing very well while able to meld…

  • Costin Chioreanu & Sofia Sarri – Afterlife Romance

    “Afterlife Romance” by the skilled duo that is Costin Chioreanu and Sofia Sarri is an unusual albeit interesting release that falls somewhere between pulsating goth rock and avantgarde music. In many ways, it sounds as if Costin and Sofia are as inspired by The Cure and Bauhaus as they are by Arcturus’ “La Masquerade Infernale”…

  • COFFIN ROT – A Monument To The Dead

    In 1986, Slayer pioneered a new unique sound, thrash in death’s convention, the sound countless emulators capitalized on later, the sound Slayer themselves lost, in 1998. With their debut album, this Oregonian quartet showcase compelling potential to resurrect the sound Slayer themselves vainly tried to regain until their recent wrap up. Coffin Rot, obviously inspired…

  • MORTIFERUM – Disgorged From Psychotic Depths

    Much of what passes for doom/death metal these days is either fusion of Peaceville Trinity, Morrisound and old Swedish school or any combination of the three, supported by modern production, although, admittedly, more bands are recording in analog rather than digitally. This Washington-ian quartet debut to tip their scales in their favor, with mixed results.…

  • IRON AGE – The Sleeping Eye

    The 1980s thrash metal era is one of the most respected and cherished periods among heavy metal maniacs. Bands such as Megadeth, Metallica and Slayer helped shape the thrash metal scene. Many attempted to tap into that vein in vain, but this Texan quintet makes a quite convincing case on the re-release of their 2nd…