RECENT ALBUM REVIEWS
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ÅRABROT – Who Do You Love
Årabrot is a noise-rock/alternative project created by Kjetil Nernes (songwriter, guitar and vocals) and Vidar Evensen (drums and visuals) in 2001. In 2013, the latter left and Årabrot continued as a one man band until recent addition of Stian Skagen (Electronics). Musically, the band cite Death in June, Melvins, Lee Hazlewood, The Birthday Party and…
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MONSTROSITY – The Passage Of Existence
Whether or not Floridian death metal powerhouse Monstrosity was named after Death’s song "Living Monstrosity" on the "Spiritual Healing" released in the same year Monstrosity was conceived, there is no denying the influence Chuck Schuldiner’s first love had on the founding drummer’s Lee Harrison’s project. As with Massacre, as Death evolved so, too, did Monstrosity,…
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DYING FETUS – Wrong One to Fuck With
Dying Fetus is a veteran of the American brutal death/grindcore, formed in 1993 and established thanks to the classic albums "Killing On Adrenaline" (1996) and "Destroy The Opposition" (2000) In 2001 John "Sparky" Voyles, John Netherton, Kevin Talley left to form Misery Index and the two bands enjoyed fairly equal popularity since. Dying Fetus’ last…
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DERDIAN – DNA
The Italian ensemble that is Derdian performs symphonic and galloping power metal that is quite fun and entertaining to listen to albeit a tad stereotypical and cliched in places too. I dig the drama, bombast, and theatricality of this 13-track effort and the fact that is is slightly pompous at times is both charming and…
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SLAAMASKIN – M
Oh man, I am so fucking excited about this brand new EP by the foul-mouthed Norwegian scumbags known as Slaamaskin. Their 2016 EP blew me away and this reckless six-track 2018 opus of theirs entitled "M" is absolutely no different in that it packs a punch and oozes energy and aggression from start to finish.…
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VEISLAKT – Sandnes Undergrunn Circus & Kabaret
Veislakt dabble in raw and face-melting punk rock with a strong metallic undertone to it and I might as well start off by telling you that we are dealing with bunch of scumbags whose songs have a filthy snarl and some vicious riffs to them. "Sandnes Undergrunn Circus and Kabaret" (now there is a title…
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MATT RICHARDS & MARK LANGTHORNE – Somebody to Love: The Life, Death and Legacy of Freddie Mercury
This outstanding book on the legendary Freddie Mercury and the genius of Queen by the skilled authors that are Matt Richards and Mark Langthorne tutned out to be one of those riveting page-turners that yours truly could hardly put down once he had started devouring its pages and absorbing its content. As the subtitle of…
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UNKNOWING – Beyond The Eyes Of Deceit
Unknowing took their name from Ingmar Bergman’s 1957 "The Seventh Seal" movie. Multinstrumentalist (Guitars, Bass, Keyboards) vocalist Alessandro "Master" Rossetti invited Michele Rossini (Lead Guitars) to form this power melodeath metal band with thrash and hard core influences in 2013. Without prior recordings of any kind, the Italian duo released this debut album earlier this…
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POLDUR’S GATE – Directions
This one is a rather strange and peculiar album and quite at odds with what typically comes our way for us to review. Put briefly, Poldur’s Gate Project released this 8-track disc of theirs last year and it is basically a metal/rock album where all the voices and music and whatnot have been synthesized using…
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DEPRAVITY – Evil Upheaval
It seems Transcending Obscurity keeps popping out fresh, innovative bands faster than Michelle Duggar babies, if De Profundis, Lurk and Gaerea are any indication. The Australian death metal band Depravity is a fair debutante, having released an EP "Reign Of The Depraved" before this full length, but rest assured, Ansley Watkins (Bass), Louis Rando (Drums),…
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JON&GJERRY – Equals and Friends
I had no idea what to expect from this 9-track album by the Norwegian duo who have simply named themselves Jon & Gjerry, but it turned out to be a pleasant albeit uneven mix of melodic rock, AOR, pop, soft rock, and singer-songwriter music with a strong emphasis on catchy riffs backed by glacial 80s…
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BEFOULED – Refuse to Rot
The Norwegian scumbags that are Befouled unearthed and vomited forth this ugly slab of vile and maggot-infested music not that long ago and if old-school death metal appeals to you then I suggest you pay attention here. Befouled have a rather simple and straightforward approach to things and their tunes harken back to the early…
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BILL KOPP – Reinventing Pink Floyd – From Syd Barrett to the Dark Side of the Moon
This superb book by the talented Bill Kopp on how the legendary Pink Floyd basically started out as a psychedelic folk rock outfit in the mid-60s only to transform into a prog rock mammoth in merely five or six years is a brilliant study of musical growth and how the aforementioned act helped shape the…
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OMNIUM GATHERUM – The Burning Cold
"New World Shadows" made Omnium Gatherum into one of the stalwarts in melodic death metal. Their sixth album "Beyond" revolutionized the genre by implementing elements of progressive rock of Marillion or Camel while remaining aggressively death metal. The follow-up "Grey Heavens" stripped down that approach rolling back the progressive rock influences while emphasizing and deepening…
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RAVEN THRONE – I Miortvym Snicca Zolak
Raven Throne is a long runner in atmospheric black metal with "I Miortvym Snicca Zolak" their sixth full length but this is my first encounter with them. The band consists of merely two members, Denis "Chernotur Thy Wings" Lukianovic (Guitars, Programming) and a gentleman who refuses to be called by any other name than War…
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MADDER MORTEM – Marrow
The Norwegian purveyors of the unsettled and strangely appealing, Madder Mortem, blew me away with their "Red in Tooth and Claw" record from 2016, but this brand new one entitled "Marrow" is even more stunning and compelling than the former, which is saying something. "Marrow" contains nods to the prog rock giants of old and…
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ISKALD – Innhøstinga
Truth be told, I have found previous albums and releases by Iskald to be slightly disappointing in the sense that they always had so much potential and cool ideas to them, but somehow they never really reached those stratospheric and impressive heights that they could have. Luckily, this upcoming 2018 opus of theirs entitled "Innhøstinga"…
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EVERSIN – Amageddon Genesi
"Armageddon Genesi" (Origin Of Armageddon) is the fourth album from the Italian groove thrashers Eversin. While the band has always used the Bible as the source of their lyrical concepts, this album is based specifically on The Book Of Revelation almost verbatim, specifically chapters 13,16, 18 and 20 in reference to The Battle Of Armageddon…
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SPURV – Myra
The very first time I immersed myself in this superb album by the Norwegian entity Spurv and listened intensely to how the final track entitled "Allting Får Sin Ende, Også Natten" drew the entire affair to a majestic close, I knew that we were dealing with something unique and different. The eight compositions that constitute…
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Sylvain Sylvain with Dave Thompson – There’s No Bones in Ice Cream: Sylvain Sylvain’s Story of the New York Dolls
The ever reliable and awesome Omnibus Press quite recently published this incredibly exciting and riveting biography on legendary New York Dolls guitar slinger Sylvain Sylvain and his many adventures with the aforementioned group. Now, the thing is that the story of Mr. Sylvain is so much more than just the New York Dolls; this skillfully…
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ALKALOID – Liquid Anatomy
"Malkuth Grimoire", the German progressive death metallers Alkaloid’s debut album blew me to twelve smithereens it comprised, cutting edge music for metalheads who enjoy over-thinking metal. According to Metal Injection, Alkaloid, featuring Florian "Morean" Magnus Maier (vocals, guitar), Christian Münzner (guitar), Danny Tunker (guitar), Linus Klausenitzer (bass) and Hannes Grossmann (drums, production), are "seeking to…
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DESCEND INTO DESPAIR – Synaptic Veil
Weltschmerz (German: World Pain) is a brooding and ever-looming feeling that physical reality can never fully satisfy the demands of the mind. The Romanian Funeral Doomsters Descend Into Despair, have played with this concept in their masterful, first, double album "Bearer Of All Storms", an album I enthusiastically raved about here and gave the highest…
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POSTHUMAN ABOMINATION – Transcending Embodiment
It’s not an easy thing to meet your maker. What can he do for you? Can the maker repair what he makes? Would you like to be modified? I had in mind something a little more radical. What seems to be the problem? Death. Well, I’m afraid that’s a little out of my jurisdiction, yet…
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AIRRACE – Untold Stories
The British hard rock act named Airrace came into being all the way back in 1982 and you can tell by the confidence and quality of this 11-track album of theirs that we are dealing with a gang of seasoned pros who know exactly how to write hook-laden songs. "Untold Stories" is pretty much solid…
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KRAKOW – Minus
The experimental Norwegian weirdos that are Krakow are about to unleash this 6-track offering of theirs and I might as well start off by telling you that this is a challenging but ultimately rewarding listening experience. Why? Well, nothing is ever really straightforward or simple in the strange musical universe that these guys inhabit. There…
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KÜENRING – Küenring
The Austrian underground heavy metal freaks known as Küenring recently unleashed this fairly consistent slab of fist-pumping music of theirs that brings to mind acts such as Accept, U.D.O., Primal Fear, and Judas Priest, but with a slightly more raw and gritty feel to it than the aforementioned titans. This self-titled effort contains eight energetic…
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LURK – Fringe
Finnish Lurk is definitely one of the most unique bands I have come across recently. Heavily influenced by funeral doom of Esoteric, with Deathspell Omega dissonant creepiness, the slower material of Hypocrisy and gothic climate of Type O’Negative, Lurk looks all the way to the earliest My Dying Bride while borrowing even from Alan Wilder…
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HIDEOUS DIVINITY – Adveniens
Death metal is a subgenre that constantly changes. Some would have it not move beyond the classic dirty, rotten sound of Obituary or early Death while others can appreciate the more technical progressive aspect of Obscura or Decrepit Birth. One of the bands which found the happy medium is Ulcerate which in turn inspired others…
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HATRED REIGNS – Realm: I – Affliction
It’s been said the forefathers of heavy metal, Black Sabbath, had already written all the riffs and that arguably may be true, although it’s always appreciated when a band can come up with the likes of Obituary’s "Body Bag" or Pestilence’s "Out Of Body" or Death’s "Zero Tolerance", truly memorable riffs that have "classic" written…
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GAEREA – Unsettling Whispers
Suicidal depression should get its own separate drawer in human psychology, as it is somewhat different from the regular kind which often just merely despairs of life. In contrast, suicidal depression is human being simply unwilling to exist in a vastly murderous, cruel, deeply hostile and inhuman environment we call Earth. Suicidally depressed people seem…