RECENT ALBUM REVIEWS
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DARYL EASLEA – Without Frontiers: The Life and Music of Peter Gabriel
This utterly convincing and highly fascinating 447-page book on the enigmatic Peter Gabriel (Genesis) is as detailed and well-researched as it is interesting. The voice of those early Genesis classics is undoubtedly a strange and slippery character to some in that he defies and transcends all the norms and conventions that usually apply when we…
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MAGMA WAVES – …And Who Will Take Care of You Now
The German post-rockers/post-metallers known as Magma Waves were kind enough to mail us a copy of their 2017 album entitled "…And Who Will Take Care of You Now", and as it turns out, it is a strong and cleverly written slab of dark and brooding instrumental music. I think we can all agree that the…
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MONSTER TRUCK – True Rockers
This 11-track rollercoaster entitled "True Rockers" by the kick-ass ensemble known as Monster Truck is a glorious rock ‘n’ roll output with more spark and energy to it than one can possibly imagine. This wild and raging beast of a record hardly ever crawls to a standstill but instead keeps the listener engaged and hanging…
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ROTHEADS – Sewer Fiends
There is a new trend in modern metal: new bands focused on reanimating old school, be it traditional, thrash or death, with various degrees of success. Seldom a band is able to capture the essence of the 80s or 90s death metal, for one Gruesome does not yet call for celebration. But if you’re into…
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PANEGYRIST – Hierurgy
Just when you thought there was nothing new under the sun, your very own city of residence spawns a melodic avant-garde black metal band that defies lyrical/image categorization to boot. Panegyrist, which means one who delivers a eulogy, is a project of a Chicago painter (who created the artwork) and spiritual poet/musician, Elijah Gwhedhú Tamu…
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GIOELI-CASTRONOVO – Set the World on Fire
This glorious 12-track affair by the two incredibly talented gentlemen that are Deen Castronovo (Dead Daisies, Revolution Saints, ex-Ozzy Osbourne) and Johnny Gioeli (Hardline) is perhaps one of the best and most well-written melodic rock/hard rock/AOR outputs to see the light of day in 2018 yet. The two of them worked together more than 25…
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GUNS’N’ROSES – Appetite for Destruction: Locked N’ Loaded
It goes without saying that the legendary Guns N’ Roses debut offering known as “Appetite for Destruction” is one of the greatest albums of all time. Seldom has a debut record by a young and hungry band sounded as wild, reckless, and passionate as this one. In many ways, it has become larger than life…
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DEATHCULT – Cult of the Goat
The scummy purveyors of sinister Norwegian black metal known as Deathcult finally unearthed and unleashed their darkened sophomore opus very late last year and it has been worth the long wait (the debut offering was released all the way back in 2007). With the core line-up consisting of Skagg (guitars and vocals), Thurzur (drums), and…
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THIS WILD LIFE – Petaluma
I am not quite sure why this 10-track album by This Wild Life ended up in my pile of stuff to review as it is so far removed from what we usually cover here at Eternal Terror Live that I simply feel a little out of my depth here in terms of describing and analyzing…
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MARILLION – Brave (Deluxe Edition)
Living legends Marillion are without doubt one of the greatest prog rock outfits of all time. The fact that they are still out there touring, releasing brilliant albums such as "FEAR" (2016), and staying relevant speaks volumes about how dedicated these gentlemen are to their exciting and moving brand of music as well as their…
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Truchło Strzygi – Pora Umierać
The rather obscure Polish outfit named Truchło Strzygi is truly an underground gem and a very cool surprise to the unrefined taste of yours truly. These ugly fuckers offer a strong and excellent cocktail consisting of black metal and punk rock that is both entertaining and exciting to indulge in. The lyrics are all in…
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MICHAEL ROMEO – War of the Worlds / Pt. I
That Symphony X shredder Michael Romeo is an insanely talented guitarist is pretty much a fact. Based on its title, one could be led into thinking that this 10-track solo offering of his revolves around H.G. Well’s literary classic "War of the Worlds", but that does not seem to be the case. However, just as…
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GRAHAM BONNET BAND – Meanwhile, Back in the Garage
Legendary vocalist Graham Bonnet (Rainbow, Alcatrazz, MSG) is undoubtedly one of the finest singers out there in the world of rock music and he is as charismatic as he is cool whenever he hits the stage. These past few years has seen him touring pretty much constantly with his own group, the Graham Bonnet Band,…
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KOSMOGYR – Eviternity
The most interesting part about this melodic black metal project is that Kosmogyr consists of just two guys, Chinaman Xander Cheng (bass, guitar) and Czech Ivan (vocals, drum programming) who had collaborated over the internet. Does it work? Kosmogyr surprisingly works very well. Ivan’s production is great, the atmosphere of the album is superb, the…
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TNT – XIII
The renowned and long-running Norwegian entity named TNT recently released its thirteenth album via Frontiers Records and I must admit that I was quite excited about receiving a promo copy of the album as I was keen on listening to what the band’s new vocalist had to offer. After the split with former singer Tony…
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CRIMSON DAY – At the Mountains of Madness
Crimson Day, named so after D-Day of Normandy, is a Finnish thrashing heavy metal band heavily rooted in Iron Maiden and Judas Priest but taking pages from Dream Theater, Megadeth, Trivium and even Dark Tranquillity. "At The Mountains Of Madness" is their second album and boasts excellent production courtesy of Jussi Kulomaa. The album’s lyrical…
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LORDS OF BLACK – Icons of the New Days
Spanish power metallers Lords of Black, which is fronted by the hugely talented Ronnie Romero (Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow, The Ferryman), recently released this third full-length album of theirs via Frontiers and its 70-minute journey into musically grandiose territory is an interesting albeit bumpy and uneven one. Compared to earlier on, these guys seem to have…
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MAYFLOWER MADAME – Premonition
This 4-track EP by the Oslo-based Mayflower Madame is certainly not without its merits and the band’s interesting and engaging blend of post-punk, morose rock, and shoegaze is not totally unlike some of the sounds that we associate with The Cure, Jesus and Mary Chain, and the overlooked Plenty. There are even a few nods…
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JIZZY PEARL – All You Need is Soul
Former Love/Hate vocalist Jizzy Pearl is still going strong and rocking out as evidenced by this loud and wonderfully energetic 12-track output of his, which comprises all the best elements and traits from the aforementioned band as well as Pearl’s knack for writing songs with solid hooks and adrenaline-fueled riffs to them. There is nothing…
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LYKHAEON – Ominous Eradication of Anguished Souls
The oppressive Swiss outfit named Lykhaeon conjure up some rather bleak and unsettling soundscapes on this 2-track EP of theirs entitled "Ominous Eradication of Anguished Souls" that are as pitch black as they are vile. While parallels to orthodox and dissonant French black metal ala Hell Militia and Aosoth can easily be made, Lykhaeon also…
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ART OF DECEPTION – Path of Trees
Yours truly witnessed the skilled Norwegian quartet named Art of Deception back in 2015 when they were supporting Toxic Holocaust at Garage in Bergen, Norway. That night it quickly became apparent that these guys had potential and could turn into a frightening musical monster a couple of years down the road. Well lo and behold,…
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DON AIREY – One of a kind
This excellent and atmospheric record by the living legend that is Don Airey (Deep Purple, Gary Moore, Ozzy Osbourne, Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, etc.) came out a few months ago and if you have yet to pick up a copy of it or familiarize yourself with it then you are in for a treat.…
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DEFIANT – Insurrection Icon
The four wicked Croatians collectively known as Defiant offer a highly solid and entertaining mix of black and death metal with a lot of infectious melodies and skull-shattering riffs to it. The dark and punchy sound of this 40-minute long record adds an organic flow to the proceedings and you can tell that these dudes…
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MORTUORIAL ECLIPSE – Urushdaur
Argentinian chaos mongers Mortuorial Eclipse quite recently released this majestic 9-track opus of theirs via Art Gates Records and if bombastic black/death metal turns you on I suggest you pay attention here. Before going any further, however, I probably ought to start off by telling you that the music conjured up by these highly skilled…
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INJECTOR – Stone Prevails
Spanish thrash metallers Injector recently spat forth this raging 12-track record of theirs via the ever-reliable Art Gates Records and the result is most satisfying. What we are dealing with here is essentially intense thrash metal that is somewhat modern and current, which is to say that it is neither as frantic as those old…
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GRUESOME – Twisted Prayers
Gruesome’s debut offering entitled "Savage Land" blew me and seemingly everybody else in the metal community away when it hit the market back in 2015. It was a stunning record containing nothing but killer songs with great hooks and loads of atmosphere to them. Although not original as such, the quality of the songwriting was…
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KENNEY JONES – Let the Good Times Roll
The living legend that is Kenney Jones is one of those characters that I had secretly been hoping would write his memoirs one day and then out of nowhere I suddenly discovered that the ever-awesome and reliable Blink Publishing in the UK had published the aforementioned drummer’s biography detailing his life and times with the…
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GRAVECOVEN – Coughing Blood
Alright fuckers, I will keep this one rather short, concise, and to the point. GraveCoven are an American outfit specializing in conjuring up sinister and murky death metal with a few black metal undertones to it and this four-track EP of theirs entitled Coughing Blood is a morbidly enjoyable listen. The compositions are all utterly…
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OBSCURA – Diluvium
The raging German death metallers Obscura are about to unleash a malevolent storm of progressive and highly technical insanity entitled "Diluvium" quite soon and if you are on the lookout for frantic riffing and intense music, this one is for you. Obscura have been at it for fifteen years and have totally mastered the craft…
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DOWN AMONG THE DEAD MEN – … And You Will Obey Me
Down Among the Dead Men", from which this Swedish/Danish band’s name may possibly be derived, is an English drinking song first published in 1728, but possibly of greater antiquity. Down Among The Dead Men is a relatively new musical project of guitarist, bassist Rogga Johansson (Paganizer, Megascavenger, Ribspreader, The Grotesquary), vocalist Dave Ingram (ex-Bolt Thrower,…