ALBUM REVIEWS

RECENT ALBUM REVIEWS

  • NECROPHOBIC – Pesta EP

    Våre venner i Necrophobic har denne uka gitt ut en to-spors EP de har kalt «Pesta». Dette er en liten forsmak på deres nye album som er ventet en gang neste år. Som sagt, to låter. Den første, tittellåta, er en 6 minutter lang black/death partylåt med intro og et lengre mer progga rolig pauseparti…

  • MYSTIC PROPHECY – Never-Ending (re-release)

    The third studio album from Mystic Prophecy would be the last one to feature Gus G on guitar – as he would decide to pare down his band activities to focus more on Firewind. "Never Ending" showcases the German/Greek unit in fine form, displaying a carefully crafted mix of heavy/power metal with occasional thrash flashes.…

  • SAMSON – Joint Forces: 1986-1993

    The ever-reliable HNE Recordings recently released this killer 2CD expanded edition by the legendary NWOBHM outfit that is Samson and we might as well start out by stating that you ought to pick up on this if no-frills, old-school metal drives you crazy. While the 16-page booklet filled with interviews and sleeve notes and so…

  • PILEDRIVER – The Boogie Brothers Live in Concert

    Truth be told, I was neither impressed nor blown away by Piledriver’s 2016 release entitled "Brothers in Boogie". Therefore, I did not exactly have high expectations to this new live package of theirs appropriately titled "The Boogie Brothers Live in Concert" when it landed in my pile of stuff to review. Luckily, it turned out…

  • GALDERIA – Return of the Cosmic Men

    French power metal with plenty of vocal harmonies on this second album "Return of the Cosmic Men". Galderia possess a unique situation in that much of the singing for these 10 songs contain dual or trio lead vocal moments between Sebastien Chabot, Thomas Schmitt, and Bob Saliba beyond their guitar, guitar, and bass duties respectively…

  • SHATTERED SUN – The Evolution of Anger

    Texas metal band Shattered Sun vaulted into the landscape thanks to their debut album and subsequent high profile touring with Testament, Slayer, and the final incarnation of the Mayhem festival throughout North America. "The Evolution of Anger" as the follow-up display that experience and growth necessary to sustain interest. At their core, the quintet is…

  • ORIGIN – Unparalleled Universe

    Det amerikanske tech-death metal bandet Origin er i disse dager ute med sitt syvende album. «Unparalleled Universe» er tittelen på skiva og dette er deres andre på Agonia Records. Det er også deres tredje med Jason Keyser på vokal. Han er nå blitt skikkelig varm i Origin-trøya og han gjør en fantastisk jobb og savnet…

  • A FORMAL HORSE – Made in Chelsea

    The British prog rock outfit A Formal Horse (you gotta love that band name!) recently released this excellent 5-track EP entitled "Made in Chelsea" both digitally and on CD. Boasting an organic production and a crunchy sound, the band wastes no time in captivating the listener by means of its compelling song material as opening…

  • KIERON TYLER – Smashing It Up: A Decade of Chaos with the Damned

    I think it is fair to say that many of us have longed for an in-depth biography on the legendary punk rock pioneers The Damned. Bizarre myths, strange legends, interesting lies, crappy half-truths, and pretty much everything in between all of those things have clouded and obscured the true story of the Damned and its…

  • PHYLACTERY – Necromancy Enthroned

    Edmonton death/thrash trio Phylactery may be a new name to many, but they probably will not remain dormant for long based on the savage songwriting present on this full-length "Necromancy Enthroned". Coming off a three song demo release last year, it’s obvious that these gentlemen prefer to keep their music lean, their approach primal, and…

  • DEMOTIONAL – Discovery

    A Swedish modern metal band that hasn’t been on my radar until now with this third album "Discovery". Sitting between modern hard rock and current metal with occasional metalcore leanings, the material possesses massive commercial appeal between the bright use of keyboards, larger than life chorus hooks, and the natural crunch of the guitars and…

  • PRIMAL FEAR – Angels of Mercy: Live in Germany

    The German power metal quartet Primal Fear recently released this live offering via Frontiers and it is a decent albeit unremarkable collection of tunes covering most of the band’s discography. The package consists of a 15-track CD as well as a DVD, but only the CD audio were available for review for some lame reason,…

  • SOUL SECRET – Babel

    "Babel" is the fourth album from Italian progressive metal band Soul Secret – a conceptual piece covering love and religion in an intergalactic mission with cutting edge technology a primary focus. Difficult to tell these days what is truly progressive metal – as the definition broadens depending on the age group and exposure – but…

  • WALPYRGUS – Walpyrgus Nights

    Featuring members of Daylight Dies, October 31, and Twisted Tower Dire among others, Walpyrgus come from Raleigh, North Carolina and aim to bring back the good times in their classic heavy metal style for "Walpyrgus Nights". They’ve been fairly productive since their 2012 beginnings, playing shows when they can as well as releasing singles, demos,…

  • WIND ROSE – Stonehymn

    Conveying an outlook of not writing songs, but smith them against the anvil, Italian act Wind Rose on their third album "Stonehymn" deliver another set of folk-oriented power metal tracks that live for bygone times, anthems for warriors ready to battle. Choosing to emphasize more of the orchestration, choir, and folk aspects to an already…

  • SIMON ROBINSON & STEPHEN CLARE – Deep Purple – Wait for the Ricochet

    This excellent book on Deep Purple’s immortal In Rock album by authors Simon Robinson and Stephen Clare is a thoroughly detailed analysis and close study of the aforementioned masterpiece, which is to say that this 168-page thing of beauty discusses each and every conceivable aspect of the events leading up to the writing of the…

  • DECAPITATED – Anticult

    Veteran bands often stretch boundaries once establishing their foothold in heavy metal. Be it boredom, new members, or a genuine desire to achieve something different with each new release, that can make for polarizing debate amongst the faithful – who may abandon ship while newcomers hopefully fill that missing void. "Anticult" as the seventh studio…

  • AU-DESSUS – End Of Chapter

    Det er ikke ofte band fra de baltiske stater overrasker meg positivt, men denne gjengen fra Litauen gjør nettopp det. "End Of Chapter" er bandets andre album siden oppstarten i 2014, og det du får servert er post black metal, men også med klare referanser til andre black metal sjangere. Albumet starter der forrige album…

  • ENDALOK – Úr draumheimi viðurstyggðar

    A lot of musically exciting and mind-blowing things are happening in the Icelandic metal underground these days. Well, actually, lots of cool things have been happening in that particular part of the scene for years now, but that is beside the point. What matters here is that the obscure and wonderfully mysterious entity that is…

  • CELLAR DARLING – This Is The Sound

    After splitting with Eluveitie in 2016, three members would form Cellar Darling – embodying a new wave of heavy rock with obvious folk tinges because of their previous work. "This Is The Sound" as a debut album has a leg up on the competition, featuring stirring melodies from Anna Murphy, large, brooding riffs from guitarist/bassist…

  • RIENAUS – Saatanelle

    Finske Rienaus spiller standard klassisk finsk black metal, hverken mer eller mindre, og det uten å imponere eller irritere.Vel, vokalen er kanskje et par hakk for intens og skingrende i lengden, hvis det er lov å si det når det kommer til black metal,men når 37 minutter synes litt for lenge, ja da er det nettopp…

  • PANDAEMONUM – Live

    The barbaric Texan black metal horde known as Pandaemonum recently released this rather repulsive and interesting live EP consisting of three semi-long and well-written tunes via Bandcamp, which is to say that we are dealing with a digital release here. While live offerings by black metal outfits usually fail to spark the fire and energy…

  • THUNDERSTICK – Something Wicked This Way Comes

    The semi-legendary NWOBHM outfit that is Thunderstick has returned from beyond the grave, which ought to be a cause for celebration for a lot of you filthy heavy metal freaks out there. The fact that this 2017 effort is the first new material from the band in something along the lines of 33 years is…

  • ADRENALINE RUSH – Soul Survivor

    The Swedish outfit named Adrenaline Rush recently released this great slab of kick-ass hard rock entitled "Soul Survivor", which consists of 12 tracks with an awful lot of drive and energy to them. The 2014 debut album showed a lot of potential and this time around the song material has more depth, substance, and grit…

  • DAVID HEPWORTH – Uncommon People – The Rise and Fall of the Rock Stars

    "Uncommon People" by author David Hepworth is an incredibly well-written and moving account of some of the most pivotal events and happenings in the history of rock ‘n’ roll from the 1950s up to and including the 1990s when the age of the rock star pretty much came to an end. Now, summing up what…

  • DIALITH – Through Stone

    Hailing from the Hudson Valley in New York, Dialith on their debut three-song EP "Through Stone" give the listeners a potent mix of melodic metal with modern and symphonic strains. This type of music relies on strong hooks either of a musical or vocal variety – fortunately for this act, they develop both sides in…

  • LABYRINTH – Architecture of a God

    I was really looking forward to checking this 2017 effort by the Italian power metal sextet named Labÿrinth out. After all, the band has released some cool albums in the past and I was intrigued by the prospect of immersing myself in this brand new 12-track record of theirs. With an impressive line-up consisting of…

  • TANKARD – One Foot In The Grave

    Best known as a beer-fueled outfit with many lyrics championing a love for alcohol, Tankard are veterans of the thrash genre – as "One Foot in the Grave" is the group’s 17th  studio album since 1983. This time tackling some serious topics for "Arena of the True Lies" (discussion of internet ‘click bait’ and fake…

  • ANCIENT DOME – The Void Unending

    Previously impressed with their last studio album "Cosmic Gateway to Infinity" in 2014, these Italian thrashers return with "The Void Unending", another nine track effort that embraces a technical thrash and power stance beyond normal influences and output. Expect guitar breaks that are fluid and slightly longer than most acts, bass play that can rival…

  • FLOGGING MOLLY – Life is good

    Flogging Molly er inne i sitt tyvende år som band og slipper i disse tider sitt sjette album kalt "Life is good", en tittel som lovte godt for min del da Flogging Molly tidligere har klart å knote ned noen tekster med deilig mørk humor. Jeg håpte på en sarkastisk tittel og 12 celtiske låter…