ALBUM REVIEWS

RECENT ALBUM REVIEWS

  • POST PULSE – Halls of the Damned

    Nothing wrong with some groove-oriented death metal from Finland, which is what you’ll get from Post Pulse. "Halls of the Damned" contains heavy, sturdy riffing, caustic vocals that have clarity and depth, plus massive hooks and groove sensibilities that cater to everything from old Machine Head to current Gojira beyond the natural Scandinavian death platform.…

  • AJATTARA – Lupaus

    Finske Ajattara har vært en liten favoritt her i heimen siden deres debutalbum «Itse» kom ut for 16 år siden. Med sin særegne sinte og melodiøse midtempo black metal representerte Ajattara en helt egen variant av sjangeren. Den mørke musikken passet vokalen til originalmedlem Pasi «Ruoja» Koskinen som hånd i hanske (eller var det omvendt?)…

  • CODE – Lost Signal

    The ever-unpredictable and musically exciting entity that is Code never ceases to amaze me. This relatively new 2017 EP of theirs, which consists of six challenging re-recordings from past releases, reeks of everything that makes the band such an interesting one to watch and follow. Actually, I probably should not have used the term re-recordings…

  • WARRANT – Louder Harder Faster

    Their second Robert Mason-fronted record, Warrant aim to prove that they can remain vital and vibrant in the current melodic hard rock landscape – and not be relegated to being a pure nostalgia act. This album "Louder Harder Faster" has a rougher, grittier texture, moving light years away from their platinum plus days of their…

  • AYREON – The Source

    Arjen Anthony Lucassen, betre kjent som mannen bak prog-prosjektet Ayreon, er ute med sitt niande studioalbum, "The Source". Og nederlenderen slår like godt til med eit dobbeltalbum, med ikkje mindre enn elleve gjestevokalistar. Blandt desse er det også to norske, Nils K. Rue (Pagans Mind), og Michael Eriksen, (Circus Maximus). Når det i tillegg er…

  • 42 DECIBEL – Overloaded

    Argentina’s bluesy hard rock act 42 Decibel come back for their third album "Overloaded" – cranking their amps up to ten and delivering a record chock full of anthems sure to go down a storm at any alcohol-fueled event where loud music is the norm. Hitting the red zone intentionally with their meters in the…

  • KALEDON – Carnagus – Emperor of the Darkness

    Serving up power metal of the triumphant, airy variety since 1998, Kaledon return with "Carnagus- Emperor of the Darkness", their ninth studio album. Soaring, majestic vocals, guitar and keyboard runs, double bass throwdowns, and loads of sing-a-long choruses make you think of Rhapsody (Of Fire) meets Skylark or Labyrinth in a dark alley – especially…

  • HAREM SCAREM – United

    The melodic hard rockers from Canada known as Harem Scarem released this 11-track album of theirs just a few weeks ago and the result is a satisfying one. Harem Scarem have been around for a long time although there was a five-year hiatus at one point, but the point that I am trying to make…

  • INFERNO – Gnosis Kardias (of Transcension and Involution)

    Gnosis is the 7th full length from Czech BM act Inferno. This time around Inferno continue to explore the boundaries of modern BM, reaching for an introspective, nightmarish type of discordant psychedelica to complement their more aggressive side. This type of thing has been attempted by many BM and Post BM acts over the last…

  • ERUPTION – Cloaks of Oblivion

    Cloaks of Oblivion is the third full-length studio album from Slovenian thrashers Eruption. This is my first encounter with this band and I am  very pleasantly surprised. This is excellent stuff. Eruption are not the most raging thrashers on the scene. Instead they opt for an approach with galloping mid-paced, Bay Area influenced chugging, with…

  • HERZPARASIT – ParaKropolis

    The German outfit named Herzparasit is a strange one. A band that mixes melodic metal riffs with modern hardcore influences, metalcore, dub step, and electro rock is not exactly something that you encounter every day. Unfortunately, the outcome is not as exciting or fascinating as it sounds. A handful of the huge and anthemic choruses…

  • EARTH ELECTRIC – Vol 1: Solar

    Earth Electric is the latest project from Mayhem’s Rune ‘Blasphemer’ Erikson. No, hang on, it isn’t really a project – this is a fully fledged band. In terms of genre this one is pretty hard to describe. This is a slice of retro-but-modern hard rock that references Porcupine Tree, Pink Floyd and Deep Purple. The…

  • COMANIAC – Instruction for Destruction

    Comaniac is a Swiss thrash metal horde and this 10-track effort of theirs is the second full-length by these dirty buggers so far. Truth be told, this is my first encounter with the band. I read somewhere that their debut album was somewhat well-received and worth looking into, but I did not check that out…

  • SNAKECHARMER – Second Skin

    The kick-ass British outfit named Snakecharmer is finally back with a new sonic assault on our senses. It has been four years since the excellent debut album came out, but this 2017 follow-up of theirs has luckily been worth the wait. Come to think of it, this new effort is even better and more focused…

  • WOLFHOWL – The Purity Of Mother Nature

    Gresk, enmanns-prosjekt, og selvsagt black metal. "The Purity Of Mother nature" er en EP med 4 sanger, hvor første sang, "By The Power", definitivt skiller seg ut med sitt fengende riff og driv. Musikken er ellers rimelig standard atmosfærisk black metal, uten noen store overraskelser, men samtidig viser Faethon at han definitivt har noe å…

  • EVIL MADNESS / INFANT DEATH – Evil Madness / Infant Death

    Chilenske Evil Madness og norske Infant Death fant det for godt å gi ut en split i fjor. Kassettversjonen kom på Ancestral Terror Records mens vinylversjonen kom på Doomentia. Chilenerne gir oss fire låter og Infant Death spanderer fem. Ingen av disse finnes på noen andre offisielle utgivelser, så er du fan av en av…

  • DANZIG – Black Laden Crown

    The legendary king of dark and sinister rock that is Glenn Danzig has returned with a new moody opus following a seven-year wait since the "Deth Red Sabaoth" album. Instead of talking about Danzig and the band’s back catalogue and so on, allow me to cut straight to the chase and state that this upcoming…

  • EXALTER – Obituary for the Living

    Etter å ha sittet med hodet tungt nede i ei teknisk krevende prog/death plate i noen dager, var det ganske befriende å få en liten dose frisk thrash fra bangladeshiske Exalter. Når dette bandet pøser på med sin kjappriffthrash tydelig inspirert av Bay Area thrash, svinger det godt av dem. Akkurat slik de fleste thrashfan…

  • GRID – Human Collapse Syndrome

    Grid er svensk grindcore. Bandet består av to mann som med denne korte EP-en på ti minutter gir oss en god, men liten dose av skikkelig grindcore. Det opplyses at fans av Nasum, The Arson Project, Rotten Sound og Napalm Death garantert vil like dette, og det tviler jeg ikke på at de gjør. God…

  • MIDNIGHT RIDER – Manifestation

    Active since 2004, the stars align for German heavy metal act Midnight Rider to finally release their debut full-length in "Manifestation". Containing members with ties to Metalucifer and Metal Inquisitor among others, it shouldn’t be surprising that these 10 songs contain a lot of 70’s throwback elements that helped make Black Sabbath and Judas Priest…

  • DISTILLATOR – Summoning the Malicious

    Nederlandsk thrash metal av den heftige kjappe typen. Det er veldig 80-talls med masse dominerende riff, høy vokal der de fleste tekstlinjer avsluttes med et lite skrik og mange headbangerdrivende partier og låter. Muligens litt vel dominerende gitarer, for de dominerer veldig i lydbildet. Dette er utvilsomt reprodusering av ting man har hørt før. Null…

  • SPOIL ENGINE – Stormsleeper

    These days, genre crossing appears to be the norm – since staying in one niche seems passé. Hailing from Belgium and Holland, Spoil Engine blend together modern metalcore, cyber nuances, and melodic death on their "Stormsleeper" album. Which means for the listener a heaviness that can bring Arch Enemy or current In Flames up in…

  • DIABOLOS – Cannibal Darkness

    The US audio horror outfit known as Diabolos finally unleashed their debut onslaught of sinister and vicious black/death/thrash/punk metal via Bandcamp last year. Entitled "Cannibal Darkness", the ten tunes that constitute the album are sharp as a razor and revel in everything that is unholy and depraved. The riffs are like nails being driven into…

  • INGLORIOUS – Inglorious II

    "Inglorious II" by the young and hungry hard rock combo named Inglorious from the UK is a mightily impressive and kick-ass throwback to the great(est) rock of the 70s when giants truly walked the earth. Imagine a fiery and potent mix between Deep Purple, early Whitesnake, UFO, Led Zeppelin, and Aerosmith. That is what Inglorious…

  • RITCHIE BLACKMORE’S RAINBOW – Stranger in Us All (Expanded Edition)

    "Stranger in Us All" by Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow is one of those sadly overlooked and underrated gems that ought to be worshiped and cherished by all of you lovers of hard rocking music out there. When Blackmore relaunched Rainbow following his exit from Deep Purple, he put together an extremely impressive line-up consisting of some…

  • THE DEAD DAISIES – Live & Louder

    The awesome hard rock ensemble known as The Dead Daisies has garnered quite the reputation these past few years for being a kick-ass rock band with a sense of danger and excitement to it. Boasting an impressive line-up consisting of Brian Tichy (Foreigner, Whitesnake, Ozzy Osbourne) on drums, Marco Mendoza (Thin Lizzy, Whitesnake) on bass,…

  • ARDETHA – Ardetha

    This rather cool 2-track EP was released just a few weeks ago by the atmospheric black metal horde from the UK known as Ardetha. Musically, the songs are epic and moody and yet strangely claustrophobic and dark. The sound of the EP is pretty raw and you can tell that it was recorded either on…

  • JOTNAR – Connected / Condemned

    Five years removed from their debut "Giant" EP release, Spain’s Jotnar finally issue their debut full-length "Connected/ Condemned" for their new label Massacre Records. Good things come to those who are patient, and for this melodic death quintet the time couldn’t be more appropriate to remind the listeners of the best elements that took this…

  • BACKWOOD SPIRIT – Backwood Spirit

    Started in 2014 by guitarist Kent Engström, Swedish act Backwood Spirit live for the classic /retro rock foundation on this self-titled debut album. We know that it seems very hip these days to perform in a throwback style, but as long as the songwriting and performances come from the heart, it’s a welcome relief from…

  • ADAM BOMB – 911 is Disconnected – So This is Rock ‘n’ Roll

    Adam "Bomb" Brenner may not be a household name as such, but the guy is a pretty interesting character in that he has been a part of the hard rock scene for close to forty years now. Apart from fronting his own solo act, he has toured with and/or performed on records by artists such…