RECENT ALBUM REVIEWS
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TORREFY – The Infinity Complex
The Infinity Complex is the second full-length from Canadian thrashers Torrefy. The style reminds me of the more metallic and progressive sides of Ludichrist and Crumbsuckers as both bands shot off into the black holes of their demise. So soundwise, that is a good thing as far as I am concerned. And certainly, Torrefy are…
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TREAT – The Road More or Less Traveled – Live in Milano
The melodic hard rock outfit from Sweden named Treat recently released the rather entertaining and highly professional CD/DVD release of theirs entitled "The Road More or Less Traveled" via the Italian label Frontiers. As far as I know, this is the first release in a series of live albums and videos captured at the Frontiers…
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PURPENDICULAR – Venus to Volcanus
The Deep Purple tribute outfit named Purpendicular, which was formed by Irish-born vocalist Robby Thomas Walsh, is one of the most sought-after and popular Purple tribute acts out there today. The fact that legendary Purple drummer Ian Paice relatively often tours and performs with these guys is testimony to just how talented this international band…
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DOEDSVANGR – Satan ov Suns
The Finnish-Norwegian black metal trio named Doedsvangr recently released this sinister slab of filthy and occult music via Immortal Frost Productions and the result is a satisfying one. The members of this ugly horde all have their black metal resumes in order, which is to say that they have all been members (and indeed still…
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DISBELIEF – The Symbol of Death
Active since 1990, German band Disbelief may have been away for seven years between studio albums – but they’ve come back with honor on their tenth full-length "The Symbol of Death". Armed as a quintet with three new members, long-timers Karsten Jäger on vocals and Jochen Trunk on bass take newer nuances into account to…
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MARTIN POPOFF – Beer Drinkers and Hell Raisers: The Rise of Motörhead
This upcoming book on the mighty and sadly missed Motörhead by noted author Martin Popoff is a treat. In fact, Mr. Popoff happens to be one of my favorite authors when it comes to biographies and the likes, and I was secretly kind of hoping that he would do one on Motörhead one day. Lo…
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ANCARA – Garden of Chains
Shifting gears from a straightforward heavy metal act on "Beyond the Dark" into something more melodic in the alternative metal perspective for "Chasing Shadows", it shouldn’t really come as a surprise that Ancara’s follow up "Garden of Chains" drills deeper into the modern hooks and catchiness that appear to go for stronger commercial appeal. This…
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TYRANEX – Death Roll
The third album from Sweden’s Tyranex continues the trail set forth from the first two records – accelerator-oriented thrash with wild shrieking vocals and occasional fits of blasting mania. Previously impressed by "Unable to Tame" from 2014, there should be little worry of any monumental shift from the quartet – they subscribe to a down…
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GLOSON – Grimen
Fairly active in recording output since getting together in 2014, Swedish quintet Gloson have already issued an EP and live album prior to their first studio full-length, "Grimen". Delivering a sonically crushing mixture that contains lumbering riffs, caustic vocals, and atmospheric embellishment – these six songs aim for the mind, body and soul in a…
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LIV SIN – Follow Me
Pouring heart and soul into Sister Sin for 13 years, vocalist Liv Sin made her mark on the global front through her discography and live touring with the band. Once disbanding in 2015, she didn’t waste time assembling a new band and putting out "Follow Me" – the debut 11 song effort with her new…
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HIDEOUS DIVINITY – Adveniens
Italienske Hideous Divinity ble startet opp i Norge i 2007, men har aldri hatt noe annet enn italienske medlemmer. Eneste gjenværende grunnlegger av bandet, Enrico Schettino, flyttet tilbake til Italia etter noe år og fikk med seg nye medlemmer der. Tre album er det blitt på gutta, som musikalsk befinner seg i den mer tekniske…
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GRAHAM BONNET – Anthology 1968-2017
This career-spanning anthology comprised of songs from legendary vocalist Graham Bonnet’s impressive and inspiring discography is a treasure chest of great music. As many of you know, Bonnet has fronted such renowned and awesome bands as Rainbow, Forcefield, Alcatrazz, The Marbles, the Michael Schenker Group, and so on and so forth. To cut a long…
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ALFAHANNE – Det Nya Svarta
Alfapocalyptic rock. Det kommer fra Alfahanne med røtter i Eskiltuna, Sveriges svar på Drammen. Det nya svarta, er deres tredje barn. Selv mener de at de har gått tilbake til røttene av musikkhistorien for å finne elementer og videreutviklet de på sin egen måte. Og det gjør de forsåvidt. lite høres ut som Alfahanne. Man…
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ARTIFICIAL LANGUAGE – The Observer
Prog-rock og prog-metal skal stort sett vere musikk som gradvis blir bedre med tida, men med Artificial Language’s "The Observer" var det omvendt for underteikna. Første gjennomlytt gjorde eit godt intrykk, men med nokre runder til vart det heile litt keisamt. Likevel er dette godt gjennomført prog-metal frå USA. Artificial Language, som kjem frå Fresno,…
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MORTIIS – The Unraveling Mind
The unsettled and unsettling "The Unraveling Mind" by Norwegian electro-industrial artist Mortiis is essentially a previously unreleased soundtrack in the sense that the music was written for an underground horror movie, but very little of the music was ever actually used. Luckily for us, Mortiis recently decided to release this dark and vibrant record on…
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MORTIIS – The Great Corrupter
One of my favorite Norwegian artists in the shape and form of Mortiis is about to unleash this rather harsh and punishing 28-track remix compilation upon the unsuspecting craphole masses and I might as well tell you right here and now that the result is pretty damn decent. Essentially a set of remixes of last…
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SIDEBURN – #Eight
The Swiss hard rock outfit Sideburn will soon unleash this catchy and entertaining opus of theirs entitled "#Eight" through Fastball Music, and if groovy and bluesy classic rock in the vein of AC/DC appeals to you then you ought to check this album out. While AC/DC was the first band that came to mind when…
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MUTILATOR – Immortal Force
En noe sen anmeldelse, det må man bare si om denne. «Immortal Force» ble utgitt for 30 år siden av Cogumelo, men ble tidligere i år re-utgitt av Greyhaze Records. Sistnevnte selskap kan pr dags dato tilby skiva på CD og vinyl (vanlig svart, hvit, testpress og de påstår også å ha noen originale fra…
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EDENBRIDGE – The Great Momentum
The popularity of symphonic metal in any form is undeniable. The options seem limitless – incorporating everything from grand classical textures to power flourishes, even folk and extreme elements can come into play. Edenbridge from Austria have been one of the longest running acts in this genre- together since 1998 and developing their style through…