RECENT ALBUM REVIEWS
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BRUTAL KUK – 2016
Det er ikke ofte man får LP levert på døra av et band som ønsker anmeldelse av sitt nye album. Men når det skjer, gleder det en gammel vinylsamlers hjerte så til de grader at alle andre albumanmeldelser får vente til denne er anmeldt. Sist det skjedde var det Laserguys som dukket opp med juleplata…
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PIKES EDGE – All of Our Beauty
The German outfit Pikes Edge hovers somewhere between modern melodic metal, groove metal, and metal-core, which is to say that the quintet’s music consists of aggressive riffing, lots of breakdowns, concise guitar leads, and pissed-off-yet-varied vocals. Listening to "All of Our Beauty" brings to mind bands such as Devildriver, Arch Enemy, At the Gates, and…
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TESTPILOT – Chuck Yeager
The Norwegian heavy rock outfit named Testpilot had for some weird reason escaped my attention, but luckily someone reached out and told me to check these awesome dudes and their music out, which I promptly did. Suffice to say I have not regretted doing that, because "Chuck Yeager", which is the second release by Testpilot…
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PANYCHIDA – Haereticalia – The Night Battles
The Czech horde known as Panychida released this fourth full-length onslaught last year via Cursed Records, and the result is quite satisfying. With a strong emphasis on melody and atmosphere, "Haereticalia – The Night Battles" is a worthy follow-up to the well-crafted predecessor entitled "Grief for an Idol", but this new opus is slightly more…
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ZEROZONIC – Zerozonic
Zerozonic is a band created by Daniel "Død" Olaisen of Blood Red Throne’s fame because Daniel had ideas that did not fit a death metal convention of his first love. Zerozonic could be described best as punkish thrash/groove but with a fairly original sound. Take the old and latter Soilwork, a pinch of old God…
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IMMOLATION – Atonement
Look at that cover, that old logo that adorned only their first two albums and was thus far reserved to T shirts. While I agree that from "Failures for Gods" through "Kingdom of Conspiracy" the only sensible alternative was the new logo I don’t completely buy that they supposedly only used it now because it…
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UNEARTHLY – The Unearthly
Denne skiva ble utgitt i 1000 eksemplarer i 2014 av Shinigami Records, og den ble reutgitt av Metal Age i fjor. Sannsynligvis for å nå ut til et større publikum. Det kan forstås da dette er en god death metal skive. Musikalsk ligger Unearthly godt plantet i Nile-landskapet og som Nile varieres også her tempoet…
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CWEALM – Odes to No Hereafter
Listening to melodic Swedish black metal on a cold and windy night can be an atmospheric and moody experience at times. With respect to the one-man outfit bearing the obscure name of Cwealm (meaning "death" in old English if my memory serves me correctly), the 40-minute opus that is "Odes to No Hereafter"is musical journey…
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WORDS OF FAREWELL – A Quiet World
A German melodic death sextet, Words of Farewell embrace a progressive and often modern context on their third album "A Quiet World". These nine tracks push parameters of groove and keyboards against the conventional higher guitar melodies and fierce growls/screams – encompassing everything from conventional Gothenburg influences to possibly a bit of that American stomp.…
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ONCE HUMAN – Evolution
Ex-Machine Head/ Soulfly guitarist Logan Mader has spent more of his recent time behind the boards in a producing/mixing realm, but hasn’t stopped writing and recording in his own bands – which includes this current act Once Human. "Evolution" is the follow up record to their 2015 "The Life I Remember" debut – giving the…
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CHRONOS ZERO – Hollowlands: The Tears Path Chapter One
"A Prelude Into Emptiness" was an incredibly bombastic overblown piece of progressive metal that sounded as uninspired as it was truly uncatchy. Somehow, some way, the band managed to create a longer album, more bombastic and more overblown album but upped the ante in terms of uncatchiness. Read: not a single track retained by my…
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CHRONOS ZERO – A Prelude Into Emptiness: The Tears Path Chapter Alpha
Is there such thing as too much progression? Well, sure, that’s part of what’s wrong with the world today: too much progression can be as ill-fated as too much conservatism. But is that true for music? Chronos Zero is proof positive that yes, it is. It shoots for proximity with Symphony X, Nevermore and Evergrey…
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ANNIHILATOR – Triple Threat
Guitarist, songwriter, producer, and leader of Canadian metal band Annihilator Jeff Waters does not sit idly by as members shuffle in and out of his group. Back to taking over the vocals again, "Triple Threat" is a double CD/ single DVD outing (although we did not have access to the visual contents) consisting of a…
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MICHAEL SCHENKER – Michael Schenker Fest Live DVD
This stunning live document spearheaded by legendary guitarist Michael Schenker (Scorpions, MSG, UFO) is a thing of pure beauty. Featuring a rather over-the-top line-up in terms of musical excellence and talent, this release features not one but three legendary vocalists, namely Gary Barden, Graham Bonnet, and Robin McAuley. On top of that, the ever-awesome Ted…
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DANKO JONES – Wild Cat
With 20 plus years in the trenches, Canadian hard rock act Danko Jones know how to get down to business, unleashing another set of eleven quick hitting songs for their latest studio record "Wild Cat". Much like the Ramones and Motörhead, this three-piece keep focus on memorable hooks and melodies, taking away any excess to…
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THEOCRACY – Ghost Ship
Theocracy is a Christian progressive power metal conveying the Gospel of Jesus Christ with taste, maturity and excellent story telling. Already on their eponymous debut, which the singer and guitarist Matt Smith recorded entirely by himself, Theocracy showcased exceptional amount of compositional talent, ability and skill further showcased on "Mirror of Souls". Subsequent "As The…
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AL ATKINS – Reloaded
Original Judas Priest vocalist Al Atkins recently released this 11-track album of his entitled "Reloaded", which consists of re-recorded tracks from the last four decades of his career, and I must say that I have grown quite fond of it. Featuring guest appearances by great and prominent musicians such as John McCoy (Gillan), Roy Z…
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REAPING ASMODEIA – Impuritize
Minneapolis, MN may be known for bitterly cold winters, but it’s also home to this technical death metal unit Reaping Asmodeia. Together since 2013, they self-released their debut album "Poison of the Earth" a year later- supporting the record across the United States on tour with acts like Abiotic, Beyond Creation, and Boris the Blade…
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RUINS OF HUMANITY – Enemy In The Mirror
Ruins of Humanity sounds a lot like "Behind The Silence and Solitude" All That Remains (ATR) album and "Stings of Conscience" Unearth record, except the vocals, samey throughout this 4 track affair make me wish Ruins of Humanity were an instrumental band. Why Tuomas Valkola has to scream like that is anyone’s guess as it…
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IMMOLATION – Atonement
The best death metal bands from my viewpoint establish their own take on proceedings early in their career- and continue to stick to those ideals while developing future albums. New York’s Immolation has been one of those acts that right away from "Dawn of Possession" in 1991 created a style that is relentless, brutal, and…
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KREATOR – Gods of Violence
The likes of Testament and Kreator, once second fiddlers to the once mighty Big Four (Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer, Anthrax) have surpassed them while stopping them from disappearing up their own asses. At this point it is really anyone’s guess whether Kreator seriously benefited from the New Wave of American Heavy Metal like, say, Sodom or…
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BENIGHTED – Necrobreed
Jeg hadde gleden av å bli kjent med det franske death metal bandet Benighted og deres musikk for snart 15 år siden. Jeg har prøvd å følge med på hva som har kommet fra disse etter hvert brutale franskmennene. Jeg skriver «etter hvert» fordi de begynte som black metal band, men beveget seg senere inn…
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SLAAMASKIN – 2016
A little late in terms of reviewing this 2016 release by the Norwegian ensemble Slaamaskin, but better late than never, I reckon. Slaamaskin is a hard-hitting and ugly outfit with an aggressively punky and hardcore-like vibe to it, although I would not really classify it as either of those two, but the music possesses a…
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ACCEPT – Restless and Live – Blind Rage – Live in Europe 2015
The legendary act Accept is not only a vital and strong presence in the metal scene still, but also a most potent and energetic machine on stage. "Restless and Live – Blind Rage – Live in Europe 2015" (quite the mouthful, eh?) is proof that Accept is more than capable of unleashing hell on stage…
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EMPIRE – Hypnotica (re-issue)
The debut album from international hard rock band Empire starts with German guitarist Rolf Munkes, who played in acts like Majesty, Crematory, and Razorback through the years. "Hypnotica" originally came out in 2001 through Lion Music- Pride & Joy Music is reissuing the Empire back catalog, starting with this debut album, tacking on three bonus…
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BORN AGAIN – Strike with Power
A relative newcomer in the French hard rock/metal scene, Born Again started in early 2016 and quickly issue a debut full-length "Strike with Power". Their sound has a lot of classic hallmarks in terms of the incorporating memorable, quick hitting guitar hooks and groove elements influential in putting Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, and Thin Lizzy…
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AKOMA – Revangels
Slowly ascending the independent ranks through three EP releases from 2005-2012, Danish symphonic metal band Akoma finally gained the attention of Massacre Records to issue their first full-length in "Revangels". Gaining the opportunity locally over that time to support Leaves’ Eyes and play numerous festivals, the quintet stride into this effort like seasoned veterans –…