RECENT ALBUM REVIEWS
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SUMERLANDS – Sumerlands
Sumerlands is an American doom/heavy metal band from Pennsylvania. They seem to be heavily influenced by Ozzy Osbourne, Judas Priest and Mercyful Fate, although my favorite on the album "Blind" is almost thrash Megadeth. Sumerlands has good songwriting skills and command of their instruments and tracks such as the opener "Seven Seals", catchy "Timelash" and…
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HAIL SPIRIT NOIR – Mayhem in Blue
Hail Spirit Noir is by no means an ordinary band. "Mayhem in Blue" is no ordinary album either. Once in a while, you come across a band that simply blows you away and changes your perspective on what music is and how it can influence and inspire you. This Greek three-piece has released one of…
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FETID ZOMBIE – Epicedia
Da jeg hørte gjennom den første låta på denne fire spors skiva på 35 minutter første gangen, var det to ting som satte seg fast i hjernebarken min. Det første var at vokalen var litt malplassert. Litt pratende mørk og tørr growl som passer bedre som introstemme til grøssere og introer til Destruction konserter. Det…
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AGATUS – The Eternalist
"Children became kings, kings became gods, gods were worshiped and immortalized by men" The third album from the Greek black/heavy metal band Agatus is a mixed affair. The black metal is scarce (The Invisible, Gods of Fire), the black metal shrieks/growls largely replaced with solid clean vocals throughout and the entire album is more leaning…
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TYGERS OF PAN TANG – Tygers of Pan Tang
Judging from this excellent self-titled opus that will be released by Mighty Music in just a few days (and probably already out by the time you are reading this), the legendary NWOBHM act Tygers of Pan Tang is still very much alive and kicking. The awesome album cover art says it all and tells you…
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ANCIIENTS – Voice of the Void
Vancouver, Canada in the western part of the country may not necessarily get its just rewards for a vibrant music scene as say Toronto or Montreal, but there are a number of impressive metal bands coming from the area these days. Anciients since 2010 are one of the shining new beacons from that area –…
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MADDER MORTEM – Red in Tooth and Claw
The progressive and experimental Norwegian metal outfit known as Madder Mortem is back! It has been seven years since the band released "Eight Ways". Where does the time go? The very first time I experienced the band’s diverse and shape-shifting music was on stage, more specifically when the band performed at the Inferno London Event…
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DARKNESS – The Gasoline Solution
Lurking beneath the shadows in the Teutonic thrash furor that Kreator, Sodom, and Destruction dished out in the 1980’s would be a band like Darkness. They issued a series of demos and three albums during the 1980’s, playing in a raw, speedy manner that held no compromise for the genre – endearing them to the…
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SLEGEST – Vidsyn
The sinister and ugly Norwegian metal outfit known as Slegest is back on the map with a brand new onslaught of rotten, catchy, and doomy music. This 2016 release, which is entitled "Vidsyn", is without a shadow of doubt the most concise, sharp, and entertaining output by the band yet. Compared to its predecessor, "Vidsyn"…
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TO CAST A SHADOW – Winter’s Embrace
There’s something blissful about the marriage of gothic and doom when it comes to metal music. Especially if it’s handled in the right way – as Norway band To Cast a Shadow portray on their third full-length "Winter’s Embrace". Launching in 2004, the quartet possess one of those dark, melancholic sounds where the guitars churn…
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THEATRES DES VAMPIRES – Candyland
Inspired by the fictional location of a Parisian theatre in which vampires pretend to be mortal actors, Italian gothic metal/ rock band Theatres des Vampires have been together since 1994, as "Candyland" is their tenth studio album. Stylistically transforming themselves from a melodic black metal band in their earliest years, there’s a strong sense of…
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SACRED STEEL – Heavy Metal Sacrifice
Celebrating their twenty-year anniversary as a band, German act Sacred Steel live for the true/traditional metal cause since the very beginning of their career together in 1996. Hoisting shields and swords to the sky, "Heavy Metal Sacrifice" is another record to champion if you desire anthems that keep things as real as possible for the…
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PG.LOST – Versus
In their own words, PG.Lost is "post rock/indie experimental instrumentalism, orchestra of the heart, a playground for the long lost sporadic thoughts of giving in or getting back, a Swedish band of many directions, but most of all a band throbbing with great melancholy grinding against the precious high hopes of not just individual human…
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LYNAM – Halfway to Hell
Together since 2001, Lynam from Alabama have been a part of the retro-metal / hard rock movement that aligns well with the 80’s scene. "Halfway to Hell" is the latest release, a first for European audiences as it contains the previous EP of the same name plus many singles and highlights from their earlier albums.…
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OBITUARY – Ten Thousand Ways to Die
The legendary death mongers that we all know and love as Obituary are about to unearth this live album of theirs entitled "Ten Thousand Ways to Die". Actually, it has been referred to as a two-track single containing 11 live cuts as a bonus. To me, it feels more natural to refer to this as…
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INSOMNIUM – Winter’s Gate
As far as I’m concerned, Insomnium never released anything that could even remotely be considered crap, although some albums were stronger than others, with a few masterpieces such as "Above The Weeping World" or my favorite album "Across the Dark". On these albums and the subsequent "One for Sorrow" as well as "Shadows of the…
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NORTHERN CROWN – The Others
‘The Others’ is billed as ‘epic doom’ and it certainly starts out that way. Right from the start fans will be reminded of all their favourites from the genre – Candlemass springs straight to mind. And for the first two tracks, most of you will be thinking – ‘Hang on! Here’s a contender for doom…
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MIRACLE FLAIR – Angels Cast Shadows
The second album "Angels Cast Shadows" from Miracle Flair has a versatile approach due to the various influences on hand. Coming from Switzerland and possessing a female singer, many will of course be quick to place a pure symphonic metal tag on the quartet – and while that is a part of their sound, there…
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HARTMANN – Shadows & Silhouettes
Oliver Hartmann probably is best known these days for his work in Avantasia and the Rock Meets Classic tours, beyond his recordings with At Vance and as a solo artist – for which "Shadows & Silhouettes" represents the fifth studio outing for his latter career. Assembling a stellar lineup of musicians like Mario Reck on…
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CAGE OF CREATION – Into Nowhere
The experimental black metal outfit known as Cage of Creation, which hails from Russia, is a most interesting and challenging encounter. Unfortunately, I have not yet had the chance to check the band’s two previous EPs out, but this full-length album appropriately titled "Into Nowhere" definitely makes me want to look those up. Now, when…
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ARMORY – World Peace…Cosmic War
If you do a simple search on the Metal Archives website, you would notice that there is a Massachusetts power metal band called Armory that have been together since 2001 and released two albums under this moniker while still an active band. "World Peace…Cosmic War" on the other hand is the debut full-length for this…
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OPERATION:MINDCRIME – Resurrection
Geoff Tate’s progressive metal ensemble named Operation: Mindcrime is back with a follow-up to the 2015 debut entitled "The Key", or rather; the band has released the second musical chapter of its ongoing trilogy in which "The Key" served as the first chapter. On "The Key", we were introduced to the main character H, and…