RECENT ALBUM REVIEWS
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DISTANT PAST – Rise of the Fallen
The Swiss quintet named Distant Past delivers progressive and melodic heavy metal that brings to mind such legendary acts as Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, DIO, and Black Sabbath’s "Heaven and Hell" record, to name but a few. "Rise of the Fallen" is a concept album where the main theme is the eternal struggle and dichotomy…
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THIRTEEN BLED PROMISES – The Black Legend
Thirteen Bled Promises is an insanely brutal deathcore band hailing from Spain, and this album of theirs entitled "The Black Legend" is a follow-up to their 2012 debut album. The music spawned by these guys is pure fucking lunacy. Elements of death- and grind metal are thrown in for good measure, but that does not…
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DORO – Strong and Proud
To celebrate her 30 years in rock and metal, Doro felt the time was necessary to release a live documentation of her discography. Only privy to the audio CD for reviewing purposes at press time, know that there are formats available in 2 Blu-Ray, 3 DVD, plus multiple double vinyl options. We get 14 songs…
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SATYRICON – Nemesis Divina – reissue
It is hard to believe that 20 years have passed since the original Moonfog release of Nemesis Divina. Back then, Satyricon were arguably among the leading acts in the Norwegian BM scene, and time has shown this release to be the most revered and respected of the band’s output in over two decades. This Napalm…
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ASSASSIN – Combat Cathedral
Tyske Assassin var et av de thrash bandene man oppdaget på siste halvdel av 80-tallet. Bandet var aktivt fra 83 til 89 da utstyret deres ble stjålet og det var da de var på sitt beste. Etter en pause på 13 år dukket plutselig bandet opp igjen med nye instrumenter og begynte å spille live…
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TOMBS – All Empires Fall EP
Brooklyn’s Tombs are a strange creature. Although commonly described as ‘post-metal,’ I think it is fairer to say this is progressive black metal with elements of punk and sludge (amongst other things). The musical landscape they traverse is pretty diverse. At times, Tombs blast forth like a classic modern black metal act. At other times…
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KISS – KISS Rocks Vegas
The legendary KISS invaded and took control of a whole bunch of movie theatres and cinemas across the globe on 25 May by means of their glorious rock ‘n’ roll, more specifically the kick-ass concert movie entitled "KISS Rocks Vegas". As the title suggests, the movie captures the band live on stage in late 2014…
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HEADLESS – Melt the Ice Away
Many will remember the work of vocalist Göran Edman for his time in Yngwie Malmsteen, but looking through his Metal-Archives output and you’ll find numerous bands and projects that benefit from his seasoned pipes. Italy’s Headless is another fortunate group to gather his services, a progressive metal meets melodic hard rock band that on their…
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WINTERHORDE – Maestro
"Maestro" is my first encounter with the Israeli progressive metal outfit known as Winterhorde, a band that consists of seven members. You do not see that very often. Anyway, as I said, "Maestro" marks the first time that I have ever listened to the symphonic and wildly imaginative music spawned by these guys, but judging…
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ANNIHILATIONMANCER – Precursor of Destruction
Annihilationmancer is basically an Italian one-man operation run by Bruno Masulli (In Aevum Agere, Power Beyond, etc.) in which he handles all the instruments and singlehandedly writes the material and so on. It was formed way back in 1994, but there was a hiatus of sorts between 1999 and 2009, I think. The music is…
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IN MOURNING – Afterglow
In Mournings first album is in my opinion still one of the best, if not the best, debut-album released in recent times. This masterpiece, named "Shrouded Divine" and released in 2008, still blows my mind every time I listen to it, and its one of those albums you never get tired of, ever. "Monolith", the…
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IN AEVUM AGERE – Fugit in Solitudine
In Aevum Agere is an Italian doom metal quartet who has released a few singles, EPs, and a full-length album previous to this brand new 5-track EP of theirs entitled "Fugit in Solitudine". Truth be told, I have never encountered these guys before or listened to any of their releases other than this new one,…
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IHSAHN – Arktis
The acclaimed and highly talented Ihsahn (Emperor, Peccatum, Thou Shalt Suffer) has come back to haunt us with yet another interesting and fascinating musical opus, namely the 10-track effort entitled "Arktis.". Truth be told, I was not exactly blown away by the previous album, "Das Seelenbrechen" (2013), but "Arktis." is another matter entirely. While his…
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KROSSFIRE – Shades of Darkness
The second album "Shades of Darkness" from Bulgarian power/progressive metal band Krossfire continues their intriguing blend of epic strains, symphonic/operatic nuances, as well as occasionally heavier overtones. Veering into more Symphony X-type territory for "King Will Come", the keyboard-led "One More Time" contains the bombast and pomp that put Styx on the arena rock road…
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GRAND MAGUS – Sword Songs
Grand Magus has once again abused the Manowar lyric generator, and the swedish riff lords delivers yet another classic heavy metal album filled with, well, uhm, classic heavy metal.As usual its no nonsense metal, with JB’s voice and guitar leading the way, pouring out song after song tailormade for beerdrinking, hellraising and swordfigthing. They stay true…
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MARTIN POPOFF – From Dublin to Jailbreak: Thin Lizzy 1969-76
I usually cry out with joy whenever I see or hear that there is a new book by acclaimed author Martin Popoff on the way, a case in point being this excellent biography on the legendary Thin Lizzy. As the title suggests, the book focuses exclusively on the years between 1969 and 1976, which, to…
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SIX FEET UNDER – Graveyard Classics IV: The Number of the Priest
Are audiences really clamoring for death growls with their traditional metal favorites? If so, this fourth edition of Six Feet Under’s "Graveyard Classics" series will whet your appetite. Metal Blade CEO Brian Slagel handpicked five Judas Priest songs and six Iron Maiden songs for vocalist Chris Barnes and the Florida death metal troop to put…
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RAINBOW – Boston 1981
The mighty Rainbow need no introduction. Every album of theirs more or less speaks for itself. This particular release, which contains a previously unreleased live show from the 1981 "Difficult to Cure" tour, is downright awesome in every sense of the word. From the opening riff to "Spotlight Kid" and further on to the last…
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GRUESOME – Dimensions of Horror EP
I really loved these guys first time around. I thought their take on and love for Leprosy-era Death was a praiseworthy endeavour. Apart from giving us more of what we like, the songs actually worked and their debut was a very solid death metal album in its own right. At that stage all I wanted…
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SINNERY – A Feast of Fools
Like a battering ram, Israel’s Sinnery are a group of twenty-something musicians putting an honest thrash approach to the fire for their debut album "A Feast of Fools". Employing everything from huge gang-oriented choruses to fluid bass work against the wall of rhythm guitars, quick hitting transitions, and monstrous mid-tempo to faster drum tempos, songs…
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BAILOUT – …As the Winds Blow On
Together for five years and with a demo plus EP under their collective belts, Finnish alternative hard rock band Bailout feel the time is now to release a debut full-length record. "…As the Winds Blow On" contains 9 songs of fairly energetic, up-tempo material, very much in line with a lot of 90’s to current…
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TREAT – Ghost of Graceland
The seventh studio album from Swedish melodic metal veterans Treat, "Ghost of Graceland" is their second record since reuniting in the late 2000’s. Four of the five members come from their late 80’s lineup – while bassist Pontus Egberg joins the group in time for this new release. Shimmering, uplifting vocal melodies/harmonies abound, along with…
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DEATH – Scream Bloody Gore 2 CD Reissue
This is a pretty hard reissue to review. One, because ‘Scream Bloody Gore’ is one of the fundamental records of extreme metal. I mean, what can I tell you about it? If you haven’t heard it/owned it/played it, you are very likely on the wrong site. Other than that, you already own and love this…
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DESTRUCTION – Under Attack
The German thrash metal squadron Destruction is back with a follow-up to the credible "Spiritual Genocide" album from 2012. This new 10-track effort entitled "Under Attack" does feature a couple of songs that could potentially turn into crowd-pleasers in a future live setting, but, unfortunately, the Teutonic force does not quite deliver this time around…
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REZET – Reality Is a Lie
Perseverance is a good way to describe German thrash band Rezet and their career since their 2004 start. Recording five demos and an EP in those early years before releasing a debut album "Have Gun, Will Travel" in 2010, "Reality Is a Lie" is their third full-length, as ex-drummer Bastian Santen returns for his second…