ALBUM REVIEWS

RECENT ALBUM REVIEWS

  • THE HOWLS OF EBB – Cursus Impasse

    Howls of Ebb describe their brand of metal as limbonic death hymns, which I suppose makes some sense, but might not be that much help to someone trying to figure out whether they should take the plunge on this latest release. For my money, this is very textured death metal full of idiosyncratic choices, disharmonic…

  • TREMONTI – Dust

    The third album from Creed/Alter Bridge guitarist Mark Tremonti’s solo group, "Dust" exudes confidence with its heavier, stomping/groove metal riffs and equally intoxicating jumpy tempos. What probably is surprising is Mark’s vocal ability, as he has a comfortable mid-range well-suited to have "The Cage" and "Rising Storm" appear on the radio next to heavy hitters…

  • GREEN DEATH – Manufacturing Evil

    Green Death is something entirely new to me, which is to say that I had never previously heard or read anything at all relating to this US thrash metal outfit, but you know what they say; better late than never. "Manufacturing Evil" is a thunderous and well-executed thrash metal attack that reeks of precision and…

  • DEAD BY WEDNESDAY – The Darkest of Angels

    Fortunate to witness this CT metal act at last year’s Mayhem festival finale in Hartford, it’s logical that the band would move up the ranks and unleash an album with "The Darkest of Angels". Losing their long-time vocalist Joe Morbidelli due to battles with addiction, this fourth full-length studio effort features a number of notable…

  • LONG DISTANCE CALLING – Trips

    The fifth album "Trips" from German instrumental progressive rock band Long Distance Calling challenges views as most artists in the genre are prone to do. So much so, that we get vocals from Petter Carlsen from time to time, plus a strong 80’s connection to a lot of the sequences and musical interplay between guitars,…

  • DOOMSDAY CEREMONY – Black Heart

    Brazilian five piece Doomsday Celebration have been treading the boards since 2001, but this is only their second full-length release to date. Upon first listen, the length of time these guys have been playing together is instantly obvious. The musicianship is confident, and the band have found their ‘sound’ and are quite comfortable putting out…

  • CLITEATER – From Enslavement to Cliteration

    Up next is is some violent DM-influenced gore-grind from The Netherlands, with the sixth album from Cliteater. Once again, the cover and title are a great take on a familiar classic. And that is about as far as the good goes for me. There are no notable breaks, beats or blasts on here and very…

  • NECROMANTIC WORSHIP – The Calling (Tape)

    Up next is a release of the 2016 demo from Holland’s Necromantic Worship. This really has the feel of the early Greek black/death metal scene. This is dark, heavy and kvlt, with a strong emphasis on setting a seamless tone. As you might expect, Necromantic Worship are adept at setting up a rhythmic vibe and…

  • GRAVEYARD – For Thine is the Darkness

    Barcelona’s Graveyard have been around for almost a decade now, plying their slightly dirty, blackened brand of death metal. For Thine is the Darkness is their third full-length foray into the wilderness. First up, the production is pretty good. The sound is heavy (especially the snare) and underground so there is plenty of atmosphere but…

  • REBAELLIUN – The Hell’s Decrees

    Rebaelliun var det aller første brasilianske death metal bandet jeg hørte. Deres «Annihilation» fra 2001 står fortsatt som en bauta i vinylsamlingen min og er utvilsomt Brasils mest brutale death metal skive noensinne. Bandets debut «Burn the Promised Land» er heller ikke så dum. Deres kompiser i Krisiun har levert noen gode skiver, men ingen…

  • INFECTION – Acrotomophile Mutilator

    Infection er et semibrutalt death metal band fra Peru. Litt småteknisk variant av sjangeren med skikkelig god growl, mange småhektiske riff, noen kjappe, noen roligere og noen litt mer tekniske, en god death metal trommis og et pent knippe låter der det skjer mye stort sett hele tiden. Tempoet er varierende og man kan med…

  • CULT OF LUNA & JULIE CHRISTMAS – Mariner

    Da jeg fikk gleden av å oppleve Cult of Luna live på Storås Festivalen i 2007, lovte jeg meg selv at dette var et band jeg skulle sjekke ut når jeg kom heim. Er litt usikker på hva som skjedde etterpå. Kan være det at jeg prøvde, men ikke umiddelbart ble bitt av Cult av…

  • COLD TRUTH – Grindstone

    Nashville, TN is not only known for its country music scene- there is a decent rock following as well. Together since the early 2000’s and with two full-lengths under their belts, Cold Truth on this third outing "Grindstone" deliver 12 tracks of impressive blues-based hard rock. Equally conveying the musicianship and harmonic sensibilities of the…

  • RIMFROST – Rimfrost

    Rimfrost is a Swedish black metal band from Hagfors. Their new album is the 3rd album they have released and the first one on Non Serviam Records. The album opens up nicely with As the Silver Curtain Closes. A track that in many ways reminds of Immortal’s "All Shall Fall". The ending of the song…

  • REPTILIAN – Perennial Void Traverse

    Den forholdsvis nye norske extreme metal bølgen med death, thrash og speed metal som ble startet opp av Obliteration, Nekromantheon og en del andre Kolbotnband for noen år siden har vokst ut av Oslo og det dukker opp flere og flere gode band rundt omkring i Norge. Fra Fusa utenfor Bergen har det dukket opp…

  • DISCHARGE – End of Days

    «End of Days» er en ny frisk utgivelse fra det britiske hardcore punkbandet Discharge. Det har skjedd ting i Discharge siden siste plate. Rat, som har vært vokalist i bandet siden 2003» er ute og inn er JJ Janiak kommet. Tezz, tidligere trommeslager og vokalist i bandet, er nå inne som gitarist og dermed er…

  • BILLY SATELLITE – II

    Shelved for 30 plus years due to label shuffling, Billy Satellite reunited for a show at Slims in San Francisco, CA on January 31st, 2010 – pushing interest along for this material to finally see the light of day. The five-piece play a guitar-oriented brand of melodic rock – very much in line with early…

  • PEO – Welcome to the Party

    You can always count on AOR Heaven to offer up a proven veteran in the music industry and let them showcase their skills sets today. Peo Pettersson probably has gained most attention for his work in acts like the Swedish Christian metal band Leviticus and Axia – so this record "Welcome to the Party" includes…

  • RICK WAKEMAN – Starship Trooper

    The legendary Rick Wakeman (ex-Yes) hardly needs any introduction. Few have released more albums than he has, and his many appearances on albums and songs by others are countless. A true workhorse, if you will. "Starship Trooper" is a compilation album on which Wakeman has interpreted songs by The Doors, Tool, Pink Floyd, and The…

  • HUMAN FORTRESS – Defenders of the Crown (re-release)

    Rare is the day that you have an original label re-release an album and have the band record two exclusive demo tracks with their previous vocalist – but that’s what we have here on "Defenders of the Crown". Hitting the streets for the first time in 2003, this German power metal band had a strong…

  • MISTUR – In Memoriam

    Its been 7 long years since Misturs brilliant debut "Attende", an album that took its natural place among several great sognametal releases which followed in the wake of the mighty Windir. Come 2016, Mistur reveals a more mature and complex take on the art of metal, while the spirit from the past lives on. There…

  • MISTUR – In Memoriam

    «In Memoriam» is one of those albums that looks instantly appealing the very minute you glance at its cover and read through the titles and so on, so naturally I was quite intrigued by the whole thing. The epic and majestically sweeping "Downfall", which serves as the introductory song, rather quickly told me that I…

  • ANGERTEA – Snakes in Blossom

    Together since 1996, Angertea have released four previous studio albums as well as having the great fortune to work with renowned producer Neil Kernon (Queensrÿche, Judas Priest). Not a bad resume for this Hungarian trio – who on their fifth full-length "Snakes in Blossom" perform an eclectic experimental grunge metal cocktail through these 10 tracks.…

  • THE WRETCHED END – In These Woods, From These Mountains

    «In these Woods, From these Mountains» er den tredje fullengderen til Notoddenbandet The Wretched End. Skiva er blitt mottatt av de aller fleste med stor glede og man kan lese diverse steder online at dette er et monster av et album. Jeg bestemte meg vel ganske tidlig i lytteprosessen min at det muligens var en…

  • ABNORMALITY – Mechanisms of Omniscience

    Coming together in 2005, Marlborough, Massachusetts extreme metal band Abnormality have a new deal in place with Metal Blade, and the fruits of their hard labor come bursting through on this second full-length "Mechanisms of Omniscience". Keying in on technicality while retaining hooks and mid-tempo groove sections can be a delicate balancing act, but the…

  • SIG AR TYR – THE FULL REISSUED BACK CATALOGUE & NEWEST RELEASE FROM HAMMERHEART RECORDS

    Up next we have a trio of reissues from Hammerheart Records, comprising the first three full length albums from Canada’s Sig Ar Tyr. Back in the day, this was a one man act with the supremely talented Daemonskald performing all duties and reminding us that Canada was part of Viking history. The first outing ‘Sailing…

  • FROM THE DEPTHS – From the Depths

    From the Depths were a thrashing 90’s black/death metal act from Cleveland, notable for having Nunslaughter’s Jim Konya (RIP) on vocal duties. The band only ever released two full-length records (the second with a different vocalist) before the members went their own ways (all of them having quite productive careers in music – even if…

  • TWISTED SISTER – We Are Twisted F***ing Sister!

    "We Are Twisted F***ing Sister!," Andrew Horn’s 2014 documentary film that chronicles the birth and ascend of the legendary Long Island outfit Twister Sister back in the 70s and early 80s, is not only very insightful, but also highly captivating and fascinating. It is most definitely one of the best music-related films that I have…

  • ERIC BELL – Exile

    Legendary guitarist Eric Bell, one of the founding members of the mighty Thin Lizzy, has returned with a strong, atmospheric, and well-written album that is quite the moving affair. The ten tracks that constitute "Exile" all possess that haunting and melancholic Northern Irish vibe that makes you want to come back to these tunes over…

  • EDU FALASCHI – Moonlight

    Dedicating this special recording to his 25th anniversary in the music industry, ex-Angra/ Almah vocalist Edu Falaschi felt the time was ripe to present stripped down acoustic versions for some of the most significant songs in his career. Choosing a number of respected Brazilian musicians in the jazz and classical community, this is certainly a…