RECENT ALBUM REVIEWS
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CHRIS OUSEY – Dream Machine
Perhaps most known in the melodic rock circles for his work in Heartland or Ozone, singer Chris Ousey also released a fine debut solo album in 2011 with "Rhyme and Reason". Changing things up a bit in the production and performer realm, Chris’ seasoned songwriting and professional, smooth vocals keep these 12 songs moving along…
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IMAGES AT TWILIGHT – Kings
Images at Twilight first got my real attention at this year’s Blastfest, as one of the bands I made a note in big letters to check out further when returning from the festival. I did have the album on my playlist for a review, but never really got around to it. A couple of weeks…
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DEVIL’S GUN – Dirty ‘N’ Damned
From the southern part of Sweden, Devil’s Gun is a five-piece outfit that bring the spirit of traditional metal and hard rock to the masses on their debut full-length "Dirty ‘N’ Damned". Rough, gritty vocals and catchy, bluesy-oriented heavy riffs puts the band in a similar class as Airbourne, Accept, and possibly mentors like Bullet…
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BONFIRE – Pearls
I was not really that familiar with Bonfire before I popped this CD in and cranked up the volume. I had often stumbled on the name of the band but never actually listened to the music, if that makes sense. I am kind of regretting that now. "Pearls" is a 2CD "best of" release consisting…
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THE TEMPLE – Forevermourn
Doom metal – pure solitude in slow paces, riffs that reverberate and lurk in the atmosphere, thunderous drums and plodding bass while the vocal melodies also take a similar, sorrowful tact. Greece’s The Temple originally started in 2005, took a break for a little while after their first demo release and now return with their…
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MY SILENT WAKE – Eye of the Needle
"Eye of the Needle" by the morose UK outfit named My Silent Wake (that band name truly says it all!) is, strictly speaking, not a metal album as such, but it is way darker and more melancholic than countless so-called black metal records out there today. Trust me on that. In a way, there are…
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ALBERTO RIGONI – Bassorama
An Italian bassist most known for his work in the progressive rock band Twinspirits, Lady & THE BASS as well as a co-producer of the Vivaldi Metal Project, Alberto Rigoni releases his fifth solo album, focusing on the love and proficiency as this low-end instrument. "Bassorama" may not necessarily be dedicated to one particular genre…
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OCCULT BURIAL – Hideous Obscure
Invictus are a label known for bringing us some of the most innovative and interesting music doing the rounds today, especially in the realm of all that is black and deathly. Listening to their catalogue one can also detect more than a passing love for the old school and nowhere is that more evident than…
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MEPHORASH – 1557: Rites of Nullification
To be honest with you, I am not familiar with the two preceeding albums, "Death Awakens" (2011) and "Chalice of Thagirion" (2012), but this third ritualistic and morbid opus by Swedish Mephorash is a deeply unsettling affair cloaked in a dazzlingly dark veil. "1557: Rites of Nullification" contains four long hymns that ooze death and…
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MANTAR – Ode to the Flame
Tyske Mantar spiller veldig mørk stoner/sludge metal, ikke så veldig ulikt det finske Ajattara holder på med. Ajattara er kongebra, spiller en særegen form for black metal og har vært en favoritt her i heimen siden debutalbumet «Itse» kom ut for 15 år siden og siden Mantar har lagt seg i den samme musikalske gata,…
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POEM – Skein Syndrome
The progressive rock/metal quartet named Poem hails from Greece, and this sophomore album of theirs entitled "Skein Syndrome" is quite the interesting and varied listening experience. The progressive and complex opus consists of seven rather long and convoluted tunes that are overflowing with twists and turns. Constantly shedding its skin while wallowing in its own…
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LORDS OF BLACK – II
The Spanish power metal band Lords of Black featuring vocalist Ronnie Romero (Rainbow) is back with a brand new onslaught consisting of twelve bombastic and melodic heavy metal hymns that bring to mind bands such as Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath (the Dio and Tony Martin albums), DIO, Domine, and, perhaps not surprisingly, Rainbow. "II" contains…
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MIASMAL – Tides of Omniscience
The third album from Sweden’s Miasmal "Tides of Omniscience" comes hot on the heels of the very impressive "Cursed Redeemer" from 2014 – giving a lot of the old guard renewed hope that the classic early death metal sound is not dead even this late in the game. First thing noticeable about the 10 song…
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DREAM THEATER – The Astonishing
Alright! Omsider kommer det en ny skive fra ett av mine favoritt band siden ’92.Historien er skrevet av John Petrucci (Gitar) og musikken er lagd av Petrucci og Jordan Rudess (Keyboard). Jeg ser på tracklistingen og noterer meg med en gang at skiva varer i 2 timer og 10 minutt (!), fordelt på 2 CD’s.…
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ENDLESS – The Truth, The Chaos, The Insanity
The third album from Brazil’s Endless, "The Truth, The Chaos, The Insanity" contains 12 tracks and over one hour of melodic power/progressive metal that is very much in line with South American mentors Angra as well as a lot of the European scene in terms of songwriting and performances. Classy melodic moments come up on…
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DEVIANT PROCESS – Paroxysm
Deviant Process er et kanadisk progressivt death metal band av den mer tekniske typen som er en smule hardere enn de fleste andre band i samme sjanger. Det er mer brutalt uten at det går ut over de tekniske ferdighetene. Det er fullt mulig å sitte og nyte musikken og gjøre de sedvanlige grimasene man…
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CRISIX – From Blue to Black
Thirty plus years the thrash movement has developed, exploding to become a worldwide phenomenon where local artists feel inspired to the speed riffs, venomous rapid fire vocals and high energy tempos with killer mid-range segment changes to impact bodies and brains. Barcelona, Spain’s Crisix originally began in 2008 as Crysys, changing names in 2011 while…
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MOONSORROW – Jumalten Aika
I find it strange that it has been 5 years since the release of "Varjoina kuljemme kuolleiden maassa", as this album still rotates in my ears on a weekly basis, and I still absolutely love every minute of it. I’m also one of the maniacs who purchased the "Heritage" vinyl box set in 2014, 14-LPs,…
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THE GREAT WOUND – Voices of Regret
The Great Wound is a blackened (melodic) death metal duo hailing from Spain, and this debut album of theirs entitled "Voices of Regret" is quite convincing and interesting to listen to. While the production is strong and powerful, the songs strike a nice balance between being slightly technical on the one hand and memorable on…
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CIRCUS MAXIMUS – Havoc
Steadily gaining credibility through their three album discography, if there were ever a chance to launch into broader, more original horizons now would be the time for Norway’s Circus Maximus. Establishing a melodic, progressive metal following, it can be dangerous when launching into new waters – my belief is as long as the band approaches…
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MAGRUDERGRIND – II
It has been a long time now since we have heard anything from the Magrudergrind camp, but they are still a band I listen to often when I am in need of a fix of some uncompromising grindcore – and that is exactly what they offer here – 15 short sharp shocks of stripped back…