RECENT ALBUM REVIEWS
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EVIG NATT – Evig Natt
Evig Natt was one of the many norwegian bands who just recently performed at Blastfest in Bergen, and it was the last song of the night that really caught my attention, namly "How I bleed", the first track from their self-titled third album. The norwegians continues in the vein of the first two albums, but…
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JUDAS PRIEST – Battle Cry
The mighty Judas Priest are legends and truly one of the greatest bands to ever grace the face of the earth. The band’s oustanding back catalogue speaks for itself, and there is a reason why these guys are still going strong; they still possess the fire, the energy, and the talent to deliver kick-ass heavy…
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ANTHRAX – For All Kings
At this point one of the established big four in the thrash world, Anthrax can pretty much go in any direction they desire and know that they’ll have a certain fan base that will buy into the product immediately. Fortunate to unleash a killer ‘comeback’ with Joey Belladonna the last time around through "Worship Music",…
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RAGNAROK – Psychopathology
The well-known Norwegian outfit known as Ragnarok is back in the shape of this 11-track album entitled «Psychopathology». Actually, the band’s excellent «Diabolical Age» album, which dates back to 2000, was one of the first Norwegian black metal albums I ever listened to, as strange as that may sound. Since then, the band has released…
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RHAPSODY OF FIRE – Into the Legend
Describing their style at this point as film score metal, Italy’s Rhapsody of Fire no longer need worry about establishing their following after main guitarist Luca Turilli left in 2011 to begin his own version with new members. When you have keyboardist Alex Staropoli and singer Fabio Lione in your corner, you’ll not only survive…
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WISHING WELL – Chasing Rainbows
Finnish hard rock band Wishing Well recorded this album "Chasing Rainbows" over 10 studio days in the late summer to early fall of 2015 – going in well-rehearsed as to maximize the output. Expanding to a quartet after the recording of the album (guitarist Anssi Korkiakoski also played bass on the record), this is another…
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WISHING WELL – Chasing Rainbows
Wishing Well is a Finnish (melodic) hard rock ensemble that sounds pretty inspired by the timeless giants of old such as Rainbow, Deep Purple, MSG, early Whitesnake, the «Heaven and Hell» record by the mighty Black Sabbath, and so on and so forth. Heck, even the first couple of Iron Maiden classics come to mind…
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THUNDER LORD – Prophecies of Doom
Active since 2002, Chilean quartet Thunder Lord come from an old school speed/heavy metal background, as "Prophecies of Doom" is all about the up-tempo pairing of riffs and rhythms, while the vocals often mirror the same urgency as the music. A lot of the lead work has that cultural/epic nature to the song at hand…
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SARKE – Bogefod
I recall listening to Sarke, more specifically the debut album «Vorunah», for the very first time back in 2009 while stuck in a claustrophobic piece-of-shit Nissan on a 4-hour road trip with a miserable skank that I was dating then. To tell you the truth, the album did not impress me at all, but at…
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RICK SPRINGFIELD – Rocket Science
A success on television and the pop charts during the 1980’s through the US soap opera General Hospital plus albums like "Working Class Dog" and "Success Hasn’t Spoiled Me Yet", Rick Springfield continues to put out new studio records while touring the globe for his ardent fan base. No longer just a teen/ pin-up idol,…
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LAST IN LINE – Heavy Crown
If given the right resources, presidents at record labels can make some great products come to life. Take Last in Line – who would have ever thought that the original three from the early 80’s Dio lineup would re-assemble to make a record with a new singer? Not this journalist… but that’s what we have…
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VOIVOD – Post Society EP
The legendary progressive (sci-fi thrash) metal outfit that is Voivod is still going strong. Having listened repeatedly to this upcoming 30-minute EP of theirs, which consists of two brand new tracks and a cover of the Hawkwind classic «Silver Machine» as well as two songs off the band’s split releases with At the Gates and…
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SABATON – Heroes on Tour
Scheduled to come out on Blu-ray/ DVD as a two-disc set, "Heroes On Tour" also has an audio CD accompanying the proceedings and this is what’s up for inspection. Straight from their Wacken Open Air performance of 2015 that brought the house done, we have a 16 song set that gives us ample reason to…
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EMBALMER – Emanations from the Crypt
Fans of Embalmer have been waiting 10 years for this – their second full length release in career spanning 25 years. For those who don’t know the band, think Repulsion, Autopsy at full pelt or Impetigo when vocalist Stevo shuts up long enough for them to play a song. Personally, I love the death metal…
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ARMOURED ANGEL – Communion 12”MLP
Armoured Angel were a speed/thrash act from Australia who began putting out demos and EPs in the mid 80’s but who didn’t manage to get a full length release out until 1999. Communion was their third demo and is brought to you in all its glory by the good folks at Hell’s Headbangers. The first…
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FIRELEAF – Behind the Mask
An interesting modern power metal quintet here from Germany, Fireleaf unleash their debut album "Behind the Mask" containing a singer in his mid-30’s while most of the musicians are in their 40’s (or in the case of ex-Stormwitch guitarist Ralf Stoney, 50). What you’ll get is 10 songs of Teutonic meets American power metal, lean…
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BLACK TUSK – Pillars of Ash
Her har vi en ny fullengder fra Savannah bandet Black Tusk. «Pillars of Ash» er bandets fjerde album og deres første siden 2011. Trioen gir oss sitt tredje album på rad som klokker inn på de samme 34 minuttene. Tilfeldig? Vet ikke. Betyr det noe? Tvilsomt. Det som betyr noe er musikken. Låtene er det…
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ALAN BYRNE – Beat of the Drum
Alright, folks, this is going to be a short review as «Beat of the Drum», which focuses on the legendary Phil Lynott’s musical exploits and endeavours following the demise of the mighty Thin Lizzy, basicaly serves as an extra chapter to the book on the aforementioned band entitled «Are You Ready?» by Alan Byrne. However,…
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SULPHUR – Omens of Doom
The experimental Norwegian quintet that is Sulphur has kept me waiting for a long fucking time for this follow-up to their excellent second album entitled «Thorns in Existence» (2009). This massive 7-song slab of somewhat psychedelic, morbid, and dynamic (black/death) metal, simply entitled «Omens of Doom», has been worth the wait. Not that I would…
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ROXXCALIBUR – Gems of the NWOBHM
Back again for their third go around, these German musicians pay tribute to the New Wave of British Heavy Metal movement like no other. Roxxcalibur are seasoned musicians with ties to original acts like Viron, Abandoned, and Manilla Road among others – who deeply study and research the late 70’s to mid-1980’s bands that performed…