RECENT ALBUM REVIEWS
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HADENS – Hadens
After years of waiting, Hadens have finally released their debut album. So much have changed in the line up of the band since the release of the 2011 EP, "Damnation" that it is impossible to expect anything. The opening track, Possessed, is an ok track, but it seems a little conservative. Meaning that it doesn’t…
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CHRONICLE – Primordial Fear
Chronicle hails from my hometown, namely Frederikshavn in the Northern part of windy Jutland, and I must say that I feel a slight sense of pride and wonder whenever I reflect on the fact that these four young dudes are actually pretty fucking talented and have managed to get their music out there on various…
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RESURRECTION KINGS – Resurrection Kings
Quite a few people out there have labeled Resurrection Kings a super-group, which, frankly speaking, it is. A very good super-group, I might add. Why is that? Well, for one thing the group boasts Craig Goldy (DIO, Rough Cutt) on guitar, the legendary Vinny Appice (DIO, Black Sabbath, Last in Line) on drums, the talented…
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LAST IN LINE – Heavy Crown
I have eagerly awaited the arrival of this debut album entitled «Heavy Crown» by the band named Last in Line, and I might as well tell all you fucks out there right now that is has been well worth the wait. As many of you undoubtedly already know, the band consisted of extremely talented and…
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URGEHAL – Aeons in Sodom
The underrated Norwegian black metal squadron that is Urgehal will soon unleash this wicked assault upon all you lousy scumbags out there, and I suggest you pay attention and pick up on this as soon as it becomes available, because it is, simply put, a highly atmospheric and cleverly written assault on all your puny…
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TWISTED SISTER – We Are Twisted F**king Sister
Remember a time when bands had to do the grunt work of building a following without hiding behind computers or phones? Where flyering, phone calls, face to face relationship building, and live shows mattered most. This is the essence of how Twisted Sister became international superstars – although many who look at their 80’s headlining…
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TAINTED NATION – On The Outside
The second album from the international hard rock act Tainted Nation (as the members are spread out between the UK, Germany and Sweden), "On the Outside" gives the listener 13 tracks of modern hard rock with a definite commercial edge. They’ve studied a lot of American bands like Shinedown and Sixx A.M. for sure in…
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AMONG THE PREY – Only for the Blinded Eyes
Genre descriptions seem to be getting longer and more specific in the metal realm. 30 years ago, heavy metal or hard rock would be sufficient descriptions – then all of a sudden as thrash, death, power, and black metal mutated in their own directions, we now have so many distinctions that people want to be…
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LUGNET – Lugnet
Swedish for ‘tranquility’, Lugnet’s sound is actually very explosive in a retro 70’s hard rock mold for this self-titled album. Vocalist Roger Solander has solid bluesy pipes that are very reminiscent of the late Ray Gillen or classic David Coverdale on winning tracks such as "All the Way" and "It Ain’t Easy". Smooth hooks, stripped…
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BRIMSTONE COVEN – Black Magic
Wheeling, West Virginia’s Brimstone Coven made an impression on this journalist with their self-titled debut album in 2014 – so to say this was a heavily anticipated follow-up for these ears is an understatement. Straddling the lines of doom metal, stoner rock, and darker occult themes, the quartet relish the days of honing in on…
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ROTTING CHRIST – Rituals
This greek horde of legends need no introduction, unless you have been living in a cave for the last 30 years. These guys are true pioneers of dark and extreme metal, and has evolved from the underground back in 1987 in to the impressive and remarkable unity they are today. Needless to say, a new…
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SLAP BETTY – Nothing Out of Nothing
Much like metal, the spirit and spunk of punk rock will never die. There will always be a reason for rebellion, and proclaiming it loudly through volume – much like Finland’s Slap Betty accurately deliver on their new album "Nothing Out of Nothing". This is gutter punk with a sleaze/glam feel, as if taking Social…
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STEVE EMERSON & ALAN PERRY – Anarchy in Britain
The excellent Wymer Publishing in the United Kingdom released this paperback late last year, and, as the title subtly indicates, it chronicles the rise and development of punk music in the UK back in the 1970s by means of photographs, concert flyers, promotional shots, quotes by punk musicians, extracts from interviews and TV documentaries, and…
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BLACK BLOOD – Black Blood
Stoner metal can be a feast or famine proposition- like most sub-genres, in this journalist’s view playing ability and songwriting need to be the priority over prolonged escapades into feedback and creating this heavy atmosphere. For Finland’s Black Blood, their choice to incorporate a lot of southern groove to the proceedings keeps their self-titled full-length…
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STANDING OVATION – Gravity Beats Nuclear
Three years removed from their impressive, left-field progressive metal debut "The Antikythera Mechanism", the Finnish sextet Standing Ovation return for the follow up "Gravity Beats Nuclear". Adding new guitarist Samuli Federly this year, the band continue to float on their own landscape in terms of engaging songwriting flow, waves of musical mastery while tempering certain…
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KETZER – Starless
Starless is the third full length release from German five-piece Ketzer. Stylistically, this could be described as post black metal with a thrashy, hard-rocking vibe. The production is extremely classy – very clear, professional and expensive sounding. Ketzer achieve a great mix between the cerebral and technical side of writing and playing and the more…
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RIPPER – Experiment of Existence
This is the second full album from Chilean thrashers Ripper. The sound of the band is fairly easy to describe – Sepultura and Kreator have a night on intense passion out the back of a club somewhere in deepest Latin America. Nine months later Mille Petrozza is being asked to make an appearance on some…
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DROWNING POOL – Hellelujah
Texas power groove/modern metal act Drowning Pool return with "Hellelujah" – another 12 track sonic kick in the head that steamrolls with aggressive energy and testosterone fueled screams plus riffs/grooves that won’t disappoint their audience. New vocalist Jasen Moreno has a Layne Staley twinge to his normal register for "By the Blood", but his caustic…
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INFERNAL TENEBRA – As Nations Fall
Croatia’s Infernal Tenebra fourth studio album "As Nations Fall" is another shining example of taking adequate time to construct a progressive, melodic death metal album. The band just has a way of switching up a classic mid-tempo harmony oriented riff with insane extreme blast beats to keep the hairs standing at full attention – check…
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OBSCURA – Akroasis
Obscura har siden de slapp sitt debutalbum «Retribution» i 2006 hatt en rimelig stødig plass her i heimen. God teknisk deathprog med enkelte innslag av det litt mer melodiøse. «Retrubution» var bra, andreskiva «Cosmogenesis» var ikke helt der oppe, mens deres forrige album «Omnivium» er det foreløpige høydepunktet fra tyskerne. Nå i februar kommer endelig…
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OPPROBRIUM – Serpent Temptation
Opprobrium kan for mange være et ukjent band, men fakta er at dette er et band du burde kjenne. I alle fall om du er fan av kjapp death/thrash av den gamle skolen. For å klare litt opp her. Opprobrium het tidligere Incubus og da burde det tennes et lys her og der vil jeg…