RECENT ALBUM REVIEWS
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JOEL HOEKSTRA’S 13 – Dying To Live
Current Whitesnake guitarist Joel Hoekstra has a solid supporting cast for this "Dying to Live" album. Two powerhouse vocalists in Russell Allen (Symphony X) and Jeff Scott Soto (Yngwie Malmsteen, Journey) plus bassist Tony Franklin and drummer Vinny Appice give this Joel Hoekstra’s 13 project 11 killer songs in the vein of early 80’s melodic…
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BROKEN FATE – The Bridge Between
This Swiss quartet has an age range in its membership from 28 to 45 – so as such, we really shouldn’t be surprised that Broken Fate has its musical style wedged between the past and the present for their debut album "The Bridge Between". Straddling the lines of classic thrash and modern metal, certain tracks…
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BLOT – Ilddyrking
The Norwegian band named Blot recently released its first proper full-length album entitled «Ilddyrking», and I must say that I was pleasantly surprised by this 10-track slab of epic viking metal/black metal/pagan metal. Since I was not familiar with the band at all prior to receiving and listening to this brand new release of theirs,…
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RENDEZVOUS POINT – Solar Storm
Rendezvous Point, which is a Norwegian progressive metal band consisting of members from ICS Vortex, Borknagar, and Solefald, recently unleashed its debut album entitled "Solar Storm", and I must admit that I find most of the 7 songs that make up the album quite intriguing and interesting. Way too many progressive metal bands suck monkey…
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WÜLFHOOK – The Impaler
Detroit, Michigan is where this traditional metal band Wülfhook call home, and their debut album "The Impaler" sends a lot of signals to the old school 80’s when taking in these 10 tracks. The guitar work throughout has that heroic attitude, full of twin harmonies and dazzling riffs that were prevalent during the Iron Maiden/…
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EXTREME NOISE TERROR – Extreme Noise Terror
I have always been into the punk/hardcore/grind scene and over the years have made many attempts to get into ENT’s vibe. I have never been successful in this endeavour. The overall sound, the vocals, the aesthetic and mostly the inability to write a good song have put me off. And so I return once again…
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BLACKMORE’S NIGHT – All Our Yesterdays
When legendary guitarist Ritchie Blackmore laid the mighty Rainbow to rest in 1997 in order to focus on his medieval and folky musical project named Blackmore’s Night, quite a few of us were somewhat surprised (or shocked, as it were). However, Blackmore’s Night has turned out to be a somewhat productive and creative force ever…
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VOODOO HILL – Waterfall
The third album from Italian guitarist Dario Mollo and legendary bassist/ vocalist Glenn Hughes, Voodoo Hill is an international project and "Waterfall" is another bluesy melodic hard rock album that sees these musicians reaching back into their youth for treasured hooks, exemplary musicianship, and songwriting class. We should feel fortunate in these times that a…
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CHILDREN OF BODOM – I Worship Chaos
Children of Bodom er blitt en kvartett og leverer med «I Worship Chaos» sitt beste album på mange år. Musikken er blitt merkbart tyngre og hardere og bandet har tatt et stort steg bort fra power metal stempelet de har hatt i mange år. De har til og med nesten gjort seg fortjent til den…
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ALPHA STATE – Out of the Black
Greece has a reputation for solid traditional/power metal being a staple of their scene, and here’s proof again of that with the Athens act Alpha State. Forming in the spring of 2014, "Out of the Black" is their debut album, a 10 track record that showcases a very primal attack that is certainly heavy yet…
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CHRISTIAN MISTRESS – To Your Death
Northwestern heavy metal band Christian Mistress have been slugging out quite a name for themselves through their recording and touring output since their beginnings in 2009. "To Your Death" is their third studio album, and after witnessing the band in the throes of a live tour with High Spirits and Savage Master, it’s no wonder…
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AMORPHIS – Under the Red Cloud
The best bands never stagnant, always ever evolving in their quest to seek out the best songwriting and capture it brilliantly for that time period. Amorphis of course set a progressive/doom/death landmark early on through their second album in 1994, "Tales from the Thousand Lakes" – but took a turn for more melodic heavy metal/…
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ONE MACHINE – The Final Cull
Guitarist Steve Smyth (ex-Testament, Nevermore) and compatriot guitarist Jamie Hunt (ex-Biomechanical) revitalize One Machine with three new members for their sophomore release "The Final Cull"- the most significant in the lineup restructuring is vocalist Chris Hawkins, replacing ex-Mercenary singer Mikkel Sandager. This nine song effort is a cross-section of power groove and progressive-oriented thrash metal…
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MORBID SLAUGHTER – A Filthy Orgy of Horror and Death
‘A Filthy Orgy of Horror and Death’ is the debut album from Peruvian maniacs Morbid Slaughter. This is dirty, thrashing speed metal with a serious dose of old school blackened vibes mixed in. Granted, not much really that is too original or groundbreaking about this one and not much to satisfy those with more progressive…
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THE MURDER OF MY SWEET – Beth Out of Hell
Setting up a concept album from a trilogy of songs that concludes "Bye Bye Lullaby", the third album from Sweden’s The Murder of My Sweet is a gothic metal treasure trove of drama, dynamics, and flourishes of emotion to keep the listeners primed and ready throughout the 73 minute running time. Drummer/ keyboardist Daniel Flores,…
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W.A.S.P. – Golgotha
If you aren’t already familiar with WASP and convinced of their pedigree, chances are that you are on the wrong website. They have been around since even the oldest metallers were in their teens. Think about it – Blackie Lawless is now almost hitting 60 and his songwriting influences hark back to Ray Charles and…
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KILLING GANDHI – Cinematic Parallels
Danish quartet Killing Gandhi live for the classic Scandinavian melodic death metal movement on their debut album "Cinematic Parallels". Anyone who misses In Flames from their "Clayman" period back would be wise to dig into "The Lights Will Shine Forever", while the cyber-effects put "The Cannibal Course" into more of that Amaranthe orientation with deeper…
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SWEET COBRA – Earth
This Chicago based band return with their first full-length since their 2010 "Mercy" release, but this is my first foray into the trio’s infectious, heavy sound. Sweet Cobra has a jangly nature to a lot of their tempos and riffs, almost alternative in a post-alternative meets heavy / stoner hard rock manner. Bassist Botchy Vasquez…
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GOROD – A Maze of Recycled Creeds
Det franske tekniske prog death bandet Gorod er for tiden aktuelle med sitt femte album. Vi har tidligere vært innom dem her i ET og da med deres forrige album «A Perfect Absolution». Jeg må innrømme at jeg har hørt veldig mye på denne skiva de siste dagene og uka og jeg er i alle…
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FALLEN ANGELS – World in Decay
Here we have a Seattle, Washington quintet in Fallen Angels, active for 13 years and releasing their third full-length album with "World in Decay". Melodic thrash is their calling card – intertwining a number of Bay Area influences from Metallica to Heathen and creating a thick rhythm-oriented sound with dazzling musicianship, galloping tempos, and stunning…