Sweden rides high again in the melodic hard rock/ metal realm, a multitude of bands resurrecting a scene thought long gone. Dynazty is another five-piece who have made a nice impression through their three previous full lengths, and on album four "Renatus" appear to engage a little bit of a heavier stance while not forsaking…
As far as the new generation of melodic hard rock/ AOR style, these Swedes are near the top in terms of songwriting ability and popularity. For H.E.A.T. – it’s all about the right combination of guitar/ keyboard hooks, uplifting chords put in all the right places, and the multi-part harmonies and vocal charm from Erik…
Throwback hard rock from a seasoned group of Danish metal musicians who come together as Statement- "Monsters" is a debut album keeping the playing basic, street level and assaulting the blue collar crowd with anthems to tap your feet and pound alcohol in droves. The Cult, The Scorpions, and others in that 70’s / 80’s…
It’s well established that once metal fans latch onto a certain band and particular sound/style, they rarely desire anyone straying from the successful formula. Like a favorite brand of dessert, they like what they like and do not hope for a new twist or ingredient variance to make that special concoction. Since these Finnish gentlemen…
Blurring the styles of thrash and melodic death, Sweden’s Circle of Chaos on their second full length album "Crossing the Line" present a quick hitting 10 song, 33 minute record that doesn’t let up for any commercial aspirations. At times coming across like an early Destruction recording for the jackhammer-oriented title cut and then punishing…
California thrash band Kill Ritual return after a solid debut album "The Serpentine Ritual" with the all-important follow up "The Eyes of Medusa". Formed by ex-Imagika guitarist Steven Rice and ex-Dark Angel bassist Danyael Williams, the quartet also has vocalist Josh Gibson and drummer Gee Anzalone in their ranks. Musically the 10 songs feature a…
Gravehill is a California quintet on their third full length album "Death Curse" – pummeling the listener through 37 minutes of relentless death/thrash. Slayer, Venom, and Repulsion are three acts that come to the forefront when taking in their speedy riffing, gruff vocals, and up tempo rhythms. The brief transitions during the lead break of…
Florida may have been a hotbed for death metal in the late 80’s and early 90’s, but they’ve also had their fair share of breakthroughs in the traditional, power, and progressive metal realms: Savatage, Crimson Glory, Iced Earth, and Kamelot among others. Will Jacksonville’s Skyliner be another band to add to this illustrious list? If…
German progressive metal quintet Vanden Plas are a living testament to their craft. Never dealing with a lineup change since their inception in 1986, this seventh studio album is a part one of a two part saga based around author Wolfgang Hohlbein’s "Chronicles of the Immortals" novel series in more of a rock opera format.…
Pairing up the second and fourth studio albums from Dutch heavy metal band Picture, Divebomb Records feels the time is right for the current generation to discover what made this 80’s act so special. "Eternal Dark" originally came out in 1983 and is a decent Euro-metal oriented record, consisting of street level anthems and mid-tempo…
Brutal death metal and Greece aren’t probably synonymous terms that go together on a regular basis, but Mass Infection live up to the moniker on this third album "For I Am Genocide". Mincing no words, "Praised by All the Entities" opens in blasting fashion as the guitar whirring high notes fly by your headspace faster…
I remember the early days of this Italian band very well. Back in the 1990’s, Lacuna Coil slowly built awareness of their sound, inspired by the likes of Paradise Lost into an amalgamation of gothic metal with hard rock leanings. Vocalist Cristina Scabbia gained a lot of attention due to her impressive multi-octave siren range,…
The second album "Katharsis" from Finnish sextet Shear is a multi-layered aural journey that traverses many sub-facets of the metal world. Brimming with melodic charm, the 11 tracks on here run up and down the flagpole from semi-progressive/ symphonic metal through the intriguing "Heaven into Hell", an almost Symphony X-like "Last Warning" to semi-acoustic meets…
An air of similarity reigns supreme as I take in the debut album from German hard rock quartet Blackbird "Of Heroes and Enemies". Angus Dersim is the lead guitarist/ vocalist, and the sonic outlook for these 10 songs has plenty of Airbourne/ AC/DC raw rock ‘n roll charisma through electric, 3 chord orientated structures that…
Looking back on my previous review for this UK band’s second album "Dawn of Infinity", I remember thinking that this quintet could be much stronger with a more promising vocal presence. So Dark Forest on their third album "The Awakening" introduce two new members: second guitarist Patrick Jenkins and vocalist Josh Winnard, and as a…
UK stoner/ doom metal from the trio Conan, as "Blood Eagle" is their second full-length studio album and first for new label Napalm. The ten minute long "Crown of Talons" opener sets the tone for morose, snail paced tempos topped off with feedback laced guitar and ominous bass plucking as the vocals echo drawn out…
Uniting the insane brutality and thrash madness of early Destruction and Kreator, Sweden’s Vornth concoct sheer energy times one thousand on this debut 12 song, self-titled record. Appearing on CD now while the vinyl version hit the market in late summer 2013, this quartet harken back to a time when speed and fierceness reigned above…
A 4 song EP that serves as a re-introduction for this UK epic doom metal band, Solstice return to remind us how classic and timeless their sound really is. 26 minutes later, the five-piece leave you salivating for more. Guitarist Richard W. Walker remains the lone original member – but he’s assembled an ace group…
Modern melodic metal with extreme nuances for dynamic flavor appears to be the hot genre – given the impact of Sweden’s Amaranthe in terms of sales, touring, and general buzz, I expect this trend to continue. Italy’s Temperance on their debut self-titled album wish to grab their share of audience through a similar template: dual…
Recording most of his own material out of necessity due to a lack of musicians in the New Jersey area sufficiently into doom, vocalist/ guitarist Joe Potash released three demos for Primeval Realm in 2009 playing, writing, and producing it all (keyboards, bass and drums included). Now in 2014, Joe has a secure lineup in…
