RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: https://www.facebook.com/RonnieAtkinsOfficial/ The exceptionally skilled and charismatic Ronnie Atkins of Pretty Maids fame has recorded some of his finest work ever these past few years – both as a solo artist and with Nordic union. His third solo offering, which is rather appropriately titled Trinity, is a musically strong and incredibly well-written…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: https://www.dimmu-borgir.com/ Well-known Norwegian symphonic black metallers Dimmu Borgir came upon the idea of recording and releasing an album consisting entirely of covers, which immediately piqued my interest simply because the idea of these guys doing something like that seemed like a fun thing to listen to. Clocking in at roughly 32…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023BAND URL: https://www.facebook.com/kingscrowntheband/ The Swedish hard rockers known as Kings Crown recently released this deftly executed and well-written opus of theirs titled Closer to the Truth, and the actual truth is that this album rules from top to bottom. Boasting a loud and crisp sound that is quite heavy thanks to the solid…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023BAND URL: https://whitewillow.bandcamp.com/album/ignis-fatuus-remastered This remastered re-issue of White Willow’s legendary debut offering titled Ignis Fatuus is a most welcome addition to the prog rock collection. What a joy and thrill it is to relive this eclectic mixture of symphonic rock, prog, and inspired folk music again given that it sounds better than ever…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023BAND URL: https://godzovwarproductions.bandcamp.com/album/utter-human-annihilation By Odin, this is fucking intense and hateful stuff. Misanthropic War’s take on black/death metal is of the most violent and destructive kind, and listening to Utter Human Annihilation and its thirteen hyper-aggressive tracks is akin to having one’s face torn right off. Everything is there in the title of…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023BAND URL: https://jordsjo.bandcamp.com/album/salighet Adorned by wonderfully evocative artwork and sporting a most intriguing title, the uniquely skilled Norwegian prog rockers known as Jordsjø are back with a new masterpiece. Just when I thought that it would be impossible for them to top the outstanding and flawless Pastoralia LP (2021), they have in fact…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: https://www.datarockmusic.com/ Norwegian synthpop/new wave/indie rock eccentrics Datarock are back with a lovely new slice of memorable music that is bound to make you dance and think at the same time. With its infectious sense of enthusiasm and energy not to mention its quirky lyrics and pristine-sounding production, Media Consumption Pyramid shows…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023BAND URL: https://godzovwarproductions.bandcamp.com/album/blood-oaths The American black metal combo known as Vein specializes in raw, claustrophobic, and downright oppressive music of the most loathsome and sinister kind. These twisted fucks manage to weave a thick and nasty atmosphere together by means of simple yet efficiently dark riffs, sick effects, and demented vocals, and the…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: https://m.facebook.com/Witheringscorn There was a sense, after the excellent The System Has Failed²⁰⁰⁴ Dave Mustaine’s intended solo album turned Megadeth’s comeback record (after the supposed 2002 end of the line), that Megadeth was back and stronger than ever. Dave Mustaine did not waste the momentum but, having previously gained former Black…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: https://badrainmusic.bandcamp.com/album/room-to-breathe-ep-pre-order The German/British outfit Bad Rain turned out to be a mighty fine surprise and a most welcome listen to these ears in that this skilled constellation of musicians dabbles in melodically strong and potent hard rock that sounds current while simultaneously paying respect to some of the greatest bands of…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: https://godzovwarproductions.bandcamp.com/album/traumatic-putrefaction What a gloriously disgusting and most brilliant of things this slime-soaked opus by the Polish horde known as Abominated is. Rooted in old-school death metal of the most vicious and catchy kind, this half-hour journey into horror-filled territory where crushing riffs, morbid vibes, and punishing vocals reign supreme is an…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: https://www.facebook.com/thunderstickofficial/ Reviewing a new record by Thunderstick, i.e., the underrated purveyors of NWOBHM, is always a treat and these guys rarely fail to disappoint me. There is an undiluted sense of honesty and purity to their outputs that totally works for me and always manages to pull me in and keep…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: http://www.demolizerthrash.com/ Something I have not presented in a good while here is a thrash metal album and it just so happens that the Danish quartet Demolizer has released their 2nd (after Thrashmageddon²⁰²⁰ 2 years after conception as Demolizer) full length creepily named Post Necrotic Human²⁰²³ on July 4th on Mighty…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: http://www.edgeofparadiseband.co/ Also American and not that far removed in vein from A Dark Halo (whose 2nd full length I’ve just reviewed giving it a 5/6) the Californian alternative rock and metal quintet Edge Of Paradise released their 5th album Halo²⁰²³ on Frontiers Records on July 14th to follow Immortal Waltz²⁰¹⁵,…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: https://lnk.to/shrineofblackfire This is my first encounter with the ceaseless barrage of occult black metal spawned by the horde known as Infernal Angels, and having explored its content for the umpteenth time I must say that I find the unsettling offering a cohesive, sufficiently layered, and intriguingly dark piece of work that…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: https://adarkhalo.bandcamp.com/ As Fear Factory gets its second breath after losing the original extraordinary vocalist Burton C. Bell, numerous bands crop up inspired by Fear Factory’s phenomenal combination of metal, industrial and electronics they dubbed cybermetal. Then, of course, some additional genre melding is expected, nü metal riff here, progressive passage…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: https://www.vegaofficial.co.uk/ The previous full-length effort by these awesome British rockers was good albeit slightly uneven to these ears, but this crisp sounding new opus by the quintet is a totally different story. In short, Battlelines is Vega doing what they do best, meaning there is an abundance of tasty hooks, phenomenal…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023BAND URL: https://www.facebook.com/oceanoflotion/ Saucy, entertaining, eclectic, and above all highly uplifting, the sparkling new opus by Ocean of Lotion is the kind of thing that is impossible not to dance to unless you are a sourpuss or completely dead inside. What you get is synth-driven pop containing catchy melodies, an endless supply of…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: https://lnk.to/lagranvictoriadelmal The manic and maniacal brand of fiercely intense black metal spawned by Cryfemal rarely fails to excite me. As with the solid and morbidly entertaining 2020 offering titled Eterna Oscuridad, this upcoming 30-minute shroud of musical darkness delivers a proper kick to the abdomen and sounds outright vicious and insane.…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: https://lnk.to/unveilingthepalesttruth Infinitely bleak and outright oppressive soundscapes envelop the mind when digesting the ominous content that makes up the latest offering by the Australian black metal duo known as Deadspace, and we might as well establish the fact that this is one of the year’s most captivating releases. Now that we…
