GOROD – The Orb

RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: https://gorodmetal.bandcamp.com/ Did I not just review a French technical death metal album? I sure did (Catalyst’s “A Different Painting For The New World”, 5.5) and here we go with another one, this time from a long running act Gorod whose roots (previously as Gorgasm) go all the way back to…

CATALYST – A Different Painting For A New World

RELEASE YEAR: 2022 BAND URL: https://catalystfr.bandcamp.com/ The wide spread rumours of heavy metal supposedly dying vehemently militate against reality and vice versa, especially when it comes to extreme yet melodic metal. Case in point, the French progressive technical death metal quartet Catalyst which consists of Jules Kicka (guitars, vocals), Florian Iochem (guitars), Jefferson Brand (bass)…

RISING STEEL – Beyond the Gates of Hell

RELEASE YEAR: 2022  BAND URL: https://www.rising-steel.fr/ The previous offering by these French metal freaks, more specifically the loud and crushing Fight Them All (2020), was an entertaining albeit slightly uneven ride through power metal, NWOBHM, and thrash metal. I am pleased to announce that nothing has changed in the outfit’s camp as the latest effort titled…

MORGUE – Lowest Depths of Misery

RELEASE YEAR: 2022  BAND URL: https://godzovwarproductions.bandcamp.com/album/lowest-depths-of-misery These twisted French purveyors of relentlessly aggressive and hyper intense death metal turned out to be a real fucking delight and a very cool surprise to yours truly. With an immensely powerful sound and a pitch-black aura reminiscent of one’s worst possible nightmare, the talented duo tear through their pummeling…

PHALANX INFERNO/MELEK-THA – Order of Eternal Indifference

RELEASE YEAR: 2021  BAND URL: https://godzovwarproductions.bandcamp.com/album/order-of-eternal-indifference Although this split album by the US horde Phalanx Inferno and the French entity Melek-Tha is not brand spanking new as such (it was released back in early December), it is such an interesting one that we need to churn out a few sentences about its many merits. I love…

CORRUPTER – Descent into Madness

RELEASE YEAR: 2022  BAND URL: Descent Into Madness | CORRUPTER | ???? ?? ??? ??????????? (bandcamp.com) From the fiery pits of the French metal underground comes the 2-man outfit Corrupter, and this skilled duo shows great promise and potential here. “Descent into Madness” is a rather short and concise affair that encapsulates much of what I…

LALU – Paint the Sky

RELEASE YEAR: 2022BAND URL: https://www.facebook.com/laluprog/ An incredibly diverse and intriguing mixture of prog rock and prog metal that somehow manages to pay homage to some of the legendary outfits from the 70s and simultaneously sound current and have a modern sheen to their eclectic style is what we have here, and “Paint the Sky” by…