RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://electrichigh.bandcamp.com/album/colorful-white-lies Apollon Records were kind enough to hand me a copy of this raw and raunchy debut offering by the Bergen-based hard rockers known as Electric High, and I am eternally grateful to them for that as this groove-laden, catchy, and energetic record ticks a lot of the boxes for me…
RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: http://lnk.to/thelurkingshadowofdeath Ars Veneficium is about as trustworthy as a dark roast coffee on an early Sunday morning, which means fucking excellent, solid, and massively potent in every sense of the word. While I have enjoyed their previous albums and outputs immensely, their latest offering is undoubtedly their most remarkable and accomplished…
RELEASE YEAR: 2024 BAND URL: https://gerseydeoful.bandcamp.com/album/reign-ov-hoof-and-wing I could not have been happier (nor more excited for that matter) when I saw that the New Jersey-based black metal outfit known as Gersey Deoful had unleashed a fresh new torrent of tunes collectively titled Reign ov Hoof and Wing. Their previous offerings have been a most welcome addition…
RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://theflyingnorsemen.bandcamp.com/album/the-flying-norsemen With a few original members of renowned prog rockers Arabs in Aspic in tow and a brilliantly designed album artwork, this is exactly the kind of thing that immediately caught my attention and let me tell you straight off the bat that I was not disappointed in the slightest by…
RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://www.facebook.com/ritual.se/ Swedish prog rockers Ritual are back on the musical radar following a painfully long hiatus, but judging by the quality of the sprawling epics that constitute this grand-sounding opus of theirs, they have spent their time between albums wisely as The Story of Mr. Bogd – Part 1 displays great…
RELEASE YEAR: 2024 BAND URL: https://highonfire.bandcamp.com/ Admittedly, I have never been the greatest fan of the Californian sludge and stoner heavy metallers High On Fire (HoF), preferring their peers they influenced, Mastodon. To be perfectly honest (and I gave it plenty of time and patience) The Art of Self Defense²⁰⁰⁰, Surrounded By Thieves²⁰⁰², Blessed Black…
RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://godzovwarproductions.bandcamp.com/album/descendants-of-evil You can never really go wrong with an inhumanely brutal barrage of blackened death metal from Poland when it is released by the long-running Godz ov War Productions, and this eight-track juggernaut by Upon the Altar is a perfect example of a solid and perversely enjoyable listening experience. The pure,…
VENUE: StereoDATE: 30.07.2024 ORGANIZER: Dark Essence Records / Beyond the GatesPHOTOGRAPHER: J. NepperPhotos copyrights belong to the photographer. No unauthorized usage allowed. Please contact photographer if you wish to reuse images in any context. The ever-reliable purveyors of quality music known as Dark Essence Records, one of the world’s premier metal-related labels, are not merely…
RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://www.facebook.com/stealthecityuk/ Hailing from Sheffield and packing plenty of sonic punch, the quartet known as Steal the City delivers hook-laden songs that fall somewhere between arena-sized hard rock and modern metal with strong melodies to it. Full of energy and as immediately accessible and catchy as they come, the compositions generally deliver…
RELEASE YEAR: 2024 BAND URL: https://stormbornmetal.com/ Far too many power metal albums just flash the, admittedly fantastic if not virtuosic, guitar leads atop big choruses without paying much attention to writing quality songs, most just sounding like copies of Helloween or Gamma Ray. There are exceptions, for instance, the Italians Temperance whose third album The…
RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://www.facebook.com/deafcon.de/ The German act named Deafcon5 dabbles in an eclectic mixture of hard rock and metal with a notably progressive touch to it, and this fourth full-length opus of theirs tackles some rather interesting philosophical questions relating to the human condition. What immediately stands out is how varied the song material…
RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://www.facebook.com/HumanZooOfficial This is my first encounter with the German hard rockers known as Human Zoo and let me tell you right off the bat that I am wildly impressed with these guys and what they offer. We are off to a cracking good start with the bombastic and punchy album opener…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: https://hyperiametal.bandcamp.com/ Hyperia is a Canadian technical heavy thrash metal band founded in 2018 and they have just released their 3rd (after Insanitarium²⁰²⁰ and Silhouettes Of Horror²⁰²²) full length The Serpent’s Cycle²⁰²³ on November 17th, independently but courtesy of two promotors Jon Asher & Asher Media Relations and Sonja Schlicht &…
RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://gjenferdbergen.bandcamp.com/album/gjenferd This stunning and ridiculously well-written not to mention infectiously catchy debut effort by the Norwegian outfit named Gjenferd is one of the best things that has happened to me this year. By Odin, this is so fucking awesome and inspired that I lack words, and that rarely happens, mind you.…
PHOTOGRAPHER: Oliver HaremsaPhotos copyrights belong to the photographer. No unauthorized usage allowed. Please contact photographer if you wish to reuse images in any context. Conducting an interview with the great Doogie White is always a pleasure and a real treat; not only is he a true gentleman but his discography is also utterly impressive…
RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://vestindien.bandcamp.com/album/verdande In all honesty, I did not think it possible for the uniquely gifted masterminds behind Vestindien to top or better their flawless debut offering entitled NULL, but by some perverted and wonderful miracle these six twisted souls have conjured up a new work of radiant brilliance that transcends barriers and…
RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://www.facebook.com/InnerAxis/ The German heavy metal outfit known as Inner Axis recently unleashed this ten-track affair of theirs via Fastball Music, and just like the single releases and full-length LPs that preceded Midnight Forces it very much leans towards the classic variety of the genre, which is to say that your appetite…
RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://www.facebook.com/gotusmusic/ This deftly executed slab of varied hard rock nearly got away from my enormous review pile but luckily found its way to the CD player before it was too late – something that I am extremely grateful for as the music housed in this great-looking jewel case is a fine…
RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://www.facebook.com/smokingsnakesofsweden/ Yes, this is just what I was in the mood for today – a raunchy and fiery blast of sleaze metal with a raw edge and a lively atmosphere to it. Swedish delinquents Smoking Snakes recently released this eleven-track debut offering of theirs via Frontiers and it ticks a lot…
RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://www.facebook.com/cobrakillrocks/ The German heavy metal/hard rock outfit known as Cobrakill unleashed their sophomore effort a couple of months ago via Frontiers and this 12-track slice of fiery fun is filled with adrenaline-fueled riffs, gang vocals, and a bad-ass attitude. There is no shortage of vigor and quality to this 80s-inspired blast…
