RELEASE YEAR: 2023BAND URL: https://www.facebook.com/dgmprog DGM hails from Italy and is one of the coolest and most inspiring progressive metal acts out there in the humble opinion of this scribe, and Life once again sees them firing on all cylinders from beginning to end and delivering ten enticing and elegantly composed songs that are positively…
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://www.shoresofnull.com/ In my review of the Italian melodic death/doom metallers Shores Of Null’s one track third full length Beyond The Shores (On Death And Dying)²⁰²⁰ (5/6) I necessarily compared it to both Edge Of Sanity’s Crimson¹⁹⁹⁴ and Insomnium’s Wintergate²⁰¹⁶ the former had inspired, but I concluded that it was inferior…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: https://facebook.com/DescentIntoMaelstromBand/ Although I had never visited the dodecaphonic metaller’s Andrea “Bigna” “Maelstrom” Bignardi’s independently released (later also on Maculata Anima Records) debut Descent Into Maelstrom’s eponymous²⁰¹⁷, Bignardi handling everything as a sole member after the 2016 conception, I liked the sophomore Iconoclasm (released on Maculata Anima Records in 2019 and…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: https://www.facebook.com/screamachineofficial I have a thing for this Italian heavy metal outfit and found their previous self-titled offering pretty darn entertaining and packed to the rafters with big, meaty riffs the size of a skyscraper. These dudes are anything but subtle, and the influence from Judas Priest is to be found in…
RELEASE YEAR: 2022 BAND URL: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3YyILgRcUSxqmjStt8DZPg Symphonic goth-inspired metal from Italy courtesy of the quintet named LunariaN is what we have here, and this is a rather competent and solid piece of work where the vocals of Aylin (Trail of Tears, ex-Sirenia) serve as the highlight throughout. While all the usual ingredients such as symphonic keyboards,…
RELEASE YEAR: 2022 BAND URL: https://www.facebook.com/sicknbeautifulband/ These industrial hard rockers from Italy released this energetic output titled Starstruck containing several meaty tunes a few months ago, and I must say that I found it a rather refreshing and inspired listen. With its crunchy riffs, impassioned vocals, and explosive rhythm section, the LP contains both heart and…
RELEASE YEAR: 2022BAND URL: https://lnk.to/pyrapyra I was ridiculously excited about receiving and reviewing this suffocatingly dark and utterly bleak debut EP by the recently conceived black/death metal outfit from Italy named Pyra. The early press releases sounded most promising and enticing, but did the actual musical entity live up to my expectations and where exactly…
RELEASE YEAR: 2022 BAND URL: https://www.facebook.com/edgeofforeverband/ This neat triple-CD set containing remastered versions of the first three records by Edge of Forever is an enjoyable listen and a pretty cool collection of well-written heavy metal/hard rock tunes with plenty of good vocal melodies, epic-sounding keyboards, and tasty riffs scattered across it. While some of their musical…
RELEASE YEAR: 2022 BAND URL: https://smarturl.it/rustworn This sparkling new EP by the Italian black metallers Frostmoon Eclipse is a deeply atmospheric gem, and it is fabulous to see that their uniquely evocative brand of contemplative, pitch-black melancholy remains intact. I was thoroughly impressed with “Worse Weather to Come” (2019) and “Rustworn”, which contains two new songs…
RELEASE YEAR: 2022 BAND URL: https://nb-no.facebook.com/LIONVILLEofficial I am quite fond of the previous offering by the Italian outfit named Lionville, more specifically the album titled “Magic is Alive” from 2020, and so naturally, I was looking forward to the follow-up. Thankfully, “So Close to Heaven” is just as good if not slightly better than its predecessor,…
RELEASE YEAR: 2022BAND URL: https://www.facebook.com/edgeofforeverband/ Italian hard rockers/heavy metallers Edge of Forever are back with a new opus, and let it be known that I am thoroughly impressed with how melodically strong and energetic this record sounds. The songs and lyrics revolve around Native American culture and what awaits you are an abundance of hooks,…
