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: 2024BAND URL: https://mana666.bandcamp.com/album/demo-2024 I accidentally stumbled on this wild and reckless demo output by the Finnish act named Mana, and it turns out that this potent three-track offering of theirs is a solid and well-written slab of raw and ugly black metal that works like a charm right now thanks to yours truly…
RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://harrowed.bandcamp.com/album/entropic I rarely bother reviewing singles but this 2-track jewel by the fierce UK act known as Harrowed blew me the fuck away, and I may in fact have become addicted to it. Intensely heavy and punishing yet surprisingly groovy in places also, these gentlemen have spawned a muscular-sounding mixture of…
RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://christbane.bandcamp.com/album/psalm-i Bestial and relentlessly aggressive black metal madness is occasionally what the mood calls for and when that happens it is nice to know that the abhorrent musical entity known as Christbane is out there and ready to serve one’s needs, right? I got turned on to the band via Regimental…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: https://erstwhilebm.bandcamp.com/album/ancient-steel I became aware of this melancholy black metal duo not that long ago thanks to the brilliant and ever-reliable Regimental Records who released the Steeling of a Soul album by Erstwhile on CD. This 3-track EP is hauntingly effective and drenched in an impressively solemn atmosphere that is underlined and…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023BAND URL: https://slaamaskin.bandcamp.com/track/du-2 I friggin’ love these mad Norwegian bastards and their energetic and spirited take on explosive metal, hardcore, and punk rock. With fierce riffs and even fiercer vocals, Slaamaskin mean business and are clearly out there to melt our faces and pummel us to death, and the cool thing is that…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: http://sheburnsred.com/ Having not yet had the pleasure of listening to the previous offering by this Scottish hard rock act, namely the debut EP named Take Back Tomorrow from 2020, I had no idea what to expect from this upcoming album by She Burns Red. What I can tell you is that…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: https://corroderofficial.bandcamp.com/album/both-feet-in-the-grave I friggin’ love these maniacal thrash metal bastards from Trondheim, and this vicious new slice of harsh and punishing music of theirs is even better and more focused than anything that came before, which is saying something. As much as I dig the Tombs of Terror EP (and I still…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: https://www.webbofficial.com/ Melodic metal with progressive overtones and a huge amount of groove that works like a charm – how could I not love this well-written and inspired output by the British act named Webb?! The riffs are meaty and pack a lot of punch, there is finesse and sophistication to the…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: https://witheredancient.bandcamp.com/album/ii I stumbled on this evocative and atmospheric black metal opus by the utterly obscure Bulgarian outfit named Withered Ancient while browsing Bandcamp at work the other day, and there was something about it that drew me in and kept me engaged throughout. The stark monochrome album cover and the idea…
