RELEASE YEAR: 2022 BAND URL: Sacred Arts Of Navigation | Sunrunner | Fastball-Music (bandcamp.com) I was intrigued by the album artwork and the song titles to “Sacred Arts of Navigation” by the US quartet known as Sunrunner and very much looking forward to immersing myself in the 11-track opus, but sadly, their particular mixture of prog…
The German-based Scatterface dabbles in a mixture of synth wave, electro pop/rock, and industrial rock/metal, and this record of his, which is simply entitled ”2020”, is essentially a solo output albeit one that features several appearances by musicians and singers from around the world. How does the project fare then? Honestly, not that well. The…
Instrumental offering "Shiva Appreciation Society" by the obscure International ensemble that is Art Against Agony is a curious mixture of jazz rock fusion, art rock, and progressive metal (or is that post-metal?), but unfortunately, it is neither as cool nor captivating as it sounds. Parts of it remind me of "Scarabus" by the Ian Gillan…
This one is a rather strange and peculiar album and quite at odds with what typically comes our way for us to review. Put briefly, Poldur’s Gate Project released this 8-track disc of theirs last year and it is basically a metal/rock album where all the voices and music and whatnot have been synthesized using…
Melodic heavy metal with occasional epic and power tendencies from Greece’s Snowblind – "One Epic Metal Requiem" is their fifth studio album since 1999, a 13 track / hour long journey into a quartet that prefer mid-tempo arrangements, a decent amount of guitar trilling that often matches up to the low vocal harmony action. The…
So, this is what the kids call death metal these days. Well, I got some news for you. Its not. Not even close. This is metal-core mixed with nu-metal. Or something like that. Screamo vocals combined with soft and emotional boy-band vocals might impress some teenagers who thinks Justin Bieber is so 2014, but don’t…
After taking in this Russian alternative metal/ rock band Grenouer with their 2013 release "Blood on the Face", I can’t say that I was overly excited to hear this eighth studio album "Unwanted Today". Sure, if you don’t mind hearing similar recycled fare like "I Can’t Stand It" and "A Little Too Obsessed" mirror Sevendust,…
The second album "All Crumbles Down" is a modern heavy metal record that occasionally veers into doomy territory. Faceshift hail from Sweden and perform in an American-ized way: down tuned guitars, power grooves galore, and melodic vocals more in line with modern rock radio than anything super heavy. Everything from Alice in Chains and Nevermore…
Croatian metal isn’t high on my aural radar screen – but here is the debut album from Monox, a five-piece act that straddle the line of melodic death and groove metal. "Perception Changes" struggles to gain appeal because of its reliance on computer tricks and guitar effects that mask the true abilities of the musicians…
Take one part Mnemic vocalist in Guillaume Bideau, add in the rest of Lyzanxia in guitar brothers David and Franck Potvin, bassist Perdi and drummer Clément Rouxel and you would think we would develop quite an intriguing heavy product. Dead wrong – the 11 originals plus intriguing ‘pop’ turned heavy cover choice slot horizontally in…
Let’s face it- those who discovered this Swedish band when they were the leaders of the melodic death metal movement on "The Jester Race", "Whoracle", on through to "Clayman" records are none too pleased with their alternative/ groove metal direction they’ve maintained for a solid 12 years since 2002’s "Reroute to Remain" effort. If you…
Ullen lyd og kaos er en dårlig kombinasjon som i alle fall ikke slår an her i heimen. Black/death metal av ikke så fryktelig stor kvalitet men med mye kaos. Bandet har sikkert gode intensjoner, men dette funker ikke på noen måte. Litt oldschool og og (heldigvis) bare sju låter. Det er vel det eneste…
The German heavy metal/ hard rock subsidiary of the death metal act Debauchery, "Blood Is My Trademark" contains 10 songs in a straight forward Judas Priest meets Motörhead style, as Mr. Debauchery (aka Thomas Gurrath) handles the vocals/ guitars and his band mates (Mr. Kill- guitars, Mr. Blood- bass, Mr. Death- drums) tackle the rest.…
Irske Ogre har beæret oss med sitt første album på 20 år. Årsaken til dødtiden er at bandet har vært oppløst mellom 2000 og 2013. For min del kunne de gjerne ha fortsett med det, for det de gir oss på «Bastards of Death» er ikke all verden. Brutal death metal kalles dette og det…
Active for 4 years, Dutch band Neckbreak Nation unleash their debut album "Stroke of the Devil’s Hour" – a 9 song odyssey into the land of semi-progressive modern groove metalcore. What does this mean for your ears? Lots of breakdowns, a boatload of finger tapping leads, monotonous barking/ scream oriented vocals, and simple chord choices…
I remember the early days of this Italian band very well. Back in the 1990’s, Lacuna Coil slowly built awareness of their sound, inspired by the likes of Paradise Lost into an amalgamation of gothic metal with hard rock leanings. Vocalist Cristina Scabbia gained a lot of attention due to her impressive multi-octave siren range,…
I admire persistence in the metal scene, and this Spanish heavy metal act Nigromante has a ton of it. To finally see the release of a debut album "Black Magic Night" 11 years after forming could be considered a true sign of commitment (or insanity), depending on the final product. For this duo of musicians…
Dette er et ganske kjedelig death metal album fra tyske Hate Force One. De har ganske enkelt tatt det meste av middelmådig death metal og blandet det sammen til en kjedsommelig mølje. Noen positive takter finnes i et par av låtene, men det er langt fra nok til at denne skiva skal klare og karre…
Active since 1994, this German band Dark Age intertwines melodic death metal with power and electronic elements on their seventh studio album "A Matter of Trust". As such, material like "Nero", "My Saviour", and "The Locked In Syndrome" goes down smooth as pie, chock full of melodic hooks and staccato-oriented riffing with hints of Soilwork…
The Norwegian entity known as Ildjarn was quite productive throughout its existence and released tons of different shit (demos, EPs, albums and compilations) from its inception all the way back in 1991 and up to the present day. However, the project formally ceased to exist in 2005 as far as I know. "Forest Poetry" was…
