RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://lnk.to/deverbodendiepte1 Dystopia’s take on ferocious and earth-shattering black metal is quite unlike anything else that I have come across. In fact, lumping the band and album into the black metal category is doing them a disservice as they clearly exist beyond the confines of said genre and have more in common…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: https://theocracymusic.com/ The Georgian progressive power metallers Theocracy is one of metal’s lesser known bands, possibly because they are born again Christians (as opposed to cultural Christians) and are not ashamed to sing about the Gospel of Jesus Christ and how it’s mankind’s only hope. Indeed, as I state in my…
RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://www.cedricburnside.net/ Renowned blues maestro Cedric Burnside is one of the greats of the genre and his upcoming album titled Hill Country Love is nothing short of a triumph. The vibrant aura and heartfelt passion of the material make for a frighteningly convincing, outright authentic, and emotionally gratifying listening experience that speaks…
RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://www.waltertrout.com/ The upcoming record by blues rock legend Walter Trout entitled Broken is nothing short of spectacular, and the entire thing is brimming with atmosphere, heart, soul, and some of the best riffs and licks that I have ever come across, which is saying something. This twelve-track output packs so much…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023BAND URL: https://arabs.bandcamp.com/album/the-magic-of-sin The sixth LP by the magnificent and eclectic prog rockers Arabs in Aspic originally came out in 2017 and contained lyrics and song titles in Norwegian, but this reworked, remixed, and remastered version of Syndenes Magi has undergone quite the change and now features words in English, hence the title…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023BAND URL: https://arabs.bandcamp.com/album/victim-of-your-father-s-agony The fifth record by the magnificent Norwegian ensemble known as Arabs in Aspic, which originally came out in 2015, is an evocative journey through glorious psychedelic landscapes shaped by hazy atmospheres, doom-laden riffs, and epic vocals that never fail to impress me. Impressive actually would have been a rather apt…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023BAND URL: https://nyrst.bandcamp.com/album/v-ld The Icelandic black metal force known as Nyrst blew me away by means of their tightly executed debut offering from 2020 titled Orsök, which was also released by the consistently brilliant people at Dark Essence Records. It goes without saying that I had high expectations for Völd and I was…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: https://m.facebook.com/octobertideband October Tide (henceforth OT) had been formed in 1994 by two Katatonia members Sven Fredrik Norrman and vocalist Jonas Petter Renkse and persisted for 5 years and two albums (Rain Without End¹⁹⁹⁷ and Grey Dawn¹⁹⁹⁹) before breaking up for a 10 year hiatus. They returned with A Thin Shell²⁰¹⁰…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: https://lnk.to/castleinsidetheeclipse Boasting some incredibly evocative and darkly fascinating artwork and housed in a beautiful digipak, this deeply atmospheric and melodically strong effort by Bloedmaan is nothing short of fantastic and I am finding it hard to believe that it is the intriguing entity’s debut album. By Odin, this is some fucking…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: https://templeballsrocks.com/ These feisty Finnish hard rockers never cease to amaze me, and their latest offering appropriately named Avalanche contains an abundance of hooks and thrills that will make you lose your mind and go wild. You will also find your hand and fingers reaching for the “Repeat” button again and again…
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://facebook.com/angelusapatrida Angelus Apatrida’s eponymous²⁰²¹, which I reviewed here (5.5/6) was a fantastic slab of modern thrash metal with hints of groove and metalcore so, when I saw the Century Media Records alert for the brand new video “Cold” I could hardly wait to sink my ears into it. Indeed, “Cold”…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023BAND URL: https://jordsjo.bandcamp.com/album/salighet Adorned by wonderfully evocative artwork and sporting a most intriguing title, the uniquely skilled Norwegian prog rockers known as Jordsjø are back with a new masterpiece. Just when I thought that it would be impossible for them to top the outstanding and flawless Pastoralia LP (2021), they have in fact…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: https://m.facebook.com/Witheringscorn There was a sense, after the excellent The System Has Failed²⁰⁰⁴ Dave Mustaine’s intended solo album turned Megadeth’s comeback record (after the supposed 2002 end of the line), that Megadeth was back and stronger than ever. Dave Mustaine did not waste the momentum but, having previously gained former Black…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: https://godzovwarproductions.bandcamp.com/album/traumatic-putrefaction What a gloriously disgusting and most brilliant of things this slime-soaked opus by the Polish horde known as Abominated is. Rooted in old-school death metal of the most vicious and catchy kind, this half-hour journey into horror-filled territory where crushing riffs, morbid vibes, and punishing vocals reign supreme is an…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: https://lnk.to/unveilingthepalesttruth Infinitely bleak and outright oppressive soundscapes envelop the mind when digesting the ominous content that makes up the latest offering by the Australian black metal duo known as Deadspace, and we might as well establish the fact that this is one of the year’s most captivating releases. Now that we…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: https://www.rivalsons.com/ No other outfit executes raw, vibrant hard rock quite like Rival Sons, and it is always a treat to hear and experience what these skilled Americans are up to in terms of their live activities and studio work. As to the latter, what we have here is their upcoming slice…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: https://astralborne.bandcamp.com/ Other than the perfect debut from Majesties Vast Reaches Unclaimed²⁰²³ I reviewed here I have not run into a melodic death metal album recently that would so clearly echo the Gothenburg founding fathers of the genre (At The Gates, Dark Tranquillity and In Flames) while remaining fairly unique, that…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: https://firesinthedistance.com/ While (or why) I hadn’t hurried to review the second album, Air Not Meant For Us²⁰²³ from the Connecticuter quartet as soon as it was released on April 28th on Prosthetic Records, it gave me all the more pleasure to realize how excellent it was once I sunk my…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: https://www.hexvessel.com/ Hexvessel is undoubtedly one of the most fascinating and musically adventurous entities that I have had the great pleasure of listening to since the debut offering entitled Dawnbringer from 2011. There is an enigmatic aura to every single output of theirs, and with the gifted Mathew “Kvohst” McNerney in charge…
