Iris North

My formal position is: editor and music reviewer. I joined the PlanetMosh army in 2012. I enjoy extreme metal, 'shred' guitar, hard rock, prog rock, punk, and... silly pop music!

Terror Empire – The Empire Strikes Black

Quasi-witty or ‘cheesy’ title aside, Terror Empire‘s second full-length release, The Empire Strikes Black, is one pummeling slab of old-school cool death metal. A young Portugese band, founded in 2009, Terror Empire sound a bit like they’re part of the “revivalist” faction discussed previously on PlanetMosh. The concept is simple: …

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Game Over – For Humanity [re-release]

Italy’s Game Over, founded in 2008, has presented fans with a crisp, 13-track re-release of their 2012 debut disc, For Humanity. A word being thrown around these days in some metal circles is “revival”, with practitioners labeled “revivalists”. Thrash and speed metal arguably had their heyday around the same time …

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Andy Shaw, of Parise – Final Interview

Parise is one of those hidden gem sleeper projects, a criminally under-exposed band that might blow your mind if you’re fortunate enough to discover them. The band’s potent mix of modern power pop, hard rock, and even hints of heavy metal strikes right where you want it. “…(The songs) are …

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Ensiferum – One Man Army

Finnish melodic folk-death metal band Ensiferum has released their sixth studio album through Metal Blade Records, titled One Man Army. The band, which takes it’s name from a Latin word translating to “Sword bearing,” has included 15 aggressive tracks, counting the four bonus tracks, for eager fan consumption. Overall, One Man …

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Mojave Lords – Unfuckwithable

With a cast of infamous characters that reads like a short who’s who of the California desert rock scene, Mojave Lords are a lake of fire indeed. Featuring core members David Catching, Kevin Richey, Brian O’Connor, and Joey Castillo, the band has released an aggressive ten song debut, neologically dubbed …

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Johansson & Speckmann – Mask of the Treacherous

For extreme metal, anno 2015 is off to a good start, with Johansson & Speckmann‘s second studio effort, Mask of the Treacherous, being released through Vic Records. This nine-song album features Ribspreader‘s Rogga Johansson, teamed up with Master‘s Paul Speckmann. The studio-only collaboration showcases the musical and songwriting acumen of …

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Periphery – Juggernaut: Alpha & Omega [2 album set]

Periphery - Juggernaut Omega album cover art

This band’s fans, humorously dubbed Peripherals, are going to adore this set by Washington, D.C’s Periphery. Titled Juggernaut: Alpha and Juggernaut: Omega, the dual-disc ‘concept album’ set serves to redefine the band for anno 2015. Seventeen songs of djenty, modern progressive metal glory will tickle the earholes of an eager …

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Mini Mansions – Geronimo [single]

A band that’s been buzzed about as “a force to watch”, Mini Mansions hit BBC 1’s Single Of The Week with “Death Is A Girl” in mid-December, 2014. With that kind of accolade, and an upcoming full UK tour with Royal Blood, this sun-drenched American band are this week’s obvious Pop Focus choice. …

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The Crown – Death is Not Dead

There are some genuinely grinding, aggressive moments tucked away in the 11 tunes that comprise The Crown‘s early 2015 release, Death is Not Dead. These Swedish extreme metal veterans have reconvened to bring their fans some more fairly melodic, high speed death-thrash as only they can. Death is Not Dead …

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Carl Phelan – Flyleaf Spreads Their Wings [book]

Do you like the band Flyleaf? Do you like to read? Here’s something made with you in mind! Flyleaf Spreads Their Wings, a digital edition of which was offered three months ago for review, is about the “Christian but not Christian” band Flyleaf, who is currently apparently on hiatus. The …

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Mark Lanegan – No Bells On Sunday

No Bells On Sunday was vocalist Mark Lanegan‘s “warning shot”, his prelude EP released just prior to his 2014 Phantom Radio full length effort. Comprised of “extra” songs that did not make the full length, this vinyl platter is a spin through a dizzying collection of alt-rock ambiance. The EP …

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Pat Travers Band – Live At The Iridium NY

Canadian-born musician Pat Travers is fortunate to have a long and storied career playing rock and roll. He’s got an extensive discography with The Pat Travers Band, including at least one touchstone live release. This latest live album, Live at The Iridium NY, released through Frontiers Records in 2015, adds …

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Paul Gilbert Interview for PlanetMosh, January 2015

PlanetMosh is celebrating our tenth anniversary in 2015, so to start the year off on a page of good notes, here’s the first Featured Band! And he’s a good ‘un: none other then internationally-acclaimed guitar player and instructor, Mr. Paul Gilbert. “From platinum album sales and number one chart success …

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Lich King – Do-Over [EP]

lich king - do-over

Part homage, part parody, and all in-your-face, Massachusetts thrash-mongers Lich King‘s seven-song EP, titled Do-Over, is a jungle of fist-pumping, headbanging riffage. Released by Evil Eye Records on Christmas Day 2014 (as a present to the band’s fans old and new), this EP is an advance warning shot, serving to …

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Sodom – Sacred Warpath

German stalwart thrash metal act Sodom has released it’s latest, a four-song EP titled Sacred Warpath, in 2014 through SPV/Steamhammer. Tom “Angelripper” and his cronies knew as far back as 1982 how to thrash an audience, and they still seem to have that black magic spark. Sodom has a formulaic …

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Hello=Fire – Parallel [single / video]

Similar to how Bob Dylan‘s “All Along the Watchtower” gained wider attention through Jimi Hendrix‘s incendiary cover, Dean Fertita‘s “Parallel” made music news headlines several years after being laid to tape, through The Dead Weather bandmate Jack White‘s quirky, angular-blues cover version. And that’s a good thing. The original “Parallel” …

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Sweethead – Antony [single]

The musical brainchild of Troy Van Leeuwen (Failure, A Perfect Circle, Queens of the Stone Age) and Serrina Sims, California’s alt-rock Sweethead takes it’s name from a vintage “vulgar” David Bowie song, and it’s sound from the various eras of rock music. “Antony”, this first piece, recorded and shelved, not …

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One – New Life [single]

“New Life”, by Warsaw native One (name: Adam Malicki), is a random find from a boredom-trawl on Twitter that asks for your attention. Freshly released, this single is a guitar-heavy instrumental track that opens with a waltzing, cracked funhouse flair. Rapidly shifting gears to synth-laden blues rock, and then to …

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Obituary – Inked In Blood

Veteran death metallers Obituary, from Florida, have returned with their latest studio album, titled Inked In Blood. The disc was crowd-funded by Kickstarter (later picked up by Relapse Records), so it should come as no surprise that these songs have been honed to a razor’s edge with demands from the …

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