Album Reviews

Mortillery are a thrash metal band from Edmonton in Canada.  Their musical influences include Judas Priest, English Dogs, Warfare, Broken Bones, Iron Maiden, Crucifix, Slayer, W.A.S.P. Motorhead, Municipal Waste and early Metallica.  That “early Metallica” bit gives you a hint what the music is going to be like – as …

Exceptional release from an equally exceptional band.   American Operatic Metal band Upon Wings are about to unveil their four track E.P. to the world next month, so we thought we had better take a look at what all the fuss is about. For a start, the band definitely can …

Four years have passed since “Amanethes” and Tiamat recently released its successor, “The Scarred People”. A new album that echoes the history of Sweden’s Gothic Rock pioneers. Not many bands get to album number ten in their career without undergoing at least one change in direction. The late nineties was …

In early 2012, Russian folk metal band Arkona celebrated their tenth anniverary with a special concert at the P!PLE Concert Hall in Moscow.  To make it really special they were joined by a 9-piece choir, a string quartet and 2 background vocalists.  The concert was recorded and is now being …

Lovelorn Dolls are a band from Belgium – home of great beer, great chocolate – and some great bands.  The band was formed by Ladyhell and Corpus Christi, and was initially called Lovelorn before becoming Lovelorn Dolls.  Ladyhell was formerly singer of Skeptical Minds from 2002 to 2007 and then …

Richard Thompson returns with a brand new, guitar driven record titled ELECTRIC for Proper Records. Recorded by famed producer Buddy Miller at his home studio in Nashville Texas with Michael Jerome and Taras Prodaniuk completing the core elements of the trio on drums and bass respectfully. Buddy Miller also supplies …

One of the true legends of the prog rock movement – he produced no less than 16 albums collectively with Spock’s Beard and Transatlantic before the (perceived) conflict between his own spiritual beliefs and the demands of performing with secular musicians sent him down his own individual path… Over recent …

I’ve often accused black metal of being staid and derivative, content to rest on its laurels:  but, part of the excitement which initially drew me to what I regard as real darkened extremism was the way in which BM artists were prepared to experiment and push their boundaries to their …

The third album from Swedish doom crew Kongh is not one which is for the faint-hearted.  For a start, its four tracks clock in at around three-quarters of an hour (give or take a few seconds here or there) long. This is loud, dirty, brutal, bruising doom metal of the …

  This album is the first Sarced Steel Album for 4 years. The songs in the album has 2 styles. Some songs like Storm Of Fire 1916′ remind me on Kreator in the 80s . All in all the album is harder than the previous albums  ‘Carnage Victory’ and ‘Hammer …

Death By Fire has its roots set so deep in the 80’s it should come with a free pair of white open topped trainers and drainpipe jeans! The 3rd full length studio release by Stockholm based metallers Enforcer is a short,sharp shock  of over the top metal mayhem. It reminds …

Steve Souza is back and  with a vengeance to show the young thrash metal upstarts how thrash metal should be done! At the ripe old age of 48 he has lost none of his venom and to use a song title from one of his previous bands,he still truly sounds …

Dante produce one of the finest Prog Metal albums you will ever hear.   Formed in 2006, Dante have previously released two albums to notable acclaim in their native Germany and beyond. ’November Red’ marks the bands debut release for new label, Massacre Records and a thoroughly accomplished and moving …

Airless are a four-piece hard rock band hailing from Spain, who formed in January 2002 and had their self-titled debut album out a mere six months later. They signed to Lion Music in 2005 and released second album 2nd Round that year and third effort Fight in 2008, even finding time to …

” A masterful fusion of old school Power and Thrash Metal, delivered with a bang up to date, cutting edge sound” Bursting forth from the cold Northern lands that are otherwise known as Alberta, Canada are Edge Of Attack, a five piece band that are about to shake things up …

Huldre produce an excellent Folk Metal record that is really hard to fault.     Folk Metal, Pagan Metal, call it what you will, the genre has continued to grow and develop over recent years, bands like Korpiklaani and Adorned Brood for example have all made their mark on the …

It’s been quite a ride for Welsh quartet Bullet for My Valentine. They gatecrashed the metal world almost a decade ago with debut album The Poison (time flies, doesn’t it?) and since then have toured with both Iron Maiden and Metallica, headlined arenas across the UK and even had prime time …

Music aside, the industrial “scene” so to speak is at once compelling and completely perplexing, for while there exists a healthy number of acts who have attained considerable success despite the often violent, machine-like and vastly uncommercial tendencies it possesses (Combichrist themselves are often described as “aggrotech”), it’s never had …

Serpent are a young – make that ridiculously so – thrash band from the historic market town of Cookstown (best known for its amazing sausages and having the widest high street in the British Isles!), in that part of Norn Iron known as being “west of the Bann”, and therefore …

Last year, Finland’s Jess and the Ancient Ones delivered their eponymous full length debut. A superb release, with an eloquent combination of 60’s prog rock and occult lyricism.  Having previously released standalone track “13th Breath of the Zodiac” on 7” single in 2011, it is no surprise that they have …