Album Reviews

Swedish Metal Band Sister Sin’s first album Dance of the Wicked was originally released in 2013. Ten years later it has been re-released by Victory Records. Now with, not only all 8 original tracks but, 3 previously unreleased demo tracks, and a bonus track featuring German Rock Goddess Doro Pesch. …

Reckless Love are a Finnish Glam Rock band who these days do their own music and songs, after initially starting out as Reckless Life, a Guns N’ Roses tribute. Olli Herman, their very good-looking (he’s like the male equivalent of Pamela Anderson) frontman joined Crashdiet for a time before concentrating …

Arizona state metalheads Eyes Set To Kill reached a crossroads with fourth album White Lotus in 2011. Not content with being shoe-horned into a style that wasn't to their liking they struck out and partnered up with Century Media Records for their new release, Masks.

Sometimes, a band has to be seen in the flesh at a concert to be fully appreciated. Sabaton are one of those bands. This live DVD/CD is the band’s second live offering but their first full length concert video, filmed whilst on tour in support of their latest album release Carolus …

In 2009 Merciless Terror crawled from the depths of hell in Nottingham, UK. This band consists of four members, all ready to make your blood pump of adrenaline. This band is influenced by bands like Slayer, Malevolent Creation, early Sepultura and Bolt Thrower but I also hear some Exhumed similarities. …

Soulfly is the popular extreme metal outfit fronted by former Sepultura lead singer Max Cavalera. Since forming in 1997 the band have released eight studio albums which have earned widespread acclaim and which have been notable for a high volume of guest appearances from artists involved in largely disparate forms …

Replacing a forming member and vocalist in any band is never an easy task, but to have to replace once during the 2012 Warped Tour seemed an even harder task. One which the remaining members of IWABO were able to complete with some efficiency, managing to find a stand in …

Ambush is a nicely-produced, 13-track offering from Parma, Italy’s Celeb Car Crash. In contrast to their catastrophic name, this is a ‘safe’ album in the alternative rock, or nu-grunge vein. The band is competent, skilled, and versatile. Their sound could be described as vaguely reminiscent of Alice In Chains, or …

Evergrey guitarist Marcus Jidell released his solo album, Pictures From A Time Traveller, in 2013 through Lion Music. It’s definitely an instrumental guitar album, but it doesn’t fall prey to “backing tracky” sound, or overly indulgent ‘shred’ in any given passage. Fluid passages lull one into a drifting, borderless sea… …

Northern Ireland will always bring a big smile to my face. Not only as it’s my homeland, but there are a hell of a lot of great bands with huge energy, a lot of passion, spirit and soul throughout. A lot of Northern Irish bands seem to get overlooked somehow …

Northern Ireland’s Kashis originally planned to call this EP ‘The Monarchy Is Set To Kill’.  Now the lead off track, the former titular it is a pleasant blend of post-grunge, stoner and nu-metal which sets up the rest of the release nicely. ‘We Are The Blend’ has some beautiful, poppy …

Glaswegian death metallers Blood Thread have been on the go since about 2009 and their first EP, The Tolerance is Over, is a sound platform to grow and build on from.

‘Paradise’ = noun, “a place or condition of great happiness, where everything is exactly as you would like it to be”. A description never more apt.       Continuing their relentless march towards conquering the globe, Within Temptation throw out this four track E.P. ahead of next years highly …

Progressive Israeli metallers, Omb have released their self-produced debut, SwineSong. Middle-Eastern acoustic leanings tailored with blackened thrash are the order of the day in this schizophrenic body of work. It’s their pushing of the creative boundaries that proves to be the album’s downfall. Tossing everything into the cauldron does not …

This is Lancaster-based Promethium‘s second album, titled Origins. This is a ten-track rock and roll album which ventures in to both metal and acoustic ballad territory. It’s fairly even-tempered, with most songs bearing different nuances of hard rock flavor. While crisp and modern, the mix is very vocal-forward or vocalist-centric, …

Death metal band Craven Idol have arrived, with their debut album Towards Eschaton. This is the UK-based band’s first major release on a label, although their demo, released in 2006, did sell out all 50 copies. Raspy, caustic vocals in these eight tracks blend with ‘fast to blast’ tempo metal. …

France’s Bliss Of Flesh upholds the brutal death metal genre with their 2013 release, Beati Pauperes Spiritu. They seem vaguely similar to Behemoth in the latter’s early, intense years. The band does experiment with melody, especially during “On The Path To Expiation”. What sets this album apart from others within …

Mordecai, a band from London, bring listeners 11 tunes showcased on their debut Undaunted. The band mixes two styles of rock in to their signature: a slower, melodic balladry and a fairly modern rock swagger. They sound vaguely American, but not so ‘in-your-face’. The songs follow, for the most part, …

Beaten To Death is a band from Norway, featuring members of current, established metal acts: Tsjuder, Insense, and She Said Destroy. If you are looking for vicious grindcore that’s also innovative and satirical, look to Dodsfest!. These guys nail it: everything from dirty grind to jangle-pop melodies (played over blastbeats). …

The Temperance Movement are quite simply refreshing. To see a band of musicians rise rapidly to a significant level of success in the space of just twelve months provides hope and inspiration to the aspiring musicians of places like London’s Tech Music. In this short time they have gone from …