Album Reviews

With the ubiquitous resurfacing of N.W.O.B.H.M bands during the past few years, helped largely I feel by the HardRockHell festival who have been bringing these bands to the stage for the past four years, we’re they find them from I’ll never know, but find them they do. So here’s another …

Lonewolf are a French power metal band that formed in 1993.  They released a demo and single before splitting in 1996.  In 2000 the band reformed and released their debut album.  Now in 2012 they have just released their fifth studio album – Army of the damned.  France isnt a …

Oddland have taken a long route to get to their debut release, “The Treachery of the Senses” under Century Media. Launched in 2002 as a rock-oriented band with leanings towards grunge, releasing three demos over the past ten years in 2004 (Against All Odds), 2007 (Connection Critical Behind) and 2010 (Away …

  Although the band have been around for many years now, this is their first release since signing to Napalm Records last year, and as much as I’ve liked much of the previous output it seems apparent that a label switch has benefited all parties concerned. The level of enthusiasm …

‘The Call’ is released on 30th April 2012 via Century Media. Do they live up to their reputation?  as previously promoted with the introductory slogan “the most promising and threatening Metal band from Spain!” when Century Media first launched the band internationally in the turn of 2009/2010, it indeed became …

  After the 1st play  of this  3 track e.p by Coral Springs, Florida based band Marvlec, the 1st 2 words that sprung to mind were melody and muscle. The songs have the hooks for radio play but they still rock hard enough to keep metal fans happy. Also, considering …

Legendary Swedish rock band Europe are due to release their latest album, “Bag of Bones” at the end of April. The album was recorded with producer Kevin Shirley who has produced albums for Iron Maiden, Joe Bonamassa, Black Country Communion, Black Stone Cherry and Journey, a pretty impressive CV. They …

According to the press release, AtomA play “Apocalpytic Post Rock/Metal” – whatever that actually means.  Usually when you get a pretentious load of garbage like that used to describe a band you know you’re not going to like it, but actually AtomA are very good.  Describing their music isnt easy …

There must be something in the water in Burnaby, Vancouver judging by the creation of this album by  “progressive death metallers”  Tribune. It has more time changes than an Axl Rose tour itinerary! For example, 1st track It Came From The Swamps starts with a croaking frog sample which leads …

This is the band’s third album and the first full album with Steve ‘The Banshee’ Bell on vocals. This album has been produced by the band and mixed by their own Steve Beville (guitars). The quality of the album really is a credit to the band, if you didn’t know …

Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday metal legend… Udo Dirkschneider – Happy 60th birthday to you. Since leaving metal legends Accept, Mr Udo Dirkschneider has been very busy with his very own solo project with the very creative band name of U.D.O. Now 60 years into …

Formed in 1983, Death are probably most well known for being started and formed by the late Chuck Schuldiner who unfortunately passes away in 2001 due to cancer of the brain. Their untarnished legacy still lives on and now in 2012, Relapse Records have dug through the vaults and found …

Formed in 1999, Illnath are a female fronted melodic death metal band from Copenhagen whose latest release, Third Act In the Theater of Madness, was released in November of 2011. Their dark, ambient mix of gothic, murky melody lines and driving, rabid rhythm sections gives them an extra progressive dimension …

Power metal is a genre where it is easy to sound like every other band trying to make it in this genre and making your music 110% cheesier than any other type of metal music. Emerald Sun is such a band and the moment you put their latest album on, …

Huntress are a new band that are quickly making a big name for themselves.  Their singer Jill Janus is certainly someone worth talking about.  She’s a former opera singer with a staggering 4 octave vocal range.  For anyone who doesnt know much about vocal ranges, most talented singers can with …

Lahmia’s new album ‘Into the Abyss’  is released on the 14 May 2012 by Baker Team Records. Recorded and mixed at Outer Sound Studios by Giuseppe Orlando  (Novembre) in Rome, Italy and mastered by Jens Bogren at Fascination Street Studios in Örebro, Sweden with guest appearance by Sadist front man …

  Even though i’m a fan of Dragonforce, their previous  album Ultra Beatdown in 2008  was  patchy to say the least but their latest release The Power Within surpasses it with ease. The departure of long standing  vocalist Z.P.Theart in 2010 may have cast a giant shadow over Dragonforce’s future …

There are some albums that you can’t wait to hear, months before they are released. Others you’ll get told about by friends, and then get to check them out but the special ones are the ones you stumble across totally by accident, and as if by fate end up finding …

Allegaeon (pronounced: uh-lee-juhn) was formed in 2008 by founding member and guitar player Ryan Glisan. Soon thereafter joined the classically trained guitarist Greg Burgess, vocalist Ezra Haynes and bassist Corey Archuleta to round out and form what people have come to know now as the Colorado Kings of Melodic Metal. …

Oakland power trio High On Fire release their 6th album “De Vermis Mysteriis ‘on the 23rd April across Europe via Century Media Records. The album’s title (translation: “The Mysteries of the Worm”) is a nod to a fictional grimoire conceived by the late, great Psycho author Robert Bloch in 1935 …