Reviews

Atten Ash – The Hourglass (Hypnotic Dirge Records)

Talk about a buried treasure! Atten Ash is made up of founder James Greene (who contributes drums, bass, guitar, and clean vocals) alongside Daylight Dies’ Barre Gambling (who provides guitar and keys) Read more […]

Sonic Pulse – Adventure Metal (Self Released)

A lineup shift of massive proportions signals a new edition of Massachusetts power/progressive party thrash act Sonic Pulse on this latest release Adventure Metal. Guitarist Mick Mayer is now doubling Read more […]

Ara – Devourer of Worlds (Self Released)

All too often, technically inclined death metal bands have a tendency to forget about the whole ‘death’ side of things. Coming across as cold and clinically precise, despite playing at a bazillion Read more […]

One-Way Mirror – Capture (Pavement Entertainment)

The resumes of the Frenchmen found in One-Way Mirror suggest there’s enough potential and experience to wrangle together at least a halfway decent modern metal album. With the singer of Mnemic (Guillaume Read more […]

Blind Guardian – Beyond The Red Mirror (Nuclear Blast)

It’s been four and a half years since we last had a proper release from Blind Guardian, with their fantastic ninth album, At The Edge of Time, showing that not only did these vets still have the magic, Read more […]

Lord Dying – Poisoned Altars (Relapse)

Establishing themselves early on as a touring machine, Lord Dying took a momentary break in the live venue to record their now soon to be released sophomore effort, Poisoned Altars. If the charm of their Read more […]

Varathron – Untrodden Corridors of Hades (Agonia Records)

Greece’s Varathron are a long-lived black metal act formed in 1988. Over the years, their name has spread across the nations, I mean, it’s pretty easy to spot someone wearing a Varathron shirt at a Read more […]

Black Cilice – Mysteries (Iron Bonehead)

Audiophiles we are not, but certain albums are easier to determine if a boombox was used than others. And of course, the only style of metal applicable to such a device would be black metal, where some Read more […]

Game Over – For Humanity (Re-issue) (Scarlet Records)

Affiliation through a quality 80’s thrash album from Nuclear Assault usually warrants more than cursory look-see – and in the case of Italy’s Game Over, they burst forward in an expected throwback Read more […]

U.D.O. – Decadent (AFM Records)

Consistency in heavy metal can be a lofty goal to attain yet rarely achieved. One hopes the fan base from the start continues on the journey of a lifetime – but people come and go as life priorities Read more […]

Voices – London (Candlelight)

Voices, to many the spiritual successor of the mighty Akercocke, managed to pull off a few surprises with their debut, From the Human Forest Create a Fugue of Imaginary Rain. Keeping in line with the Read more […]

Night Demon – Curse of the Damned (Century Media)

Not as much of a revelation as they are a reminder of how convincing old-school metal can be, Ventura, CA’s Night Demon surprisingly landed on the laps of Century Media last year, becoming one of the label’s Read more […]

Blast-Off – World of Lies (Suspiria Records)

Spanish thrashers Blast-Off may know their way around only a few bands, but, by golly, they know them well. Their musical palette doesn’t stretch far beyond Kreator’s rip-roaring 1985-1990 period, Read more […]

Napalm Death – Apex Predator – Easy Meat (Century Media)

Grindcore pioneers Napalm Death have enjoyed a pretty consistent ride through extreme metal (barring a few slight missteps in the ‘90s). Weathering the storm far longer than much of their brethren, Read more […]

Diablo Blvd – Follow the Deadlights (Nuclear Blast)

It’s interesting to engage in albums that have distinct American heavy metal qualities under the craftsmanship of non-American musicians. Take Antwerp, Belgian quintet Diablo Blvd. who have been together Read more […]

Crypt Sermon – Out of the Garden (Dark Descent Records)

One of our early 2014 “Now You Know” bands, Philly doom merchants Crypt Sermon have found it in their good hearts to bust out a fine debut full-length in the form of Out of the Garden. It’s semi-remarkable Read more […]

Ingested – The Architect of Extinction (Century Media)

Of the many death metal sub-genres that have popped up over the years, “slam” is one that has been ever so inconsistent. But that’s due to the fact that there’s a fine line to it: overplay the Read more […]

Visigoth – The Revenant King (Metal Blade)

Striking a chord for epic heavy/power metal, welcome to the world of Visigoth, a quintet hailing from the metal metropolis of Salt Lake City, Utah (insert dripping sarcasm). Never one to detour their determination Read more […]

Satan’s Host – Pre-dating God Parts 1 & 2 (Moribund Records)

Seems that it wasn’t too long ago that the critically revered yet publicly underrated Satan’s Host had released the excellent Virgin Sails, but low and behold, the band is back and ready for more in Read more […]

Saor – Roots (Northern Silence Productions)

On the heels of last year’s critically acclaimed Aura, one-man band Saor has re-released its debut offering Roots, originally released in 2013 and under the band name of Àrsaidh. Finding “Saor” a Read more […]

Voices of Destiny – Crisis Cult (Massacre Records)

Talk about your fluff-in-a-box (or digital download/stream) of a name, “Voices of Destiny.” Sounds a bit like a theatrical production to the average eye, eh? Or, yet another faceless female-fronted symphonic Read more […]

Archgoat – The Apocalyptic Triumphator (Debemur Morti Productions)

A contrast to the normally broad, expansive (and reliable) releases unearthed by France’s Debemur Morti, Finland’s Archgoat serves as a reminder of how simplistic and single-minded certain forms of Read more […]

Desolate Shrine – The Heart of the Netherworld (Dark Descent Records)

You know you are in for a long haul when a band’s “Intro” track is over four minutes in length. Most bands settle for something around the range of 10 seconds to maybe two minutes, but not Desolate Read more […]

Orden Ogan – Ravenhead (AFM Records)

Transforming themselves from folk metal to power metal over the years, Orden Ogan set their sights on larger headlining stages as they appear to take a layered gauntlet Blind Guardian set up during their Read more […]

Dethlehem – Destroyers of the Realm (Self Released)

Sometimes you just have to laugh at the level of genre-fication that we have come to. Dethlehem classifies themselves as “RPG melodic death metal.” Does this mean that as you listen to it, you will Read more […]

Violent Hammer – More Victims (Shadow Kingdom Records)

It’s usually the other way around with Shadow Kingdom: They dig into the past to find ultra-hard-to-find albums, demos, EPs, and the like. This time, they’re working with a new(er) band (by their standards) Read more […]

Venom – From the Very Depths (Spinefarm)

My first exposure to this infamous UK act would be as an early teen through some obscure K-Tel vinyl compilation on metal… as they decide to add “Witching Hour” to the mix of otherwise pedestrian Read more […]

Blodhemn – H7 (Indie Recordings)

If it can be claimed that there is a singular cradle for black metal, Bergen Norway would be the obvious location. Truly, it’s never a surprise to come across yet another release from yet another impressive Read more […]

Karma to Burn – Arch Stanton (Faba Records)

The undisputed dinosaurs (we say that lovingly) of instrumental metal, West Virgina’s Karma to Burn celebrated their 20th quasi year of existence last year. It hasn’t been without its bumps, naturally, Read more […]

Ghoulgotha – The Deathmass Cloak (Dark Descent Records)

Just as there are many who swear by the overall quality of a label like Profound Lore, another label that has been earning that same sterling reputation is that of Dark Descent Records. Enter one of their Read more […]