Features

Tanith – Ace in the Hole

Featuring musicians from New York and England, Tanith delivers a classic hard rock/heavy metal sound with plenty of 70’s-style riffs, tempos, as well as interesting male/female vocals throughout their Read more […]

Burning Witches – Beware the Blood Countess

Another year, another album for Burning Witches. To those of us who savor the classic, traditional heavy metal sound, these ladies keep the old school aesthetic in mind while delivering performances that Read more […]

Enforced – Denial and Delusions

Like a freight train that barrels with seemingly no pause in sight, crossover thrash when done well combines the punk/hardcore primal energy into this metal workload which cannot be denied. Enforced represents Read more […]

Savage Existence – Absorb the Blows to the Head

Expanding the global reach of the genre, Savage Existence hails from the Central American country Costa Rica – not exactly a hotbed for heavy metal, but this quintet aim to make their mark through a Read more […]

Tygers of Pan Tang – Driving the Bloodlines

This writer’s adolescence took place in the 1980’s, the growth of the heavy metal genre included speedier, powerful, explosive movements that all developed out of the traditional style. We all could Read more […]

Archon Angel – Natural Happenstance

After the release of the debut Archon Angel album Fallen in 2020, the musicians behind this act got right down to work on a follow-up. Featuring Zak Stevens on vocals (Savatage and TSO under his resume), Read more […]

Raider – Swirling in Chaos

Another potent entry from Ontario, Canada, Raider have been developing a killer blend of death/thrash with extreme and melodic nuances since their inception back in 2017. Featuring a dual riff assault Read more […]

Sermon – Blurring Boundaries

A progressive outlook with touches of melancholy, darkness, and despair – Sermon represents a multi-sensory approach to music that’s rarely delivered in quite this combination these days. Many will Read more […]

Magnus Karlsson’s Free Fall – The Flame Still Burns

A consistent workhorse in a variety of melodic hard rock/metal styles, Magnus Karlsson seems to have his hands in multiple facets of production, songwriting, and playing year after year. His most recent Read more […]

Foretoken – Epic Mythological Tales

Photo credit: Kip Dawkins Historical and mythological themes have gone hand in hand with heavy metal since the inception of the musical style we hold so dear. From Iron Maiden dedicating Powerslave Read more […]

As Everything Unfolds – Tinted in Ultraviolet

With their 2021 debut, Within Each Lies the Other, As Everything Unfolds was immediately thrust onto the musical map at full force.  Full of raw emotions ranging from melancholy to anger, there was a Read more […]

Ashrain – Surrender to the Requiem

Although this seems like a relative newcomer on paper, Ashrain contains some killer musicians with plenty of trustworthiness to draw from. Bassist Peter Baltes being an integral part of Accept, vocalist Read more […]

Overkill – The Flame Still Burns

When it comes to a blue collar, reliable brand of thrash, there’s no better place to return than in the hold of Overkill. Hard to believe that they’ve now arrived at their twentieth studio record Scorched Read more […]

Gorod – Following the Waltz of the Sun

When it comes to progressive, technical death metal, one of the forerunners of the movement has to be French band Gorod. Mesmerizing guitar work with jagged time signature changes, the songwriting still Read more […]

Voidscape – A Spiteful Odyssey

New Jersey three-piece Voidscape contains seasoned musicians already active in numerous heavy acts across all genres spectrums, especially if names like Tombs, Hammer Fight, Kalopsia, Replicant, Windfaerer, Read more […]

Redemption – Lightning in a Bottle

For over twenty plus years, Redemption has been a benchmark act for those that love progressive metal – incorporating a variety of genres influence-wise, developing versatile songs of short to epic lengths, Read more […]

Enemy of Reality – Uncovering the Truth

When it comes to symphonic metal, the landscape has spread far and wide for artists putting their own flavor into this widely appreciated style. Greek band Enemy of Reality have been active since 2013, Read more […]

All My Shadows – Unleash the Monsters

These days, when veteran musicians wish to develop a new band or project, as long as the quality of the songwriting is on point, the right parties will appear to elevate the profile. All My Shadows may Read more […]

Marianas Rest – Revealing More Wounds

Together now for a decade, Finnish sextet Marianas Rest didn’t let the lack of live gig opportunities bring them down to support their third album Fata Morgana released in March 2021. They did what many Read more […]

Haliphron – Hunting for Prey

You build a strong community of musicians as people pay attention to other acts – which often allows new bands to arise. Case in point – Dutch sextet Haliphron. Containing members with ties past and Read more […]

Stargazer – Taking Over the Sky

Scandinavian artists in the melodic hard rock / metal community possess this intuitive ability to channel heroes from the past and bring their own sense of finesse to the table for some memorizing material. Read more […]

Kamelot – Drive the Flag into the Ground

People appreciate the slow, steady climb into success in most endeavors. Kamelot have been a dominate force in the melodic power/progressive metal genre for decades – first gaining success in Europe Read more […]

Brittany Barkasi Best of 2022

There’s a chance I got a bit burned out trying to make sure I didn’t miss anything pretty late in the game for 2022. I decided to check out over 300 albums that were things I may have missed, so really Read more […]

Night Demon – Outsiders No More

A favorite with most of the scribes at Dead Rhetoric, Night Demon pound for pound are one of the shining stars for the current breed of classic-driven traditional heavy metal. Outsider is the latest full-length, Read more […]

Majesties – Unclaimed Deadly Treasures

Musicians these days explore multiple genres in the metal landscape, enjoying the collaborative process as they find like-minded people as they gain traction in the scene over the years. Such is the case Read more […]

Trial (Swe) – Stoke the Flames of Metal

Conjuring up the legacy of the 1980’s heavy metal scene with striking riffs, soaring vocals, and steady, pounding rhythm section mechanics, Trial (Swe) from Sweden have been steadily gaining ground through Read more […]

Imperium Dekadenz – Monuments to Sorrow

Since 2013’s excellent Meadows of Nostalgia, German black metallers Imperium Dekadenz has positioned themselves as one of the scene’s most intriguing bands. The duo of Vespasian (guitar, bass, drums) Read more […]

Ice Age – Power Through Chemistry

The longevity of progressive music in all forms is not lost on this scribe. There’s a timeless quality to virtuoso-filled musicianship, crafted in such a way that you discover some little nuance years Read more […]

Seventh Crystal – Living in Wonderland

There’s a wealth of musical talent within European countries these days – content to churn out influences often rarely heard in the modern scene. Seventh Crystal out of Sweden is a sextet that straddle Read more […]

Heidevolk – Intensity into Connection

Active since the early 2000’s, Dutch folk/Viking metal band Heidevolk have established a thoughtful discography in their native tongue. Taking their longest break between records for Wederkeer, it wasn’t Read more […]

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