Eternal Storm – A Giant Bound to Fall (Transcending Obscurity)
Within the world of melodic death metal, there are many differing approaches. One who has paved a distinctive path is Spain’s Eternal Storm, melding the progressive, melodious, mournful, and straight hard-hitting into an alluring...
Amaranthe – The Catalyst (Nuclear Blast)
Considering the usual output of Amaranthe, it's a bit surprising to look back and see that The Catalyst is the first full-length from the band since jumping to Nuclear Blast Records for 2020's Manifest....
Morta Skuld – Fighting Underdogs
While many remember the early death metal pioneers from countries or states like Sweden or Florida, there were other quality acts in the 1990’s sprouting up from the Midwest like Milwaukee, Wisconsin’s Morta Skuld....
Art of Anarchy – Let There Be Anarchy (Pavement Entertainment)
Containing a mix of seasoned players, some of whom are fairly well known in the hard rock / metal circles (guitarist Ron ‘Bumblefoot’ Thal from Guns N’ Roses / Sons of Apollo, vocalist Jeff...
Nulled – The Traitor (Art Gates Records)
Always on the lookout for new talent, Nulled is a contemporary quintet from Spain that since 2018 has been building their modern sound steadily. Releasing their previous opus Strokes of Reason in 2022, the...
Darkest Hour – Perpetual | Terminal (MNRK Music Group)
Arguably one of the first metalcore acts to really dive all in on more of a European (read: Gothenburg) sound with their material, Darkest Hour have been at it for decades now. Perpetual |...
Surgical Strike – Nonstop Hate
Photo: Marcel Huebner
Just as important in the thrash genre as the Bay Area, Germany has always been a solid market not just for its fervent appreciation of the movement, but it’s own domestic output....
Durbin – Screaming Steel (Frontiers Music)
James Durbin may have hit the radar for most thirteen years back through his American Idol season in 2011 where he would finish in fourth place – but to readers of this site, they...
Illumishade – Another Side of You (Napalm)
Illumishade's debut, 2020's Eclyptic: Wake of Shadows, was an impressive first offering that brought listeners into a sweeping, musical world that felt magical and whimsical without losing that all important bottom-end. A vehicle for...
Metal De Facto – Land of the Rising Sun Part 1 (Rockshots Records)
Of all the genres within metal, the best use of conceptual or specialized theme storylines probably occurs for the power metal movement. Finnish band Metal De Facto for example developed 2019’s debut effort Imperium...
Darkest Hour – A Wealth of Experience
One of the first American acts that started to really showcase some influence from the Gothenburg scene in this scribe's memory is that of Darkest Hour. Injecting Scandinavian melodies into a more visceral, American...
Night Slasher – Night Slasher (Sliptrick Records)
Originally going by Alcotopia for almost a decade, Lithuania’s Night Slasher brandish a blackened speed metal mix through this self-titled debut record. Adorning leather, chains, corpse paint while holding fiery torches in their promotional...
Revolution Saints – Against the Winds (Frontiers Music)
I've been a Revolution Saints fan since their self-titled first album in 2015. Deen Castronovo on drums AND lead vocals?? Oh, where do I sign up? Hell, I've reviewed every album with no intention...
Infected Rain – Vehicles for Emotion
Continuing to change and evolve with each album, Infected Rain sit as one of the more prominent bands of the current modern metal scene. But it's not something that happened over night. Working independently...
Morbid Saint – Swallowed by Hell (High Roller Records)
Wisconsin band Morbid Saint gained notoriety over the years through the underground for their 1990 album Spectrum of Death – taking elements of thrash into a deadlier direction a la other bands of that...