Blackbraid – Blackbraid II (Independent)
Few musical endeavors in the niche underground world of metal have achieved such a meteoric rise like Blackbraid. A solo project of Sgah'gahsowáh, who lives in the Adirondacks in upstate New York, featuring a...
Big Red Fire Truck – Trouble in Paradise (Self-Released)
Started in 2016 by vocalist/guitarist Digby to create some melodic hard rock/metal with fun as the focus, Big Red Fire Truck from Australia channel a lot of the huge melodies, hooks, and harmonies of...
Astralborne – Climb Aboard the Fun Train
A studio project formed by musicians from New York, Ohio, and Michigan, Astralborne live for a lot of the early melodic death metal influences that originated from Europe during the 1990’s in their style....
Dark Sky – Signs of the Time (Metalapolis Records)
Founded as a school band in the early 80’s, German act Dark Sky released a series of demos before issuing a debut album Believe It in 1998 that garnered success in Asia. Slowly gaining...
Gateway – Galgendood (Transcending Obscurity)
Having been living under the proverbial radar for quite some time, the Belgian solo project Gateway has quietly been building its discography. Debuting with a demo in 2014, quickly followed by a self-titled full-length...
Crypta – Process of Pain
Photo: Estevam Romera
Quickly making their mark across the death metal landscape, Crypta returns for their second studio record in Shades of Sorrow. Continually challenging themselves as far as intricacy and technical prowess while remaining...
TakaLaiton – Mindfection (Rockshots Records)
The English translation to this Finnish band’s name literally means ‘swinging the ball over the borders’ – that’s an interesting way to approach thrash metal for TakaLaiton. Combining elements of groove metal against a...
Blackning – Awakening Rage (Black Lion Records)
Thrash metal as a genre may have thrived in the Bay Area or Germany during the first wave of the mid-80’s to early 90’s, but these days the global expansion leaves no stone unturned...
Blindstone – All About Freedom
The roots of heavy metal tie into the blues. For guitarist/vocalist Martin Jepsen Andersen, he gains the chance to explore those blues in a power trio context for Danish act Blindstone. Many may know...
Serpent of Old – Ensemble Under the Dark Sun (Transcending Obscurity)
Typically, the nation of Turkey isn’t associated with the darker side of metal’s many subgenres. Acts such as Witchtrap (the country’s first black metal band) and Moribund Oblivion serve as fine examples of the...
Girlschool – WTFortyfive? (Silver Lining Music)
Originating in the mid-1970’s as Painted Lady, this UK four-piece soon transformed into Girlschool by 1978, releasing demos and singles into the marketplace while NWOBHM was taking hold of the scene. They would release...
Dead Heat – Endless Torment (Tankcrimes/ Triple B Records)
Crossover thrash/hardcore has seen another resurgence as of late – different from the metalcore movement that arose in the late 90’s/early 2000’s. Drawing influence from the punk, hardcore, metal, and thrash movements, Dead Heat...
Omnium Gatherum – Stuck Here On Tour’s Way
It’s mid-April and Markus Vanhala is exhausted. The Omnium Gatherum guitarist is on tour with his other but equally-as-important band, Insomnium, trekking across the States in support of Enslaved after wrapping an OG Stateside...
Outer Heaven – Infinite Psychic Depths (Relapse)
Five years went by since Outer Heaven's debut LP Realms of Eternal Decay came out and it sure felt like the band stocked enough riffs for their next festering death metal offering, Infinite Psychic...
Atonement – Sadistic Invaders (Dying Victims Productions)
Amidst all this genre blending that occurs in the modern heavy scene, there are some musicians content to just rip out a raw, pure form of expression that slices through your soul. Swedish trio...