Act of Creation – Moments to Remain (Massacre Records)
One country that always has a steady stream of strong musicians in a variety of styles across metal worthy of attention is Germany. The five-piece Act of Creation started in 2007, releasing a series...
Bridear – Reborn for Global Domination
Formed in 2012, Bridear have been hitting the Japanese heavy metal scene for well over a decade now. While they didn't get much international recognition until 2021's Bloody Bride, they have been rapidly trying...
Saint Diablo – The Reckoning (Eclipse Records)
We know that older styles of rock/metal become new in nature roughly every 15-20 years or so. Must be a generational exposure thing. Latin metal act Saint Diablo from Virginia embrace a mix of...
Mellows – alloy (Mashup Records)
Propagators of 'cute metal,' as claimed by Mellows themselves, Mellows adds to the Japanese metal community and their use of a dynamic of a melodic, kawaii aesthetic and heavy and occasionally frantic guitarwork. To...
Sable Hills – Odyssey (Arising Empire)
When it comes to metalcore, many of the dyed-in-the-wool types gripe about the lack of guitarwork and emphasis on vocals above anything else in the genre. It wasn't always that way in terms of...
Isiliel – Beauty through Perseverance
It wasn’t too long ago that we chatted with Isiliel’s Himari Tsukishiro. She left a major impact with her show last fall in Philadelphia, so when it was announced that Isiliel would be returning...
Regicide – Resist Control (Self-Released)
This four-piece outfit from the UK started in 2020 – an infamous year that may have limited Regicide in terms of live gigs, but they at least could hunker down in the studio and...
Vulvodynia – Entabeni (Unique Leader)
Within more recent years, Vulvodynia has been one of the strongest and most consistent in the extreme metal circuit (along with Cognitive). After a rather messy and public dismissal of former vocalist Duncan Bentley...
Adelon – Circular Cycles
Progressive, technical death metal continually push boundaries through not only the songwriting but also the brilliant, advanced performance and production aspects. Swiss act Adelon came to this scribe’s attention through their most recent four...
Ireful – Agents of Doom (Xtreem Music)
Often musicians from other metal genres unite under the umbrella of another cause – willing to spread their wings for the love of a specific style. That’s the case here for Italian quartet Ireful....
Obscene – Agony & Wounds (Nameless Grave Records)
The chaos of death metal captures many followers who desire the heaviest, most brutal forms of music conveyed in tight windows of emotional fury. Obscene is another Midwest act from the new generation –...
Requiem’s Embrace – Nightmares and Fairytales (Sleaszy Rider Records)
Once musicians gain some experience in the scene, it’s natural for them to network, maintain friendships, and expand horizons into new outfits as time passes by. Italian sextet Requiem’s Embrace consists of personnel who...
Orion Child – Reaching For Broader Horizons
Let’s face it – originality in the metal realm is difficult. So many styles established, only so many chord progressions present, it’s evident that injection of two (or more) genres in your own personal...
Turbo – Broke & Ugly (Self-Released)
Four-piece outfit Turbo calls Halifax, Nova Scotia in Canada home – a heavy metal outfit with NWOBHM meets old-school ripping groove / primal instinct appeal. Broke & Ugly is the second album, an eight-song...
icontinew – First Impact (Atreat)
Without much obvious distribution this side of the Pacific, sometimes a number of these Japanese bands fly way under the radar. Such is the case for icontinew, who just so happened to randomly pop...