…d to Inverse Records, and eventually filled out the lineup on the follow-up 2021 Dark Wanderer EP release. While creating the next set of material, the singles “Worthless” and “Anguish” hit the streets, setting the stage for the debut album Throne of Desolation. The album title refers to someone or something that terrorizes the existence of life in multiple forms when given authority – a great launching pad for what you can expect in terms of the…
…lready has the big personality she needs, it’s just a matter of getting it exposed to the rest of the world for all to see. All live photos courtesy of Jonathan Lane Jonathan Lane official website Jonathan Lane on Instagram Jonathan on Twitter/X https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_Xybqz6cEE&pp=ygUHaXNpbGllbA%3D%3D https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMICdxaG0wY Isiliel official website Isiliel on X Isiliel on Instagram…
High off the acclaimed debut album Bionic Swarm from 2021, Dutch progressive thrash metal trio Cryptosis feels the time is ripe for some more material to hit the streets as a warm-up to the second album which should appear at some point in 2024. Thus, we have a four-song digital EP in The Silent Call – the contents including one new song, one track leftover from the debut album recording sessions, plus two live tracks from Greece to satisfy those…
…tal, with some light dabbling into pop as well. Their first full-length was 2021’s Advance Generation, and for the last two years, they have been releasing some singles which turned into EP efforts. Dream Up is the latest of these, a 5-song affair that follows last year’s D-X. TRiDENT’s consistent energy and knack for catchy melodies makes Dream Up an easy point to be introduced to the band, as well as please long-time fans. Starting off with the…
…adding a fourth ‘brother’ (loose term intended) with bassist Marc Maurer in 2021 to arrive at the current incarnation of the group. Beginning in 2006, they’ve released six previous albums, of which this scribe became familiar to their style when on Fastball Music for the third album In the Circle of the Universe back in 2016. Becoming a part of the El Puerto Records roster since early 2020, this seventh studio record Seven showcases a melodic, ref…
…cuts from Two Shadows, while the latter half mainly constructed from their 2021 EP, starting with gothic meets western-ish vibe of “Riders.” The band’s performance overall is so smooth and inviting, that it’s impossible to not get drawn in. Gongs rang in the groovy drum beats and stinging leads of “Dark Altar Magic,” with the set closing via the brief but punchy “Candle Master.” Hoaxed absolutely have a classic, yet fresh sound profile of which f…
…Theo Georgitsaros) and recruiting three new members, they would release in 2021 an EP Creator to set the stage for this new full-length It All Shall Burn. The band develop a style that contains melodic death metal as its foundation, sprinkling in elements of black or folk-like accents to diversify the atmosphere, never sacrificing the purity or powerful impact in their songwriting. The willingness to incorporate everything from acoustic guitars t…
…re metalcore/thrash leanings, they’ve released four full lengths (including 2021’s impressive Embrace the Unknown on Pure Steel Records, previously reviewed by this scribe) as they switch back to a DIY philosophy for their latest EP Deception. It’s admirable to hear bands proudly push a variety of influences to siphon out the best elements in an already established style – which makes these five songs sharp, versatile in approach, while also accen…
…. The man wears it loud and proud. The majority of their set was built from 2021’s Escapades, their debut full-length, notably featuring pieces such as “Wax & Wane” and “Fountainhead.” The band brought a notable energy and seemed to be relishing the moment of being on a big tour with their fellow countrymen, who are definite boosters of the trio. Some folks didn’t know what to expect with their rare stylistic choices, but the majority were enthusi…
…onto the scene with their debut full-length Fragments of a Bitter Memory in 2021. Taking on that more European-centered melodic death metal slant on guitar melodies, they ran with it and merged it with some absolutely brutal breakdowns and hardcore ethos. It showcased a band that was hungry and oozing with potential. That said, their follow-up Symptoms of Survival not only delivers on that potential, it positions Dying Wish as one of the most brea…
…three previous EP’s and a full-length since arriving a decade ago (of which 2021’s El Camazotz EP was one of this scribe’s favorites), the quartet return with The Gates of Hell – another six-song effort that showcases supreme knowledge, proper band chemistry/interplay, and execution into the deep walls of old school metal brought to light for the current scene to treasure. The fiery guitar techniques Victor Arduini and Christopher Bengal employ ar…
…al product either. Videos for tracks like “Pardon Me, I Have to Go Now” and 2021’s “REIWA Dating Apps Generation” offer the band’s frenetic slurry of metal, and a little something more biting, below the surface. “The dark, or satirical element, is something I feel that only our generation can talk about with our generation. I don’t know if others will understand it. But with these more serious topics, we try to keep it from seeming too heavy or to…
…who joined for their first full-length album Aces Wild released in October 2021. Since then they’ve issued a split album with Hellrot, played shows across Texas, California, and even Scotland to now enter the second full-length phase for Midnight Assassin. The lyrical themes tackle horror/terror topics of serial killers, stalkers, and necrophiliacs, matching the sinister, dark, and violent proceedings the listeners will take in musically for thes…
…rom all of them. Helena Kotina, the second guitarist, was in the band since 2021. Four months after we released Perpetual Chaos, I invited her to start the process with the next album. It was in my plan to have two guitarists – but after the second guitarist left the band because she could not move, we decided to be a trio because it was easier for logistics. It was in my plan already. I was never thinking about me being a singer. Helena and I sta…
…these four songs serve as a frenetic introduction. Opener “Lord of Light” instantly explodes into a slurry of intense EDM beats and frantic riffs. The contrast between the more melodic, jpop moments and urgent electronically laced metalcore sections seems to be built up even more, in comparison to some of their earlier works, and it really shines on “Lord of Light.” Pounding synths, frequent jumps into aggressive moments with Arima’s bark at the…
While writing material for 2021’s Servant of the Mind album, guitarist/frontman of Volbeat Michael Poulsen had a few death metal riffs that obviously did not fit the Danish mainstay act – so he saved the work on his hard drive to explore down the line. No stranger to the genre as he formed Dominus during the 1990’s, releasing four albums before splitting in 2000 to start Volbeat, it’s exciting to see Michael develop these songs for his new band A…
…sion with heavy music. Conversely, though filled with some standout tracks, 2021’s Succumb contained entries that lacked coherence, almost going a bit too offbeat for their own good. Last year’s Sol corrupto was much more of an eerie atmospheric piece – Altarage really should be hired to write a horror film soundtrack – that was a significantly enjoyable departure. They’re now back with a more ‘traditional’ record via Worst Case Scenario, which wa…
…ry much so in agreement. Having released their third full-length Witness in 2021, the band has continued to evolve since their first record with an ever changing sound that always keeps the listener guessing. Lead vocalist/guitarist Asger Mygind has said that Inmazes was written when he was struggling with finding happiness and really focused more on the djent sound, while Applause of a Distant Crowd was thankfully during a happier time and a lot…
…when locked away working on their previous record Violence Unimagined from 2021. Instead, they got down to business writing and recording Chaos Horrific – their sixteenth studio album as the band celebrates thirty-five years as a unit. Most people should respect the work ethic and commitment to the cause, and as such these ten tracks of pounding brutality contain the right balance as far as memorable riffs, neck whipping grooves, devastating grow…
…about the final outcome in relation to your previous record The First from 2021? Carvalho: The songs of our second studio album were written during 2022 and we finished the arrangements early in 2023 to start the recording sessions. I start the songs using my piano and then I get the ideas of the other members, we discuss some parts, redo some parts and when we feel the body of the song is done, we start arranging the song, mainly the orchestrati…
…Stepping back to the independent ranks for the 2018 EP Five CC of Pure… and 2021 follow-up Devil and His Dog, we’ve now arrived at the sophomore album for Where To From Here?, a ten-song platter that showcases the trio in a power groove, thrash-oriented platform where the organic purity shines through, keeping the material very lean to launch easily from these studio cuts onto the stage. Simplification in terms of riffs, hooks, melodies, and tempo…
…were all about the act’s newest member, screamer Emily Arima (who joined in 2021 after the dissolution of Ladybaby, taking the spot of former vocalist Yuna Imada). Arima herself left the most metallic impression, coming out as far as she could to the crowd with lots of big arm motions, inciting the audience as she growled with just as much tenacity and power as any brutal death act. Kaede and Hinako joined in with equal fervor to this mix – it hon…
…um for Dolorem Records As Cold As a Stranger Sunset came out in the fall of 2021 – setting things up with Portuguese label Gruesome Records with Beyond Frozen Heights. A tidy five-track offering that creates a swirling storm of chaos in just over fourteen minutes, you can expect stunning energy from top to bottom, these musicians pushing the parameters of their abilities as artists, incorporating the best of 90’s/early 2000’s influences in the mel…
…tention of Prosthetic Records through their two initial singles released in 2021 – finally releasing their debut album with A Kingdom Built Upon the Wreckage of Heaven. Incorporating a mix of death metal, grindcore, and black metal with lots of influences across the 90’s, 2000’s and current marketplace, the material contains aggression, fury, and emotional resonance that the underground mavens treasure when it comes to this style. We spoke to mult…
…eclectic sound for this sophomore album Blossom & Plague. The follow-up to 2021’s And Yet It Moves which not only received rave reviews from domestic/international press but led to Danish tours with Thundermother and Artillery among others, the quartet set out to impress once again a collective audience who yearn for something fresh, addictive, as well as inspiring. The results are very captivating, as decades of inspiration pour into these eight…
…o you see the differences or growth of the band from your previous album of 2021 The Great Acceleration? Hansen: You can say the songwriting process was very much in line with the theme and concept of the record since it was very stressful to make this one. We were a bit fast to agree when we would hit the studio, and that rushed the songwriting. But sometimes, you need a sharp deadline to really put in the work and that’s what we did. I think the…
…m the band would release a live album The Devil You Know during the fall of 2021, finally getting down to work over the last two years for the next record The Hellish Joyride. Edguy bassist Tobias ‘Eggi’ Exxel is the latest member to join the sextet, adding his professionalism and songwriting skills to an already strong array of talent contained within the group. Those listeners who love melodic power metal that spans a wide range of textures espe…
…g more ears with an entertaining cover of Billie Eilish’s “Bad Guy,” it was 2021’s emotive single “Messy” that brought Conquer Divide into ‘must hear’ status for yours truly. Now in 2023, we are finally seeing the album follow up to their debut, and it was well worth the wait. The long and the short of it is that regardless of whether Conquer Divide was already on your radar, Slow Burn will leave a strong positive impression. The same metalcore me…
…you see this record compared to your debut album Into the Maw of Death from 2021? Stjernfeldt: I think that once again as with Into the Maw of Death we never said that we should do another album. It just happened, we have enough songs for a new album, and once again we worked with the same people behind the scenes, the same studio. The producer came up with more ideas for the songwriting process, we came up with where we wanted to go as far as the…
…ctive approach to this melting pot of musical direction. First surfacing in 2021 with an EP titled Armament, it was immediately obvious that this group purveys an advanced vision of where they wanted to go, with furious crust infused riffs and blackened shrieks built upon a foundation of complex song structures. Rană is now here with their first full-length Richtfeuer in tow, and they’ve expanded upon everything established two years ago with unbr…
