…h a mix of Blind Guardian/Rage-like energy next to comfortable early Maiden-ish charm. At other times the heavier down-picking nature along with progressive twists in unexpected places reaches into the back catalog of Iced Earth (circa Night of the Stormrider) or even Bay Area thrash – allowing singer Svenja Rohmann to stretch her sultry voice into various rock/metal tones. Her bluesy touch intensifies the groove-laden “Crossroads” while additiona…
…ith a wider array from lower restraint to higher muscular power. Be it Ozzy-period Black Sabbath-oriented along with key organ sequences for the opening title track or mystical in its psychedelic, outer realm charm for “Hawks & Hounds”, the quartet just embrace this proper songwriting mechanics no matter what idea they explore – intent in focus to let everything unfold as it should. Smaller details lead to bigger payoffs – bassist Roger Nilsson an…
…from Rosellini, bombastic and fantasy-driven atmosphere, and plenty of fist-to-the-sky riffing that is sure to rally fans of the genre. We took a few minutes to talk to Rosellini to see what defines this fresh act, as well as a broad discussion of nerd culture items such as video games, cosplay, and fantasy itself. Dead Rhetoric: You are in Alterium with some members of Kalidia, do you feel like you are continuing the essence of that band, in some…
…eel something in the air… Meanwhile “Defossion Transcendence” is a straight-up black metal anthem with a nod to The Sisters Of Mercy, so obviously this was a favorite track. On the next tunes “Malevolence Supreme” and “Quiescence In Throes” the band goes full on deep and dark which only drew me in further. “Fulcurm” features a nod to punk, which I usually hate, but here it works. “Tomb Ore” is very much a dirty number, and you can feel yourself ge…
…er. Shadow Soul keeps the discography rolling along as excellent as you’d hope for, as consumers patiently await the next offering. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-Jow7HnMyw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yC_bMameGNg Dead Head official website Dead Head on Facebook…
…llusion, they’ve created an ideal record that most power metal followers should have no trouble adding to their collections. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YIoE5cr-4Ok https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLDYJ0jbN48 Thornbridge official website Thornbridge on Facebook…
…tarists and composers, Ray is a great singer and an awesome lyricist. He’s a cool guy. He writes incredible stuff, so hopefully I will get the chance to work with him again. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzlegaMwppg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3qUJligJQc Lords of Black official website Lords of Black on Facebook…
…cut attests to their killer abilities. Somber bells add mystique to the mid-tempo, neoclassical-like riff parade that keeps “Darkest Rites” top of mind, vocalist Meister Cagliostro using all facets of his delivery from terror-filled melodies to inhuman screams to match the roller coaster musical parts. The two interludes “The Covenant” and “Up In the Castle” serve not only as aural breathers but chilling atmosphere dynamics to set up the next prop…
…t. They somehow continue to up the stakes with their sound and push it into more massive and powerful states without losing the grounded, emotional impact that they have showcased over the years. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKDYgHYhncM&pp=ygULbGVhdmVzIGV5ZXM%3D https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NtbXMgmIwC0&pp=ygULbGVhdmVzIGV5ZXM%3D Leaves’ Eyes on Facebook Leaves’ Eyes on Instagram…
…It evolved to be it’s own thing. Dead Rhetoric: Defiance is the third full-length for the group. How did the songwriting and recording sessions go for this set of material – and where do you see the biggest differences in this album compared to Despondent Death from 2015 and the follow-up Abhorrent Disease released in 2019? Perez: Defiance was written in a very different way. First of all, the pandemic happened, so everyone had the time to work o…
…me and again. The main vocal presence from Frank Urschler has more of a mid-range folk-ish nature to his verses, the unison choirs keep the choruses easily attainable for even the most fearful audience singers of the world. Most will be hard pressed not to be screaming / vocalizing to the key hooks for “Altar of Illusions” or the Blind Guardian-esque “Empty Shell” (think Tales from the Twilight World-era here), the former alluring musically on its…
…n as a non-metal entity, the quality of songwriting, performances, and chemistry between the five-piece is worthy of more exploration (and more records). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JY2OVRMOS0s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRoJKiYs6YM Holler on Facebook…
…uses and leads into unrestricted musical territory, which shouldn’t surprise anyone who has followed Sylvaine, and this EP is full of examples on why she remains such an enigmatic figure. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-oKsDurzt88&pp=ygUIc3lsdmFpbmU%3D https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4UJvn6T13cs&pp=ygUIc3lsdmFpbmU%3D Sylvaine on Facebook Sylvaine on Instagram…
…downs with memorable riffing that’s both heavy and melodically retainable, all without sacrificing the all-important aggression, is sure to grab some listeners looking to blow off a little steam. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nz56BcscyU0&pp=ygURYnJhdCBzb2NpYWwgZ3JhY2U%3D https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5YqrJfPvB8&pp=ygURYnJhdCBzb2NpYWwgZ3JhY2U%3D Brat on Facebook Brat on Instagram…
…beckoning for more. The Search Won’t Fall… keeps the steady ascension in place, ready to assault stages far and wide to convert more metalheads in the process. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nKOwHggGnrg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p62kXs9hBeQ Critical Defiance on Facebook…
…doubt creeps in that Midnight Forces will be more than a local favorite. Time will tell. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rRXa9sxd0Q https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrHoW6-59d4 Inner Axis on Facebook…
…nnounced with Millions of Dead Cops that we will be doing, and we are going to do a much larger tour around that, so that will be announced pretty soon. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5YqrJfPvB8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nz56BcscyU0 BRAT on Facebook…
…or blemish on an otherwise very strong Wounds album, so enjoy! Standout Tracks: “Dismember and Devour”, “In the Maw of the Beast”, “Birth of a New Light” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBrhzSpXWSE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjFDEpAd0e8 Wounds on Facebook…
…again highlighting the strength, passion, and tenacity of the Canadian metal movement to the world. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mc4chbzZ0Ww https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wl5SfC-oTMI Lutharo official website Lutharo on Facebook…
…hrash given a bit of life in some death, doom and groove textures. Hopefully the second full-length hits the streets in 2025, as it could be a barnburner. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHcQLbZTAO8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7TdqmDXs18 Miehala on Facebook…
…vania, things of that nature. We don’t have anything on the books, and we want to be on the West Coast for September/October. That’s about it for right now. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=deQwH7NN03A https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rdV2udd3kk Leather Lung on Facebook…
…Masterplan. At other points Chris’ keyboard / guitar work recalls the Hagar-era Van Halen or Empire-oriented Queensrÿche period of the mid 80’s to early 90’s – opener “Rat in a Hole” as well as “New Found King” tailor made for the big arenas. A robust production captures a sound that isn’t dated – hopefully turning younger generations onto a style that may be considered classic at this point, but still has vital components well worth hearing today…
…we have the Zelda-inspired cut “Power of the Triforce” that melds the happy-go-lucky chorus and mid-tempo riffing with some high-octane bursts of shred. And while it wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea, “Doomsday Party” has to be a major highlight, with it’s more ’80s inspired synths and melodies done in a very melodic Dragonforce way, something that’s bound to be a fun break in the live scene in between more furious bouts of extreme power metal. It’s a…
…e cannot say yet, but I guess we will announce them soon. It’s really cool! It’s a very busy year for us. We are also already thinking about new stuff, and I think it’s already starting to roll. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmwTOz1-jSM&pp=ygULaWxsdW1pc2hhZGU%3D https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GS5Q_i71p8Q&pp=ygULaWxsdW1pc2hhZGU%3D Illumishade on Instagram Illumishade on Facebook…
…r strong thrash material that straddles what put them on the map but also could propel them to a second (or third) generation of metalheads because we are in the presence of top-notch performances. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ub6OMbVRBAg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECg8hBDyhn4 Atrophy on Facebook…
…is twelfth album shows Aborted as not willing to sacrifice any of their brutality as of yet, still raging on with everything they have, and having a blast doing so. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCCU0p7CbOw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCDHt7QjH1Q Aborted on Facebook Aborted on Instagram…
…te the two sometimes. I’m also the manager of the band, I deal with the day-to-day things. I’m the guy who’ll talk to the booking agent, the record label people, the PR people, the tax accountants, the travel agents. So many people are involved. We had a manager for ten years, and then in 2016 I took the initiative and handled it all myself. It was a great decision; I don’t regret it as I’m a hands-on guy for a lot of things. I’m a very DIY guy, I…
…sure to catch your ear. The best part, is that they avoid the usual power/symphonic metal ‘more is more’ philosophy and keep things short, sweet, and full of energy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YfPDijUzgqM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLlu54XVvVc Alterium on Facebook Alterium on Instagram…
…n Black Sabbath ruled the metal landscape, Tommie taking in a bit of reverb-heavy trickiness on his vocals to give his delivery a bit more Celtic Frost-like punch especially on the grunts for early highlight “Revel In Dissidence”. Quality doom possesses that slow into painfully dreary variation song to song – which is what you’ll get here, feeling every guitar note bend, plodding bass line, or heavy-handed snare hit. The weak will stray away from…
…be their strongest record to date. This is a modern progressive metal recording that exudes confidence, hopefully garnering the best appeal from all parts of the world. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvkEJHv1Agk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=as3zBqQRLGI Turbulence official website Turbulence on Facebook…
