A quintet that features members/ex-members of acts like Withering Surface, Saturnus, A Sun Traverse, Meridian, and Ukraft, Empire Drowns started in 2011 and released their debut EP Bridges in 2013. Nine Read more […]
For the fourth album in five years Morgana, Warkings have added a female Sorceress Morgana Le Fay as another voice to the adventurous power metal template. A sister of Arthur and mistress of the lost souls, Read more […]
The amalgamation of various extreme genres to create an explosive sound has been a part of the metal scene since the fertile 80’s. In the case of Canadian act Detherous, the death/thrash union is of Read more […]
One of the breakouts during the late 80’s UK thrash push thanks to their dynamite debut album Shattered Existence in 1989, Xentrix moved through the 90’s shifting into left-field parameters in terms Read more […]
Already establishing a reputation for taking King Diamond-influenced metal into a bit more of a heavier/modern direction, the stage was set after completing a trilogy of records to possibly start a new Read more […]
Familiar with the last two studio releases from this Italian power metal act, Dragonhammer returns for Second Life – their fifth record and first in five years. Struggling in the past to move away from Read more […]
Quickly establishing an active profile on the recording front since arriving on the scene in 2017, French death metal act Iron Flesh combine a sinister mix of classic 90’s HM-2 driven European influences Read more […]
Contemporary developments in the progressive metal landscape have broadened horizons – incorporating numerous outside influences that color styles in bold, fresh directions. Finnish act Edge of Haze Read more […]
Dutch act Project Pain delivers a steady diet of speedy riffs, spirited leads, vicious vocals containing the right mix of angst/melody, as well as a rock-solid rhythm section foundation on this fourth Read more […]
Forged by the union of heavy metal and high fantasy during college, Ninth Realm began in 2018, releasing a debut demo the following year with Gates of Tythorin. Filling out the current lineup in 2020, Read more […]
Thanks to some friends, a few years ago I was made aware of a hidden gem of an ’80s rock ’n’ roll band called Nightrider. The band formed in 1980 in Nashua, N.H., and wrote and recorded a collection Read more […]
With the days getting shorter, the leaves starting to turn and a chill in the air as the temps begin to drop, ushering in fall and the spooky season, you should always be on the lookout for a new Halloween Read more […]
Milestones in metal deserve celebrations – especially in the case of veteran artists who now have a forty-year history as German thrashers Sodom recently passed. What makes 40 Years at War – The Greatest Read more […]
The speedy death/thrash unit Defleshed delivered a punishing brand of material over the course of their initial run during the 1990’s-early 2000’s. By the fall of 2005 six months after the release Read more […]
After a short touring window because of the pandemic following their 2019 album release Purgatory, the Canadian deathcore veterans Despised Icon didn’t rest when it comes to creative endeavors. Thus Read more […]
It shouldn’t be surprising now to see symphonic rock/metal spreading beyond its European beginnings into a global phenomenon. That’s why you hear an act from Australia like Victoria K come into the Read more […]
An appropriate album title never rang truer than this one for Italian power metal veterans White Skull. Active in the scene since the late 80’s, Metal Never Rusts is the eleventh studio platter for the Read more […]
Anticipation hit peak levels upon announcements for well over a year at the union of two ex-Accept members forming a new outfit for Iron Allies. Not like we haven’t been hearing killer records as of Read more […]
Always a hotbed for symphonic, gothic-influenced heavy metal, European band Sede Vacante since 2015 has been putting their stamp on those styles. With band members assembled across Finland and Greece, Read more […]
Finland: the land of long winters, leading to a love of nature, alcohol consumption, and the need to creatively escape to remain sane. Perfect for a five-piece like Folkrim to develop out of one-man project Read more […]
The prolific decade of Swedish doom rock/metal act Avatarium continues since their start in the early 2010’s as the fifth full-length Death, Where Is Your Sting hits the streets. Firmly establishing Read more […]
To be young once again – youthful exuberance on full display with this Swedish quartet Sarcator for this second album Alkahest. Currently between 17 to 23 years of age, they’ve already released a self-titled Read more […]
Japanese improv luminary Keiji Haino and the PNW’s avant-garde metal stalwarts Sumac have released their third collaboration, and this is by far their most cohesive outing. Their first release, 2018’s Read more […]
German melodic metal act Jaded Heart have evolved from their AOR roots over the course of decades and fourteen previous studio albums. Containing members who would go onto acts like Circle II Circle, Silent Read more […]
Part of the UK thrash movement in the late 80’s, Hydra Vein released two albums before dissolving in 1990. Resurrecting in 2019 with two original members (guitarist Danny Ranger and bassist Damon Maddison) Read more […]
Slowly climbing up the underground ranks, Florida crossover thrash unit Rhythm of Fear arrives at their sophomore album for Fatal Horizons – sights set on gathering more metalheads to the flock through Read more […]
Already familiar with this Danish unit from their debut album Monsters in 2014 from a previous European webzine this scribe contributed to, Statement arrives at this fourth album Dreams From the Darkest Read more […]
Forming in Portugal a decade ago, Amputate moved to Switzerland, releasing a series of EP’s as well as a debut album Tortura Macabra independently during the first few years. Gaining a new bassist plus Read more […]
The teenage years usually shape our musical outlook going into adulthood. It’s often where passion for specific styles takes hold, connecting to our emotions on a deeper level, forging bonds that can Read more […]
In today’s musical landscape, musicians float freely developing styles that put a distinct stamp on a proven sound. When taking in the second record Beyond the Blood Red Horizon for German band Midnight Read more […]