Those who remember the 80’s/90’s power metal scene can think of the influx of bands who took Helloween to another dimension in terms of 16th notes, uplifting melodies, spirited harmonies, and this Read more […]
Meant to be touring the States last year, Swallow the Sun has finally made it back to US shores for a fall 2021 tour. Given the drought of touring due to COVID, it seemed like a reasonable Monday night Read more […]
Steadily gaining critical acclaim and furthering reach across the doom/heavy metal platform, Khemmis arrives at their fourth album for Deceiver. Thematically channeling issues of brokenness, mental health, Read more […]
Delving into the world of inner and outer freedom, belonging and transcendence, Tower is the fourth album from Hollow – the Swedish power/progressive metal act lead by Andreas Stoltz. Originally a part Read more […]
The Browning have always been a band with a unique sound and twist, no matter your thoughts on their output. The combination of deathcore heaviness with EDM/trance/electronic elements have brought the Read more […]
Active since the mid 1980’s when guitarist Herman Frank stepped away from Accept, Victory has been a melodic heavy metal staple in the European scene – although relegated to more of a cult status stateside Read more […]
One of those cult acts associated with the early days of the Gothenburg scene, Unanimated never really reached that same level as their peers in say In Flames or At the Gates. But the band made some Read more […]
By the next time we have to write one of these Rapid Fire columns, we will have wrapped up all of the best albums of the year for 2021. Crazy to think how incredibly fast this year has gone in hindsight, Read more […]
An amalgamation of metal, rock, and hardcore, it’s hard to really place Of Mice & Men into a simple, defining category. Even between shifts in albums, merging between heavier moments and more melodic Read more […]
There’s something to be said for teenage angst, rebellion, and the need for self-expression. Especially relevant in heavier genres of metal – where you can hear a purity and singular vision for destruction Read more […]
One part of the ‘new reality’ that we live in today is that of live streams. Love ’em or hate ’em, they are an addition to the world of live music, and are a benefit to musicians who are unable to still Read more […]
Tossing the metalcore label on a band like Imminence seems to ignore some major facets of the band’s sound. Most have a pretty standard understanding of what the term means, and such a description Read more […]
Probably best known for his work during 1994-2001 with Canadian legends Voivod, vocalist/bassist Eric Forrest started E-Force after his time in the group. Currently issuing their fifth full-length Mindbender, Read more […]
Pioneers in the Swedish death metal movement for over thirty-two years, Unleashed are a steady, reliable presence when it comes to their output. No Sign of Life is the fourteenth studio album, and fifth Read more […]
This scribe has a long history listening to Italian progressive/power metal outfit Eldritch. Discovering the band in the early 90’s during the demo stage of 1991’s Reflection of Sadness and the promo Read more […]
The Lurking Fear first released Out of the Voiceless Grave four years ago. A supergroup of Swedish death metal, with members from At the Gates, Disfear, Skitsystem, and The Haunted (among others), it Read more […]
Consistently bringing some of the most gloomy and sorrow-filled musical landscapes to the metal world, Swallow the Sun aren’t a band to sing about happy topics. But their ability to make riveting and Read more […]
Establishing themselves as an international force in the power metal movement, NorthTale burst onto the scene for their first album Welcome to Paradise in 2019. A mix of Swedish and American musicians Read more […]
More. More. More. That’s the first thing that comes to mind with Aephanemer’s third effort, A Dream of Wilderness. With two solid melodeath outings under their belts, and 2019’s Prokopton Read more […]
With a history spanning 30 years at this point, Hypocrisy stand as a veteran force within death metal. Masters of being able to craft aggressive, full-on death metal with copious melodies and memorable Read more […]
The old business model of touring to fuel album sales, then get back in the studio to crank out a new album quickly, is gone. These days for heavy metal, bands can go on the road for an album for years Read more […]
Despite having been around since 2000, Cold is only the third full-length from Italian band Vomit the Soul, and the first that they have released since 2009. Despite the usual sound of Italian death Read more […]
Establishing himself as a journeyman guitarist sharing the stage with bands like Cellador, Savatage, Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Circle II Circle, and U.D.O. among others, guitarist Bill Hudson felt it was Read more […]
It’s been eight years since Hypocrisy’s last effort, End of Disclosure. Mainman Peter Tagtgren is quite the busybody when it comes to the metal scene (most notably with his other band Pain), and Read more […]
Hailing from New York City, Tower delivers the power and the glory of straight-ahead heavy metal for their second album Shock to the System. The first album in five years for the group, the global pandemic Read more […]
Developing an alternative, edgy hard rockin’ sound from Buffalo, NY, Hearts & Hand Grenades started in 2012 as a cover band to evolve into an original act. Garnering the attention of Goo Goo Dolls Read more […]
Perennial melodeath champions here at DR, Omnium Gatherum have been incredibly consistent for well over a decade at this point. They understand how the genre works, and make some of the most gorgeous Read more […]
Elevating themselves quickly as favorites in the melodic power metal field, Beast in Black issues a third album with Dark Connection that features a lot of affinity for 80’s sci-fi/cyberpunk movies as Read more […]
When it comes to the tech death genre, Obscura is always going to come to mind as one of the leaders in the field, with an extensive list of releases that pushed the genre forward, particularly early efforts Read more […]
Wasting no time releasing the second album Into Blackness after issuing last year’s Rest in Violence debut, German thrashers Bonded aim to prove that seasoning and experience pay dividends once again Read more […]
Embracing the wild chaos and insanity of speed/heavy metal and themes of fantasy, sci-fi, and old-school American comic books, Canadian band Ültra Raptör came into existence (umlauts and all). Especially Read more […]
