Vocalist Christian Rivel (real name Christian Liljegren) has made quite a mark in the last 16 years. As a founding member of Narnia (7 albums), Divinefire (4 albums), Wisdom Call (1 album), Modest Attraction (2 albums) and Flagship (1 album)―not to mention his label Rivel Records―he’s racked up quite a discography. Yet another band/project fronted […]

Ignoring the DVD releases and Best of -compilations, Armored Saint have been occupied elsewhere, unable to thrash out like they should. It’s been 10 years since their previous full-length album “Revelation” and the crowd has been left wandering in the dark, looking for the saint that is armored to set them free. This year, the band finally returns to the meat factory with their newest album “La Raza” (via Metal Blade Records). But the question remains… can they deliver? Read Shawn’s take on it.

Few and far between are the bands who can both display their influences and without completely ripping them off. California 3-piece rockers Year Long Disaster are one of those bands. Thankfully, they’re a new band not enamored with the current wave of wannabe “sleaze” bands that seem to be popping up all over. Nor are […]

Brazilian band Dynahead deliver some strong, tight Heavy Metal with their debut CD Antigen. After several spins of this album now, I’d have to ultimately place it in the Progressive Metal category. But, don’t get visions of some Dream Theater or Threshold clone in your noggin. The Metal on Antigen is much more aggressive and […]

Straight out of Brooklyn, NY and featuring members of Darkest Hour, City of Caterpillar, Majority Rule and Verse Em Coma comes Ancient Sky. I don’t know if I’d call it any kind of trend, maybe I’m just now noticing, but I’m starting to see bands begin to combine Stoner, Psychedelic and Prog Rock. Bands like Astra, […]

Not to be confused with Italy’s Astra, California’s Astra plays a vintage form of Psychedelic Progressive Rock not far removed from the likes of Pink Floyd and Jefferson Airplane. Even the sound of the album is somewhat antique, but not in a “back corner of the dusty shop” kind of way…more in a “display in […]

Rank, damp, musty, raw Doom. From the intstrumental intro “The Holy Grail” to the end of “F.T.S.S.”, Heavy Lord is going to drown you in smoke, scum, feedback and sweat. Drawing from Stoner Doom as well as Sludge and Traditional Doom, Heavy Lord delivers the goods with force and intent. The way the guitars blend […]

Les Tenebres’ (Norway) is a band that is not easily categorized. The most convenient thing to do is to file them under Doom Metal and be done with it. But as I listen to …And The Waves Came Crushing Down, I hear elements of Doom but I cannot concur with the tag as the overall […]

Stoner Metal fans are certainly no stranger to vocalist/guitarist Spice as a longtime member of Swedish rockers Spiritual Beggars. He and drummer Bob Ruben (The Mushroom River Band) released Spice & The RJ Band’s debut The Will in 2007. Now with Shave Your Fear, the band returns with 15 new songs of raucous, catchy Hard […]

Ok, let me get this out of the way. I was, and am, a huge Van Hagar fanboy. I know, I know…sacrilege. When everyone else was screaming for DLR’s return, I was on the rooftops shouting “5150!!!”. So, you can imagine my school-girl like excitement at the thought of Sammy Hagar and Michael Anthony making […]

Since it’s formation in 1992, New Mexico’s Ultimatum has been steadfast in it’s pursuit of the Metal Dream. This is one of those bands that lives, eats and breathes Heavy Metal on stage and off. For it’s fifth full length studio release, the band has chosen to pay homage to some of it’s heroes and […]

American stalwarts Cage return in 2009 with yet another lesson in aggressive, rip-it-to-shreds, speedy Heavy Metal. Now, a lot of people file Cage under the Power Metal tag but, while not entirely untrue, it doesn’t quite cover it. Don’t come here looking for the epic grandeur of a Rhapsody (Of Fire) or Fairyland. This stuff […]

With thier 3rd release for Austria’s Napalm label, French Symphonic Metallers Fairyland have delivered an absolutely fantastic album. Score To A New Beginning is loaded down with soaring, melodic vocals, epic keyboard/string layers, huge choirs, speedy drumming and ripping, virtuouso guitars. Led by keyboardist and sole composer Phillippe Giordana, Fairyland hold high the flame of […]

From the metallically fertile landscapes of Sweden comes the three piece Hero. Thier newest album Immortal showcases a melodic, yet melancholy sound with lots of mid-tempo, double-kick headbanging passages and sweeping, ambient ballads. The sound is somewhat unique in the way it combines it’s influences. It’s got the tight guitar sound and epic keyboard layers […]

As elder statesmen in the world of Doom Metal, Sweden’s Candlemass has carved a long, deep canyon in the genre leaving a mark like few have since or will again. While not the original vocalist, the now departed Messiah Marcolin is regarded as part of the band’s quintessential line up and his different replacements have […]

Ecclectic. If any one word was to embody the musical mad scientist that is Devin Townsend, that would be it. This newest creation, under the Devin Townsend Project moniker, is about as far from Strapping Yonng Lad as we can get, and yet, its every bit as intriguing and infectious. What Hevy Devy has given […]

Ok, there is something to be said for band’s who play this sort of Melodic Screamo music. The musicians can play, the vocalist (when he’s not enducing his own anyerism) can carry a tune and the musical arrangements take chops. So, I don’t want to sound like I can’t at least appreciate what they’re trying […]

Two dudes walk into a bar…no, seriously…two dudes walk into a bar what what happens? Well, if they’re musicians they’ll likely talk about forming a band. Get two people together who both play music and the conversation will inevitably meander into “We should do something together…”; it’s artistic nature. Anyway, such is the case with […]

Based in Sweden now for over 20 years, Blessed marks my introduction to Epic Doom Metal band Faith. Their music is something of a blend of early Tad Morose, Candlemass, Progressive Rock and Swedish Folk Music (complete with fiddles & old world melodies). The songs are long, the guitars are quite heavy and the vibe […]

Sweden’s Isole play a stellar brand of Epic Doom Metal akin to the likes of Candlemass, Revelation & early Solitude Aeturnus. Yeah, once again I find it best to get right to the point. This new release finds the band at, I believe, it’s pinnacle of monolithic mastery. One will find loads of booming, Doom-filled […]

Remember when making music in an original band was a way to actually make a living if you were good, and not just lucky? Well, those days are over, my friend.

Ah, Black Sabbath, how we’ve missed you. I know, it’s not officially “Black Sabbath”, but we all know it really is. God love Ozzy, but Dio has always been the man for this band vocally. And now Messer’s Dio, Iommi, Butler & Appice have come to show all schools, old and new, how Metal is […]

There’s no real way to lead into it, so I’ll just jump right in. In Grief sounds like a blend of Daylight Dies and Evergrey. It combines some of the darker Prog Metal of Evergrey (the soundscape/sci-fi keys, the fluid-like guitar shredding) with some of the slower, more dramatic dirges of Daylight Dies (complete with […]

Queensryche has taken something of a beating over the last several years amongst Metal fans. The band once revered for unquestionable Metal classics like The Warning and Operation: Mindcrime has been branded something of a washout on the backs of albums like Tribe and Q2K. Some fans blame the band’s perceived decline on the departure […]

Mellotron is a fledgling Prog Metal band from Michigan. This, their debut EP, is loaded with some accomplished musicianship, tight changes, nice ambience and good variation. Don’t let the EP tag fool you, these 5 songs clock in at right around 35 minutes. With songs ranging from just over 5 to just over 9 minutes, […]