Just in time to cure drag me out of my Power Metal funk, along comes Saint Deamon with an album that is already on my Top Releases of 2008. I was getting burned out on all these Power Metal bands still going to great lengths to reinvent the wheel that Gamma Ray had already worn […]

Since their last album, 2005’s How The Great Have Fallen, Raging Speedhorn has gone through a bit of a change. They added two new members, Bloody Kev (vocals) and Dave Thompson (bass), and apparently suffered some deep psychological trauma. That would be the only thing that could explain the vibe on the latest album Before […]

Mighty New Mexico thrasher’s Ultimatum return with their first album in 6 years titled Into The Pit. Not only is this album a long time coming, it also very well may be the best music Ultimatum has ever produced in their 14 year existence. Best described as a blend of Classic and Thrash Metal, Ultimatum’s […]

Despite the band’s seventeen year existence, I’ve not had the pleasure of hearing any of Pentacle’s old-school styled Death Metal before now. Best described as Classic Death Metal in the vein of early Celtic Frost & Possessed, ‘Under The Black Cross’ is rough, raw & relentless. A concept album based on a WWII Naval battle, […]

Few times in my life have I come across a band as fresh & unique as transcontinental Prog Metal band Kekal. Hailing from Indonesia & Canada simultaneously, this is a band that is definitely not afraid of blending genres. Musically speaking, the band is comprised of uber-musicians, more than deftly skilled at their chosen instrument. […]

If you’re going to mix Gothic elements into Doom Metal it’s got to be done right. There has to be just the right balance to avoid becoming a caricature of itself. Italian sorrow-mongers The Foreshadowing have struck such a balance. Owing much to UK doomster’s Paradise Lost, they have mastered the art of grey-skied Metal […]

Ever wonder what it would sound like if the collective heads of Fugazi, Electric Wizard & Rush were nailed together whilst the bands tried frantically to tear apart from each other? No, neither have I. But lucky for us, thanks to Light Pupil Dilate, we don’t have to! Snake Wine delivers a solid slab of […]

Now this is a fun record! Great, old school Thrash Metal with a Horror film lyrical slant! This is a record you pop in the car and crank LOUD! They Rise is loaded with tons of meaty, neck wrenching riffs, jagged vocals and an overall energetic vibe. In a lot of ways, it reminds me […]

Oh wow…where to begin. Litmus play a sort of Cosmic Stoner Rock. I hear traces of Floyd, Tull & (of course) Sabbath all throughout the Planetfall album…even hints of Steppenwolf’s more trippy moments. The vocals are clean & harmonized, the guitars are wide & heavy, the synths are lush & sweeping. This album is all […]

God bless Lee Dorian. His Rise Above Records is bringing us some very cool Doom oriented Metal these days. Winters play a Cathedral-esque, rough-around-the-edges sort of Doom Metal with a healthy dose of Indie Rock. In other words, it’s heavy on the roots of Doom while having some body part (or parts) firmly entrenched in […]

Akercocke, England’s diabolical, intelligent masters of brutality, have returned with Antichrist; an album of superbly executed, well contrasted and aurally punishing Death Metal. After spinning this album several times, I can find almost nothing to even begin to complain about…almost. First off, Akercocke is a wickedly good band. Anyone would be hard pressed to find […]

North Carolina’s purveyor’s of Doomy, Sludge-filled goodness return on Southern Lord with their own brand of organized noise (self-dubbed “Weed Metal”). The music on this record sounds like a leaky riverboat drifting down a muddy river. You can see a big storm looming over the tree tops in the distance. The smells of stagnant water, […]

Ok dudes, grab your beer bongs because Municipal Waste is here to ensure they get plenty of use! Unloading like a mutated hybrid of DRI, Exodus & Andrew WK, Municipal Waste bring the Thrash Party complete with shouted gang choruses, plenty of fast tempos and riff-tastic guitars all in a cloud of stale sweat & […]

Jeff Waters is to Annihilator was Dave Mustaine is to Megadeth. The Main Man. The Chief Dude In Charge. The Head Honcho. When the High Exalted Potentate of this mighty Canadian Thrash Legend that is Annihilator chose to utilize “guest appearances” on his new album, aptly titled, Metal, the decision was met with groans & […]

The Wacken Festival held annually in Germany is perhaps the best known and most loved of all of the outdoor, open air, Heavy Metal Music Festivals in all the world. Metal Fans come in droves from all corners of the globe to bask in the brain-bashing, ear-splitting, neck-snapping glow of loud, live Heavy Metal. So, […]

Come with me, if you dare, into the uncharted sonic depths of the dense, murky musical ocean that is Yob. With every new release, Yob grows increasingly dynamic, layered and interesting to delve into. The Unreal Never Lived finds the band at it, dare I say it, most melodic to date. Not that they’re in […]

O Gods of Metal, I humbly bow and beg for thy forgiveness. I have been ignorant too long. I had heard thy decree that After Forever was indeed amazing and blessed by thee, but I ignored thy voices. Forgive me, O spiked and studded ones. Forgive me, for as thou hast said, After Forever is […]

My first exposure to Virgin Steele was last years godawful The House Of Atreus Act II. I still place that record high on my “Worst CD’s I have ever heard” list. Had I heard their older material first, not only would I have been just as scathing in my review, but I would have been […]

Vanden Plas is a band I latched onto back when their second full-length The God Thing came out. At first listen, I thought it was pretty similar to Dream Theater, but different and good enough to warrant plopping down my hard earned cash. Further listens revealed a band with their own sound, their own style, […]

Timo Tolkki is one hellacious guitar player! I mean this guy can flat out shred with the best of ’em and make a lot of them say, “Woah! That guy can shred!” Starovarius is deservedly one of the most celebrated and beloved bands in modern power metal. Unfortunately, one listen to Hymn To Life will […]

Blast beats, aggressive growls, and intensity jump right out of the speakers almost instantly upon inserting Advent into the CD player. But then, out of thin air, we hit a wall and there is acoustic and piano ringing in our ears. What we have here in April Ethereal is an aggressive, melodic, romantic death/doom metal […]

After returning in Y2K with their stellar comeback record Revelation, California metallers Armored Saint serve one up to their long time fans with A Nod To The Old School; a collection of early indie tracks, live tunes, 4-track demos, covers and a few new numbers in a 2Disc package that is sure to fit comfortably […]

Edguy vocalist Tobias Sammet has created quite the power metal extravaganza here. For Avantasia, he has wrangled in some big name musicians and a slew of guest vocalists to deliver The Metal Opera; a nearly hour long drama set to pummeling power metal. While some attempts at these types of all-star concept pieces fall short, […]

Judging by the names of the musicians on the back of this CD case, someone would have to try really hard to make this a bad album. I mean, how could you go wrong with Russell Allen (Symphony X), Ralf Scheepers (Primal Fear), Ian Parry (Elegy), and (my god!) Bruce Dickinson (like you don’t know […]

Leave it to Relapse to bring us the finest in international death metal. Dreams Of Death And Dismay is nearly 47 minutes of blast beats, merciless grooves, wicked guitar harmonies and old-school death vocals that is sure to please long-time death fans. The guitars are simply bludgeoning with super thick rhythm tones and cutting lead […]