Archive for the ‘Reviews › H’ Category

There are defining moments in history when you will always remember where you were when it happened; Pearl Harbor, the Berlin Wall coming down, JFK’s assassination, the release of Scandinavian Metal Attack. This short 36 minute album was written in 2004 as a tribute to Bathory but did not get recorded until now. Lord Sargofagian […]

I’ve never been a fan of the whole 1 song concept album. The only one that really set with me was Edge of Sanity’s “Crimson”, and I haven’t re-visited that in many years. Heck, even albums with just two lengthy songs like Moonsorrow’s last effort strains my patience. So here is a one song, 54 […]

Well here it is, German metalcore big dogs Heaven Shall Burn’s new full length, Iconoclast, their fifth overall. I remember digging quite a bit their last, Deaf to Our Prayers, where they dropped the majority of the core in favor of a more straight forward and vicious melodic death attack – I thought it was […]

The fourth album from Erik Rutan and his revamped Hate Eternal line-up is somewhat of a double edged sword. On one hand, the aptly titled Fury & Flames is arguably one of the most murderously heavy and uncompromising death metal albums ever recorded. On the other hand, it’s virtually unlistenable in long doses or at […]

Ugh. I just hate it when good or decent music is ruined with below average vocals. Example: this new Hell Within disc Shadows of Vanity. Musically, it’s accessible modern thrash with some melody, ala Sanctity or recent Trivium. Vocally, it’s the standard harsh/clean trade off sound of metalcore, courtesy of one Matt McChesney, who most […]

After officially declaring …And Oceans dead with the transitional ..And Oceans/Havoc Unit/Sin Decay split, here is official full length debut from Havoc Unit, the newer and nastier incarnation of …And Oceans. While most will more than likely remember the last two …And Oceans offerings, AMGOD and Cypher as water down techno laced black metal, it […]

San Francisco aggro-doom trio High on Fire check in with their latest, Death Is This Communion. This marks the departure of Smilin’ Joe Preston (show of hands, who didn’t see that coming?), bassist extraordinaire from Thrones, Melvins, Earth, et al. but not quite metal enough to handle such a thunderous mantle. Enter Holy Terror axeman […]

As their album titles have become less wordy, Ohio noisemongers Harlots have become increasingly more experimental in their discordance. Though still steeped in technical, angular and caustic hardcore a la Ion Dissonance,Animosity, Engineer, Architect (and most of the Black Market Activities roster) and their ilk, Harlots have now successfully managed to weave in some moments […]

It’s always nice to be surprised. I’ve only followed Helloween’s career sporadically since the 1980s, and have never really found anything in their catalog that impressed me as much as the first two Keeper records. I didn’t expect to find it here, but they had me from the first true song on the record. As […]

So after a string of utterly brilliant releases, Profound Lore seems to be on a bit of mini ‘whiff’ streak with Caina and this release, the new incarnation of former Thralldom/Unearthly Trance brainchild Killusion (Ryan Lipynsky). Less ambient and cosmic than Thralldom, The Howling Wind is a dirtier, thrashier, grimier set of songs, though a […]

Another retro thrash act, and yet another positive review. Italy’s Hyades have been doing it longer than most (if not all) of the recent wave of retro acts, their beginnings traceable as far back as 1996, though their lineup didn’t stabilize until 2003. Another two years went by until the release of their debut LP, […]

Helrunar has quickly jumped to the top of the heap of Norwegian wave black metal imitators. This German band has only a six year recording history but obviously a much longer history as a fan of real black metal. Baldr ok Iss is their third full length release, and second by Lupus Lounge. In terms […]

What would you expect from a super group that comprises of vocalist T. Roy Medlin (Sourvein), bassist Dixie Dave Collins (Weedeater), guitarist Vince Burke (Beaten Back To Pure) and drummer Erik Larson (Alabama Thunderpussy)? If you said ultra sludgy, rumbling, doomy Southern drenched girth, then you would be right. Even with the tangible influences from […]

There are bands, musicians, and records out there that one can appreciate but not enjoy. Former Emperor vocalist Ihsahn has produced a few of these records and though I am not a fan of his music, I have much respect for his efforts over the years and consider him to be way beyond my pattern […]

Hearse is a strange duck. Since Johan “SomberDusk” Liiva’s departure of Arch Enemy some years ago, these Swedes have been rummaging in the scene, pushing out albums, and creating a sound that really is kind of original. Although, they have never really produced that one great album, Hearse is progressing and In These Veins is […]

No Candelight. This is not good. This is bad, bad, bad and you are so naughty for putting out this nonsensical drivel alongside the new Obituary record, seriously, shame on you. Funnily enough Hemlock are taking their influence from a time when Obituary were at the peak of their popularity (i.e. the mid 90s). References […]

Hailing from Seattle, Himsa have returned with their fourth full length album, Summon In Thunder, their debut offering with metal giants Century Media. Like a crushing blow to the gut, Summon In Thunder delivers melodic yet heavy as a ton of bricks modern thrash that their prior releases didn’t seem to quite deliver. Johnny Pettibone’s […]

Here is the second album from this Mexican supergroup of sorts featuring members of Impiety and Ravager, and despite some slightly more primal production values than Veganza, Katun is a vitriolic, slightly ethnic tinged slice of blistering Angelcorpse worship, that outdoes the source material’s latest effort. With a slightly muffled rums and more raw guitars, […]

2005’s debut offering from Hurtlocker, Fear In a Handful of Dust was among my top ten favorite releases of the year – an excellent entry in the field of death/thrash, they showed a great deal of influence ranging from classic Bay Area and German thrash, to early Swedish death metal, topped off with a hint […]

First I must state that these releases represent one thing, classic limited releases selling for exorbitant prices are now widely available. As a bonus, these songs are on cd format for the world audience. I already own both the vinyl and cd releases of these gems and purchased the cd version because I was too […]

I was a long holdout from the cd format, resisting until 1994 when I could no longer find things on either vinyl, first choice, or cassette, second choice, so when Horna started releasing vinyl only releases, even though my turntable was broken, I purchased each and every one of them starting with Sota. Eventually I […]

If there’s one thing you can count on from the Danish death/thrash band Hatesphere, it’s consistency. Five albums in now, showing absolutely no signs of wearing or watering down their tried and true sound, though are beginning to display a bit more versatility, incorporating some slower, more groove oriented songs into the mix on their […]

While I enjoy the far more fruity elements of traditional Viking metal such as beer hall wocals and chants and galloping synths and such, I wish a few more bands plied a slightly darker, more brutal visage of Viking metal. Enter New Jersey’s Helcaraxë. Named after the huge wastes of grinding ice from J.R.R. Tolkien’s […]

The term “hella” is the West coast equivalent of New England’s “wicked,” an intensive adjective used frequently to strengthen expressions, and both can be used interchangeably: “it’s wicked (= very) cold today” or “she was driving hella (= extremely) fast.” While Wicked is also the name of a book made into a Broadway musical, Hella […]

Older metal fans might assume that nearly every band that hails from in and around the Bay Area would be at least slightly influenced by the early thrash of Metallica, Testament, Exodus, and the like. This is true, at least, for the near-teenaged wonders of San Jose’s Heavy Heavy Low Low. Why, in this world […]