The press notes from the debut album of Thieves & Liars proudly proclaim that rock ‘n’ roll is not dead. If this is the best it has to offer, though, it’s certainly on life support. A concept album, When Dreams Become Reality is a muddle of 1970s retro rock that, by and large, gets the […]

So after recently re-issuing 2004’s Burning The Born Again and 2006’s Satanic Grimoire: A Greater Black Magick. Moribund has unearthed and dusted off veteran Colorado underground act Satan’s Host, whose discography dates back to 1986 without any sort of real fanfare or groundbreaking releases, and that hasn’t changed with their new offering. Apparently, the band […]

Though Moribund Records is often more known for its ambient black metal roster, they also seem to have a boner for gnarly old school black/death metal like Drawn and Quartered, Hacavitz, Summon, Godless Rising, Satan’s Host and Canada’s Grimbane. Consisting of main man Barbarous who some may recognize from the his days in War metal […]

When I got this promo I did not recognize the logo but the name seemed familiar. Upon looking them up it turns out they are from Israel, though the members are Russian. I rifled through my collection and came up with two albums of basic Hellhammer/Celtic Frost worship, done with unequal parts alcohol and inspiration. […]

Satan’s Host “Burning the Born Again” I first learned of this band back in 1996 through tape trading. I friend was really interested in Einherjer’s, Dragon’s Of The North, but had nothing of interest to me so I let him choose something. He made me a tape of Jag Panzer’s Dissident Alliance and being a […]

This is Moribund’s second reissue of American thrash band Satan’s Host. This album was first released in 2006. According to the press release this is mandatory for fans of Slayer, Behemoth, Dimmu Borgir and Nile. Being a fan of the early material of the first two and not a fan of the last two might […]

*Sigh*- the things I do as a CD reviewer. Man, you guys are gonna rip me a new one… First off, I was in Hot Topic (I know, I know) and this was on the speakers, and asked the tattooed young scenster behind the desk if it was In This Moment, and she said no, […]

What exactly are they putting in the water in Finland? This is a question I ask myself repeatedly with each new band from there that I stumble upon. I don’t think I’ve heard a single band (OK, maybe one or two) from Finland that I haven’t liked to some degree, and The Scourger is one […]

Coming from the same mold as bands like Brand New Sin — a blend of old school hard rock, metal, southern influences and gruff vocals — Sin Dealer’s sophomore album Dying to Live is certainly interesting. There are some good grooves, memorable melodies and a nice cover of AC/DC’s “Walk All Over You.” But there’s […]

Here’s Prosthetic’s entry into the thrash ‘revival’, Japan’s Grief of War, and their debut offering, A Mounting Crisis…As Their Fury Got Released. Originally, the album was released through a small label in Tokyo in 2005. As expected, it’s a complete trip back to the mid 80’s, mainly paying homage to early Slayer. Now, I know […]

So after 5 years and four albums of balls out partying and after a major label change, it appears that Finland’s Forest Clan have hit that part of the party where you start to taste bile, slur your speech, get all sad and moody, tell all your friends you love them loudly and hug strangers. […]

So often, in the review business, it all comes down to timing. I try to keep an open mind and give fair reviews for every CD that comes across my desk. But in all honesty, if I get an OK record in a style that I’m just really burned out on at the time, it […]

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 […]

In the last few months we have seen some stunning brutal/technical death metal releases from the likes of Ulcerate, Sickening Horror, Decrepit Birth, Brain Drill and Hate Eternal, so you’ll have to excuse me if the debut from California’s Embryonic Devourment falls a bit short despite its effort and skill. Though my lack of glowing […]

Here’s how you can recreate Torch of War’s debut full length all by yourself; Trap a mosquito and hook up an amp to the container then record its wings buzzing incessantly for 35 minutes (guitars). At the same time, get a simple plastic beach bucket and have a child bang on it as fast and […]

Most splits I review are often at least by liked mined or musically similar acts, that’s not the case with this split as it combines the gnarly Bolt Thrower fronted by a manic banshee sound of Arizona’s Landmine Marathon with the classic thrash metal of former Exhumed members. Landmine Marathon’s, debut, Wounded, was a gritty, […]

You’d think that a lineup of Swedish death and black metal veterans like Jocke Widfeldt (Dominion Caligula, ex-Obscurity), Matti Mäkelä (ex-Dark Funeral, Dominion Caligula, ex-Obscurity) ,Tobbe Sillman (Guidance of Sin, The Dead ), Robert Lundin (ex-Dark Funeral, Dominion Caligula, ex-Obscurity) and especially Jörgen Sandström (ex-Grave, ex-Corpse, The Project Hate, Krux, ex-Entombed, Death Breath, Putrefaction, Torture […]

Death metal has its share of geographic sounds; the Stockholm sound, the Gothenburg sound, the Florida sound, the Birmingham sound, the Canadian sound etc. Well one of the more overlooked sounds is the Denmark sound. Generally highlighted by chunk and heft with a dash of thrash rather than speed (and more often than not produced […]

When I first heard Stuck Mojo in the mid-1990s, the sound was fresh and interesting – a solid, Southern-flavored metal band fronted by a rapper. With the rise of the rap-rock trend and the nu-metal trends in the late 90s and early part of this decade, the sound began to lose its edge. The band […]

Epic albums with big-name guest stars are an iffy proposition. The expectations those all-star lineups create can be a bit of a letdown. That was the case for me with the latest effort from Ayreon, which I found a bit boring. On this record, though, the guest stars get bits that better reflect their own […]

YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWN. Ho- hum another tough guy hardcore band has discovered Bay Area thrash and solos. With a lineup shuffle and label change, New York’s Sworn Enemy , after a couple of typical tough guy hardcore releases (As Real As It Gets and The Beginning of the End), have dumped the power chords and breakdowns in […]

“There is no one righteous, not even one; no one seeks God. Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit. Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood; ruin and misery mark their ways, and the way of peace they do not know. There is no fear […]

It’s difficult to find security in bands these days. At least half of the bands I look forward to seeing releases from take a turn for the worst at some point. So far Sweden’s Draconian only stay steady if not get better with each album. For those familiar with Arcane Rain Fell and Where Lovers […]

Cover tunes are somewhat of an abnormality for me. Even when it’s just one on an album of all originals it strikes me as lame, wasteful, and utterly cheesy. Though over the years we have heard some great covers, in any genre, it still presents mixed opinions from this reviewer. So when a pretty well […]

At the risk of losing what little credibility I have within the metal community, I have a confession to make. I do not own a single Vader release. Not one. In fact the last Vader record I actually heard was 2002’s Revelations, and before that the only Vader record I physically even owned in the […]