If Miami prog-metal purists Cynic were still around, this album would be the modern-day equivalent of their one and only release, 1992’s unrivaled Focus. Ironically, Miami’s Aghora are one-half Cynic-the better half, in fact, of bassist Sean Malone and drummer Sean Reinert, along with guitarists Santiago Dobles and Charlie Ekendahl and female vocalist Danishta Rivero. […]

Yngwie Malmsteen is very much a living legend in heavy metal, for it’s his inclusion of classical music within metal that’s set him apart from his string burning peers. Yet, with his immeasurable skill, Malmsteen also comes with a reputation – he’s rumored to be the most difficult person in music. For the sake of keeping […]

Subtitled The Dark Metal Compilation, this double-disc European compilation collects the top acts in goth metal and others who’ve forsaken their heavy roots for the love of money. Aesma Daaeva’s “O Death (Rock Me Asleep)” is reminiscent of old Paradise Lost but colder and with female vocals. Tiamat and resident freak Johan Edlund check in […]

Captured at the famed Elysee Montmarte in Paris during a sold-out performance in February of 2000, Vanden Plas’ Spirit of Live is a powerful, energetic live album! Live albums, for me, are usually hit and miss. Either the mix is bad, I don’t like the song choices, the vocals are way below par or, sometimes, […]

Nevermore’s previous album Dreaming Neon Black punctured metal’s stale world with daring yet impossibly catchy songs only a year prior. The possibility that the band would write and record an album of equal or greater impact, especially after losing guitarist extraordinare Time Calvert (ex-Forbidden), seemed like a distant goal. Fortunately for Nevermore Dead Heart, in […]

From the land of beer, metal, and’well, more beer come melodic/prog metallers Avalon. And with them, the German quintet brings their fourth album, Eurasia. I consider myself a fan of the melodic/prog metal genre, and many of the records I come across that claim to be a part of it, I find to be sub-standard, […]

Let’s be honest, shall we? When one thinks of death metal, the state of Kentucky doesn’t automatically spring to mind. Well, Abominant is out to change that with its indie release Ungodly. Abominant plays a mix of early 90’s death metal with black metal tendencies. Lot’s of guitar harmonies, blast beats, old-school metal rhythms and […]

What can be said about this cosmic rock act that hasn’t already. Surpassing every rock and metal trend, The Gathering can do no wrong. Everything they touch turns to gold and this release seems to glimmer brighter than all before it. For some bands, there is a point in a career, where everything clicks – […]

This Italian darkwave gothic rock band seems to have quite the following, but as soon as I heard that they play a combination of later Katatonia and Dead Can Dance I knew I was in for a tough review. I hate reviewing bands that play a style I can’t stand. While I can appreciate musicianship […]

OK, the liner notes say that this is a re-release of a promo, and is not reflective of the band’s current direction or talent; which is a lot like the “My Other Car’s A BMW” bumper sticker commonly seen on Pintos. This is so, so bad. It’s unredeemable badness doesn’t necessarily reflect a lack of […]

It may seem somewhat trendy, but I really dig this “goth metal” genre. I love the blending of the ambient keyboards with the heavy guitars. I also dig the combination of deathy vocal growls and operatic female vocals. One reason I find myself being drawn to this style, is that the music produced by such […]

This Japanese demo contains one of the coolest black metal songs you’ve never heard. There, that get your attention? Released in 1996, Under the Black Moon is one of a few demo releases from Gnome, aka Masanori ‘Wood,’ out of Osaka, Japan. Consisting of only two tracks, it’s essentially mid-paced atmospheric black metal with a […]

Well, here’s a band I have never heard of. What we have here is straight up power metal, complete with fantasy lyrics, medieval melodies and tons of guitars. Surprisingly, The Storyteller comes off as more authentic than some of the newer bands in the genre. It’s hard to explain, but where bands like Rhapsody and […]

Thergothon is, for whatever it’s worth, almost universally credited with bringing true extremes into the happy-go-lucky world of doom metal; the slowest tempos, the deepest, most guttural vocals, and the most depressive and depressing atmosphere ever heard. With only one demo and one full-length album to ther credit before disbanding, the two-man project smashed the […]

Quite a pleasant discovery from the increasingly impressive Napalm Records, Third Moon rise forth from the untapped talent well of Austria. Difficult to classify, but definitely melodic death metal in the Swedish vein, they ache of Lunar Strain In Flames, modern Hypocrisy, Naglfar, and dare I say – Intestine Baalism. This palette is super crunchy, […]

The Deicide bio this time around flaunts a quote from Slipknot about how influential those death pioneers have been to the development of these masked neo-metallers. True rivetheads might interpret this ploy as sheer blasphemy, using sell-out rockers to market Deicide, of all bands! Truth is, Deicide doesn’t need anyone to tell fans how cool […]

No, this is not that excruciatingly annoying fat honky rap outfit. This is one of Sweden’s greatest hardcore groups on an album that will knock you flat on your face! Allday Hell is like a more bitter and violent combination of Discharge, Nausea, and Disrupt with a heaping helping of Motorhead. The majority of this […]

Power metal. Yup, power metal. But, no ripping off of Helloween or Blind Guardian, no screechy vocalist, and not a Tolkien reference in sight. Wyvern are definitely going for the majestic, “glory” vibe here in many places, but they come off heavier in some places as well. There are plenty of galloping kick-drum/guitar riff combos […]

I’m sure there aren’t many out there that remember or even know that Arch Enemy guitarist Christopher Amott has a side-project monikered, Armageddon. The band’s debut offering, Crossing the Rubicon, was technically proficient death metal that, in this humble reviewer’s opinion, outweighed Arch Enemy by leaps and bounds. Metal history aside, Amott decided it was […]

Ultimatum is a New Mexico-based metal outfit that cranks out straight up, old-school thrash metal. Or, as it states on the album packaging, “Unrestrained, fist clenching, neck snapping, head banging Heavy Metal!” I can’t think of a more fitting description, so we’ll just leave it at that. This is an album full of double kick-drums, […]

Indianapolis-based Upheaval may frequent on the hardcore/metalcore side of the fence, but their circle of friends isn’t stopping them from creating some of the most harrowing, if not predictable, death metal this side of AngelCorpse. Indeed, Upheaval’s second platter, Testimony to the Atrocities, hails of the genre’s most illustrious outfits as inspiration. The most notable […]

t’s no secret to most of you that the genre of hardcore has morphed its shape and sound in recent years. In fact, I think it’s pretty safe to say that most of the modern-day warriors that our ears are being exposed to nowadays share little camaraderie with the punk rock icons that most bands […]

Ulver in its current phase is undisputedly its most creative, explorative and, furthermore, important. While Ulver’s old legion of fans would rather hear a follow-up to the mesmerizing black metal triumph, Bergtatt, there’s simply no point at this stage to regress to past glories. They are what they are. Perdition City, comparatively, is just as […]

Thundra, according to their record label, plays “pure black viking metal.” This Norwegian band plays a more brutal, less melodic form than most viking metal bands. While many bands are going more folk, less metal, Thundra is staying true to what I consider viking metal. When I think viking metal I think Enslaved and Einherjer. […]

Tvangeste was formed in 1996 and the line-up was complete some two years later in 1998. They call their music “True Prussian Black Metal.” Damnation of Regiomontum is their debut. It is quite professional and polished for a first recording. Before I get into the music, some background is necessary. Who are/were the Prussians? Prussia […]