Reviews

Metalcore in the new millennium has an inextricable history with melodic death metal; however, as the decades have passed, new waves of metalcore have arguably de-emphasized this lineage in favor of more…

As much as I hold a dear place in my heart for post-rock and particularly post-metal, as time goes on, it gets harder to find the words to describe new generic-sounding instrumental post-rock/metal albums…

Omne, I hear you ask, why does Gojira want us to save Wales so badly?…

Omne, I hear you ask, why did Harold Godwinson cede the higher ground when it was clearly to his advantage?…

Fvnerals have built their burgeoning reputation in evoking the kind of subtle gloominess that is fitting of a funeral. Curious, then, that their plea to Let The Earth Be Silent sees that gloominess solidify…

It's official, ...And Oceans are well and truly back on the metal map now, with their second release in 21 years ,As in Gardens, So in Tombs, a more than ideal album for fans that want a trip down…

Looking for some black metal to satisfy your gloomy dismal mood this winter month? Then Imperium Dekadenz's Into Sorrow Evermore could provide the perfect blackened recipe for such a thing.

The pantheon opens up. More members, more sounds.

Alice Cooper has worn many hats in its years as a band and his years as a man, but the very first hat they ever wore together they wore upside-down.

Cellos and gothic doom metal and candles on the cover art might not be a surprising combination, but Tribunal burst onto the scene with a debut that's more diverse in sound than meets the eye.

The ‘80s was the golden decade for thrash, and this is why so many bands are still dropping albums today that sound and feel as if they were recorded four decades ago. Quite frankly, most of them suck.

Monarch represents the end of one musical journey, comprising the final recordings and writings featuring former bassist Ronan Connor, who passed away in 2021; what happens next to Raum Kingdom as whole…

Omne, I hear you ask, if a car was travelling west from Ipswich at 25 mph at 15:23 and a train left Cardiff Station travelling east at 67 mph, what time would dinner be?…

Omne, I hear you ask, why did the band use such an awful cover for this album?…

Grab your sword, board the nearest boat, and journey beyond the frozen sea. Lord Mountain have a quest for you.

Among prog fans, few groups hold such pride of place as Riverside; within a genre that many of its detractors criticize for emphasizing style and technicality over substance, the Polish group have consistently…

In case you've ever wondered if there was a genuine clone to Rhapsody Of Fire, well here's one right here: Twilight Force. However, is this band a suitable representation for the embarrassingly…

Gonna put it up front, "Nighttime Disguise" is just about the only song that piqued my interest.

There are musicians out there that are busy, and then there’s those out there that are very busy. There’s a special tier above all of them for the guys that leave you baffled that they’re even capable…

Second Death is the conveniently titled second release by Finnish doom band Mansion. As doom metal goes this band have a rather different approach to things as they opt for a more theatrical approach in…

The engine briefly ran quiet, but the Death Engine is back in action, returning with Ocean. It’s been a long time since we last checked in with this band, so what better time than now to see what they’re…

A Scandinavian post-metal band whose name is almost the same as an already existing Scandinavian post-metal band? If they want to stand out, KOLLAPS\E aren’t making it easy for themselves.

In God's Grand Book of Progressive, a whole chapter would be dedicated to Threshold. He seems to be a fan of closing doors to be opening windows so I imagine that Threshold would be high on His list…

What horrors lurk upon the dismal ocean floor?…

Melodic black metal made by a guy who has composed music for Hollywood, and with great storytelling to boot? Tastefully symphonic, hard rocking, raw, ice cold yet epic? Yeah, sign me up.

The Midwives Of Doom continue on their victory streak started two albums ago, and Omen X stands out as a manifest of everything this band is about: industrial riffs, heavy beats, 90s Eurodance, and anthemic,…

I have a sort of on-off relationship to Katatonia. You know, the one where you break up for half a year and then against all odds decide to try again, and again, and again. After Dead End Kings... something…

It's always heartwarming to me when a band from a nation you'd least expect releases a quality album. Such is the case here with Vale Of Amonition's Immortalizing The Lugubrious, Or Those…

Cujo?…

Happy new year?…

It's him! No, not him, HIM!…

After a long slumber, Ahab have finally risen like Cthullu. One of the most anticipated doom albums of 2023 has been released within its first fortnight; the question now turns to whether The Coral Tombs…

Maybe the real black metal is the friends we made along the way.

Haters will say that Radu only reviews one-man bands this year, which has been true so far, but no more. This one has an astounding two members!

This beginning of the year was pretty good for one-man bands. We've had one man bands from China, Russia, France, Iran/Canada, and the USA. Now how about one from Malaysia?

Funeral doom is a pretty hard genre to get into, with its lethargic paces and long-form songwriting. A lot of the funeral doom I've found the most engaging were the ones that made it crushing and…

Liber Lvcifer II - Mahapralaya comes almost nine years after its predecessor, Liber Lvcifer I: Khem Sedjet, and it has surely been quite a long interval. According to Thy Darkened Shade, this was their…

Even though I primarily listen to the heavier side of metal, I've reviewed and enjoyed a fair few glam metal albums over the years; indeed, I have a somewhat soft spot for the over-the-top, 'so…

Not to be confused with pixie dust.

If you're a fan of traditional heavy metal and in need of something to lift your wintry blues, then here's a real headbanger's delight that will surely do just that!

During my active writing years, I've listened to many releases and written many reviews. I've interviewed and met some of my favorite metal stars and starlets. But none came as close to the amount…

Describing Έλευσις Αντίχριστου as epic would simply be an understatement.

A Chinese one-man black metal band doing Greek themed Serpent Column worship? Count me in!

A couple of days ago, an esteemed colleague of mine said when reviewing the latest Rye album that “lot of where my gripes lie with Всё lie within the production”. Here’s a solution for you, Radu; give…

By this point, the grumbles about the annual New Year’s Day Mechina album are about as predictable as the album itself, but are the grumblings fair, and do things have to be this way?

I just know that there will be a lot more Esoctrilihum albums this year, but this time it started really early.

Now this is the kind of surprise I actually want from Russia.

Borealis are one of Canada’s leading and most consistent power metal bands at present. Their strong symphonic elements and progressive leanings push them towards the fringes of power metal greats…

Like so many artists who achieved success in the 1980s, Scorpions were better in the ‘70s. Contrary to popular belief, they were actually quite capable of rocking you like a hurricane before 1984.

Are you down in the dumps and in need of a wild, fun, adrenaline rush? Lionheart have for you the perfect medicine.

A very bumpy ride through aimless chaos.

It only takes a few seconds for me to know whether I will enjoy an album or not. The cover art and the lead guitar in the beginning of the opening title track of Master Of War were enough to convince me…

How about some folk-black riffs that sound as if they were based on ancient key harp melodies? How, then, about a punk attitude to top the folk off? Änterbila has got you covered.

Here's Germany's new and exciting death metal prospect Soul Grinder, introducing their second release Anthems From The Abyss. Ideal for fans of both Vader and Cannibal Corpse, this German trio…

Project Pain are back with another slab of their brand of 'meat and potatoes' thrash. Or, given they hail from the Netherlands, perhaps 'herring and gouda' thrash is more appropriate.

Here's Suntem Aici, the fifth release by Bucovina, a band hailing from the beautiful and majestic lands of Romania. If traditional Romanian folk mixed with traditional heavy metal sounds like your…

This is what happened to Sin After Sin after a decade in Iceland.

Vedic influences in metal aren't exactly commonplace, even with bands like Cult Of Fire, Zaum, or Queen Elephantine have been taking some aesthetic and musician influences from South Asian culture.

Japan’s heavy music scene has long been known as a hotbed of progressive adaptation, a reliable incubator of melodic subgenres, and a launchpad for flagitious idiosyncrasy and anthemic loudness alike.

The songs of the evening paved the way for a splendid dawn.

Gothic death-doomsters Kuolemanlaakso released one of the finest albums of the year with Kuusumu, and here comes an EP showing a bit of a different side to the band. Let’s explore the gothic side…

Don’t let the 90s Swedeath cover art fool you, this is a band with a metal umlaut in their name. Don’t let the blackened vocals fool you, this is speed metal with an extreme bend to it. Actually,…

Heaviness in subdued brevity and purposeful noise.

There's a temple in New Zealand that's dedicated to death. There's also a temple in Greece that's dedicated to life after death.

Souldrainer have finally made their way back to the scene after an eight-year absence, presenting to us their fourth release, Departure. Let's see if this Swedish death metal act has carried their…

The Salqiu project released its first music with the full-length debut To Whom It Serves The Triumphant Destiny in 2016; come the end of 2022, and they’ve recently dropped full-length album number…

The Wolves Of Avalon are certainly no strangers to providing history lessons to metallers about old British folklore, so if a legendary Welsh bard poem brought to you the traditional pagan metal way tickles…

Saturnine December is an album that spent the longest time stuck in development hell, and then very nearly was consumed by flames before it could escape; thought to be lost in a fire last spring, the hard…

Pennsylvania’s Veilburner have been rather busy since their formation, releasing 6 records in 8 years. The newest of these sees the duo feeling the pinch of the cost-of-living crisis, as they can’t…

A representative of the latest new country that I’ve reviewed an album from, Ryth hail from Bahrain in the Middle East. Formed in 2008, it has taken nearly 14 years for them to release their first…