Reviews

Has there ever been a better example of a band carrying on in the absence of its figurehead than Stratovarius? Struggling to survive during the last days of Timo Tolkki, the current iteration of the band…

Some black metal is so emotionally charged that it becomes pure exalted beauty.

The same Wolfheart you love, now with a sharper edge. Album number six showcases more of their trademark high-quality melodic death metal with the intensity of thrash metal.

Between the light and air lies an octopus with designs on being a chameleon.

The element of fantasy in heavy metal is a recurring one, whether it’s sword and sorcery, science fiction, or horror. Allegory, symbolism, and vivid imagery have all been part of the genre since metal…

Do you like your heavy metal to be as smooth as possible?

Fellas, if your grandpa starts emitting smoke from his eyes, he might be turning into a great atmospheric-post-blackened-sludge record.

If you like The Mars Volta you probably won't like The Mars Volta.

The very first sounds of the debut from Swedes The Halo Effect assured me that this is a project that will not disappoint me for sure. Drawing on the best models in the form of the musicians' main…

This is no illusion, abstract or otherwise: Woe is the real deal.

A long time coming.

To Exit A Maelstrom teaches me something that I already knew; feathers are as heavy as metal.

A couple of years ago, when I reviewed tricot’s 10 for our nonmetal series, I noted the propensity of Japanese alternative artists to dissolve the borders between indie, math, alt, and pop rock for…

Extreme doom isn’t my most beloved category of metal, but every once in a while, an album comes along that really makes me pay attention; this is one of them.

Albums from one-man projects are quite often rougher around the edges than those from full bands, at least production-wise, but the singular vision of one person can often offer more creativity than the…

Is there a point at which ‘including a diverse range of styles’ turns into ‘spreading oneself too thin’? If there is, an album covering 50 years of prog rock/metal has as much chance…

Sometimes the influences take over and there’s more sound than songs.

With an album title that means ‘work against nature’, you may have expected Behemoth to create a work more contrary to their own nature.

Well, it's better than Ordinary Man at least.

Brymir continue to sound like four different bands at once. All superb.

Consistency can be a double edged sword. Sacrificing curious excitement for safe quality assurance. You probably don't need this review, or even to actually listen to this album, to know that the…

Sublimation is a type of phase change that takes place when a solid turns directly into a gas, skipping the liquid phase. Dimensional Bleed is what happens when you apply it to metal. The necessary catalyst…

Every self-respecting mathcore band should have their tongues at least occasionally firmly planted in their cheeks.

I’m happy to forget Undying Light if you are, Fallujah, and from listening to Empyrean, I get the impression that you're on board with this approach.

There’s been plenty of bands whose approach to following up their debut record has been to take that initial sound and make it bigger, grander, more epic. But what about if your debut album already…

I think it's fair to say Canada has become a hot spot for providing some of the best black metal bands in the business in recent years, bands such as Gris, Forteresse, Woods Of Ypres and of course…

Perhaps not an album to talk about in your local hospital.

Lightning strikes twice.

If you thought you heard all that the amazingly talented lead guitarst Andy Gillion has had to offer in Mors Principium Est, then you should think again, because his highly skillful musicianship will surely…

Humanotone is an extraordinary solo project by the Chilean-born Jorge Cisternas Monsalves. Now, when I say a solo project, I really mean a solo project, as Jorge wrote the music himself, played all the…

The first thing that came to my mind when I listened to Early Moods was: “Fashion changes, but style endures”.

King Buffalo were going to put out three albums in 2021, and the third album only arrived in September 2022; shambolic productivity from the trio, it has to be said.

This is the definition of a challenging listen (and review), but if you’ve got 80 minutes to spare, of which half are post-cum-avant-black metal passages, and half are acoustic folk ambiance and…

Helloween made all kinds of waves last year with their jubilant trip down memory lane; not one to be outdone, Blind Guardian have swiftly popped up to remind everyone why they both were and still are the…

For the first time ever, Bloodbath has three albums in a row with the same vocalist. I have some thoughts on that.

If any of you would like to try the fine art of masochism for about 20 minutes, lie on the ground and let Vermin Womb drop a sledgehammer on your face.

Thy kingdom come.

Existence is a formless void, life is a virulent parasite, and the doors of perception are roaring hallucinations in a lift crashing down a solipsistic mineshaft. I like the sound of that, do you? Here’s…

If Nietzsche’s theory of eternal recurrence were true, Spiralist would presumably be doomed to create Eternal Recurrence an innumerable amount of times. Considering all the bands that make the same…

Some metal musicians create side-projects that are barely distinguishable from their existing bands. Thankfully, some others are a bit more adventurous.

Aeternam are still one of Quebec's best kept secrets despite their long career. Truth be told, you would not necessarily be looking for top-notch quality melodic death from La Belle Province. After…

There’s enough bands doing ‘sludgy blackened hardcore’ music that one wonders if it’s time to make a definitive name for their niche. That abundance does, however, means that bands…

Dreadnought ran out of elements to theme their albums around, but unsurprisingly they remain capable of writing ingenious, enchanting music, a talent of theirs that may, in fact, be endless.

The foulest magics of a sheltered moon. The blackening of an already intriguing mix of extreme genres. No frills underground riffing.

In a post-The Dillinger Escape Plan world, melodic mathcore still persists.

With all the focus on American Western black metal in recent years with the likes of Wayfarer, Untamed Land and Dark Watcher, there’s been a distinct lack of an indigenous voice in the discussion,…

If someone came up to me and asked my opinion on God’s Country, I would struggle through a profanity-filled rambling about the scorching sun and our disgusting society. I would then pause before…

Is it a coincidence that Russian Circles are getting this thunderous just as Botch are sort of back?

Locrian dials back the metal, amps up the ambience, and sound as terrifically terrifying as ever, creating dystopian dirges with dysphoric drones. I would say, “Welcome to Postapocalyptica,”…

A sugar overdose, which shows the power metal fan how great and fun power metal is, while at the same time reaffirming the non-power metal fan’s dislike for the genre.

Do parasites dream of electric sheep?…

As some of their Swedish peers strive to recapture former glories, Soilwork continue to forge a path ahead.

I don’t like tech-death. The reason is that I don’t like the musicians’ masturbatory playing, and I don’t like music that suffers from ADHD. But I do like Psycroptic and their latest album, Divine Council.

Nightwork, Diabolical Masquerade's third release, and many wouldn't hesitate to call it their best work. This is an album that, although relatively short, still has such a huge impact, and remains…

Back from the dead.

Black metal. The bitter-cold music of darkness. Throughout the history of this genre, various bands have focused on the importance of different features: repetitive riffs, blast-beat drumming, raspy vocals,…

He's a serious shredder with a wicked sense of humour. He's the architect of many a killer song and multiple musical projects but moreover a genuine guy with a positive attitude and the un-wilting…

“There are no more tales to be told! / No more stories from battles of old! / Now it seems our journey has come to an end! / We are scraping the barrel, my friend!” These lines from “Scraping…

The band named after the barbarian return with another appropriately barbaric record, with guitar tones to rattle the bones of the hardiest warrior.

I can’t have been very diligent if I managed to overlook My Diligence’s new record up until now, but the matter, form and power of this album have definitely converted me.

We're not entirely honest here. This album's title isn't actually "Heavy Rocks III". Boris just straight up released albums called "Heavy Rocks" three different times.

You can trust the Skarstad bros to finally create a definitive blend of gothic rock and black metal.

The ‘halo effect’, roughly speaking, is a phenomenon whereby one’s positive impression of a given trait in a person, group or thing positively influences your overall opinion of said…

“Hello? Yes, I would like to report a crime. I have been abducted. Woke up in Gothenburg sometimes in the early 2000s, and I’ve no idea how to get back. You’ll send someone? How? Police…

Djent-tinged progressive metal from East Asia? Where have I heard that before?

I hope you like your industrial metal to have a bit of an alternative edge at times.

“Influences from ‘80s new wave or prog rock are melted together with classic steel. Ultravox meets Manowar meets The Cure”. This is what the promo sheet said to describe the music of…

Pop country is the worst form of music there is. From the Nashville assembly line of the ‘70s to Billy Ray Cyrus’s big achy breaky-through in the ‘90s to the luciferian monstrosities…

Ether Coven are a band that are not afraid to make their message loud and clear, and when that message covers topics as ugly and painful as cancer and suffering, it’s unsurprising that the music…