June 2020 July 1st, 2020 / Self-Release Rating: 5.0 / 5.0 Reviewer: John Haseltine When it comes to genre-bending or including several styles of music to classify a band’s sound, it can go either one of two ways. There tend to be some bands that try a bit too hard…
White Crone – The Poisoner
June 2020 February 23rd, 2020 / Self-Release Rating: 4.0 / 5.0 Reviewer: John Haseltine “Lisa Mann made a career as an award-winning blues artist, but never lost her love of metal music. Growing up in the mosh pits of the 1980s, she was inspired by bands such as Iron Maiden,…
Withering Surface – Meet Your Maker
June 2020 June 19th, 2020 / Mighty Music Rating: 5.0 / 5.0 Reviewer: John Haseltine Initially forming in 1993 in Næstved, Denmark, Withering Surface was at its height, one of the most successful Danish melodic death metal bands at the time. The band released four albums. A couple with…
Stallion – Slaves Of Time
Reviewed: May 2020 Released: February 28th, 2020 / High Roller Records Rating: 4.0 / 5.0 Reviewer: John Haseltine We have another blast from the past for your metal hearts. That statement is about as played out as any these days. With the surge of traditional or classic metal sounds by…
Raider – Guardian Of The Fire
May 2020 March 20th, 2020 / Self-Release Rating: 4.0 / 5.0 Reviewer: John Haseltine It is always a pretty cool thing when I come across a new band that I genuinely enjoy listening to. One that can blend genres I am privy to, and blend said styles in a…
Dead Kosmonaut – Gravitas
May 2020 January 31st, 2020 / High Roller Records Rating: 5.0 / 5.0 Reviewer: John Haseltine Be prepared to be amazed! So I am sure in specific posts, I have told of my quest of 70’s prog metal bands. There seem to be many. Some of them more obscure…
Ambush – Infidel
Reviewed: May 2020 Released: March 13th, 2020 / High Roller Records Rating: 5 /5 Reviewer: John Haseltine A classic heavy metal sound at its best! Sweden’s Ambush is back with a vengeance with their latest full-length INFIDEL. They were formed in 2013. Ambush has been creating quite a buzz around…
Macbeth – Gedankenwachter
May 2020 March 27th, 2020 / Massacre Records Rating: 4.0 / 5.0 Reviewer: John Haseltine The German outfit Macbeth is back with an intensive new album full of heavy and fast riffs as well as raw vocals. Macbeth is one of the first heavy metal bands in the former…
Tulus – Old Old Death
April 2020 March 6th, 2020 / Soulseller Records Rating: 4.0 / 5.0 Reviewer: John Haseltine Norwegian black metal with a twist! Tulus is one of those highly praised and respected bands of the Norwegian underground scene. The group initially formed in 1993, releasing three demos before unleashing a string of…
TerrifianT – Terrifiant
April 2020 February 21st, 20202 / Gates Of Hell Records Rating: 4.0 / 5.0 Reviewer: John Haseltine After meeting up in a festival parking lot, ZZ Slop and Lord TerrifianT concluded that they needed to band together to form a group of heavy metal deviants to show a nod to…
Lord Vigo – Danse De Noir
April 2020 April 10th, 2020 / High Roller Records Rating: 5.0 / 5.0 Reviewer: John Haseltine When it comes to my expertise in the doom-metal genre, I will be the first to admit; the ‘expert’ part should be stricken from the record. I suppose that could translate into others as…
Wombbath – Choirs Of The Fallen
April 2020 March 6th, 2020 / Soulseller Records Rating: 4.0 / 5.0 Reviewer: John Haseltine Wombbath has been belting out relentless death metal for what seems like decades now. Well, they did initially band together in 1990. That is what we can call phase one as the band was only…
Verikalpa – Tuoppitanssi
April 2020 February 21st, 2020 / Scarlet Records Rating: 4.5 / 5.0 Reviewer: John Haseltine For all the folk metal maniacs in the world, it is time to raise your tankards and rejoice! TUOPPITANSSI, the sophomore release by Finland’s own Verikalpa, is upon us. Verikalpa is an entity that officially…
Torpedo – Mechanic Tyrants
April 2020 February 21st, 2020 / Gates Of Hell Records Rating: 4.0 / 5.0 Reviewer: John Haseltine In 2018, the German band Torpedo formed out of the ashes of an old-school metal covers band. Using the name Torpedo from a group Alex Starbreaker had established years prior, the collective here…
Orphan Devil – Victims Of The Night/Drifting Away 7″
April 2020 February 21st, 2020 / Gates Of Hell Records Rating: 4.5 / 5.0 Reviewer: John Haseltine Many bands of late have been forming or turning to the traditional sounds of heavy metal’s glory days. Is it the genre coming full circle? Or could it be the fact that the…