Reviewed: August 2020 Released: 2020, Transcending Obscurity Records Rating: 4/5 Reviewer: Kieron Hayes Sometimes you really need to be in the right mood for certain music. Jupiterian’s Protosapien is one such example, and the mood it wants you to be in, the atmosphere it revels in and drips with, is…
Album Review
Embr – 1823
Reviewed: July 2020 Released: 2020, New Heavy Sounds Rating: 4/5 Reviewer: Kieron Hayes 1823 is the debut album of U.S. quartet Embr, and shows us a flavoursome, and often downright stunning take on doom metal and heavy music in general. It’s actually named for the age bracket, “18-23” that Eric…
Greyhawk – Keepers of the Flame
Reviewed: July 2020 Released: 2020, Fighter Records Rating: 4/5 Reviewer: Kieron Hayes Greyhawk’s debut album, Keepers of the Flame, out now via Fighter Records, is an absolute treat for any heavy metal fan, and a stalwart reminder of just why we love this genre in the first place. This is…
Torchlight Parade – Torchlight Parade
Reviewed: July 2020 Released: 2020, self-released Rating: 3/5 Reviewer: Kieron Hayes To say an album rocks is almost always a resounding and succinct form of praise. And Torchlight Parade’s self-titled debut certainly -does- rock. The problem is that’s more or less all it does. The band is certainly very clear…
Vampire – Rex
Reviewed: July 2020 Released: 2020, Century Media Records Rating: 4/5 Reviewer: Kira Levine With Darkthrone’s Fenriz being one of the fans who helped their eponymous demo sell out in a matter of days back in 2012, Vampire have been an underground favourite in the Swedish metal scene ever since. This…
Devastator – Baptised in Blasphemy
Reviewed: July 2020 Released: 2020, Clobber Records Rating: 4/5 Reviewer: Demitri Levantis Metal is a forever evolving phenomenon, and that is not done just by bands taking the old sound and adding new things, but also by the kids who keep the old school alive. By that, I am referring…
Wolftooth – Valhalla
Reviewed: June 2020 Released: 2020, Ripple Music Rating: 4/5 Reviewer: Kieron Hayes Do you like the classic sound of the early albums of The Sword or Mastodon? Then Wolftooth have got you covered! That sound much more dismissive than it’s intended to, though the score given should help offset that.…
Ravenlight – Project Genesis
Reviewed: June 2020 Released: 2020, Novus Records Rating: 3.5/5 Reviewer: Kira Levine Formed only two years ago, Northern Irish symphonic power metallers Ravenlight are set to release their debut Project Genesis at the end of June. It will be the follow up to their four-track EP End Of The World…
Voodus – Open the Otherness
Reviewed: June, 2020 Released: 2020, Shadow Records / Regain Records Rating: 3.5/5 Reviewer: Jack Merry Swedish black metal outfit VOODUS return with a brand new mini-album entitled “Open the Otherness.” Consisting of two songs clocking in at 25 minutes in length, the four-piece have honed their craft and put out an…
Sinisthra – The Broad And Beaten Way
Reviewed: June 2020 Released: 2020, Rockshots Records Rating: 4/5 Reviewer: Beandog 15 years in the making, Sinisthra’s follow-up to their 2005 debut, Last Of The Stories Of Long Past Glories, has taken a lengthy and arduous route from conception to realisation. Significantly, The Broad And Beaten Way is a reference to…
Stargazery – Constellation
Reviewed: June 2020 Released: 2020, Pure Steel Records Rating: 4/5 Reviewer: Kieron Hayes Constellation is the third album from Finnish metallers Stargazery. And it’s a damn good time. The Finns bring us a form of melodic heavy metal sitting comfortably within the power metal spectrum. To some, that might conjure…
Gomorra – Divine Judgement
Reviewed: June 2020 Released: 2020, Noble Demon Rating: 3/5 Reviewer: Kieron Hayes Let’s get this out of the way right now: these guys really need to tour with Sodom. They even feature Damir Eskic of Destruction, so there is a German thrash connection. Maybe he can put in a good…
Horisont – Sudden Death
Reviewed: June 2020 Released: 2020, Century Media Records Rating: 4/5 Reviewer: Kieron Hayes Horisont’s last album, About Time, was an absolute belter, and ended up among the best albums of 2017 with its genuine and effective retro rock feel. So understandably, expectations are high for 2020’s follow-up, Sudden Death. It…
Commando – Rites of Damnation
Reviewed: May 2020 Released: 2020, High Roller Records Rating: 3.5/5 Reviewer: Pete Mutant Commando have been about for a few years now, having previously released their first demo back in 2018 titled ‘Demo 2018’. Fast forward to now and the young Swedish group that hails from Arvika have produced their…
Old Corpse Road – On Ghastly Shores lays the Wreckage of our Lore
Reviewed: May 2020 Released: 2020, Trollzorn Rating: 4.5/5 Reviewer: Demitri Levantis British black metal institution Old Corpse Road have unleashed their third studio album, “On Ghastly Shores lays the Wreckage of our Lore,” which, as the title suggests, has a theme of coastal folklore and legends. OCR are not a…