CD Review: ‘Akroasis’ by Obscura
Obscura's fourth record, Akroasis, is a metal mindtrip. The long awaited follow up to the critically acclaimed Omnivium, is a progressive musical journey of death metal, jazz and classical. The seven minute long “Sermon of the Seven Suns” is a metallic ro ...
CD Review: ‘Buried in Violence’ by Product of Hate
Product of Hate bring the brutal groove on its debut album Buried in Violence. The band's mix of death metal, thrash and hardcore will surely draw unfair comparisons to Lamb of God. However, the Wisconsin quintet has a sound completely distinct from its V ...
CD Review: ‘Codex Atlantis’ by Serenity
Serenity keeps its songs short and sweet on Codex Atlantis. One of my main grips with progressive and symphonic metal bands are the tedious song lengths. That is not the case on this record, as every track is under six minutes. Thus, the songs are fairly ...
CD Review: ‘X-No Absolutes’ by Prong
Prong keep the creative ball rolling on X-No Absolutes. The band's third studio LP in four years, (fourth if you include the group's 2015 covers album Songs From The Black Hole) X is a heavy, versatile record with the trio performing at its best. The open ...
Best Heavy Metal Albums of 2015
Well, a year winds down and a new year is before us. It is time to publish my list of the best heavy metal albums of 2015. It was not an easy selection, as bands both old and new released stellar albums this year. This list is not ranked, although albums ...
CD Review: ‘Winter Thrice’ by Borknagar
Borknagar continues its progressive push on the band's tenth record Winter Thrice. The band keeps its black metal roots to a minimum. Instead, there is a greater shift towards folk metal and even power metal. The result is a multi-textured record that dra ...
CD Review: ‘Shadow Realms’ by Firespawn
There is nothing like a Swedish death metal supergroup to shake things up. Firespawn is comprised of vocalist L.G. Petrov (Entombed A.D.), guitarist Victor Brandt (Entombed A.D.), bassist Alex Impaler (Necrophobic), guitarist Fredrik Folkare (Unleashed, N ...
CD Review: ‘Out Of Respect For The Dead’ By Grave
Swedish death metal band Grave return from the dead with its 11th record. Out Of Respect For The Dead is pure Stockholm death metal, complete with gory lyrics, buzzsaw guitars and manic drumming. The opener “Mass Grave Mass” is a brutal headbanger that do ...
CD Review: ‘With The Dead’ by With The Dead
Doom power supertrio With The Dead making a lumbering impression with its self titled debut. With The Dead is abundant in molten riffs and colossal drumming. Lee Dorrian (Cathedral, Napalm Death), Tim Bagshaw (Electric Wizard) and Mark Greening (Electric ...
CD Review: ‘I Worship Chaos’ by Children of Bodom
Children of Bodom are a four-piece for the first time in its 20-plus year career. Roope Latvala left the band this past May before the recording of I Worship Chaos. Well, the absence of a second guitarist has not hindered the band's aggression. “I Hurt” k ...