Album review: “Icons of Ruin” by Graceless
Dutch death metal newcomers, Graceless, hearken to the old school on its fourth outing, Icons of Ruin. The band does not replicate the music of bands lie Morbid Angel, Pestilence or Dismember to name a few. Rather, Icons is fairly straightforward, but ...
Album review: “The Time Has Come” by Bark
Belgian quintet Bark figured now is the time to release its fifth album, The Time Has Come. Jokes aside, Time features a dozen songs of death n' roll with a pinch of hardcore and thrash. Death n' roll is hard to pull off, as it is not merely watered d ...
Album Review: “Reader Of The Runes-Luna” by Elvenking
Elvenking's trilogy concludes on Reader Of The Runes-Luna. The band get straight to business on the hammering “Season Of The Owl”, with its rollicking drums and syncopated guitar riffing. The tenseness of the rhythm section is offset for violinist Let ...
Album Review: “Never Known Peace” by Doomsday
Oakland thrash/crossover quintet Doomsday unleash wrath on its debut effort, Never Known Peace. Doomsday get straight to business on “Death Is Here," with its ferocious D-beat and rapid triple riffing. Guitarists Ryan Calaveras and Robert DeLorenzi th ...
Album Review: “Black Rite” by Maltuka
Norway is known for black metal, plain and simple. Black metal is the Nordic country's primary musical export for nearly 40 years, replete with an infamous history and classic records. Thus, it is a little surprising that Maltuka, which hails from Ber ...
Album Review: “Plague of Rats” by Brainstorm
German power metal act Brainstorm return with its fourteenth release and first album in four years, Plague of Rats. The album commences with an acoustic intro with some electronic effects, giving the brief track a bit of mystery. “Beyond Enemy Lines” ...
Album Review: “Violence Prevails” by Chemicide
Thrash metal quartet Chemicide mix speed with groove on its fifth release, Violence Prevails. The band wastes no time getting to business with “Do As I Say, Not As I Do.” The track's plodding build up instantly transitions to a thr ...
Album Review: “Year of the Four Emperors” by Ex Deo
Canadian symphonic death metal band Ex Deo ring in the new year with EP Year of the Four Emperors. Four years have passed since the band's 2021 album Thirteens Year of Nero, and this new release literally picks up where Thirteen left off. Literally, a ...
Album Review: “TMG II” by The Tak Matsumoto Group
The Tak Matsumoto Group returns with its newest album in 20 years, TMG II. The super group, comprised of guitar virtuoso Tak Matsumoto, vocalist Eric Martin of Mr. Big, bassist Jack Blades of Night Ranger, and former Guns n' Roses drummer Matt Sorum, ...
Album Review: “Hail To The King” by Voodoo Circle
German hard rock quartet Voodoo Circle push the grandiosity on Hail To The King. This 67-minute long release hearkens to the '70s and '80s with a fusion of metal and arena rock. The opening riff of “Lay Down Your Lovin” is a primer of the nostalgia th ...