virtuoso – Target Audience Magazine

Album Review: “Leave The Light Behind” by Bloodletter

Chicago thrashers Bloodletter issue a potent dose of gothic thrash on its fourth effort, Leave The Light Behind. The album title and cover have a black metal aesthetic, but Light…

Jerel Johnson July 5, 2025

Album Reviews

Album Review: “Kingdom Torn Asunder” by Ironflame

Ohio's Ironflame have come to conquer once again with its fifth record, Kingdom Torn Asunder. The band roars from the outset with “Blood and Honor” with its bellicose double bass…

Jerel Johnson July 18, 2024

Album Reviews

Album Review: “Heathen Cross” by Cloven Hoof

Cloven Hoof began its career during the New Wave of British Heavy Metal. The band did not enjoy the success of its contemporaries in Motorhead, Iron Maiden or Judas Priest.…

Jerel Johnson May 28, 2024

Album Reviews

Album Review: “Drama” by Marty Friedman

Marty Friedman's newest solo release, Drama, is an emotional work driven by guitar virtuosity and classical arrangements. “Illumination” opens the album with somber piano and a blend of classical and…

Jerel Johnson May 7, 2024

Album Reviews

Album Review: “Blackened Heartbeat” by Secret Sphere

Italian power metal sextet Secret Sphere get technical and heavy on its tenth release, Blackened Heartbeat. The album is devoid of garish overtures, as the band prefers dynamic compositions with…

Jerel Johnson November 7, 2023

Album Reviews

CD Review: “The Deviant Chord” by Jag Panzer

Jag Panzer storms the battlefield with its first album in six years. The Deviant Chord is replete with soaring vocals and stellar guitar virtuosity. I admit that power metal is…

Jerel Johnson September 24, 2017