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 drums and swarming guitar riffs. Guitarists Quinn Lukas and Jesse Scott ...
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. However, founding bassist Lee Payne has soldiered on, waving the metal banner ...
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 jazz guitar phrasing. Marty's melancholic paints a ...
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 heavy riffs and percussion. “The Crossing Toll” is a two ...
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 my least favorite sub-genre in heavy metal, but Jag Panzer always possessed a ...