Album Reviews


Review: DRAGONFORCE – ‘Reaching Into Infinity’ [Official Videos]

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DragonForce, yes the one and only fast riffing powermetal band from London, England released their new forceful album called ‘Reaching Into Infinity’, released by Metal Blade Records, and it’s all their older album combined with better production! They again made an album that is as fast as the speed of sound with vocals that are out of this world. For those of you that don’t know the band, which I really doubt, they formed in 1999 and were known as ‘DragonHeart’ till the year 2002. From 2003 till the present they are known as ‘DragonForce’. Their best album might be their debut ‘Valley Of The Damned’, it reached insane amount of views and has been very populair since. Album ‘Sonic Rampage” proved to be even more succesful, it featured their new bassist Adrian lambert and drummer Dave Mackintosh in the widely known song ”Fury Of The Storm”. This album was really the biggest game changer for the band because this brought double bass rhythms and blast beats to the band. With song  ‘Through The Fire And Flames” from the album ‘Inhuman Rampage’ the band went oficially mainstream. This song has reached far over 85.000.000 viewsand over 360.000 likes! Not on  a pop song but a freaking metal one! DragonForce has toured with Slipknot and Disturbed right before they were releasing their album ‘Ultra Beatdown’, if you get to tour with the big guys you know you made it! Next to these insane releases they made 3 albums. ‘Twilight Dementia’, ‘The Power Within’ and my favorite ‘Maximum Overload’. You would think that the band didn’t make any more music for a while after so much intense and speedy albums but no, they created a best of album named ‘Killer Elite’ which ofcourse featured the song ”Through The Fire And Flames”. Fans have been asking about full live performances on DVDs for a while now but finally DragonForce heard our calls and made ‘In The Line Of Fire…Larger Than Live’ that was recorded on the 2014’s Load Park Festival. For sure one album you need for your collection!

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Review: MIRRORS OF OBSIDIAN – ‘From One Form’ [Album Stream]

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Looking for extreme metal with groove influences from Dublin, Ireland? Mirrors Of Obsidian is your go to band! They have been reigning since 2009 and made 1 debut album and they just released their second one this year. Their debut album is called ‘Imminent Chaos Complete’ which got released on bandcamp in 2010, it is for sure worth checking out. It is free to listen to and it will definitely get you hooked! Click HERE to give it a listen. Their second and latest album ‘From One Form’ has also been released via bandcamp, on the 10th of May this year. It is extreme, violent and full of groovy moments. Mirrors Of Obsidian consists of 2 members, Ciaran Ennis and Eoin Ennis. Ciaran takes care of the brutal vocals that sound from another planet while his brother Eoin plays the guitar, drum and also the bass. Together they form the powerful duo that make this band.

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Review: SMOKE MOUNTAIN – S/T EP [Full Stream]

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Smoke Mountain formed in 2015 in Florida. The band is comprised of Sarah Pitt on vocals, her husband Lee Pitt on guitar and Lee’s brother Brian Pitt (Switchblade Cheetah, Neon Lushell) on drums. The band recently completed and released their debut self titled EP on May 1, 2017. The EP was writen recorded and produced by the band themselves and was mastered by Carl Saff (LoPan, Attalla). Lee also played the bass parts during the recording of the EP, but they don’t use a bassist in their live shows. In their live performances Lee runs his guitar through a guitar and bass amp, which I’m sure gives them an even more unique sound. Though this EP is just 3 tracks it is a beautiful introduction to the band. I certainly can’t wait to hear more.

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Review: ALESTORM – ‘No Grave But The Sea’ [Official Videos]

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Alestorm is a folk/powermetalband but I would rather call it pirate metal because that sounds way better and it fits their style like no other genre can. They have been around since 2004 and made 6 albums till this date including their best and latest album ‘No Grave But The Sea’ that will get released on the 25th of May. All their album have been about pirates and everything about them but they only get better with every album, lyrically they have improved a lot and now they have acquired catchy melodies and vocals that will remind you of how good life can be. ‘Captain Morgan’s Revenge’, ‘Black Sails At Midnight’, ‘Back Through Time’, ‘Life At The End Of The World’ and my personal favorite ‘Sunset On The Golden Age’ are all the albums that Alestorm have made so far and they show to be just like red wine. Alestorm has been known to experiment with genres, going from thrashy albums like ‘Black Sails At Midnight’  to albums like ‘Sunset On The Golden Age’ which featured some death growls. They are a pirate metal metal band with pleasing melodies and lyrics that will make you believe you were born a pirate. Who takes care of something this catchy and amusing you might ask. Well it’s vocalist Christopher Bowes who also plays the keyboard and the keytar, now you might be asking yourself what is a keytar? It’s basically the funniest looking electronic keyboard there is. The keytar is not an instrument everyone knows of let alone knows how to play so finding someone that is skilled with it is really unique. He is assisted by guitar player Máté Bodor, drummer Peter Vernon, basisst and back up vocalist Gareth Murdock and insane keyboardist and also back up vocalist Elliot Vernon. These people knows how to take care of a good party. ‘No Grave But The Sea’ has just like every other album they have created been released by the record label Napalm Records and the moment a band hasn’t changed their record label since their first album you know you stumbled upon a good band.

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REVIEW: WEDNESDAY 13 – “Condolences” [Select Tracks Streaming]

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Wednesday 13 first stepped onto the scene in 1992 and created a whirlwind of grotesque, shocking horror punk that still has a firm hold on the throats of those who dare to listen.  He first began his career with a collaboration with guitarist Abby Normal, drummer Jeff Washam, bassist Michael Patrick, and lead vocalist Todd Cage, known as Psycho Opera.  Wednesday 13 departed the band, along with guitarist Abby Normal, and bassist Michael Patrick and picked up drummer Sicko Zero to form the band Maniac Spider Trash.  The band released one EP, ‘Dumpster Mummies’ and one album, ‘Murder Happy Fairytales’.  However, their run came to an end in 1996 when Wednesday 13, Abby Normal, and Sicko Zero went on to form the band Frankenstein Drag Queens from Planet 13 until 2002 when he was contacted by (then) Slipknot drummer, Joey Jordison, to form Murderdolls. Continue reading →

Review: IRONFLAME – ‘Lightning Strikes The Crown’ [Album Stream]

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Ironflame is a powermetal band from Washington, Pennsylvania. It’s a solo project made by the one and only Andrew D’Cagna who is also a member of Brimstone Coven.  His new debut album ‘Lightning Strikes The Crown’ got released via bandcamp and it features a whole bunch of amazing guests. Jim Dofka (Rev Jones Band, Leather Leone) for example created the guitar solo on the song ”Firestorm” & ”Fallen Glory”, He isn’t the only guest that took part in the powerful solo’s, Aaron Carey (Coldfells),  Justin Wood (Ex-Brimstone Cove, Necromancing the Stone) and last but not least Johnathan Crow (Curse The Wicked). Aaron took care of the guitar solo in ”Marching” and ”Shadow Queen” where Justin got a hold on the solo’s in ”The Gorgon” and my personal favorite song ”Eternal Night”. The best 2 songs on the album, ”Heavy Metal Warriors” and ”What We’ve Sown”, features guitarist Johnathan on the guitar playing mad solo’s. Never have I heard of an album with so many different guitarists but it works out really well! The lyrics and everything else has been the work of Andrew himself. He really is capable of a lot! ‘Lightning Strikes The Crown’ has been released via bandcamp on the 22th of May and for a first album this is incredibly good. The power of the album is without a doubt in the wide diversity of musicians.

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Review: OLD BLOOD – S/T [Album Stream]

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OLD BLOOD is multi-dimensional band that incorporates blues, stoner rock, doom and acid rock into one beautiful package. They formed in 2014 in Los Angeles, California. OLD BLOOD quickly signed to DHU Records in Europe after the critically acclaimed release of two demo tracks on Bandcamp and a Youtube video for their song “Glowplug”. OLD BLOOD takes a push into unknown territory in the genre with the addition of crystal clear vocals, keyboards and emphasis on heavy grooves and an extensive live stage show featuring The Rigomortettes beyond the wall of amplifiers. The soaring vocals by Feathers are the perfect pairing to the bands groove and doom elements within their music. OLD BLOOD incorporates various elements into their sound that makes them almost impossible to pigeon hole to one genre. They have been slapped with the label of “Acid Doom” and that is likely the most fitting. OLD BLOOD’s debut album was recorded and mixed by Frankie Siragusa at The Lab Studios in Hollywood, CA and mastered by renowned Los Angeles record mastering engineer Mike Wells at Mike Wells Mastering in North Hollywood, CA. The debut released on August 27, 2016. Continue reading →

Review: DANZIG – ‘Black Laden Crown’ [Select Tracks Streaming]

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What is there to say about Danzig? For most hard rock/heavy metal fans, they have become synonymous with Misfits in a sense, and for obvious reason. Danzig came about after singer Glenn Danzig departed the Misfits to form the band Samhain, which later became known as Danzig. The band was formed in Lodi, New Jersey in 1983 and grew to be known for their unique mixture of bluesy doom metal and hard rock. This eventually led to the band becoming a staple in the heavy metal scene with hits like “Am I Demon”, “She Rides”, and the very well-known “Mother”. Continue reading →

Review: Through Fire – ‘Breathe: Deluxe Edition’ [Tracks Streaming]

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Through Fire was first known under the name Emphatic. Founded by guitarist-songwriter Justin McCain in 2004. Their major label debut record ‘Damage’ for Atlantic reached No. 9 on Billboard Top Heatseekers chart in 2011. From 2012-2014 Toryn Green (Fuel, Apocalyptica ) took over vocal duties. The band made headlines again when their second album Another Life climbed to No. 8 on Top Heatseekers chart in 2013. Grant Joshua Kendrick stepped back up and took over the vocals in 2014. He had filled in previously for singer Patrick Wilson when he had a vocal injury. It was a couple years later when Emphatic announced they were changing their name and continuing as Through Fire in December 2015. They on with Sumerian Records and released their debut record in 2016. ‘Breathe’ was the band’s debut under their new name. It released in July 2016. From here on business was back to normal as the band was right back to topping the charts. Their debut single “Stronger” peaked in the top 30 on the mainstream rock chart. Fast forward to 2017 and the band has now released a deluxe edition of the album and included several acoustic tracks and an amazing cover. The original version of the album spanned 10 tracks, included 9 original tracks (including an intro track titled “Reborn”) and a cover of Ellie Goulding’s electropop anthem, “Lights.” The title track, “Breathe” has reached #16 on the billboard charts. The deluxe edition of ‘Breathe’ released on April 7th which includes five bonus songs, alternate artwork and a guitar tab booklet. Trust me that these 5 tracks is well worth getting the deluxe edition of the album.  Continue reading →

Review: OCEANO – ‘Revelation’ [Official Videos]

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Oceano is THE band you need to listen to when you are in love with lows as much as I am. This band uses almost only low vocals and damn it sounds brutal. This band is really fighting with Enterprise Earth over the most brutal album at this moment yet they are very different from them. Adam Warren makes the difference because this guy has vocals straight from the pit of hell and to make it even better he goes straight against the metal stereotypes being a black vocalist. I mean, how awesome is that? Finally a black vocalist in one of the top deathcore bands from this moment, I absolutely love when people break stereotypes. We shouldn’t forget about the other band members though because without them Adam wouldn’t be anywhere. Chris Wagner is the bassist of the band and I have a strong feeling that he finally found his spot in the band, he fits the dark message perfectly. Besides that we have drummer Andrew Holzbaur and guitarist Scott Smith, both are really underrated because they mean so much for the band. Without the drum line or the dark and fierce guitar riffs the band would sound dull and boring. They have always released songs and albums via the record label Earache but times have changed so they went with Sumerian Records which their latest album ‘Revelation’ is featured on. Oceano has been known as a grindcore band after their debut album got released which is called ‘Depths’ but after that album they choose to go with brutal deathcore. Albums like ‘Contagion’, ‘Incisions’ and ‘Ascendants’ have all been brutal deathcore and what I like the most about the change in genre is the transition, you can clearly hear some grindcore influences on the albums after their debut album ‘Depths’.

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