Album Reviews



Manchester’s COLD FELL Offer Up Full Length Debut [Album Review] [Album Stream]

Manchester, England, a city that exploded around the turn of the Industrial Revolution, has served as a backdrop and inspiration of metal musicians of all ranges.  No small wonder, either, given the social issues created once the trappings of the industrial exploitation machinations were set into play. Workers were often forced into inhumane working conditions and eventually, periods of civil unrest between the working poor and the bourgeois erupted, leaving behind inauspiciousness in it’s wake. From these circumstances, and similar in cities such as Birmingham, the bubblings of metal sprung forth to unleash upon the world an especially dreadful perspective.  The natives Cold Fell (so named for a mountain in the North Pennines, a spine, if you will, that weaves throughout northwestern English countryside) have finally gotten the opportunity to add their own voice to the offerings, four years after the release of their first EP. Comprised of Laurence Taylor (of Caina) on vox, Karl Sveinsson and Giovanni Infantino on lead and rhythm guitar, Callum Cox pounding on the drums, and Oliver Edward Turner on bass, Cold Fell evidently put the gap time after their initial EP to good use as 2017 has been gifted with one smoking full length debut. 

“Irwell” is both the name that christens their Argento Records release and a river valley nestled in (you guessed it) northwestern England.  Coming in with eight tracks, “Irwell” is a solid monster of a proper debut which bares it’s teeth from the opening, snapping fierce jaws within instrumental passages so you, the listener, do not escape it’s mighty grasp.  The band members here have an excellent chemistry which is evident in the ways in which each track has been composed.  There’s not a superfluous time change, solo or angry vocal howl throughout the album that I could find; these guys were on a mission of craft and on “Irwell” they absolutely bring the pain.  Peppered throughout each of the songs, one can easily see the influence that classic black metal and contemporary bands of the same genre have had on the members, and rather than setting out to exploit those genres or relying on a more avant garde/experimental approach, CF pay homage to those before and current in black metal by efficiently utilizing the core sounds, topped with their own personal flavor. Take, for instance, ‘Folly (Health & the Glory)’  which opens with a nicely fat bass thrum underlying the assault unleashed by the typical frontrunners of guitar and drums.  Densely atmospheric in the right places, the track pummels along, punctuated with howling guitar shrieks that eerily mimic a female’s screams in places, while ‘Bone Ceiling’ bites and snarls in its own right, featuring a nice addition of fist pump worthy chants that will surely be as appreciated during a live performance as it is on record. My overall album pick, though (and it’s surely a close call to make), is narrowly the doom and gloom served up by ‘The Whip (Armed to the Teeth): furious skin work where appropriate with some nicely bitter slower tempo drops, some skillful lead guitar that helps pull the beat back from the mire and cohesive and spot on instrumental passages.  The album closer, ‘Dream of Seppuku’, is a wholly appropriate one that fits like a glove.  Seppuku refers to the Japanese act of suicide by disembowelment, and this track moves in thematically appropriate ways until it fades into a more somber tone sprinkled with some piano keys.  While not necessarily a game changer (and not that it had such ambitions in the first place), “Irwell” delivers a solid album sure to catch the attentions of the black metal scene, and gives just enough to keep us wanting more.

Continue reading

Review of Virus of Ideals Debut EP, “For All My Earthly Days”

Virus of Ideals is:

Sean: Vocals/Keys
Jess: Vocals
Dylan: Guitars and Bass
Francisco: Drums

Virus of ideals is a Melodic Death/Symphonic Metal band that hails from Newington, Connecticut that is often compared to Dark Tranquility, Lacuna Coil, Scar Symmetry and Nightwish which should come as no surprise since their admitted influences include the aforementioned bands with the addition of Epica and The Gathering. After releasing their debut single entitled “Bitter Parody” in February of last year, Virus of Ideals pushed themselves to release their four song EP For All My Earthly Days in the Fall of 2016 as a small portion of a larger story to be told when the band drops their first, full-length album at an indeterminate date in the near future. No worries though because there is plenty of meat on this EP that will tide any fan over until the day comes.

Continue reading

Review: Obituary – ‘Obituary’ [Song Stream]

Florida based death metal legends Obituary, are coming out with a new album via Relapse Records on March 17th 2017 and will run a 10 song track listing. This will be the bands 10th studio album, spanning a long career started all the way back in 1989 with the bands debut release titled ‘Slowly we Rot’. Obituary has been considered death metal elite ever since, you cannot bring up death metal without hearing the name Obituary. The bands previous release ‘Inked in Blood’, set a very high standard to surpass or even match, with great reviews from critics and fans alike. The year is 2017 and one of the giants of the genre has returned. Continue reading

SARCASM Release Lyric Video Ahead Of 2nd Full Length Album [Lyric Video + Album Review]

We’ve all heard at least a half dozen or more tropes about preservation, about finishing what we start, and about how anything worth doing is worth doing right, and approximately a thousand variations upon the same and similar themes.  The Swedish death metal band Sarcasm wants you know those important and oh-so-persistent lessons in life did not fall upon their deaf ears.  The core duo of the current quintet, vocalist Heval Vozarslan (also of Third Storm) and Anders Erikson have written and recorded together as Sarcasm since 1994. While an EP appeared in 2000, and along the way a bunch of demos, their material from that time did not see a proper full length release until 2016 on Dark Descent Records.  Yes, you read those last two sentences correctly. Less than a year after their proper debut, Sarcasm rounded out their lineup, bringing back Peter Laitinen on guitar (who previously played with the core in ’94, also of Imperial Domain, The Hidden, ex-Goatworship), and fleshing out the rest with Jonas Soder (Imperial Domain, also ex-Goatworship) thundering along on bass and Matte Modin (Firespawn, The Hidden, and ex-Dark Funeral) taking on the role of beat master.  July of 2016 saw the release of their proper full length release Burial Dimensions’, and, in breakneck speed as if making up for lost time, the sophomore effort Within The Sphere Of Ethereal Minds’ is scheduled to drop on April 28th of this year.   Continue reading

Review: GHOST BATH – ‘Starmourner’ [Single Track Stream]

The name Ghost Bath refers to the act of committing suicide by being submerged in a tub of water, and given the music this band has brought forth on their previous EP and full length releases, it’s an appropriate one.  Ghost Bath, hailing from the state of North Dakota, play an interesting brand of depressing black metal, chock full of rough, howling vocalizations accompanied by razor sharp instrumental passages that send the listener on a trip through the throes of a depressive mind.  The forthcoming  album, Starmourner’ releases April 21st, 2017, via Nuclear Blast, finds Ghost Bath stretching their wings, much like the angelic theme that threads the album, and exploring old and new territory alike.  Continue reading

Louisville Based Order Of Leviathan Roars To Life With ‘Death Worship’ [Album Stream]

Quickly: what comes to mind when you think of the state of Kentucky? Hillbillies? Country music? Horses and bourbon? Maybe UK basketball? Whatever it is, I highly doubt that death metal is among what pops up.  Defying what outsiders think they know about the Bluegrass State, Louisville (aka Louis-evil) based Order Of Leviathan has launched an all out assault on convention via an “eternal quest for total darkness through transcendent art.”  Founded in March 2012, these guys pulled the band together not for the promise of fame, but to create art purely for the sake of art. 

Comprised of vocalist Nathan Bowling, Levi Crandell-guitar, Derek Tipton-guitar, Dustin Rawlings-bass, and Mike Hargrave-drums, Order Of Leviathan have released two full albums thus far, and have played with such acts as Cannibal Corpse and Cattle Decapitation.  2013 saw their first full length release, “The Infernal Path To Total Darkness”, an absolute BEAST of a debut, and more recently, the sophomore satanica offering of “Death Worship” in August of 2016.  This band of nihilistic misanthropes are only growing in scope and skill, and with razor sharp intent, they’re hellbent on opening your eyes to ultimate nothingness of life.    Continue reading

Review: DOWN THE STONE – ‘Life’ [Official Video]

DOWN THE STONE formed in 2013 in Italy. The band has retained all of its original members: Lorenzo “Lau” Ricci (guitar and vocals), Jordan “Gio” Conti (guitar), Lorenzo “Abbo” Grassi (bass) and Fabio “Hammer” Catozzi (drums) since their formation. The band has a modern and powerful rock sound, with some major influences from the rock and metal bands of years past. In the year of their formation they released their debut EP ‘Metamorphosis’. That EP was recorded at Frequencies of Monza Studio. In June of 2014, during a concert at the Legend of Milan, they were noticed by Marco Barusso, and he offered to produce their first full album, ‘Life’. Marco Barusso is mostly known for engineering and mixing 4 of fellow Italian band Lacuna Coil’s albums. Fast forward to June 17, 2016 when the band launched “Walking In My Shoes”, the first single from the album, which received excellent feedback. The band then released the album in December of 2016. DOWN THE STONE bring a lot of well-planned elements into their music. It really sits in that grey area between modern and old school metal and it’s the best of both worlds. Continue reading

3Eighty3 Are Up To It Again With “Error Of The Moon”

Jude Throckmorton – Vocals and Guitar
Matthew Shawn Chapman – Guitars
Zac Stewart – Bass
Kirk Evans – Drums

Error of the Moon

March 31, 2017

After having the band referred to me by my friend ‘Chelle last year, 3Eighty3 has been one of my favorite, go-to bands. Once I reviewed their kick ass debut EP, Raw Fuckin’ Power and added it to my 25 Best Albums of 2016, I have stayed in contact with them and made a couple new friends. Metal tends to do that, as you well know. One big, crazy-ass family! In rolls 2017, and I am pleasantly surprised to find out that in their busy show schedule, the band has managed to write and record a brand spanking new EP called Error of the Moon that is due for release on March 31st, 2017. Like a junkie jones-ing for their next hit, I contacted Matt on the down-low: “Uhh. Hey dude. Ca ca can you hook muh me up with tha that new CD bro? I nuh, nuh NEED some more of stu stuff you you got going on over there in Texas…” Being the cool guy that he is, he sent me the master MP3s as soon as they were completed and on the day that they were being sent out to be pressed. Big thanks my man! Been flat wearing it out ever since. So. Is that sh*t good, you ask? If my family can be used as a gauge (Electronic Dance and Young Alternative fans, the lot of them), my wife and kids f’in HATE it because it is too loud (add whiny tone) and been blasted countless times as I am driving, so, yeah, it is f*cking awesome!

Continue reading

Review Of Cellador’s “Off The Grid”

Cellador is:

Chris Petersen – Vocals, Guitar
James Pickett – Bass
Diego Valadez – Keyboards
Nick McCallister – Drums

Off the Grid (March 10, 2017)

Almost a year ago, shortly after joining the staff I jumped at the chance to cover Cellador for our State of the Art: Colorado series. While the band had started under the name Aposte in Omaha, NE back in 2003 by guitarist and vocalist Chris Peterson, the name was changed to Cellador just over a year later. Once releasing The Burning Blue and Leaving All Behind they caught the ears of Metal Blade Records who immediately signed the band and released Enter Deception in 2006. The album defined the band as one of the best emerging Modern Power Metal bands but by 2009 Cellador cracked, leaving many members behind before moving to Denver, CO in search of their much deserved star. After five years of band reanimation, Honor Forth was finally released in 2011 and quickly became the band’s defining album, launching Cellador to new heights and putting them on major bills around the globe. By 2015 and early into 2016, the band had stabilized and again went into the studio; taking their time to assure a fitting follow up to, now classic, Honor Forth. With the ink barely dry on their contract with Scarlet Records in hand and being under recently acquired new management, Cellador is set to charge their way directly into the Metal throne room once Off the Grid is released into the wild on March 10, 2017!

Continue reading

Roni’s Review of Old Scratch’s “Feral”

***** Review by Roni *****

Old Scratch is:

Jeff Worley – Guitar/Vocals

Nick Sheppard – Drums

Rahsaan Lacey – Bass

Lyrics & Music by Jeff Worley

There’s something exhilarating about listening to new music that just grabs you and has you jamming within moments. Fun, fast paced and high energy all describe the debut album Feral by Old Scratch. Guitarist Jeff Worley was the last man standing in Charlotte, NC with the previous version of Old Scratch and it’s rebirth began in January of 2016 as he along with Nick Sheppard on drums and Rahsaan Lacey on bass played their first gig together. I, for one, am grateful that they did so, because just over a year later…I’m getting whiplash from banging my head so hard to their debut album.

Continue reading