Category Archives: Album Reviews

ANEWRAGE Redefines Themselves With “Life-Related Symptoms”

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ANEWRAGE is:

Axel Capurro – Vocals/Guitars
Manuel Sanfilippo – Guitars/Backing Vocals
Simone Martin – Bass
Alessandro Ferrarese – Drums/Backing Vocals

Like our experiences with outstanding bands coming out of Greece comes yet another killer band out of Italy. Hailing from Milan, ANEWRAGE is a long standing band that describes themselves as a “powerful mix of Alternative Metal and Post–Grunge”. While this may give a general feel for what they are after, I definitely hear influences of Progressive and djent throughout as well; giving them a broad sound that is completely identifiable as their own. In 2014, ANEWRAGE released ANR which vaulted them above the fray and allowed them to play with international, bucket-list bands like Gamma Ray, Freak Kitchen, Dreamshad, Destrage, among others. The teaser for album alone also left them finalists for the SXSW Design Award in Austin, TX for inclusion in projects like Pacific Rim, The Lego Movie, The Last of Us, etc. Their radio friendly sound has also earned them spots in the rotation for RockTV Italy and A One Ukrainian Rock TV Channel, where their singles “Ape’s Legacy” and “Nina” are still being played. After all of the aforementioned attention, ANEWRAGE was picked up by Scarlet Records last year where they recorded “Nina”, produced by Matteo Magni (Rhyme, Audrey, Mellowtoy) and included on the “ANR – Deluxe Edition” re-release. Joining forces again with Metteo, ANEWRAGE is set to release their new album Life–Related Symptoms on April 7th, 2017 (be sure to check out the band release of the entire album on their Spotify channel linked at the bottom!).

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Review: ADNA – ‘Closure’ [Official Video]

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German based, and Swedish native ADNA delivers some melodic yet haunting styling. ADNA is not rock, nor metal. A genre really can’t contain her creativity, but I would call her music folk haunting. Some artists try to cram as much sound into a song as possible, but not ADNA. I believe in her music what isn’t there is just as important as what is there. Musically simple and lyrically complex, the vibe from her music comes across so delicate and peaceful. Her music is simply like a palate cleanser. The melancholy within her music washes away all your worries and truly soothes your soul. ADNA has released her new album ‘Closure’. The album was written, recorded and produced entirely by ADNA herself in her Berlin apartment. Closure is ADNA’s fourth release for the Despotz label (after two full length albums and an Ep) and has garnered over thirty million Spotify streams to date as well as getting sync placements with top tier television shows such as the American TV series Bones. The dark, alternative pop songstress, who has been compared favorably to Daughter and Bon Iver amongst others. Regarding the single, she says, ““The song “Closure” was the result of an anxious period of time, but I remember it as something beautiful, because it finally gave me the closure I had been longing for, and also the title of the album.” The best thing you can truly do is to allow her music to speak to you, and speak to you it will. Continue reading →

Review: THE CHARM THE FURY – ‘The Sick, Dumb And Happy’ (Official Video)

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The Charm The Fury is a metalband from Amsterdam, The Netherlands that doesn’t fit in 1 genre and that’s exactly why I like them as a band. They have melodic riffs with clean vocals as well as growling. This shows what Caroline Westendorp as a vocalist is capable of. They consist of 5 people. Vocalist Caroline Westendorp, bassist Lucas Arnoldussen, drummer Mathijs Tieken, guitarist Rolf Perdok and Martijn Slegtenhorst. It all started with their EP ‘The Social Meltdown’,This EP didn’t get by unnoticed, right after this EP they debuted with their first album called ‘A Shade Of My Former Self’. After this they played live on a lot of big festivals like Graspop, Download, Fortarock, Lowlands. They even played with Slipknot and Papa Roach, if this doesn’t get you hyped then I don’t know what will.

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IAPETUS – “The Long Road Home” Album Review (+Stream!)

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Logo and Artwork by Xenoyr of Ne Obliviscaris!

It’s been awhile since I’ve reviewed a melodic death metal album on the site. Perhaps that is too long of a while, as the guys in Iapetus dropped a killer work of melodeath last month that only re-established my admiration for the beloved subgenre. The Long Road Home is the debut LP from Long Island duo, Matthew Cerami (vocals, guitars, bass) and Jordan Navarro (guitars, keys, drum programming), and it is a genuine trip into the cosmos. Weaving melodious death metal riffs into a dreamscape-like atmosphere, Iapetus is a band that fans of Be’Lakor, Dark Tranquility, or In Flames would be wise to keep on their radar. Continue reading →

Review: HARLOTT – ‘Extinction’ [Song Stream]

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Sounding like something straight out of the 80s thrash era, Melbourne band Harlott have produced yet another incredible record. There are not many thrash bands in any era of the genre that match up with the ferocity that these guys bring. There is no mixing in different genres, it’s just straight in-your-face, kick ass speed/thrash metal! The band formed in 2006 and has released 2 EPs and 2 full length albums aside from this new album. Harlott began writing for ‘Extinction’ last year in 2016 after coming off a tour with Annihilation in Europe. The end result is yet another contender for album of the year as the superfluous amount of shredding fills your ears. Prepare for 51 minutes of intrepid, ravishing heavy pleasure. ‘Extinction’ is Harlott‘s third studio album and was recorded at Monolith Studios and mastered by the legendary Jens Bogren (Opeth, Paradise Lost, Sepultura). The record drops this week on April 7th via Metal Blade Records and you can pre-order it here. Continue reading →

Review of Screamking’s “Tyranny of the Sea”

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Screamking is:

Joe “ScreamKing” Lawson – Lead Vocals
Rafael Hernandez – Guitar, Vocals
Clint Pagel – Bass, Vocals
Jason Michalik – Guitar, Vocals

Scott Rothchild – Drums

Artwork by Drake Mefestta

Screamking, from Michigan City, IN has been around for almost seven years now, having their first performance opening for legendary Metal gods, Anvil at Club Landing in South Bend, IN. Over the course of the next year the band spent diligently writing new material for what would become Evilibrium released in 2013, recorded at Divine Studios and spawning their first video for their “Deathwitch” single. Since its release, Screamking has continued to play with numerous notable acts like Anvil, DSG (David Shankle Group), Metal Church, Helstar and many, many others. Again, entering the Divine Studios in 2016, Screamking recorded Tyranny of the Sea, released at the beginning of March on their own Platinum Dungeon Entertainment label. Produced and mixed by guitarist Rafael Hernandez and vocalist Joe Lawson and mastered by Jon Scrip of Massive Mastering, the album hits extremely hard and sounds just as good as any A List band out there. No DIY sound from this killer band anywhere. Everything is balanced and expertly executed. In the end, this release simply cannot be picked apart. Great work from this, now veteran band!

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Review: PALMER – ‘Surrounding The Void’ [Album Stream]

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Photo Credit: © 2016 Fabian Unternährer

Formed in 2000 Swiss metal band Palmer are a band that creates massive depth within their sound. Palmer has been forging their sound towards perfection for the last 16 years. This Swiss quartet is no typical four-four time metalcombo straight off the rack. Their strength comes from their ability to work as one cohesive unit. No member is more talented than the other and they shine as one entity. Palmer works intuitively and without restraints and their creations reflect an energy of immediate presence. Somewhere between post-metal and prog-rock the band has truly found their space in the metal world. The band released their debut in 2007 via Czar of Crickets titled ‘This One Goes To Eleven’, they followed that album up with ‘Momentum’ in 2011 this time releasing their work via Subversiv Records. The band of course takes ample time between albums, creating perfection takes time you know. Palmer has released their latest LP ‘Surrounding The Void’ on February 24th, 2017. It marks the bands return to Czar of Crickets as well. Continue reading →

Review: GOD IN A CONE – ‘Obscurist’ [Track Stream]

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Photo Credit – Ioannis Triantafyllou

GOD IN A CONE is based in Athens, Greece and surprisingly formed less than 8 months ago. The band is a one man project by Nikos Marinos. He adds Keyboards, vocals, programming, to the song and creates the percussion with a drum machine. A one man band can at times be incredibly hard with no one to bound ideas off of. However, Nikos doesn’t lack imagination. He has his sights set on something and he puts it in motion. GOD IN A CONE have just released the album ‘Obscurist’ which was produced, mixed and mastered at Studio 222 by Dimitris Delis who also arranged guitars on the record. Putting no genre tag on his music and setting no boundaries GOD IN A CONE can take you places that hasn’t yet been defined in music. Continue reading →

Review: WARBRINGER – ‘Woe to the Vanquished’ [Song Stream]

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This week in metal, highly praised thrash band Warbringer released their fifth full length album, ‘Woe to the Vanquished’. This was the quintet’s first release not on Century Media Records, instead they partnered with Napalm Records. This record debuts two new members (Jessie Sanchez on bass and Chase Becker on guitar) and it is the first Warbringer album without founding member John Laux. The 8 tracks leave no room for filler and kick your ass throughout the duration. You can buy ‘Woe to the Vanquished’ here. Continue reading →

Review: AVERSIONS CROWN – ‘Xenocide’ [Official Video]

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Aversions Crown is a death metal band from Brisbane, Australia. The 4 piece consists of vocalist Mark Poida, bassist Steve, drummer Jayden Mason, guitarists Chris Cougan and Kevin Butler. They first started out really strong with their debut album called ‘Servitude’ back in 2011. 3 years later they released their second album ‘Tyrant’. From this point on their releases come via Nuclear Blast. This has been a really big deal for the band because this is one of the top labels out there. It really stepped up their game big time. Beginning this year they released their third album ‘Xenocide’. This album features a new vocalist and he fits the band perfectly, the album theme is really important for the band so that has to show in the vocal style and I can assure you that he is doing a great job on it.

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