Reviews

Death Becomes Her

Frantic Amber

“Death Becomes Her” continues FRANTIC AMBER's journey of darkness, where devastating guitar riffs and blast-beats go hand in hand with doom-laden, epic, and melancholic melodies, featuring even symphonic Death Metal elements

Artifex

Ancient Bards

ANCIENT BARDS deliver bombastic symphonic Power Metal. “Artifex” ranges from traditional Power Metal, melodic Metal, symphonic Metal, to even symphonic Death Metal at times

The Monolithic Cult of Death

Deamonolith

From the Depths of Poland comes an experimental group of Deathgrind that synergized elements of progressive and melodic death through complex time signatures to create a truly chaotic and brutal album.

Walk the Shadows

Lord Vigo

“Walk The Shadows” is an interesting artistic departure for LORD VIGO. I’m sure it will have its fair share of detractors but for those who are flexible enough, they may find it actually succeeds.

Circus of Doom, Live in Helsinki 2023

Battle Beast

“Circus of Doom, Live in Helsinki 2023” is not only a great album to listen to but an incredible performance to watch. For new fans, a great introduction. For existing fans, a reminder of why you fell in love with them in the first place.

Adrift

Marea

In the end, three songs just weren’t enough to get to know the band as best as I had hoped. The three on the album are a study in contrasts, and I have the feeling there is a lot more about the band that remains a mystery. I will earmark them to a full-length soon to really delve into their music.

Viva Rock N Roll

Deraps

Deraps are are two piece band with members Jacob Deraps and Josh Gallagher. Jacob was […]

Anake

Khôra

The best part about the album is how the band presents traditional Black Metal elements in a completely modern way. There are clean vocals, symphony, even electronica, and it’s the intriguing way they combine them that keeps the listener on their toes. This album is carefully crafted, nearly flawlessly executed, and exudes confidence in every sense of that word.

The Essence of Suffering

Growing Horns

The best part of the album for me is those weighted, beefy bass notes, and the times they segue into some psychedelic elements. The bottom line however is that they leaned on open notes too much, and what resulted was an album that tried very hard to get off the ground, but never quite made it.

Raw Traxs B Sides & Bootlegs

Kickin Valentina

High octane unapologetic rock n' roll

Man Under Erasure

Feversea

This was a fascinating album with a lot of layers that the listener can borrow into, and it takes more than one listen to be able to uncover them all. Sometimes, its mysteries are easily solved, while other times, you have to work for them. Take a walk off the path that is familiar to you and delve into “Man Under Erasure.” Its dark mysteries lie within the songs.

The Profane Era

Aeonyzhar

What emerges is not a compromise between two extremes, but a fully realized third form: music that is both violent and regal, savage yet exquisitely composed. In the end, the listener is left not with catharsis, but with reverence. This is the sound of a band in full command of its dual nature, crafting music that walks the line between ruin and rapture, and invites you to kneel at both altars.

Merok

Alutka

The album is a fragile bridge between what was and what now is. It’s a moment when time feels suspended, and the rhythms of ordinary life are intentionally disrupted to make space for sorrow, reflection, and memory. To mourn is not just to suffer; it's to affirm the significance of what’s been lost. The duration of mourning may vary, but its essence remains the same: it marks the soul's attempt to realign itself in a world permanently altered. When the mourning period ends, symbolically, it may represent a kind of return, to a life that now carries the imprint of grief, woven into the fabric of ongoing existence.

Spectral Tyranny

Dead Chasm

Overall, this was a decent album but it was hard to get a gauge based on just three songs. All of the elements one might expect from the genre are there, it’s just that the band didn’t do much stretching out from the norm. Purity is one thing, but pushing yourself is another. I would recommend that the band engage in a little experimentation next time to help put some distance between them and others.

Crucifixion of Orchids

Acceptance

On “Crucifixion of Orchids,” ACCEPTANCE paints a picture of a lonely and desolate world, whose only stimulation comes from an occasional visit from a mysterious man who tortures you for a while and then disappears again, leaving your wounds time to heal, only to return again, and repeat the cycle over and over again.

Wolves

André Drage Group

ANDRÉ DRAGE GROUP will give you beautifully sculpted Progressive songs with a slight but definite Jazz undertone. The sound is sedate, the production is as clear and transparent as possible, and the musicianship of this quartet is unmistakable.

Standard Deviation

Sons of Ra

Let me issue a word of warning; if you are not one to think outside the box, to always want a straight line in music as well as life, SONS OF RA is not the band for you. But if you are like me, and you liked the Jazzy Death Metal albums of bands like PESTILENCE and CYNIC, you could always give “Standard Deviation” a listen.

Eigengrau

Amimia

The unnamed war between hope and despair is fought across every measure, every slow-burning crescendo, every fading chord — and despair wins. It is a slow, inevitable tightening of the chest, leaving the listener stranded in the rubble of what might’ve been. It is the slow collapse of the scaffolding you didn’t know was holding you up. It is the sound of hope staying just long enough to remind you of what you're about to lose. When the silence finally arrives, it doesn’t feel peaceful. It feels earned.

Transmissions

Telepathy

Instrumental albums are always harder for a reviewer to digest, because many people associate with lyrics and vocals. Many instrumental bands have to work harder to draw you into their world, but TELEPATHY don’t need to worry about that with “Transmissions.” As a listener, I feel transported on a journey, to somewhere far away, where much of what I am familiar with doesn’t exist. It’s exploration in the deepest sense of that word.

Get Well Soon

Lo-Pan

Riffs…massive, hulky, towering riffs for days…that is the core of the album for me. If you ask some modern reviewers, they might say the art of the riff is dead. Rather than retort, just play this album instead of arguing with them.

Chiaroscuro

From Bandcamp, “CHIAROSCURO is a converging point of careful study and artistic impulse, conducted through […]

Aegony

Drunken Crocodiles

“Aegony” isn’t for everyone . . . but isn’t that the way it is with all metal? Ironically, DRUNKEN CROCODILE is a thinking man’s sludge offering up narratives to ponder and questions to examine.

The Ichor of Chimaera

Serpent Rider

If NWOTHM is your thing, SERPENT RIDER’s debut album, The Ichor of Chimaera, may be worth a listen.

Bellum Regiis

Hate

For those fans who like their Black Metal tried, true, and tested, and don’t mind one aggressive song after another, this album is for you. I like it when they push past some of the narrow constraints and forge something of their own that is still heavily rooted in the genre. This was good, but given the band’s talent, could have been better.

Face The End

Game Over

“Face The End” is a versatile album influenced by many different styles. It contains a variety of tempi, guitar riffs, and drum patterns. It is not the fastest and most aggressive Thrash Metal album but it will find its well-deserved place in the heart of Thrash Metal fans

Ghosted

Trick Or Treat

“Ghosted” is surely one of the albums named when it comes to end of year reviews and it may end up among the top Power Metal album releases in 2025

Our Road to Dust

Edensong

A lot of Progressive music can be admittedly odd, and personal. This is true with “Our Road to Dust,” but there is also a familiarity on the album that you can hear…perhaps a sense of nostalgia for some of the past bands that helped to shape their sound. This is not an ode to these bands however, it is fresh, modern, bold, artistic, and their melodic sensibilities will have you coming back for more time and time again.

Universal Human Desire

Outlasted

Outlasted is a professional rock band hailing from Norway, known for their captivating blend of […]

Abhorrent Worship

Ossuary

Although the album presented evil in material form, too many of the songs sounded nearly alike, and that is my chief complaint.

Visions Of Tomorrow

The Riven

The Riven were formed in 2016 hailing from Stockholm Sweden with connections in London UK. […]

Night Wolf

Raging Speedhorn

Overall, one can see how this band is a staple in the UK Metal scene of today. Uncompromising? I would add rigorous, adamant, and even zealots to that label. The album is a take-no-prisoners, in-your-face, and beat-you-down type of album that will move the listener to violence.

Satanic Rites of The Wildhearts

The Wildhearts

I must admit not venturing into this type of music much, but I wanted to push myself to listen to other styles, and “Satanic Rites of The Wildhearts” surprised me. They have a commanding presence in their songwriting, and play with absolute confidence. They probably don’t care if you vibe with them or not. Their style is fairly unique…they can sting you with the bite of Metal but choose more often to adorn you in their melodies, and some of the melodies are glorious

Beyond

Lhaäd

Some call the oceans the “final frontier,” as there is much humans are unable to explore. Some characterize it as a horror movie waiting to be filmed. There are weird anomalies, strange phenomena, unidentified life and sounds. If there’s ever going to be a real-life underwater alien base, or entrance to a hollow Earth...it’s gonna be down there. This album reflects this deep unknown with a lot of harrowing fear.

Serpent’s Tongue

Incineration of the Infinite

This was a unique album and something off the beaten path for most Metalheads. I don’t hear the rebellious essence of Punk per se, but the sludgy doom is very audible, and he’s got a sound that is all his own.

Otra

In The Woods…

This was peculiar and particular album, and I believe that some of the songs will only appeal to a certain fan group, while other were a little more linear and accessible. I love almost all Progressive music, but this one was just a bit odd to me. However, I encourage you to check it out, as it might be something that you enjoy.

The Spin

Messa

To call “The Spin” a Doom Metal album is to oversimplify a work that claws at the edges of genre, digging deep into sonic spaces that feel far too expansive, too emotionally turbulent, too alive to be contained by any one label. What’s remarkable is how they use it as a foundation but build a whole landscape on top — one that includes gothic drama, ambient dread, and even moments of light. It’s a slow burn, but it’s also a journey across a fractured psyche. There’s narrative here, emotional range, and a deep sense of intention. It’s Doom Metal for listeners who want more than just a genre fix.

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Reviews

Death Becomes Her

Frantic Amber

Artifex

Ancient Bards

The Monolithic Cult of Death

Deamonolith

Walk the Shadows

Lord Vigo

Circus of Doom, Live in Helsinki 2023

Battle Beast

Adrift

Marea

Viva Rock N Roll

Deraps

Anake

Khôra

The Essence of Suffering

Growing Horns

Raw Traxs B Sides & Bootlegs

Kickin Valentina

Man Under Erasure

Feversea

The Profane Era

Aeonyzhar

Merok

Alutka

Spectral Tyranny

Dead Chasm

Crucifixion of Orchids

Acceptance

Wolves

André Drage Group

Standard Deviation

Sons of Ra

Eigengrau

Amimia

Transmissions

Telepathy

Get Well Soon

Lo-Pan

Chiaroscuro

Chiaroscuro

Aegony

Drunken Crocodiles

The Ichor of Chimaera

Serpent Rider

Bellum Regiis

Hate

Face The End

Game Over

Ghosted

Trick Or Treat

Our Road to Dust

Edensong

Universal Human Desire

Outlasted

Abhorrent Worship

Ossuary

Visions Of Tomorrow

The Riven

Night Wolf

Raging Speedhorn

Satanic Rites of The Wildhearts

The Wildhearts

Beyond

Lhaäd

Serpent’s Tongue

Incineration of the Infinite

Otra

In The Woods…

The Spin

Messa

Latest Reviews

Stardust

Speedclaw

Eternal