Reviews

Dry Soil

Adrift

What makes “Dry Soil” particularly striking is its ability to be both suffocating and hypnotic. After all these years, the band hasn’t just continued their trajectory—they’ve sharpened their vision, refining their sonic nihilism into something even more potent. “Dry Soil” doesn’t just reflect the exhaustion of a world pushed to its limits; it embodies it. A crushing, thought-provoking testament to the never-ending conflict between survival and self-destruction.

Punishment

Crown Magnetar

This was one of the most punishing Deathcore EPs that I have ever heard. The band took what was done before them, multiplied it by four, and shoved it down your throat like bitter medicine, and it burned all the way down to your stomach.

Vampire Witch Reptilian Super Soldier (from Outer Space…

Gentle Beast

Yeah, this was a cliché album when it comes to the subject matter, and they make no bones about it. But let me clear that it was also a real banger, and something I enjoyed it quite a lot. They have a simple honesty with themselves and that’s how they approach their music. No bones, no fucks given, just good music.

Grey Mountain

There aren’t too many unique Metal bands out there these days, but count GREY MOUNTAIN as one. At is core, I would describe it a combination of Death and Doom Metal, but with a hearty side helping of surprises. Sometimes the surprises are tasty morsels of melody for example. I applaud them for thinking outside of the box and pulling it off.

Sonsuza Dek Bir Gece

Fragmentary Solid Abyss

All in all, this is a decent little album but it would better resonate with me if there was more focus on full length songs than the shorter instrumentals.

The Abysmal Womb

Moondark

Ultimately, MOONDARK’s “The Abysmal Womb,” is a solid album but doesn’t stand out enough to keep my attention for more than a few songs at a time.

A Sonication

Obscura

The challenge with Tech Death bands is making music that isn’t overly sterile, and finding ways to supplant melody in places where the listener might least expect them. OBSCURA have done that with “A Sonication.” The heavier elements keep the album weighted and powerful, and they rule, but the band tempers them with majestic moments of melody.

Beyond The Wall

Fifteen Stitches

Good, but can be better.

The Prime Dread

Dreadmask

“The Prime Dread” is based on a well-tried melodic Death Metal approach embedded into a dark melodic framework, epic chorus parts with grim and melancholic melodies

The 3rd Dimension

Hazzerd

“The 3rd Dimension” is a mixture of ferocious and melodic Thrash Metal, and fans who love both styles will like what they hear

Where The Darkness Falls

Crowen

Not only is CROWEN proficient in exchanging musical styles at random and exactly at the right times, they also have mastered the ability to write and produce bloody good songs. All six of them on “Where The Darkness Falls” make sense from start to finish and somehow, when they enter your brain via your ears, the sounds stay embedded in there. That, my friends is a sure fired way to distinguish a good piece of music from an excellent one.

The Grave Mistake

Garden of Stone

GARDEN OF STONE is a rather new Finnish band from Tampere, as they have only been in existence since 2023. That they are very inspired to write music becomes clear on 15 February 2024, when the EP “Tides Of Decay” is let loose on us as listeners. I must say that I haven’t had the pleasure of listening to it. And then, just under a year later, on 10 January 2025, these Finns are giving us their debut album “The Grave Mistake”.

For A Few Fixes More

Scumripper

It has been ten years since the Finnish band SCUMRIPPER, hailing from Lapeenranta, Etelä – Karjala / Mikkeli, Etelä – Savo, has come together to make a whole lot of noise. The music they make is a mix of Black, Death and Thrash Metal. In just under half an hour the band lets us enjoy how they feel their Metal should sound.

Iron Will

The Ferrymen

So, now about “Iron Will”, the fourth album of this international power trio. For more than 54 minutes these THE FERRYMEN how good they are musically.

Electric Sheep

The Wave And The Particle

If there is a band that could qualify as Alternative Rock, then THE WAVE AND THE PARTICLE should be put on top of the list. The combination you get here is all Rock. You will hear Gothic and Symphonic mixed with Industrial and Electro. Well, the guitars sometimes do have a Metal sound and feel, but overall “Electric Sheep” doesn’t go past the Rock mark.

Friction

We Are The Catalyst

The Swedish band WE ARE THE CATALYST was formed in 2012 and on 29 November 2024 they presented us with their fifth studio album to date. And it shows that they have been together for so many years, as the cohesion between the musicians as well as the songs is quite clear.

March of the Unheard

The Halo Effect

Although the album overstayed its welcome just a bit with 12 songs, this was a solid listening experience. If you are a long-time fan of the genre, you have to ask yourself, is this the logical step that IN FLAMES should have taken? It’s hard to say, but for me, the album reaffirms what I like about the Melodic Death Metal, rather than taking it to new directions.

The Humble Collapse

Maw

The Humble Collapse by MAW is clearly not a Metal album, but what it lacks in volume and viscera it makes up in innovation and trippiness. Definitely worth a few spins, this one.

Dysphoric Devotion

Greh

Dysphoric Devotion is a solid Blackened Death artifact. It doesn’t pretend to be something it’s not. This is pure, unmitigated extreme metal with no flourishes or facades. Only serious metal fans need apply.

The Last Sky Piercer

Nebula Nine

Overall, as with a lot of Progressive music, the songs and the listening experience were very personal, and what each person draws from the music will indeed be different. It does indeed sound like the end of humanity for me.

Mountain Devil

Midryasi's Kult

The music is fairly well put together, and who doesn’t like a throwback to yesteryear? I can hear many of their influences that they list in the music above, but it’s hard to evaluate an album that only has three songs. Suffice it to say, I wasn’t overly impressed, and it was a mediocre effort for me.

I, Moloch

Shrine of Denial

This was indeed a cohesive listening experience, but therein lies my biggest concern with the album. Too many of the songs sounded alike and therefore the album blended together, offering little outside of their strong musicianship.

Parasomnia

Dream Theater

Their fire and passion are still there, but their songwriting efforts have gone a little stale. Maybe they rushed the new album a bit? Or maybe, after 40 years, this is the best that one can expect. As a long-time fan, it’s safe to say I was disappointed with the album, and therein lies one of the issues, I expect too much from the band, admittedly. There were some memorable moments as always, but too many of the songs didn’t excite me enough, and it just sounds tired.

Recover What You Can

Negative 13

Landing somewhere between the heavy Doom of BLACK SABBATH, the Punk fight of BLACK FLAG, and the Sludge of CROWBAR, this album was pretty desolate. However, it didn’t offer much in the way of opening your eyes to new music, and even its influential core has been done before. It just didn’t stand out, is the bottom line.

Dirty & Divine

Thundermother

Reborn, revitalised and ready to rock ‘n’ roll, Thundermother are back with a deafening bang. […]

Letters to the Future Self

Khors

As a Westerner, it is easy for me to forget the freedom I am granted. People who oppose sending aid to Ukraine forget that when one tyrant is permitted to run loose without consequence, every country is in danger. Your opponent clearly outweighs you, but your courage is tenfold stronger. It’s a soundtrack to the horrors of war, but more importantly, the resolve of the human spirit.

To Lift the Veil

Dissocia

There’s a fine line between chaos and control, between raw aggression and melodic restraint. Many bands attempt to walk it, balancing the two forces in perfect harmony. But this album makes one thing brutally clear—aggression has won the battle. Melody is still present, but it fights for air, suffocating under the sheer weight of unrelenting force. It lingers in the background, trying to assert itself in soaring choruses or haunting leads, but it never fully takes control. The album leans fully into its aggression, allowing only the faintest traces of melody to linger—just enough to remind you of what’s being overpowered.

Scars

Sisters Doll

Sisters Doll are four brothers/siblings from Collie a small mining town in Western Australia who […]

Back on the Streets

Tumenggung

A very good and surprising name into Heavy/Speed Metal scene.

Crabwalk to Oblivion

The Slime

Hardcore/Crossover as it must be: fierce, aggressive and nasty! What are you waiting for?

As Above, So Below

Shadow of the Talisman

These guys mixed influences of Alternative Metal with Thrash Metal and more. Hear it!

Absolute Dismal Domain

Relics of Humanity

A Brutal Death Metal release with a different appeal.

Dark Matters - Part III

Odd Crew

A surprising mix between Alternative Metal and Progressive Metal elements.

Brimstone

Modern Heavy Metal with Southern Rock elements and tons of energy! Taste it!

Keys to the Palace

Dessiderium

The most amazing part of the band and album was Alex’s musicianship. But, as a listener, you better get ready for a plethora of meters, sounds, shifts, passages, and other elements. It’s like having all of the parts of a motor to a muscle car on your garage floor, and meticulously putting them into the final product, and once installed, it runs like a dream.

Alkaios Part II – The Eagle

NevBorn

Some bands evolve, some bands experiment, and some bands lose themselves chasing something new. Above all, NEVBORN hold true to their most prized tenets. They don’t just continue their legacy—they fortify it, carving their signature sound even deeper. There are flashes of experimentation, sure—a subtle shift in tone here, an unexpected arrangement there—but never at the expense of what makes them who they are. In a landscape where so many artists stray from their roots in search of something "new," they prove that the truest path forward is often the one you’ve been walking all along. “Alkaios Part II – The Eagle” isn’t just another chapter in their story—it’s a reaffirmation of everything that made them great in the first place.

Latest Reviews

Broken Dreams

This House We Built

Legions Of The Grave

Rising Steel

Horizon

Bite The Bullet

Bitter Lucid Truth

Valletta

Herezjarcha

Profane Elegy

Remorse of Conscience

Agenbite Misery

All 37191 Reviews

Metal Temple Editor Wanted Banner (Girl - Square)

Latest News

DEVILDRIVER: Announce New Album, "Dealing With Demons Vol II."

March 7, 2023

CRAVING: Returns With New Album, "Call Of The Sirens."

March 7, 2023

STRUCTURAL: Signs with ViciSolum Records.

March 7, 2023

SOLITARY: Hit the Road with Eradicator in UK.

March 7, 2023

WEITE: Debut Album from Stickman Records Forthcoming.

March 7, 2023

LORD OF THE LOST: Appears in Eurovision Song Contest 2023.

March 7, 2023

All 42683 News

Metal Temple Editor Wanted Banner (Guy - Square)

Latest Interviews

Tasos Danazoglou

Mirror

Van Labrakis

Nite

H.A.V.O.C.

Blood Torrent

Miseration's Jani Stefanovic: "Eye for an eye will never be the solution. Blood fuels more blood

Filters

Order by

Date Range

Reviews

Dry Soil

Adrift

Punishment

Crown Magnetar

Vampire Witch Reptilian Super Soldier (from Outer Space…

Gentle Beast

Grey Mountain

Grey Mountain

Sonsuza Dek Bir Gece

Fragmentary Solid Abyss

The Abysmal Womb

Moondark

A Sonication

Obscura

Beyond The Wall

Fifteen Stitches

The Prime Dread

Dreadmask

The 3rd Dimension

Hazzerd

Where The Darkness Falls

Crowen

The Grave Mistake

Garden of Stone

For A Few Fixes More

Scumripper

Iron Will

The Ferrymen

Electric Sheep

The Wave And The Particle

Friction

We Are The Catalyst

March of the Unheard

The Halo Effect

The Humble Collapse

Maw

Dysphoric Devotion

Greh

The Last Sky Piercer

Nebula Nine

Mountain Devil

Midryasi's Kult

I, Moloch

Shrine of Denial

Parasomnia

Dream Theater

Recover What You Can

Negative 13

Dirty & Divine

Thundermother

Letters to the Future Self

Khors

To Lift the Veil

Dissocia

Scars

Sisters Doll

Back on the Streets

Tumenggung

Crabwalk to Oblivion

The Slime

As Above, So Below

Shadow of the Talisman

Absolute Dismal Domain

Relics of Humanity

Dark Matters - Part III

Odd Crew

Brimstone

Brimstone

Keys to the Palace

Dessiderium

Alkaios Part II – The Eagle

NevBorn

Latest Reviews

Broken Dreams

This House We Built

Legions Of The Grave