Author Andrew Doherty
Let the progressive metal begin. “Athens” is about … Athens and the dead ends of modern Greece, where Playgrounded come from. This is not parochial however. Anyone can associate with this album. “Athens”, which starts with the title track, hit… Continue Reading →
“Progressive” can mean many things in music. In this case it seems to mean a lot of styles. On the band’s myspace site, their music is categorised as Metal/Progressive/Thrash. Yep, I get that. Then I read the following on the… Continue Reading →
Esdrelon the place is known as the valley of Armageddon. There’s certainly an element of Armageddon about this band’s music. Hailing from Brazil, it is clear that they take inspiration from fellow countrymen Sepultura and US bands like Slayer, Pantera… Continue Reading →
These likeable Italians peddle this album as “Swedcore”. As they themselves recognise, this isn’t such a new concept. I recall Disarmonia Mundi having the same orientation on their 2004 album “Fragments of D-Generation”, even drafting in Soilwork’s Björn “Speed” Strid… Continue Reading →
As the album title suggests, there’s a strong doom metal element in this work. Whilst occasional comparison can be drawn with My Dying Bride, Mourning Beloveth and so forth, Ukrainian band Amily create a broader base of patterns and progressions… Continue Reading →
In January 2013 Finnish metal band Masterstroke release their fourth album “Broken”. To find out more, Andrew Doherty interviewed Janne Juutinen and Jussi Kulomaa the band’s drummer and keyboardist respectively. AN: Hello! Thanks for agreeing to answer a few questions… Continue Reading →
Zushakon are an old school black metal band from Singapore. Recent progress has seen the release of a self-titled album and a change of line-up, which saw the introduction of Lord Kathir who is known for his work with Rudra… Continue Reading →
I go along with the commonly held view that King Bathmat are impossible to place in one single category other than the all-embracing “progressive”. Their music is comfortingly familiar. “Truth Button”, King Bathmat’s sixth album, is like a relaxing river… Continue Reading →
Five normal looking gentleman stand in front of a bare tree in contrast to the colourful cover artwork of this album, whose shape could be a pattern which you would paint as a child and fold over to create symmetry…. Continue Reading →
For this album, the third from Finland’s Hanging Garden, we are invited to imagine a mix of Cult of Luna, Sisters of Mercy, Daylight Dies, Ghost Brigade and The Cure. With all these possibilities, it follows that this album is… Continue Reading →
It’s always a good sign when you play a record and immediately put it on again when it’s finished. That’s what happened here, and not merely as a reviewer’s obligation. It’s not that this album is especially original or unique…. Continue Reading →
Adrift seems to be a common band name. This is the one from Spain. For me this was a case of a blank canvas as I’d not heard of them. The plus of that of course is that there are… Continue Reading →