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Power metal is all about the instant fix. The catchy choruses, the anthems,the cinematic spectacle. In some ways it’s the essence of heavy metal – some of us get that. But in other ways its a path too well trodden… Continue Reading →
Enchanted by magic once more, the Finnish rockers never miss a chance to surprise us. This EP is not so demonic as their self titled full-length CD, but it has a magical, ritualistic atmosphere straight from the 60’s. This is… Continue Reading →
Nightfall are without doubt an interesting band but with one big Achilles heel. Their gothic doom meets melodic death metal has been evolving over the past twenty years with other styles and influences in between. Too many to mention at… Continue Reading →
One man bands in the extreme metal world have proliferated in the past decade as small labels have been able to find a worldwide audience online. They have also become something of a hit and miss affair veering from focused… Continue Reading →
Since the 12th century, King Arthur’s quest for the Holy Grail, the cup used by Christ at The Last Supper, has held generations spellbound – but why? For £9 Easyjet could have got the King of the Britons to Venice…. Continue Reading →
This bravura exploration of a dystopian future and cosmic times, was led carefully from the hands and skills of both bands. It may contain only 3 songs but its more than enough. In its whole duration, this CD is a… Continue Reading →
Execration began their assault on the bleeding ears of humanity with a textbook, brutal, death metal pummelling back in 2008. It was a superb introduction to the band which had until then only produced a couple of demos, one in… Continue Reading →
Never were two themes more comfortably aligned than heavy metal and the legends of the Dark Ages and beyond. But, so keen are many of us to buy into it, that the output from the scene often fails to measure… Continue Reading →
Viking Metal bands have been ten-a-penny for some time, to the extent that to discover a NEW band of marauders is becoming tiring. One feels for Athelstan or Alfred the Great who had them popping up ad nauseam. God save… Continue Reading →
A three-man outfit with members split between New Zealand and Scotland, Barshasketh plough a narrow furrow of stripped-down, melancholic black metal that’s a mix of Mayhemic rumblings and bleak, burning melodies. Harsh yet oddly clean, the production has a paradoxically… Continue Reading →
Symphonic black metal is not necessarily something that gets me out of bed in the morning or even at any other hour of these godforsaken days. Far far too much dross clogs up the entire sub-genre that really needs a… Continue Reading →
Beholder – The Order of Chaos (Razorline Records)
This new album is one that has been heralded for a couple of years now, with the band’s massive and massively charismatic front man Simon Hall announcing its imminent release for many months and many shows, the last tour being… Continue Reading →