Founded in 2008, Lunatic Soul is the musical alter-ego of Riverside frontman and bass player Mariusz Duda. Duda has poured his heart and soul into the new album, Fractured (Kscope), which reflects what seems to have been a turbulent time in his personal life as well as the current sociopolitical climate in general.Continue reading
By now considered metalcore stalwarts, August Burns Red have always proved a reliable and popular outfit without ever reaching the creative or commercial heights of many of their peers; yet have successfully carved somewhat of a niche in the genre. Whilst never seeming close to toppling the likes of Killswitch Engage or Parkway Drive off their perches, they have produced a consistently decent catalogue and have settled into the notion of their music being fun and (at least attempting to be) anthemic throughout, whilst also never being afraid to shy away from the samey and stagnant structures that plague many in the genre. Continue reading
Established in 2014, and formerly known as German Panzer until a lineup change last year, swelling their ranks from three to four, are Panzer. Hailing, as you might have guessed, from Germany they are a super-group made up of vocalist and bassist Schmier (Destruction), Stefan Schwarzmann on drums (ex-Accept), V.O Pulver on guitar (Poltergeist, GURD) and Pontus Norgren on lead guitar (Hammerfall). New record The Fatal Command is the more political follow-up to their 2014 début album Send Them All To Hell, both on Nuclear Blast, which sees them continue their heavy mixture of Thrash metal, Accept and NWOBHM. Continue reading
For a band and musical landmark that is rapidly approaching its 30th anniversary, New York City’s Unsane remain steadfast to their noise/metal vision. Outside of improved yet not overwhelming production and mix, Sterilize (Southern Lord) is vintage Unsane with its jagged guitars to the blood-spattered album art. It may all seem foreign to younger heavy metal converts, but to those in the know it’s a lovely revisit to the musical wild west that were the 1990s. Continue reading
An oft-used phrase is that a band/song feels like it’s going to fall off the cliff at any moment. Well, Aussie Hardcore punks Idylls are back once again to make your brains descend from your earholes, actively looking for the precipice, and then some, with their new album The Barn (Holy Roar). Continue reading
The cover art to Never Forever (Profound Lore) sums up pretty well what to expect from Monarch’s latest album; a black and white inverted crucifix fashioned from butterflies, dark and ominous juxtaposed with beauty. The symbolism of the butterfly hinting that this is going to be a tour of the darker recesses of the human psyche.Continue reading
The Black Dahlia Murder have been the picture of consistency when it comes to modern extreme metal. Ever since planting their flag firmly on Death Metal in an era when so many contemporaries cashed in on the Metalcore and Deathcore frenzies, Dahlia can always be expected to provide strong content. So, after years of successful albums and touring, it’s natural to expect this Michigan outfit to take it easy, but boy is that wrong. New album Nightbringers (Metal Blade) is the type of work you get from angry young men with something to prove.Continue reading
Cryo Chamber Collaborations Round Up (Late Summer 2017)
One of the interesting things about getting into different styles of music than what you’re normally used to is adjusting to the different opportunities afforded by them. Collaborative albums exist in Rock and Metal, but by the very nature of those styles tend to fall into the “Dave Necrobastard singing with Cryptic Gardener” format. Electronic music, by contrast, lends itself more readily to genuine collaboration, with one or more artists able to lend their own sounds and production to a track, creating something both new and familiar. Cryo Chamber Records, leaders in the Dark Ambient field, have been experimenting with themed collaborations for several years now, and in the Summer of 2017 have brought three such albums of a particularly high quality.Continue reading
I think it’s fair to say that Britain does not have the greatest depth of pedigree when it comes to Thrash. While there have been a couple of notable exceptions, other than the unassailable Sabbat, Xentrix (one of my favourite bands as a teen) are still, probably, the first name on anyone’s mind when asked to discuss said niche market. Twenty years after Preston’s finest slipped quietly into the ether and, an Evile or Savage Messiah aside, very little has changed in that regards.Continue reading
There are few things in life as warming and mood-enhancing as a pleasant musical surprise. Be that an unexpected push on in terms of quality of a band, or a change of direction that suits in a way you hadn’t imagined, or a diversification of sound that leads to the producing of an album with a myriad of qualities and highlights that resolutely refuses to be “one defined thing”. Arcane Roots’ sophomore release Melancholia Hymns (Easy Life) is, I’m pleased to report, one of those warming and mood-enhancing pleasures.Continue reading