Tag Archives: album reviews

ALBUM REVIEW: Scour – Gold

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Trading Louisiana sludge for a more European soundscape, black metal act Scour is the latest project from Phillip H. Anselmo, the former frontman of Texan bruisers Pantera and New Orleans supergroup Down. Although quite some distance away from his usual musical stamping ground, this isn’t the first time Anselmo has turned his hand towards black metal, but where the likes of Eibon and Viking Crown merely laid the groundwork, it’s with Scour where all the pieces have finally come together.Continue reading →


ALBUM REVIEW: Stress Test – Stress Test

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The more uncertain the times, the more violent the reaction. A point proven in the eighties with the explosion of Hardcore and Thrash, and this self-titled debut by Oregon act Stress Test is like taking a step back into that time. A time when everyday existence meant the fear of war, disease and hate; a time when religion and politics were even more corrupt and depraved than certain types of criminals. The sad thing is though, you only have to spend thirty seconds watching the TV or doomscrolling through your news feed to see history repeating itself, only worse and often in more insidious ways.Continue reading →


ALBUM REVIEW: Venamoris – To Cross Or To Burn

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Suppose the spirit of Dorothy Vallens from David Lynch’s surrealist, noir classic Blue Velvet could be transported into a Trip-hop-inspired, dark, Electro-Rock album in 2025. In that case, it’s hard to think of a more fitting home than To Cross Or To Burn (Ipecac Recordings) – by Paula and Dave Lombardo under their Venamoris moniker. Continue reading →


ALBUM REVIEW: Ocre – So Often Lifeblood Comes From Ashes

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Duo’s appear to have a winning formula, as is exemplified by Petbrick, Big Business, Organized Konfusion, and Tears For Fears which the promotional notes for this release recognizes, describing Ocre as combining power and elegance. 

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ALBUM REVIEW: Nachtblut – Todschick

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Out via Napalm Records which initially specializes in releasing Folk Metal and Black Metal units (but later expands in terms of genre diversity), Germany’s very own Nachtblut drop their seventh studio album entitled Todschick after previously having achieved a milestone regarding their previous release Vanitas, which peaked at #19 on the German album charts.Continue reading →


ALBUM REVIEW: WREN – Black Rain Falls

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London’s WREN have been releasing music for over a decade and Black Rain Falls (Church Road Records) is their third full-length record. The band describe it as “a crystallisation of the conceptual voice-giving to natural collapse, humanity’s decline and the shadowed spectre that has imbued WREN since the beginning.” Continue reading →


ALBUM REVIEW: Killswitch Engage – This Consequence

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Since originally forming decades ago, the name of Killswitch Engage has become synonymous with the metal-core genre as a whole. It is impossible to have a discussion of what makes the best albums and artists in the subgenre, without the veteran band being mentioned at least once. Throughout their careers, the band have strived on to create some of the most iconic melodies and songs that could have only come from this band, amongst the thousands that make up metalcore. Now on their ninth studio album, This Consequence (Metal Blade Records), the band are taking it again up another level, according to their frontman Jesse Leach. Can the band fulfill these lofty highs now so far into their career?

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ALBUM REVIEW: Open Kasket – Trials Of Failure

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You either love Beatdown Death Metal and all its violence-even-though-it’s-carefully-controlled live atmosphere, or you think it’s a bunch of amped-up spinkickers with no respect for their surroundings.Continue reading →


ALBUM REVIEW: Rectal Smegma – To Serve and Protect

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Back in 2023 this young (not so young), innocent (well, pretty corrupted actually) writer had the pleasure of attending Berlin Deathfest—two days of Death Metal, Slam and Grind. For the pummelling rhythms, churning riffs, turbo-charged energy and just gleeful silliness it’s hard to pick a bigger high point than Dutch, Goregrind four-piece Rectal Smegma. Continue reading →


ALBUM REVIEW: Lacuna Coil – Sleepless Empire

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Back with their tenth full-length studio release (eleven if you include Comalies XX, the reworked version of their 2002 breakthrough album) Italian alt/goth metal act Lacuna Coil return with Sleepless Empire (Century Media Records), one of their strongest records in years.Continue reading →