Returning after a gap of three years, Albany NY’s Skinless are back to shatter as many eardrums and neck vertebrae as possible with the appropriately titled Savagery (Relapse). Originally formed in 1992, the band continue with their reunited classic line-up of guitarist Noah Carpenter, vocalist Sherwood Webber, bassist Joe Keyser, drummer Bob Beaulac, and second guitarist Dave Matthews who joined the band in 2013, and stick firmly to their original mission statement of delivering brutal but catchy, technically minded groove-laden Death Metal.
A genre born of anger and extremity, Black Metal has always burned with a glorious and uniquely singular spirit. However, with such savage independence at its core, conflict and contradiction have never been too far away. As commonplace amongst its ranks as bizarre names and unintelligible band logos, bitter (and often silly) arguments have raged for decades about which individuals, acts, or sub-genres, are the most – and of course the least – worthy to fly its blackened flag. Continue reading →
One of the saddest parts about Akercocke going on hiatus all those years ago was the fact that after Words That Go Unspoken… and Antichrist (Earache) there was a tangible feeling that they were on course to release something truly ground-breaking. Whilst their recent release Renaissance in Extremis (Peaceville) was very welcome indeed, I couldn’t help but feel that the return to an earlier sound left that potential untapped. Continue reading →
Formed in Norway in 1993, Aura Noir was the brainchild of Ulver and Ved Buens Ende drummer Aggressor (aka Carl-Michael Eide). A project originally created for just himself (he was the sole musician on the band’s initial 1994 demo), Eide was joined by former Lamented Souls bassist Apollyon (aka Ole Jørgen Moe) the same year. Recording a second demo and a six-track EP, the pair recruited legendary Mayhem guitarist Blasphemer (aka Rune Eriksen), and drawing inspiration from the likes of Venom, Slayer, Bathory and Celtic Frost, released their debut album, Black Thrash Attack (Malicious) in 1996.Continue reading →
A project originally conceived to celebrate 2014’s bicentenary of the Norwegian Constitution, Skuggsjá – A Piece For Mind and Mirror (Season of Mist) was a collaborative record from Ivar Bjørnson of Enslaved, and Einar Selvik of Wardruna.After the success of that 2016 release, the pair rekindled their partnership and have now written follow-up piece Hugsjá (By Norse Music).
Although they’ve been around since 1986 (or 1972 if you wish to include their previous incarnation, Cacumen), German act Bonfire have always had to live in the shadow of fellow countrymen and hard rockers Scorpions and Accept. Even with fifteen studio albums to their name, plus numerous compilation and live releases, the band has only ever achieved a limited, but steady amount of success.
With decades of personnel changes, reunions, and legal wranglings behind them, and with only guitarist Hans Ziller remaining as the band’s original member (and even he left the band for seven years after being fired in 1989), Bonfire’s latest line-up still manages to deliver the goods with their new record Temple of Lies (AFM).
Opening with a short, narrated, introduction, the bluesy guitar and neoclassical piano of ‘In the
Beginning’ sounds like something Manowar would come up with if asked to produce a beer commercial. Next up is the title track, a great song powered by a strong riff, dominated by the high pitched wailing vocals of new frontman Alex Staahl, and containing a chorus of which many a European Power Metal band would be proud.
The Dokken-esque ‘On The Wings of an Angel’ and ‘Stand or Fall’ are a little lighter but no less catchy, and with a very eighties title for a very eighties song, ‘Feed the Fire’ is slow, but solid foot-tappy goodness. ‘Comin’ Home’ is standard power ballad material and probably goes on a bit too long, while ‘I’ll Never Be loved By You’ is a slightly heavier ballad with big eighties hooks and a pleasant aroma of Meat Loaf.
“You’ve been down this road before” sings Staahl on the faster paced ‘Fly Away’. Well, yes we have actually. Many times in fact, but it’s still good though. ‘I Help you Hate Me’ is a great little song with a headbangy, foot-stampy riff, but because of its reggae influence, automatically draws comparisons to the Scorpions’ superior ‘Is There Anybody There?’, and closing cut ‘Crazy Over You’ finishes the album in reasonable, but less than stellar fashion.
A worthy addition to the band’s back catalogue, Temple of Lies may not be Heavy Metal heaven, but it contains more than its fair share of highly creditable material and is certainly one of the strongest records the band has put out for many a year.
With previous vocalist Roy Khan firmly in their rearview mirror (the band’s former singer himself recently announcing a return to the music scene in a solo capacity after a break of seven years), Floridian Power Metal act Kamelot keep to their tried and trusted formula for latest release The Shadow Theory (Napalm). As well as being the band’s twelfth full-length studio album, their third with Swedish frontman Tommy Karevik, this release also marks the end of the line for long-serving drummer Casey Grillo, who left in February.Continue reading →
Having recently reissued classic albums by the likes of Kreator, Voivod, Celtic Frost, Tankard, Running Wild, and Skyclad, Noise Records continue raiding their metal pantry, this time with three albums by German thrashers, Deathrow. Continue reading →
No relation to UK Doomsters Sea Bastard, the equally brilliantly named Cave Bastard were formed in 2014 by former Cattle Decapitation bassist Troy Oftedal and ex-Bridge Jumper guitarist Nick Padron. Based in San Diego (which, as everyone who has seen Anchorman knows, was discovered in 1904 and is German for “a whale’s vagina”), the band soon added rhythm guitarist Chase Ferguson, drummer Steven Reed, and former Gutrot vocalist Steve Pearce. Releasing a two-track demo in 2016 and appearing on a split LP with Texan act BLK OPS in 2017, Cave Bastard are now ready to unleash their debut album The Bleak Shall Devour The Earth (Accident Prone).Continue reading →
A relationship between Heavy Metal and birds has existed for decades. Representing everything from freedom to patriotism, the mighty eagle has flown free, as high as the sun, and even cried, not to mention appearing in varying degrees of quality on the covers of every Primal Fear album ever. Crows, ravens, and vultures all stand proudly and fiercely Metal, and even the mention of blackbirds and albatrosses has been known to get moshpits moving. Continue reading →
