It feels unbelievable that it has now been over two years since Bad Omens took the alternative scene by storm with their last album The Death Of Peace Of Mind. Now having played massive shows both on their own, and alongside influences Bring Me The Horizon, the band have decided to revisit the album that took their career to the next level with the accompaniment album Concrete Jungle [The OST] (Sumerian Records).Continue reading
Tag Archives: album reviews
ALBUM REVIEW: Thou – Umbilical
As the summer in the Northern Hemisphere approaches, I always find a nice doom or sludge album really sets the mood for a day of yard work, or just sitting on the deck with a cold beer. The new album from Thou, Umbilical (Sacred Bones Records), may not fit that exact moment, but it certainly would fit in for after the sun sets and the flames rise in the firepits and the tips of our joints. Continue reading
ALBUM REVIEW: Rhapsody of Fire – Challenge The Wind
If the quickest way to get from Point A to Point B is a straight line then clearly nobody thought to mention that to Italian Power Metal kings Rhapsody of Fire who to get where they are today obviously took the Enchanted Lands scenic route. This current incarnation of Rhapsody of Fire (version 666.0) might look very different to how it all began but as the fourteenth full-length studio release Challenge The Wind (AFM Records) proves in no uncertain terms, the music and the subject matter remain very much the same. Continue reading
ALBUM REVIEW: Nestor – Teenage Rebel
Do you yearn for the eighties? Do you wish the world and its music had never changed since the decade of miners’ strikes, shoulder pads, and synths? Well, the Nestor are the band for you, and they have just released their second album Teenage Rebel on Napalm Records. Formed in 1989 but going on hiatus and not releasing their debut Kids in a Ghost Town until 2021, Teenage Rebel mashes together Glam Metal, AOR, and everything eighties Rock had to offer into one cheesy-as-hell time capsule.
ALBUM REVIEW: Four Stroke Baron – Data Diamond
To try and place Four Stroke Baron neatly into a category of music is akin to trying to describe the Higgs field to a classroom full of ninth graders on the last day of school before summer break. Continue reading
ALBUM REVIEW: My Diligence – Death.Horses.Black.
A dark, dramatic, intense collection of relatively extreme music, Death.Horses.Black. (Listenable Records) is delivered with commitment and no small expertise by Belgian prog-stoner outfit My Diligence.Continue reading
ALBUM REVIEW: Witherfall – Sounds of the Forgotten
All too often bands falling under the “Power Metal” banner, lack power, diminishing many of the key elements, such as aggression, that are necessary for metal. On Sounds of the Forgotten (DeathWave Records) Witherfall take a heavier route, drawing from the mid-1980s. This tie to Thrash even led to singer Joseph Micheal taking the mantle from the late Warrel Dane to front Sanctuary for a reunion tour. Continue reading
REISSUE BOXSET REVIEW: Black Sabbath – Anno Domini (1989-1995)
While it’s certainly true that singer Tony Martin‘s time with Birmingham metal pioneers Black Sabbath is not exactly the most revered era in the band’s storied history, it’s also a little unfair to judge that period too harshly. Given the daunting, if not impossible job of following in the footsteps of Ozzy Osbourne, Ronnie James Dio, and even Ian Gillan, Martin also happened to enter the fold when the band were on somewhat of a downward turn. Continue reading
EP REVIEW: Esodic – De Facto De Jure
I’m searching for an analogy on this one. Guess the only thing that springs to mind on this humid evening is when you’re watching Anthony Bourdain (RIP) on No Reservations and he goes to a Tapas place or some fancy small plate restaurant. The micro bites seem delicious, and the chef is eager to share the details behind the dishes but can’t help to think that Bourdain must’ve helped himself to a sandwich afterwards. No way he was just satisfied with the doll-sized portions, right? Continue reading
ALBUM REVIEW: Semuta – Glacial Erratic
On their debut full-length record, Glacial Erratic (Self-Released) Portland, Oregon’s Progressive Rock duo Semuta, featuring members of notable Rose City bands Burials and Dark Numbers, weld weighty subject matter, with heavy, but melodic riffs and no shortage of atmosphere and dynamics. Continue reading