It’s been six years since the last malformed utterances of The Great Old Ones, but now the French H.P. Lovecraft worshippers have returned from the cosmic void, not only with new album Kadath (Season of Mist) but with a change in direction.Continue reading
Tag Archives: Gary Alcock
EP REVIEW: Ex Deo – The Year Of The Four Emperors
Written Examination Paper – January 2025
(Examiners Guide
Q1. History
Which ancient culture does Ex Deo write about?
ALBUM REVIEW: Grave Digger – Bone Collector
Formed all the way back in 1980, German Metal stalwarts Grave Digger return to celebrate their 45th anniversary with a new album Bone Collector (RPM Roar). The band’s 22nd full-length studio release (if you choose to include the time during the eighties they were known as Digger) finds the band in blistering form with one of the finest records they’ve released in years.Continue reading
ALBUM REVIEW: The Halo Effect – March Of The Unheard
After blasting onto the scene a few short years ago with their electrifying debut, Swedish supergroup The Halo Effect return with second full length studio release March of the Unheard (Nuclear Blast Records). Comprised entirely of former members of In Flames, The Halo Effect is sort of like the musical equivalent of a support group for disgruntled ex-employees, but with riffs instead of complaining.
ALBUM REVIEW: Dominum – The Dead Don’t Die
Almost a year to the day, theatrical German zombies Dominum return to build on the success of their full-length studio debut Hey Living People. Keeping the corpse costumes, make-up and props close to hand, the undead quartet still look like they’ve escaped from the nearest graveyard but now come armed with a sharpened sense of melody and even more confidence in their delivery.Continue reading
CONCERT REVIEW: Eyehategod – Goatwhore – Flesh Creep Live at KKs Steel Mill
The rain is lashing down so hard this evening that floods are already heading quickly towards biblical proportions. The treacherous and occasionally completely submerged roads around the area certainly go some way to explaining the slightly lower-than-expected turnout at KKs Steel Mill tonight, which although still very respectable, is clearly not as busy as usual.Continue reading
ALBUM REVIEW: Becerus – Troglodyte
More famous for its art and architecture, the Sicilian capital of Palermo also happens to be the home of something a lot nastier and ghastly. No, not its history of organised crime and murder. Something far more brutal than that: Death metal act Becerus.
ALBUM REVIEW: Mörk Gryning – Fasornas Tid
One of the foremost names in Swedish Black Metal, Stockholm’s Mörk Gryning is back with their seventh full-length studio release, the second since the band’s reactivation in 2016. Founded by multi-instrumentalists Goth Gorgon (aka Jonas Berndt) and Draakh Kimera (aka Peter Nagy-Eklöf) back in 1993, Gorgon has been at the heart of every record since the very beginning with Kimera only absent for 2005’s self-titled, seemingly swansong release.Continue reading
ALBUM REVIEW: Neckbreakker – Within The Viscera
Name changes can be important. Many great bands start out under completely different names only to find a quick re-evaluation of their brand is key to their eventual success.
In the case of Neckbreakker, language appears to have been at least partly responsible as their recent name change alters nothing in its meaning, just the form in which it is delivered. Continue reading
ALBUM REVIEW: Dark Embrace – Land Of Witches
Known more for its repetitive club beats and nauseatingly upbeat dance music, Spain does actually have an ever-increasing underground metal scene, and the symphonic/melodic death metal of Galician act Dark Embrace is about as far removed from glow sticks and foam parties as you can possibly get.