It was only ever a matter of time until Swedish death metal legends The Crown titled an album after their previous name. Known as Crown of Thorns from their inception in 1990 until their brief demise in 2004, the band reformed five years later and has continued to produce some of the country’s finest and crunchiest Death Metal riffs.
Tag Archives: melodeath
ALBUM REVIEW: Mister Misery – Mister Misery
Right from its earliest days, metal has walked hand in claw with the horror genre. Often supported by costumes, props and a general Grand Guignol-style theatricality, a veritable plethora of acts have walked this same dark, bloody road over the years, many still continuing to do so.Continue reading
ALBUM REVIEW: Darkness Everywhere – To Conquer Eternal Damnation
When it comes to American influences in Metal, it’s far from out of the ordinary to find European acts adopting a more U.S.-friendly sound to grow musically or widen their fan base. It is a little more unusual, however, to find American bands who look to Europe for inspiration. Especially when that influence goes back thirty years.
ALBUM REVIEW: Cariosus – Will, Until Beauty
Labeled as a Melodic Death Metal band, Cariosus instead is better defined as a melting pot of exquisite musical elements. Though that descriptor may not sound as flashy or attention grabbing, bear with me (it’s worth it). Will, Until Beauty (Self-Released), the duo’s first full-length, meshes deathcore, metalcore, tech-death and even some progressive techniques while boasting eight thunderous – thunderous – tracks.Continue reading
ALBUM REVIEW: Laang – Riluo
Every band has an origin story. Some are interesting, a few amusing, but most are just routine tales of auditions, acquaintances or simple geography. Continue reading
CONCERT REVIEW: Ghosts of Atlantis – Existentialist – Draugrheim Live at Colchester Arts Centre
No review from the Colchester Arts Centre would be complete without hailing the best small venue in the UK. Able to host 400 when packed to the architraves, its post-COVID refurb has cleaned up and modernised where needed (toilets, bars), whilst maintaining the features and character that every converted church that is now a gig-hosting venue should. Added to that, great views and a powerful sound-system, and the stage is quite literally set for a much more adventurous and welcome Tuesday night than you might normally get in the Britain’s oldest (and newest – Google it) city*
*It’ll always be a town, to me.
ALBUM REVIEW: Invictus – Unstoppable
Some people just aren’t happy unless they’re busy, and with two established bands occupying his time Canadian vocalist Maurizio Iacono is certainly that. Not content with already fronting two well known and established bands, the Ex Deo and Kataklysm singer now spearheads Invictus.
SINGLE REVIEW: Matricide – Talking To The Walls
After a studio absence of close to a decade, Israeli act Matricide make a welcome re-appearance with Talking To The Walls (self-released), the rip-roaring follow-up to comeback single ‘Walk Into the Flames’ released in April this year.
ALBUM REVIEW: The Halo Effect – Days Of The Lost
Although lockdown was undeniably a desperate time for the entertainment business, for some, the time spent in isolation actually created opportunities. With schedules and timetables suddenly emptied, many long-standing ideas and projects, that for whatever reason, looked set to never get off the ground, were finally able to grow and develop into something more than a mere hopeful nucleus of an ideaContinue reading
ALBUM REVIEW: Horizon Ignited – Towards The Dying Lands
It’s been three years since melodic death metal act Horizon Ignited announced themselves with their independently released 2019 debut After the Storm. Now, with the ink barely dry on a record deal signed in March, the Finnish sextet return with a fully-fledged follow-up Towards the Dying Lands (Nuclear Blast).