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.
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.
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
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).
When it comes to the ever-satisfying subgenre that is Melodic Death Metal, not enough has been – or is being – said about marquee progenitors Omnium Gatherum, sometimes relegated to the last band or two listed when stacking up the scene during reminiscences at local drinking establishments.
I think it goes without saying at this point that Finish melodeath collective Insomnium is one of the most respected and consistent names in their genre. While Scandinavia is no stranger to exports of high-quality melodic death metal, many of the genre’s biggest names like In Flames and Children of Bodom have either compromised their distinctive sound in favour of more accessible elements, or in some cases, no longer exist. Insomnium however, has continued to fine-tune the gloomy atmosphere they first presented almost two decades ago in 2002’s In The Halls of Awaiting. Now, boasting a total of eight melancholic yet undeniably gorgeous releases under their belt, the band has done the UK and Ireland the honour of a nationwide tour in support of their latest opus, Heart Like a Grave (Century Media). An album that is less sprawling and proggy than Winter’s Gate (Century Media), but is an equally if not more epic and melodic record, packed with more guitar leads and solos than anything they have released to date. Certainly, it is the kind of material that you would expect to excel in the live environment, and so on a bleak Monday night in winter, I ventured out to Manchester Academy 3 for a necessary dose of metalised depression.Continue reading
Hailing from the unsuspecting state of New Jersey, Hath is a young Metal act that is blossoming. The band stunned the scene in 2015 when they released their EP, Hive with its modern, Blackened Metal excellence. Now, this budding band is getting ready to release their first full-length record, Of Rot and Ruin (Willowtip Records) and is taking their vibrant heaviness to a whole new level.Continue reading
After the initial explosive assault of their first few albums, consistency became a problem for Finland’s Children Of Bodom and a sequence of agreeable but patchy records, brightened only by odd moments of genuine quality, has seen them gradually relinquishing their grip on their status as genuine contenders; still, undoubtedly a hugely popular act with a widespread fanbase, the fact remains that COB really should be sitting among the biggest hitters by now.Continue reading
Swedish Melodeath purveyors Soilwork are a staple of the scene. Despite never having the commercial success of In Flames nor the critical acclaim that At The Gates garnered, the band is a reliable ever-present, delivering solid albums on a regular basis.
With Verkligheten (Nuclear Blast), the band’s eleventh album, Soilwork deliver another exactly what they’re good at; a mix of shredding riffs, machine gun drumming, and a penchant for bombastic clean vocals.Continue reading
Minimal waffle, maximum music – I’m very aware that there is too much music and not enough time! I’ve had close to 1,000 albums pass through my inbox this year alone (I’ve probably only been able to listen to about a third of them), and what I’m presenting are my favourite albums of 2018, the albums that I’ve connected most with, that matter most to me, one way or another.
Hope you find something new to get into… Continue reading