The past is the future. This is only too true for Doom Metal bands, many of whom still fawn over Black Sabbath with all the passion of a jilted lover. But once in a while, the love is returned, and one of the original line-up blesses a band with their presence. This time around, it’s Swedish legends Candlemass’s turn to blag a Sabbath cameo, in the form of Tony Iommi riffing himself silly on their new album, The Door To Doom (Napalm Records).Continue reading
Bands with twenty-five-plus years under their belts often have to wrestle with the temptation to become a nostalgia act or to continue pushing the musical envelope which, in turn, carries its own set of risks. For Dream Theater, the past few years have been particularly difficult for the band: with drummer Mike Portnoy leaving in 2010 and filling the role with Mike Mangini, the band has been trying to reconfigure its soul.Continue reading
Atmosphere can make or break an album. It provides the backdrop and can effectively dictate the direction of individual songs as well as the record as a whole. For bands that create uncompromising walls of sound, finely crafting this atmosphere is of utmost importance in order to make a profound musical statement that not only carries sonic weight but also emotional significance.Continue reading
When Atrophy came out a year and a little bit ago, Ontario Hardcore outfit Minors made a lasting impression in their twenty-minute onslaught of Converge melancholy and frenetic All Pigs Must Die-like energy. It was another home run for Holy Roar Records, but due to its December release it sadly got overlooked by a large portion of the Metal media. Well, it’s a new year and with that comes new material from the Canadians in the form of Abject Bodies; a traumatic continuation of their uncompromising sludgy, Hardcore oppression.Continue reading
I still remember getting that first Blood Youth record Beyond Repair for review and being blown away but at just how hard-hitting and melodic it was. Never did I think though that it would take them to where they currently are. We now find them about to release new record Starve (both Rude Records) and there is a lot of anticipation surrounding it. High profile tours and high energy live shows have only added to what was already a solid foundation.Continue reading
Home to the likes of Khemmis and the sickening might of Primitive Man, Denver Colorado has carved out a significant Metal niche in the last few years, and rag-tag trio The Munsens intend to mean more than a jagged splinter in that hole. Formed from a background of Hardcore, Punk and Black Metal, this particular identity offers an exciting amalgamation of the three disciplines with a huge dollop of gravity thrown into the mix.Continue reading
When asked about which countries have the greatest Metal bands, Greece certainly has a few that really stand out, with Rotting Christ maintaining their position as the ultimate standard bearers, particularly after the phenomenal success of their previous release, Rituals. All of which piles extra attention and pressure onto their latest album, The Heretics (Season Of Mist), proving their thirteenth album has a tough act to follow.Continue reading
Folk Metal is a curious genre. Oftentimes it can be undeservingly treated with ridicule; when a pair of violins and a flute appear onstage alongside a BC Rich plenty of jeers can come the way of the performers. Sometimes the ridicule is fully deserved as the folk influence can become painfully twee affair: see Eluveitie or Turisas at times. On rare occasions, however, a traditional sway can produce truly beautiful results; see, in this case, SAOR.Continue reading
Newcastle’s latest Hardcore reprobates Starve To Survive are back after a whole three years with a new EP, Have Me To Waste (Caliber), hoping to make their own statement of intent and garner some of the attention that the northern Hardcore scene generates, specifically Loathe and God Complex who have been turning more than a few heads over the past year.Continue reading
There was once a fabled war between Punk and Metal. It seems hard to believe today with the two being so often deeply entrenched both musically and ideologically these days, but alleged reports of intense violence at cross-genre shows are a thing of legend. A sort of peace deal was brokered with the advent of Crossover Thrash, Grindcore and Hardcore, particularly the Metallic Hardcore subgenre. It’s here in the grey area of what is Punk and what is Metal we find Endorphins Lost, a Hardcore/Powerviolence outfit straight out of the Pacific Northwest with Seclusions (From The Head Of Zeus).Continue reading