RidingEasy Records

Here Lies Man – No Ground to Walk Upon Review

Here Lies Man – No Ground to Walk Upon Review

“I love imagining new music genres. What if somebody made blackened thrash with cleanly sung choruses? What if somebody made war metal with melodic death metal riffs? What if somebody made music like The Acacia Strain that was actually good? California’s Here Lies Man asked their own version of this question: what if Black Sabbath played Afrobeat?” World music downfall.

Hell Fire – Mania Review

Hell Fire – Mania Review

For today’s lesson, we’ll have to travel back in time to the years 1-4 BTH (Before the Hol) or what is more commonly known as ’80-’84. I recently confessed my love for olde things and today we’ll expand upon that theme. I often find myself thinking that all of the cool music was either written shortly before or shortly after I was born, and the olde timers among you will probably agree with this sentiment. As my musical tastes expand, there’s still something about early ’80s metal that has me tethered like the umbilical cord that I sported back then. Mania is the third album from San Francisco’s Hell Fire, and it firmly plants its flag in the aforementioned chronological sweet zone.” Golden age and ageism.

Dunbarrow – II Review

Dunbarrow – II Review

“Distortion and metal are so closely connected it’s difficult to see them separated at all. Yes, there are some bands who don’t utilize distortion, primarily in the power metal section of the mall, and yes, there are artists that use distortion without being primarily metal. However, by and large, metal means distorted guitars. There’s a reason many agree that metal was invented when Black Sabbath introduced that evil guitar tone to the world. Dunbarrow, however, see it as a challenge to be heavy like Sabbath without layering on the distortion, and to this end they look toward the forebears of our genre, evident in the luxurious lapping at the puddles of the 70s with their sophomore album, inspirationally titled II.” But this goes to 11.

Monolord – Vænir Review

Monolord – Vænir Review

“The first long length from Gothenburg doomsters Monolord, last year’s Empress Rising, enjoyed a surprising level of success and acclaim, the likes of which is usually the result of a combination of solid, but not great music and circumstances which fall under the banner of “hype.” Releasing a second album just a year later and following such a highly esteemed record made more likely the possibility of the enthusiasm bubble bursting. Vænir (named after Sweden’s largest lake) could have easily turned out a dud.” Hype, drama, doom – it’s all here, folks.