RidingEasy Records

Hell Fire – Reckoning Review

By Holdeneye on August 11, 2022 in Reviews, Heavy Metal, NWOBHM, Speed Metal, Thrash Metal, 79 comments

“I vividly remember writing the review for Hell Fire’s 2019 release Mania. I was sitting in a folding chair in my empty, about-to-be-sold house, passing the time while an HVAC person repaired my apparently damaged furnace. I sat there typing with my headphones on, letting the San Francisco band’s beautiful guitar harmonies and journeyman heavy/speed/thrash metal soothe my heart, a heart still aching from an unanticipated $2000 bill. I remember at the time thinking that I might be underrating Mania, wondering if the stress of moving wasn’t affecting my ability to be objective.” Hell bills coming due.

Early Moods – Early Moods Review

By Steel Druhm on August 10, 2022 in Reviews, Doom Metal, 72 comments

“With a name like Early Moods, this promo looked very out of place bobbing about in the AMG promo muck. It sounds like something a 60s jazz artist would dub his debut album, and it doesn’t so much as hint at its doom on roids character. That’s a marketing shame, as the band offers a unique and interesting take on the style pioneered by the likes of Black Sabbath, Pentagram, Witchfinder General, and Trouble. Formed by musicians from various thrash and death metal projects, Early Moods came together to attempt a marriage of classic doom with traditional heavy metal ideas and melodies.” Heavy dudes, doomy moods.

Here Lies Man – Ritual Divination Review

By Cherd on January 23, 2021 in Reviews, Doom Metal, Stoner Rock, 18 comments

“Like many of you, I’ve spent significant time over the years wandering musical paths far from our beloved metallic bae. In some cases, this has made me something of an amateur expert, as in the rangy field of Americana. In others, I’ve invested enough time as not to be a tourist, but not enough to be considered a deep diver. This is the case with Afrobeat. I’ve passed many hours with the father of the genre, Fela Kuti—easy enough given his song lengths—and with compilations like the incredible Nigeria 70 box set. I’ve also enjoyed the work of revivalists such as Brooklyn, New York’s Antibalas, so when I stumbled across Here Lies Man in the promo pit, a side project of Antibalas members infusing Afrobeat with Sabbathian riffs, I snapped it up greedily.” Don’t be grabby.

Here Lies Man – No Ground to Walk Upon Review

By Mark Z. on August 15, 2019 in 2019, American Metal, American Rock, Reviews, RidingEasy Records, 17 comments

“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

By Holdeneye on March 31, 2019 in 2019, American Metal, Heavy Metal, Reviews, RidingEasy Records, Speed Metal, Thrash Metal, Heavy Metal, Speed Metal, Thrash Metal, 32 comments

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

By GardensTale on September 23, 2018 in 2018, British Metal, Doom Metal, Proto-Metal, Reviews, RidingEasy Records, Doom Metal, 37 comments

“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

By Roquentin on April 28, 2015 in 2015, Doom Metal, Reviews, RidingEasy Records, Stoner Rock, Swedish Metal, Doom Metal, Stoner Metal, Stoner Rock, 7 comments

“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.