Holdeneye

When you wield the 4hammer, every album looks like a nail.

Wombbath – Choirs of the Fallen Review

By Holdeneye on March 16, 2020 in 2020, Death Metal, Reviews, Soulseller Records, Swedish Metal, Death Metal, 22 comments

“Not long after the release of Internal Caustic Torments, Wombbath went on indefinite hiatus for two decades, only to be resurrected by one Jonny Pettersson. For those not in the know, Pettersson is to Swedeath what Rogga Johansson is to… well, Swedeath. Playing a role in over a dozen active bands to include Heads for the Dead, Gods Forsaken, and Just Before Dawn, Pettersson is a necromancer advancing upon the outskirts of civilization with a horde of stinking, rotting death metal bands, ready to add yours to his ever-growing army.” Womb metal.

Solitary Sabred – By Fire & Brimstone Review

By Holdeneye on March 13, 2020 in 2020, Cypriot Metal, Heavy Metal, No Remorse Records, Power Metal, Reviews, Heavy Metal, Power Metal, 37 comments

“When Cypriot band Solitary Sabred entered my schedule, I looked back in the site’s archives and saw that their 2014 release Redemption Through Force had not only been covered, but highly recommended. Naturally, I was intrigued and I sampled. What I found was a heavy/power metal concept album with absolutely insane vocals. Sounding like a mixture of Manowar and Sanctuary due in no small part to singer Petros Leptos’ delivery consisting of three parts Eric Adams and one part early Warrel Dane, I immediately fell in love and ordered a physical copy of the release.” Steel thyself.

Earth Rot – Black Tides of Obscurity Review

By Holdeneye on March 5, 2020 in 2020, Australian Metal, Black Metal, Death Metal, Reviews, Season of Mist, Black Metal, Death Metal, 122 comments

“Last month I sampled an advance track for Earth Rot’s third full-length album, Black Tides of Obscurity, and I rather enjoyed what I heard. And now that I’ve spent some significant time with the full record, I have to say that I’m completely blown away. Black Tides of Obscurity is the sound of a band that believes the answer to the question “Should we play old school Swedish death metal or true Norwegian black metal?” is an emphatic “YES!”” Rot n’ roll.

Voidfire – Ogień Pustki Review

By Holdeneye on March 2, 2020 in 2020, Black Metal, Polish Metal, Reviews, Self-released, Black Metal, 7 comments

“At a time when the faith of my youth was crumbling beneath me, my workdays were spent trying to make sense of seeing people in unimaginably horrible situations, and the question of life’s meaning weighed heavily upon me, Man’s Search for Meaning presented three ways through which humans can find meaning in this life: doing great work, knowing great love, or courageously facing unavoidable suffering. Poland’s Voidfire is hoping to channel both the first and last of those possibilities by creating a work that explores the idea of ‘finding artistic inspiration through suffering.'” Life (and music) is pain.

Slaughter Messiah – Cursed to the Pyre Review

By Holdeneye on February 20, 2020 in 2020, Belgian Metal, High Roller Records, Reviews, Thrash Metal, Thrash Metal, 30 comments

“Playing a perfectly twisted combo of Coma of Souls Kreator and Reign in Blood Slayer that’s been laced with the icy fingers of black metal, Slaughter Messiah are unabashedly planting their flag of hate just south of heaven and laying claim to the realm of late 80’s/early 90’s thrash.” High, higher, hear the Pyre!

Vision of Choice – Mistress of the Gods Review

By Holdeneye on February 14, 2020 in 2020, German Metal, Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, Power Metal, Reviews, ZOUNDR/Fencesound Music, Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, Power Metal, 47 comments

“And then a record comes along that takes me right back to that storied past and refills my magic bar to 100%. Mistress of the Gods, the debut album from Germany’s Vision of Choice is one of those records. After close to thirty spins of this 57-minute monster, I’m still trying to come up with the best way to describe what it sounds like. Here’s the best I got: take the masculine riffs and baritone bellows of a band like Omen, mix it with some German speed a la Helloween or Blind Guardian, add some eccentric Savatage flair, and round it out with Mötley Crüe and Van Halen, and you might get close.” Hot pocket o’ metal.

Ironflame – Blood Red Victory Review

By Holdeneye on February 3, 2020 in 2020, American Metal, Divebomb Records, Heavy Metal, Reviews, Heavy Metal, 34 comments

“Born in America’s literal heart of steel, Ironflame makes music that lives and breathes those heroic values. The brainchild of one Andrew D’Cagna (Nechochwen, ex-Obsequiae), the band specializes in true heavy metal, championing the styles of their musical forbears in Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, and Dio.” Blood for the power gods!

Reaper – Unholy Nordic Noise Review

By Holdeneye on January 28, 2020 in 2020, Black Metal, Iron Bonehead Productions, Reviews, Speed Metal, Swedish Metal, Black Metal, Speed Metal, 55 comments

“Metal Archives lists ten bands that go by this name, but the metal realm’s equivalent of The Citadel of Westeros and the rest of the interwebz together yield precious little information about Sweden’s version of Reaper.” This is the story of one of them.

Surgical Strike – Part of a Sick World Review

By Holdeneye on January 21, 2020 in 2020, German Metal, Metalville, Reviews, Thrash Metal, Thrash Metal, 42 comments

“Surgical Strike had its beginnings in 1993 and put out a couple of demos before going on hiatus for nearly twenty years. Reforming in 2014 with vocalist Jens Albert as the lone link to its past, the band released an EP in 2016 and now present their first official entry into the German thrash canon. And a solid entry it is.” Speed sickens.

Bonded – Rest in Violence Review

By Holdeneye on January 14, 2020 in 2020, Century Media, German Metal, Groove Metal, Reviews, Thrash Metal, Groove Metal, Thrash Metal, 25 comments

“Bonded is a German band that qualifies as both new and old when it comes to thrash. Rest in Violence is their debut record, but founders Bernd ‘Bernemann’ Kost and Markus ‘Makka’ Freiwald are both longtime veterans of Teutonic thrash legends Sodom. The duo has assembled an army of talent and is launching an all-out assault on the groovier side of the thrash subgenre tree. Will this initial foray hit with the force of an agent orange drop, or is it better off dead?” Bond jumpers.