Deicide are back with more Satanic death metal and this much evil requires two reviews of Banished by Sin.
Steel Druhm
Feel the wengeance
Accept – Humanoid Review
“The 17th album by the unstoppable Germanic horde known as Accept is upon us and resistance is brutile. After the enjoyable machinations of 2021s Too Mean to Die, those who keep their balls to the wall opted to stick with the same basic formula. Their three-guitarist wall of sound is back along with no-longer-so-new frontman Mark Tornillo, and Accept find themselves in a late-career groove, very aware of who they are and what they want to be. And that means Accept continue to drift closer and closer to AC/DC territory as their core metal sound drills down further into hard rock idioms.” The future is the past.
Balance of Power – Fresh from the Abyss Review
“It’s strange when a band you like goes into an extended period of inactivity. You miss them for the first few years and get impatient for new material. After 4-5 years though, you move on and eventually give up on hearing more from them. Stranger still is when a band that put you through all that abruptly returns some 20 years later with a very different sound. This is the experience I’ve had with the U.K.s Balance of Power.” Out of balance.
Attacker – The God Particle Review
“New Jersey’s Attacker have a decades-long history but seem to exist in perpetual near-obscurity outside of the Tri-State area. Hitting the scene in 1985 with their Battle at Helm’s Deep debut, they were a part of the US power metal scene along with contemporaries Helstar, Liege Lord, and Jag Panzer. As with others in that movement, they blended Judas Priest andIron Maiden influences with increased speed. Now Attacker return with seventh album The God Particle. Will this be the fateful release that finally sees Weehawken, New Jersey’s finest getting greater exposure?” Do you come from the land of landfills?
Týr – Battle Ballads Review
“The Fisher Kings of Faroian metal are back and on the hunt once more with ninth album Battle Ballads, and all is right in the metalverse. Ever since these lads put the tiny Faroe Islands on the map way back in 2002 with their How Far to Asgaard debut they’ve been highly reliable purveyors of a unique blend of trad/folk/Viking metal that has no peer. 2019’s Hel provided highly entertaining and classy tales of swords and shields and I wanted more almost immediately. After a 4 years wait we finally get more from Týr.” Salt/sword life.
Friends of Hell – God Damned You to Hell Review
“Back in 2022, a tongue-in-cheek project by members of Reverend Bizarre and Electric Wizard was introduced to the world. Going by the name Friends of Hell (a not-so-subtle call out to Witchfinder General’s sophomore opus), they played classic 80s doom in the vein of Pentagram, Saint Vitus, and of course, Witchfinder General. It was a loving homage to a specific era and sound and the somewhat goofy, overblown delivery was balanced out by slick riffs and the one-of-a-kind vocals of Albert Witchfinder (Reverend Bizarre). It was entertaining but it wasn’t a must-hear kind of article. 2024 sees Friends of Hell back with a greatly overhauled lineup and without the talents of Albert Witchfinder.” Friends and Hell wishers.
Ripper Owens Exits KK’s Priest for Unexpected New Opportunity
Ripper is on the move once more.
Wintersun Announce Time II Delayed Again
Time II is money and Wintersun want theirs.
Ivory Tower – Heavy Rain Review
“Ivory Tower have been a minor force in the Germanic prog-metal scene since 1998. I didn’t pay them much heed over the years, but that all changed when I took a flyer on their 2019 album Stronger. Expecting little, I walked into a buzzsaw and was quickly carved up by a highly catchy and memorable platter of vibrant prog metal led by the powerhouse vocals of one Dirk Meyer. It ended up on my Top Ten(ish) of 2019 and became one of my all-time favorite prog-metal releases. Naturally, I wanted a lot MOAR of the same from Ivory Tower.” Foundational instability.
Stress Angel – Punished by Nemesis Review
“2021 saw Stress Angel belch forth out of Brooklyn with a hideous sound marrying Autopsy-core with punky d-beatery and crust-encrusted doom. Bursting Church was a slippery, slimy, nasty piece of work and the duo behind it was effective at throttling throats and sacrificing goats. 2024 comes around and the gruesome twosome returns with sophomore outing Punished by Nemesis, and with it a more expansive palette and grander vision.” Punishment is overdue.
