Steel Druhm

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Netherbird – Monument Black Colossal Review

By Steel Druhm on July 2, 2010 in 2010, 3.5, Black Metal, Reviews, Swedish Metal, 1 comment

One thing that I love about heavy metal is that every time you think you have a pretty thorough knowledge of the overall scene, some band you never heard of slithers out of some crevasse and bites you in the ass. Sweden’s Netherbird is just such anÂ ass biter and their second full length, Monument Black Colossal seemingly came out of nowhere and surprised me with some impressively done melodic black metal, despite the really crappy band name and nonsensical album title. What is it with Sweden and metal these days anyway? That place is crawling with quality, ass biting bands!

Severe Torture – Slaughtered Review

By Steel Druhm on July 1, 2010 in 2010, 3.0, Death Metal, Reviews, Season of Mist, Death Metal, 2 comments

I have to admit right up front that I wasn’t overly familiar with Severe Torture and their cadaver of work prior to getting tasked with this review. I had heard bits and pieces of previous albums but nothing about them ever really grabbed my attention or made me feel the need to track down their material. So as I got familiar with Slaughtered, this Dutch death metal band’s fifth platter (or should I say splatter), I was pretty shocked by the quality of the material on display. Maybe I simply missed the boat on their earlier stuff but this is a solid enough release that I plan to go back to investigate much more carefully in the near future.

Edenbridge – Solitaire Review

By Steel Druhm on June 29, 2010 in 2010, 3.0, Napalm Records, Power Metal, Reviews, 4 comments

First things first. Edenbridge is a long running, very professional and entertaining female fronted, epic/symphonic band from Austria. Now, as we prepare for the release of Solitaire, their seventh album, it’s time to face some inconvenient truths. As good as these guys (and girl) are at what they do, this is not metal and it strains sense and sensibility to be reviewing this on a website called Angry Metal Guy since there is nothing here the least bit angry, or metal. This is not an attack on Edenbridge and I mean no negativity since I actually like Edenbridge quite a bit, from their debut up to and including Solitaire. It’s just time to cast them out of the metal universe and into the world of mainstream music.

Grand Magus – Hammer of the North Review

By Steel Druhm on June 22, 2010 in 2010, 4.0, Doom Metal, Power Metal, Reviews, Roadrunner, Swedish Metal, Doom Metal, Heavy Metal, 7 comments

It seems a sad fact that when one anticipates something and really looks forward to it, the chance of being disappointed increases exponentially. After Grand Magus unleashed their wildly impressive Iron Will album in 2008 (which was one of my favorite albums that year), I was extremely stoked for a follow up by this cadre of Swedish metal mongers but wondered if they could match or top the quality of that massive platter. Now that I have the anxiously awaited follow up in the form of their fifth album, Hammer of the North, my fears of being let down seem silly, because once again Grand Magus shows that they know how to craft top quality traditional heavy metal songs with a slight doom tinged edge.

Thulcandra – Fallen Angel’s Dominion Review

By Steel Druhm on June 21, 2010 in 2010, 3.5, Black Metal, Death Metal, Napalm Records, Reviews, Black Metal, 4 comments

At long last, the new Dissection Album!! Well, it isn’t..but it should be! After 2006’s massively disappointing Reinkaos album and the subsequent tragic loss of Jon Nodtveidt, the once mighty and majestic Swedish black metal band was part of metal history. The markers on Dissection’s grave being the highly esteemed albums The Somberlain and Storm of the Light’s Bane. Although there will never be another Dissection, Thulcandra is trying with all their collective might be the next best thing and their debut Fallen Angel’s Dominion comes as close as possible to reviving those fallen heroes of old. If you absolutely detest bands aping the style and sound of a seminal genre icon, cease reading and go find other worthwhile pursuits. However, if you are willing to listen to a quality band that forsakes originality in favor of blatant hero worship, stay tuned folks.

Thunderstone – Dirt Metal Review

By Steel Druhm on June 16, 2010 in 2010, 3.0, Finnish Metal, Power Metal, Reviews, SPV, Power Metal, 0 comments

Whenever an established band parts ways with their original vocalist and brings in a replacement, long time fans rightfully get concerned. How will the new singer impact the band’s sound and style? Will he fit in or change the dynamic too much? That’s the situation facing Finland’s Thunderstone for their fifth album, Dirt Metal. After four pretty solid albums of Euro power metal with original frontman Pasi Rantanen, Dirt Metal starts the era of Rick Altzi on vocals. With this new era also comes the much dreaded and despised shift in sound and approach as well. Are you scared? Are you on edge yet? Read on.

Circle of Dead Children – Psalms of the Grand Destroyer Review

By Steel Druhm on June 14, 2010 in 2.0, 2010, American Metal, Candlelight, Death Metal, Reviews, Grind, 3 comments

Here at Angry Metal Guy Industries ©®, staff is small [by which he means “little people” – Ed.], deadlines are many and mercy is neither asked for nor granted. Therefore, we of the reviewer caste don’t always get to cherry pick bands or genres we love. Because of this ugly truth, sometimes a review must be done for something outside our musical wheelhouse. That is the very dilemma facing yours truly with a review of Psalms of the Grand Destroyer by Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania’s own Circle of Dead Children. Album number four by these purveyors of inhuman deathgrind is sick, twisted, chaotic and brutal for brutality’s sake, but is it good? That is a mighty tricky question.

Annihilator – Annihilator Review

By Steel Druhm on June 10, 2010 in 2.0, 2010, American Metal, Canadian Metal, Earache Records, Reviews, Thrash Metal, Thrash Metal, 7 comments

No metal band has managed to frustrate and baffle me as consistently as Annihilator has over their long career. Their 1989 debut album Alice in Hell was a classic in the thrash genre and showed a band brimming with talent and energy. Founder, lead songwriter and guitarist Jeff Waters was hailed as a rising star and someone to watch closely. Since then, Annihilator has struggled mightily to live up to the hype garnered by their debut, and their subsequent albums have come nowhere near that level of quality. In fact, many of those albums were either complete disasters (Refresh the Demon, Remains, All for You) or near disasters (Set the World on Fire, Metal). Each time a new Annihilator release was set to drop, I would pray for greatness and a return to form but mostly get mediocrity. Now it’s 2010 and we get their thirteenth album, simply titled Annihilator, and again the goods are not delivered.

Grave – Burial Ground Review

By Steel Druhm on June 8, 2010 in 2010, 4.0, Death Metal, Regain Records, Reviews, Swedish Metal, Death Metal, 8 comments

It seems safe to say that after surviving 22 years, Grave has become an official death metal institution as well as being one of the founding fathers of the classic “Swedish death metal sound,” along with Entombed, Unleashed and Dismember. Therefore, when the esteemed Grave Institute releases a new album, long time and newbie death heads alike should sit up and take notice. Burial Ground is album number eight for these long running purveyors of deathly tidings and being their usual consistent, quality selves, this is a solid, old school slice of vintage Swedish death metal but with a few surprises as well.

Necronomicon – The Return of the Witch Review

By Steel Druhm on June 7, 2010 in 2010, 3.5, American Metal, Black Metal, Death Metal, Napalm Records, Reviews, Death Metal, 0 comments

There was a time where I loved all death metal and I mean all of it! When the death metal explosion started up in the mid to late 80s, I couldn’t get enough of the stuff whether good, bad or really awful. I just loved those Cookie Monster vocals. Over time however, as more and more bands glommed onto the style, my tastes refined and I steered toward those bands that were trying something different or unique within the genre. Canada’s little known death metal three piece Necronomicon (not to be confused with German thrashers of the same name) was always a band that did things a little differently and always earned my respect. In fact, Necronomicon helped jump start the whole “Egyptian themed death metal” style alongside Nile with their debut album Pharaoh of the Gods in 1999. Happily, their efforts to create unique death metal continue on their third album The Return of the Witch.