Stones Grow Her Name always stood to be a controversial record because they don’t have a single song called “FullMoon” on it—but where would the band wander now that it had lost its mooring in EuroPower?
Reviews
Record reviews
Dawn Of Disease – Crypts Of The Unrotten Review
Herein Happy Metal Guy asks why these guys are so sad. I’m beginning to wonder what he actually knows about metal.
Sabaton – Carolus Rex Review
A mighty double review from both Angry Metal Guy and Steel Druhm for a mighty release Sabaton’s Carolus Rex.
Cattle Decapitation – Monolith of Inhumanity Review
If four dudes who hated me decided to start a band that embodied as many things I dislike about death metal as possible, that band would probably bear a strong resemblance to Cattle Decapitation. Breakdowns? Check. Pig squeal vocals? Yup. Masturbatory “technical” guitar parts? Those too. And don’t even get me started on the pushy, militant veganism.
Grand Magus – The Hunt Review
Grand Magus is one of those bands you expect a lot from. They’ve released a series of top-notch traditional metal albums with elements of doom, and their past few albums were some serious masterstrokes, loaded with catchy, classy tunes. Their style is like a mix of Dio era Black Sabbath and Candlemass with hard rock bands like Fireball Ministry, and they have the knack for writing killer riffs that rattle around in the cranium for days.
Ahab – The Giant Review
Funeral doom is about as niche a market as you’ll ever find anywhere. It’s slow as hell, heavy as fuck and requires more concentration than a quantum psychics exam given at a strip club.
Ennead – Frozen Eyes Review
It is, as you all know, difficult to keep up with the number of unsigned bands that we get music from. But, usually as a matter of luck, I occasionally decide that I have time to check something out (or I’m just avoiding my work). Fortunately, I followed the link to a Bandcamp (that’s usually a thing that gets me to click unsigned bands) for some itsy-bitsy, teeny, teeny, teeny-tiny Swedish metalcore-influenced prog-metallers Ennead who are writing music better than a lot of signed acts that I get these days when they can’t even grow facial hair. Sometimes I follow links and am unimpressed and turn the shit off, saving the band face. In this case, however, Ennead snuck up on me and surprised—and impressed—the hell out of me.
Steel Assassin – WWII: Metal of Honor Review
Steel Assassin is a mighty obscure act by anyone’s reckoning. They were knocking around all throughout the 80s and 90s but could never get a proper album released. Then, quite out of the blue, they released War of the Eight Saints in 2007 and totally blew me away with their ballsy, aggressive take on American power metal and NWOBHM. It was one of the best albums of that year, but didn’t bring them as much attention as it deserved.
Havok – Point of No Return EP Review
Hey, Havok is back! I know everybody thinks we review far too much retro thrash (or was it Mexican murder ballads?), but Havok is at the top of the movement and excels at what they do.
HeXen – Being and Nothingness Review
By my extensive calculations and careful application of Steel Druhm’s Theory of Genre Longevity (Pat. Pending), retro thrash is in the fourteenth minute of its fame window.
