Northern Crown – The Others Review

Northern Crown – The Others Review

“When I saw the promo descriptor for Northern Crown’s debut, The Others listing it as “epic doom,” I took a flyer and grabbed it. You never know when you’ll stumble across the next While Heaven Wept or Atlantean Kodex, and I’d want to plunder all the glorious metal cred such a discovery would impart, while lording it over staff members in the AMG break room. So is this the doom juggernaut you’ve been waiting for? I can’t formulate the beginnings of a sensible answer to that question.” Steel be flummoxed.

Freya – Grim Review

Freya – Grim Review

“Once almost exclusively the preserve of floppy-haired teenagers, metalcore is a style that seems to delight and depress in equal measure, depending on whom you talk to. There is a smattering of bands who fall into the genre however, such as Heaven Shall Burn, While She Sleeps and Crossfaith, to name but a few, who manage to demonstrate that with the right nous it’s in fact possible to produce a substantially more wholesome, mature record than your stereotypical ‘core’ band. Formed in Syracuse in 2001 out of the ashes of local straight-edge vegancore outfit Earth Crisis, Freya have been churning out sludgy metalcore, with much emphasis on their hardcore beginnings, for over a decade now.” Upstate New York in da house!

The Reticent – On the Eve of a Goodbye Review

The Reticent – On the Eve of a Goodbye Review

“So when I see a promo that comes from The Reticent, a one-man (Chris Hathcock) project hailing from North Carolina, I am a bit leery. Then I read he is a Grammy-nominated individual. Cool! For what? Well, for being a music teacher, and you know what they say: those who can, do, and those who can’t, teach (or review). So I expect a lesson in obscure scales and don’t hold out much hope for awesomeness.” Caution: avoid if happy.

Mercyless – Pathetic Divinity Review

Mercyless – Pathetic Divinity Review

“First, we have Fronch fries. And Fronch dressing. And Fronch bread. And Fronch death metal. And to drink, ta-da! Peru! As with most bands with old guys like me in them, I have a long history with Mercyless. I received a cassette promo of 1993’s Coloured Funeral right after losing access to a free copy machine that put a nail in the coffin of the print version of Unchain the Underground. While I never got around to reviewing it, that particular slab of adventurous Fronch death metal stayed in regular rotation and made the cut through upgrades to CD right into the digital age.” Mercyless is about to activate your dental plan.

Decomposed – Wither Review

Decomposed – Wither Review

“Amidst all the inevitable aspects of life and death metal, as we know it, the tried and true sounds of old school Swedish death appears here to stay. Nostalgia is a powerful thing and the rotted riffs and buzzsaw tones of the Stockholm death metal scene that spawned endless imitators of varying quality remains a strong source of inspiration for up and coming death metal bands. And sucker’s like I keep coming back for more.” You can’t have just one bite of Swede-death.

Eastern Front – EmpirE Review

Eastern Front – EmpirE Review

“War is hell. It’s also pretty metal. This defining aspect of the human condition has been touched upon by more bands than you can rattle your saber at. It’s even made its mark on black metal, as Eastern Front will be quick to remind you. Plundering the history books for wartime atrocities has inspired some ferocious work from Eastern Front before, and EmpirE rides that Panzer down a solid if unsurprising path.” Let’s blow stuff up!

Ricardo Remédio – Natureza Morta Review

Ricardo Remédio – Natureza Morta Review

“Follow me into the electronic church of Ricardo Remédio, a prolific musician who has collaborated with various doom bands and electronic projects in his native Portugal. Under the divine gaze of Sunn O))) and Ulver collaborator and multi-instrumentalist, Daniel O’Sullivan, Natureza Morta is Ricardo Remédio’s first solo record. The album is atypical in that it contains no riffs, vocals, drums or your everyday heavy metal violence.” And now for something completely different.

Abigail – The Final Damnation Review

Abigail – The Final Damnation Review

“Remember that awesome review of BarbatosStraight Metal War a year ago? Remember those silly lyrics and song titles? Remember checking out all the bands referenced because you’re a sick son of a bitch? Well, here’s Abigail, another one of Yasuyuki Suzuki’s sick and twisted metal outfits.” Have a bad taste in your mouth? Just wait….

Operation: Mindcrime – Resurrection Review

Operation: Mindcrime – Resurrection Review

“Barely a year after their debut record The Key, Geoff Tate’s Operation: Mindcrime project is back with Resurrection, part two of what threatens to be a trilogy of concept albums. Backed by a large cast of supporting musicians, the former Queensrÿche vocalist is aiming to beat his former band at the conceptual-metal game.” Tate v. the Rÿche: Round II. Place yer bets.