3.5

Bruce Dickinson – The Mandrake Project Review

Bruce Dickinson – The Mandrake Project Review

By Steel Druhm on March 5, 2024 in Reviews, Heavy Metal, 89 comments

“Between 1996 and 1998 Bruce put out two solo albums that were as good or better than anything Maiden had done since 1988. Accident of Birth and Chemical Wedding were tremendous albums with Bruce at his very best. He seemed way more inspired and adventurous as a solo artist than he was as part of 90s-era Maiden, and I wanted him to keep doing his thing. We all know how it worked out in the end. Bruce went back to Maiden and his solo career took a backseat. We now dwell in the Senjutsu era and there hasn’t been a Dickinson solo project since 2005. That all changed last week when Bruce dropped his brand new solo platter, The Mandrake Project.” Cheers of the dragon.

Arthouse Fatso – Sycophantic Seizures: A Double Feature Review

Arthouse Fatso – Sycophantic Seizures: A Double Feature Review

By Dolphin Whisperer on March 5, 2024 in Reviews, Death Metal, Industrial Metal, 24 comments

“First, 2024 gave us NASCAR-themed heavy metal, then shortly thereafter Mortal Kombat-themed heavy metal. In this world of extreme tunes and extreme niches, artists look even more granularly into their fascinations for artistic inspiration. In turn, Arthouse Fatso, chooses Orson Welles—acclaimed and controversial American filmmaker—as its hammering theme for an industrial deathgrind adventure. It’s not often that such a grimy genre finds a muse in a figure that’s not a serial killer or something fictional and equally macabre. But Fatso seems ready to revive Welles as an industry outsider fit for patch-vested punk fixation .” Citizen Pain.

Northern Genocide – The Point of No Return Review

Northern Genocide – The Point of No Return Review

By GardensTale on March 4, 2024 in Reviews, Industrial Metal, Melodic Death Metal, Symphonic Metal, 13 comments

“Just like a sommelier can (allegedly) sense and describe the minutest differences between wines that may seem identical to the less learned, so can the seasoned metalhead identify regional differences and genre influences that laypersons may question with the tried and true adage: “It’s all just noise, isn’t it?” Melodic death metal has many offshoots and flavors, but the Finnish variety tends to be instantly recognizable anyway, often thanks to a melodic core that draws from neoclassical- and power metal. Northern Genocide wears this hat with pride but then proceeds to layer a bunch of other hats on top until defenestrated by the owner of the hatshop.” Hats and mass murder.

Fall of Leviathan – In Waves Review

Fall of Leviathan – In Waves Review

By Dear Hollow on March 1, 2024 in Reviews, Instrumental Metal, Post-Metal, 23 comments

“As you may guess by its minimalist cover art, Fall of Leviathan takes inspiration from the ocean. Its placid surface, an unassuming miles-wide smile at the sun, and its brutal depth, a guttural roar and a gnashing of magnificent teeth, quietly collide to create a face that looks down upon man as he stands atop it, his hubris an engorgement of sails and a swelling of his chest. When faced with its might, the relentless apathy and his insignificance in the face of mountainous waves and the abyss at our rocky borders, man crumbles – sand castles deserted by distracted children. Fall of Leviathan embodies this dichotomy: sunbathed beauty and sunless brutality.” Deep waters flow DEEP.

Hands of Goro – Hands of Goro – Review

Hands of Goro – Hands of Goro – Review

By Steel Druhm on March 1, 2024 in Reviews, Heavy Metal, 70 comments

“On a day when a NASCAR-themed album hits the mean streets, why shouldn’t we cover a kinda-sorta Mortal Kombat-themed throwback metal opus by members of Slough Feg, Spirit Adrift, and Angel Witch. Hands of Goro is a project playing a style that the members refer to as the “Third Wave of British Heavy Metal.” That’s a fancy-pantsy name for what is essentially the classic NWoBHM sound being unearthed anew in 2024, and that basic NWoBHM template composes the core of what the band delivers on Hands of Goro.” Test your might!

Messiah – Christus Hypercubus Review

Messiah – Christus Hypercubus Review

By Mystikus Hugebeard on February 27, 2024 in Reviews, Death Metal, Thrash Metal, 30 comments

“Formed in 1984, their first two albums—1985’s Hymn to Abramelin and 1986’s Extreme Cold Weather—have been cited as classics of the proto-death/thrash era, before they split up in 1995. Messiah then stepped through time to their reformation in 2018 into a far more convoluted world of metal, thanks to the ever-increasing emphasis on sub-genres, trends, and streaming. Messiah’s response was to ignore all that hubbub, holding fast to their aggression of yore as they released the well-received comeback album Fracmont in 2020. 2022 unfortunately saw the untimely passing of Messiah’s original vocalist Andy Kaina, but an undeterred Messiah pressed on and are now set to dish out another beating in the form of Christus Hypercubus.” New age Messiah.

Nemedian Chronicles – The Savage Sword Review

Nemedian Chronicles – The Savage Sword Review

By Iceberg on February 26, 2024 in Reviews, Epic Metal, Power Metal, 60 comments

“Storytelling is intrinsic to the passage of knowledge from generation to generation. Within our steel-forged corner of the multiverse, a few subgenres tackle storytelling overtly: most often prog but also, as is the case today, power metal. Coming into this review, I was under the impression that the story of Conan the Barbarian was confined to the plot line of an old Arnold movie—I couldn’t have been more mistaken. The Hyborian Age is a sprawling prehistoric world designed by Robert E. Howard in the 1930s, set between the fall of Atlantis and the rise of traditional history. Enter French band Nemedian Chronicles and their 70-minute slab of sword and sorcery, ripped straight from the pages of Howard’s tales.” Swords, hordes, and chords.

Ponte del Diavolo – Fire Blades from the Tomb Review

Ponte del Diavolo – Fire Blades from the Tomb Review

By Dolphin Whisperer on February 26, 2024 in Reviews, Black Metal, Doom Metal, Occult Rock, Punk, 37 comments

“Having spread the spectrum of their influences across a few EPs, Ponte del Diavolo reigns in the fettering ambience and shriekier black metal extremes of their formative work for this debut full-length. In this regard, these witchcraft-worshipping Italians come across like a punk-edged, tremolo riff-informed Sabbath Assembly, with mic-echantress Erba del Diavolo capturing the same essence of cult-fearing warble that a fervent Jamie Meyers possesses.” Tomb knives.

Darkest Hour – Perpetual | Terminal Review

Darkest Hour – Perpetual | Terminal Review

By GardensTale on February 24, 2024 in Reviews, Melodic Death Metal, Metalcore, 35 comments

“How deep is your backlog of albums you intend to give a full spin sometime, but you never get round to it? I couldn’t even begin to tally mine. One of the albums that has languished in this limbo is Godless Prophets & the Migrant Flora, the previous release from melodeath veterans Darkest Hour. I remember liking the slice I tried, but with so much to listen to and so little time I failed to give it my full attention. Grymm sure loved it, though, and in his absence, I was more than happy to step up and finally give the band the attention they deserved from me.” In the darkest hour, we cried more, more, MOAR!