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Bloody Hell – The Bloodening Review

By Steel Druhm on April 30, 2021 in Reviews, Heavy Metal, 30 comments

“I’m a simple kind of metal fan. If you title your album “The Bloodening,” I’m going to seize the promo and run off into the night cackling like a crazed seal. Finnish heavy metal act Bloody Hell gave me just such an opportunity with their sophomore opus and I’m truly thankful. I’m less thankful for that eye-scorching poopsicle of an album cover, but you can’t always get what you want. You may get what you need though, if brainless, testosterone-powered 80s metal with both fists in the beer barrel is what you require.” The BloodeningER.

Coronary – Sinbad Review

By Huck N Roll on February 17, 2021 in Reviews, Heavy Metal, 21 comments

“I first heard of Coronary when they did a split release with local heroes (and overall excellent band) Traveler a few years ago. While the cuts of the Traveler trio were more raw and old-school, the Coronary selection was more like the offspring of Accept and Judas Priest — and equally invigorating.” Strongbad.

Accept – Too Mean to Die Review

By Steel Druhm on January 27, 2021 in Reviews, Heavy Metal, 32 comments

“The AC/DC of Germanic metal is back! Even lineup changes and a global pandemic couldn’t keep the metal hearts in Accept from beating their 16th album of classic 80s-style metal into life. With a new bassist and a third guitarist in tow, Too Mean to Die finds these ageless vets sitting in a pretty good place with an album’s worth of tried-and-true Teutonic tuneage.” Play nice with the mean, olde men.

Pounder – Breaking the World Review

By Holdeneye on January 27, 2021 in Reviews, Heavy Metal, 38 comments

“Pounder’s 2019 debut Uncivilized was covered here by Lokasenna, and since he seems to have quietly and non-suspiciously disappeared, Steel Druhm has seen fit to assign follow-up Breaking the World to yours truly. I have no illusions about why Steel has done this. It’s obvious that he believes I will end up crucifying myself before the commentariat, either by being unable to resist making unsavory jokes about the band’s name, or by going into full Skelator mode by lavishing praise upon yet another heavy metal album with questionable vocals.” Pounding the world.

Iron Savior – Skycrest Review

By Steel Druhm on December 4, 2020 in Reviews, Heavy Metal, Power Metal, 24 comments

“Iron Savior may not have started the whole Euro-power genre, but founder/vocalist/guitarist Piet Sielck certainly had his hands on the original putty as a member of the early version of Helloween. Though he never ended up recording with them, you can hear the influence of that protozoic era of power metal in everything Iron Savior does. Since their 1997 debut they’ve consistently churned out quality Euro-power with strong links to classic metal and they’ve always delivered it with more heft and muscle than 99.999% of their frilly be-shirted peers. Skycrest is their 12th platter of metallic anthems to the Metal Godz and things are as they should be.” Iron sharpens other iron.

Gama Bomb – Sea Savage Review

By Huck N Roll on November 30, 2020 in Reviews, Heavy Metal, Thrash Metal, 22 comments

“Another year, another Gama Bomb release. Why do we even review these? We know exactly what we’ll get: a fun, fast, professional thrash album loaded with riffs and silly humor. Well, there is a slight lineup change here on Sea Savage, the band’s seventh album, as long-time drummer Paul Caffrey is replaced by James Stewart, also of Vader, Sermon, and Decapitated.” Speed boating.

U.D.O. / Musikkorps der Bundeswehr – We Are One Review

By Steel Druhm on July 14, 2020 in Reviews, Heavy Metal, 58 comments

“If you made a short list of metal luminaries who you’d want to record a massive concept album with a 60 piece orchestra, I have a sneaking suspicion Udo Dirkschneider wouldn’t make the cut. To be blunt, I doubt the raspy-voiced Teutonic terror would make the long list either, yet here we are. You see, the man who once fronted Accept has somehow impressed the Concert Band for the German Armed Forces (Musikkorps der Bundeswehr) into service for a collaboration titled We Are One.” Hot Tuba.

Firewind – Firewind Review

By Holdeneye on May 12, 2020 in Reviews, Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, Power Metal, 39 comments

“While I’m not intimately familiar with the vast majority of Firewind’s discography, entries like debut Between Heaven and Hell, 2010’s Days of Defiance, and 2017’s Immortals have all impressed me in one way or another. When I first got my guitar, Gus G. was the darling of the guitar magazine world after being selected for the prestigious role of being Ozzy’s solo axeman. But it’s his work on Dream Evil’s debut Dragonslayer — a record that happens to be one of my favorite heavy/power releases of all time — that cements him upon a nostalgic throne in my metal heart.” Born of Firewind, other fire and steel.

Ambush – Infidel Review

By Steel Druhm on March 9, 2020 in 2020, Heavy Metal, High Roller Records, Reviews, Swedish Metal, Heavy Metal, 30 comments

“I have many things to be thankful for in life, but among the luckiest of happenstances was the opportunity to be a metal loving teen growing up in the 80s. That was truly the golden age of all things metallic, with the genre growing, evolving and mutating into multiple sub-genres at a ferocious rate, and I got to be there to experience it all first hand. I was especially fond for that early era when the only genre of metal was metal, and my love for the “classic style” is just as powerful now that I qualify for AARP benefits. This makes me an easy mark for the slick 80s-centric approach of Sweden’s Ambush.” Go olde or die.

Yer Metal Is Olde: Iron Maiden – Iron Maiden

By Huck N Roll on February 7, 2020 in 2020, British Metal, Heavy Metal, NWOBHM, Yer Metal Is Olde, Heavy Metal, NWOBHM, 58 comments

“From my perspective, this is a big year for Yer Metal Is Olde pieces, and it starts off with this piece of work. Iron Maiden wasn’t my first purchase by these legends: that would be The Number of the Beast, when it came out back in 1982. But after being blown away by that album as a twelve-year-old, I quickly gobbled up whatever else I could find – which wasn’t much. A few months later I grabbed my cassette copy of Killers, then the Maiden Japan EP, and finally their debut. So by the time I’d worked my way to this album, well, it confused me a bit. Why?” Eddie is olde.