Armored Saint

Kings of Mercia – Kings of Mercia Review

Kings of Mercia – Kings of Mercia Review

“Here we are for Round 2 of Battle of the Bands. Round 1 took place back on August 12, when Ray Alder and Mark Zonder conspired to release their exceptionally strong A-Z album. Now we’ve got the response from Jim Matheos and Joey Vera, another eponymous debut, by their new band Kings of Mercia.” Fates be warned.

Record(s) o’ the Month – October 2020

Record(s) o’ the Month – October 2020

“The pandemic rages, political upheaval shakes the very foundations of polite society, and the stress of the holiday season is poised to feast on our ethereal souls. Soon we will gather with family via Zoom or in person if we dare, to try to make merry in what has been a greasy dumpster fire of a year. At least we’ve had music to help us get through all the insanity, eh?”

White Magician – Dealers of Divinity Review

White Magician – Dealers of Divinity Review

“In the unhallowed halls of Angry Metal Guy World Headquarters, some of the thralls writers wax on about what a great year it has been for death metal. I would put forward that it’s also been pretty decent for traditional/epic/classic metal – or whatever you want to call it. Enter White Magician, a quartet of like-minded classic metal aficionados from Detroit, and their debut release, Dealers of Divinity. These guys hope to take their brand of classic rock and metal all the way to the top. Professing to be a blend of Mercyful Fate and Blue Öyster Cult, could the odds be stacked in their favor?” Mages wild.

Armored Saint – Punching the Sky Review

Armored Saint – Punching the Sky Review

Armored Saint is like that comfortable pair of jeans you’ve held onto forever, steadfastly ignoring the badly frayed cuffs, rips, and discolorations that accumulate over a lifetime of wear and tear. They’re a familiar and reassuring part of your life and you’ll brook no talk of replacement. These overperforming underdogs have been delivering their hard scrabble, punchy take on heavy metal since their 1983 EP, and through the 37 years since then the only things that have really changed are their hairlines.” Fist of the Saint.

Striker – Play to Win Review

Striker – Play to Win Review

“Among the dearest casualties of the politicization of everything is fun. When the cultural and historical illiterates suggest that all art is political, they neuter the possibility of art as a universal language and instead make it speak in partisan tongues. What could bring us together – the “language” of metal is spoken as fluently in Rio as it is in Quebec, just with different accents – is instead used to rip us apart. For the above reasons, I’m glad Striker exists.” Does anyone remember fun?