Century Media Records

Yer Metal Is Olde: Nevermore – Dreaming Neon Black

Yer Metal Is Olde: Nevermore – Dreaming Neon Black

“If a wise old man were to ask me Conan-style “What is best in metal?” I would without hesitation respond by glorifying the work of my favorite band of all time, Seattle’s Nevermore. While often lumped into the prog/power bin, their music reaches far beyond the boundaries of such a tag. By downtuning, adding elements of groove, thrash, and death metal, and coloring the whole affair with an intensely hopeless and bleak outlook, the band created a nearly unclassifiable sound that encapsulates nearly every great thing that metal has to offer.”

Savage Messiah – Demons Review

Savage Messiah – Demons Review

“During high school, I loved our local hard rock station, Funky Monkey, and it was integral in the development of my bad musical taste. The best feature was the tough guy voice that gave you the name of the band and the song title after each track had played, allowing me to quickly categorize which bands I did and didn’t like. But when I got my first iPod, all of that changed. Sure, I had a giant book of CDs that I had kept hidden in my car for when the radio wasn’t cutting it, but being able to load a tiny device with tons of songs was a game changer. Before long, I’d left most mainstream rock and metal behind and was listening to all things cheesy and trve.” The more things change….

Queensrÿche – The Verdict Review

Queensrÿche – The Verdict Review

Queensrÿche has endured more drama over their 36-year life span than you’d see in a typical season of your preferred Mexican soap opera. The plot lines look quite similar too. You have the full-tilt diva, the long suffering but loyal compadres, the insidious temptations of cash and fame, and of course, the inevitable implosion, breakup and resulting legal morass. That said, things have been pretty stable in camp Queensrÿche since Geoff Tate bailed and the band recruited Todd La Torre to man the mic.” 12 Angry Metal Guys.

Swallow the Sun – When a Shadow is Forced Into the Light Review

Swallow the Sun – When a Shadow is Forced Into the Light Review

“How does a band follow-up a mammoth triple album into which they poured all the creativity they could muster? This was the existential question facing Swallow the Sun following the release of their magnum opus, 2015s Songs of the North, Vols I, II and III. Unfortunately for the band, fate intervened and made the decision for them in 2016 with the passing of lead writer/guitarist Juha Raivio’s partner, Aleah Stanbridge (Trees of Eternity).” Shadows and light.

Witherfall – A Prelude to Sorrow Review

Witherfall – A Prelude to Sorrow Review

Witherfall was one of the biggest surprises of 2017. They came out of left field and blew my doors off with a hyperactive, highly technical take on power-prog rivaling Symphony X and Nevermore. Formed by several White Wizzard ex-pats including guitar titan, Jake Dreyer (Iced Earth), their Nocturnes and Requiems debut was bigger-than-life, over-the-top and spared no wankery or noodling for a rainy day. Luckily, their songwriting was stout enough to stand up to the onslaught of more is MOWWRRR musical showboatery. Just over a year later and they’re back with a new drummer and backing guitarist, and poised to drop their sophomore outing A Prelude to Sorrow.” Draining the wank bank.

Aborted – TerrorVision Review

Aborted – TerrorVision Review

“Everyone loves a good horror movie, and for years Aborted have given us the musical equivalent. Since vocalist and Belgian native Sven de Caluwé began the project in 1995, he’s taken everything from goregrind to Carcassy death metal to melodic groove experimentation and bludgeoned it into his grotesque sonic mold. If you want to know what Aborted sounds like, shove your fist into a jar of old mayonnaise while watching the grossest horror film you know.” Special sauce and TerrorVision.

Krisiun – Scourge of the Enthroned Review

Krisiun – Scourge of the Enthroned Review

“Metal fans are fucking hard to please. We bitch when a band becomes predictable, and then we bitch some more when they experiment outside of our comfort zones. But whether you’re a contrary bastard or not, dependability is always a risky approach. We can investigate the paradox, in part, by applying two methodologies. First: the Slayer Equivalency. The act of happening upon a winning formula and then bleeding it to death despite rapidly diminishing relevance. And the second: the Angel Corpse Optimisation. A fast and frantic existence, knowingly brief, but with enough foresight to burn out with a nuclear burst of atomic violence. Brazil’s fatal fraternity, Krisiun, are on the cusp of releasing their latest full-length, but on which side of the hypothesis do they stand?” Brazil returns to wax your ass.

Omnium Gatherum – The Burning Cold Review

Omnium Gatherum – The Burning Cold Review

“I wasn’t all that impressed with 2016s Grey Heavens. To my ears it felt flat and a bit boring, and the inclusion of a more stripped down modern sound didn’t feel like it fit the band’s tried-and-true formula. Naturally this led me to approach The Burning Cold with some trepidation, hoping for a return to form but bracing for diminishing returns. So which will it be for this Finnish melo-death institution? Newfound glory or further decline?” It’s very cold in sadboy world.

Motorowl – Atlas Review

Motorowl – Atlas Review

“In 2016, The Underground yielded a cool troupe of hard rockers hailing from Eastern Germany called Motorowl. Their debut, Om Generator (“OG”), was an accomplished and mature outing for such a fresh group and they naturally caught my eye when they reappeared in our promo bin, replete with Century Media record deal intact and spacey new artwork. I like exposing small bands even if signed to (relatively) big labels so permit me 600 words or so to explore Atlas.” Who??