Cypriot Metal

Receiver – Whispers of Lore Review

By GardensTale on November 14, 2023 in Reviews, Heavy Metal, 45 comments

“Despite Iron Maiden being my entry point into metal, NWoBHM has never really been a mainstay in my catalog. Maybe it’s because so few bands could live up to my first flame. Maybe it’s because after my Maiden voyage, I dropped right into the rapids of melodic death metal and it took a while before I rediscovered the appeal of not having harsh vocals. Whatever the case, traditional metal frequently languished on my personal side-line, and it doesn’t deserve that. Perhaps I can make some amends shining a little spotlight on Receiver, a new band with an old sound, hailing from the ever-contested island of Cyprus.” Defend the Isle of Olde!

Harmonize – Warrior in the Night Review

By Lord Doom on October 5, 2020 in Reviews, Heavy Metal, Power Metal, 72 comments

“There is a fine line between cringe and cheese. The latter is a savory substance that has embalmed many a God of Metal throughout the ages, and while the former can be bewitching in some of its shapes, it’s all the same loathed by most of us. Cheese is a crucial ingredient to all metal that I love, and of late I find that my desire for that silky, golden mass has become more and more difficult to satiate. Just as my craving was reaching peak levels and I hurried to spin Manowar’s “Sons of Odin” for the 666th time, the rattle of the promo bin beg I pay heed.” Sing for your steel!

Winter’s Verge – The Ballad of James Tig Review

By Twelve on September 10, 2020 in Reviews, Power Metal, 9 comments

“It was with slight trepidation that I fished out The Ballad of James Tig from the promo pit some weeks ago. There was just something about the cover that I didn’t trust. Not to mention that a power metal band writing a concept album about a mythical Viking-esque adventure isn’t the most original pitch I’ve ever heard. But there’s something endearing about Winter’s Verge that has me investigating anyway.” Tigonometry.

Solitary Sabred – By Fire & Brimstone Review

By Holdeneye on March 13, 2020 in 2020, Cypriot Metal, Heavy Metal, No Remorse Records, Power Metal, Reviews, Heavy Metal, Power Metal, 37 comments

“When Cypriot band Solitary Sabred entered my schedule, I looked back in the site’s archives and saw that their 2014 release Redemption Through Force had not only been covered, but highly recommended. Naturally, I was intrigued and I sampled. What I found was a heavy/power metal concept album with absolutely insane vocals. Sounding like a mixture of Manowar and Sanctuary due in no small part to singer Petros Leptos’ delivery consisting of three parts Eric Adams and one part early Warrel Dane, I immediately fell in love and ordered a physical copy of the release.” Steel thyself.

Mirror – Pyramid of Terror Review

By Kenstrosity on June 26, 2019 in 2019, Bad Omen Records, Cypriot Metal, Heavy Metal, Occult Rock, Proto-Metal, Reviews, Heavy Metal, 38 comments

“Everything is retro nowadays. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it is a thing. I’ve heard people say that reviving significant trends from previous decades is the result of a complete lack of originality in the current one. But I think it’s simply a law of human nature. People in any given decade become fascinated with aesthetics from anywhere between 30-to-50 years ago—presumably because they’re just now (re-)discovering them—and for a while the cultural landscape morphs into this weird amalgam of modern ideas squeezed through a retrospective filter. Or, sometimes people simply mimic whatever popular thing from whatever decade they have latched on to at the time.” Living in the past.

Tome of the Unreplenished – Cosmoprism: The Theurgy – Act 1 Review

By Akerblogger on January 27, 2017 in 2017, Black Metal, Cypriot Metal, I Voidhanger Records, Reviews, Black Metal, 32 comments

“I first listened to Cosmoprism: The Theurgy – Act 1 just after midnight. As I snuggled into my unicorn shaped pillow, I allowed the ambient nightmare that Tome of the Unreplenished had created into my mind. I let it capture my imagination and I was rewarded with a listening experience that, honestly, seemed to transport me into another world.” Into the uni-verse.

Solitary Sabred – Redemption Through Force Review

By Jean-Luc Ricard on September 30, 2014 in 2014, Epic Metal, Heavy Metal, Power Metal, Reviews, Epic Metal, Heavy Metal, Power Metal, 27 comments

“I made the error of listening to Solitary Sabred’s new album at work. Half-way through opener “Disciples of the Sword” I was being restrained by security: apparently it’s “against office policy” to strip to your underwear, lather yourself in baby oil, adopt the power stance and wave a poster-tube around your head pretending it’s a sword (why I keep baby oil at the office is my business, OK?).” Most HR departments frown on such trve metal shenanigans because HR is not trve! Death to false human resources!