Heart

Avatarium – Hurricanes and Halos Review

By Steel Druhm on May 24, 2017 in 2017, Doom Metal, Nuclear Blast, Progressive Metal, Progressive Rock, Reviews, Swedish Metal, Doom Metal, Heavy Metal, Progressive Metal, 40 comments

“I had no idea this album was even happening until late Friday evening. It arrived in the Promo Department and Madam X sent a minion scurrying to my stately offices inquiring if I was expecting something new from Avatarium. After said minion was soundly whipped for making eye contact and disturbing my righteous Steelsleep, I reflected on the question. Having heard nothing whatsoever of a new album I assumed it was just an EP, remix or some such nonsense. Not so, as it’s actually the third album of bluesy, 70s influenced quasi-doom rock from Candlemass founder Leif Edling and company.” A mighty wind’s gonna halo.

The Riven – Blackbird Review

By GardensTale on April 16, 2017 in 2017, British Metal, Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, Reviews, Self-released, Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, 17 comments

“70’s revival bands pop out of the ground like hallucinogenic mushrooms in this day and age, but despite making up half the population of the planet, there’s a somewhat depressing lack of female-fronted material. It’s an issue that has plagued rock and metal for decades, but when the annals contain such timeless talents as Heart and Janis Joplin, it doesn’t feel like a counterweight for all the testosterone should be too much to ask.” More Venus, less penis.

Avatarium – The Girl With the Raven Mask Review

By Steel Druhm on October 30, 2015 in 2015, Doom Metal, Nuclear Blast, Progressive Metal, Reviews, Swedish Metal, Doom Metal, Progressive Metal, 66 comments

Candlemass’ 1986 debut Epicus Doomicus Metallicus had a big impact on my young metal mind and made me a lifetime convert to Leif Edling’s concept of what doom metal should sound like. Decades later, he surprised me again with his Avatarium debut and how it leveraged the prodigious vocal gifts of Jennie-Ann Smith to create a refreshing take on the classic doom template. While I expected The Girl With the Raven Mask to be a quality follow-up, I wasn’t prepared for this!” Get prepared post-haste!

Tarja – Colours in the Dark Review

By Steel Druhm on August 26, 2013 in 2.5, 2013, Finnish Metal, Gothic Metal, Reviews, Universal Music Group, Gothic Metal, Symphonic Metal, 14 comments

When Tarja Turunen took her larger-than-life operatic talents out of Nightwish and off to South Beach, she and her former band-mates engaged in enough back-biting and insults to fill an entire season of a Mexican soap opera (and a few Mexican wrestling matches as well). When all the bickering was done, Nightwish acquired Anette Olzon and soldiered on as Tarja began her solo career in earnest. While Nightwish has fared respectably with a few decent albums under their belt in the post-Tarja era, Tarja’s solo outings have ranged from average to rather bad.” Can this comely Finnish diva reverse course and put out a killer goth-metal platter? Steel Druhm examines all the colours (except blue and green, since he’s a bit colorblind).

Things You Might Have Missed 2012: The Night Flight Orchestra – Internal Affairs

By Dr. Fisting on December 9, 2012 in 2012, Not Metal, Releases, Reviews, Swedish Metal, Things You Might Have Missed 2012, 1 comment

Lost in the diarrhea-like flood of bad deathcore and pretentious doom metal released in 2012, a little band from Sweden released a gem of old-school, adjective-less rock ‘n roll. The album in question is Internal Affairs by The Night Flight Orchestra, a quintet that just happens to include vocalist Björn “Speed” Strid and guitarist David […]