Heavy Metal

Things You Might Have Missed 2014: Striker – City of Gold

By Diabolus in Muzaka on January 14, 2015 in Canadian Metal, Heavy Metal, Napalm Records, Things You Might Have Missed 2014, Heavy Metal, Thrash Metal, 17 comments

“I’ll fully admit that I have a soft spot for fun in my metal. After all, a man can only listen to Ulcerate growl about entropy, Triptykon purging Tom G.’s demons, and Kvarforth whining about how long it took him to clean out his bathtub after his fateful promo video (I don’t speak Swedish, so this is conjecture) so much, and even though I greatly enjoy all of those artists and listen to their great work regularly, sometimes a change of pace is needed. Enter Alberta’s Striker, and their excellent third album City of Gold.” For the record, bathtubs are a real pain in the arse to clean.

Battle Beast – Unholy Savior Review

By Steel Druhm on January 5, 2015 in 2015, Finnish Metal, Heavy Metal, Nuclear Blast, Reviews, Heavy Metal, 58 comments

“What better way to start 2015 than with a smack in the face by 120 lbs. of steaming, internally conflicted cheddar? That’s right, Battle Beast is back after their disappointing eponymous album, and they sound even more confused than when they made the dubious leap from the raucous, over the top Euro-power of their wondrous Steel debut to hair metal influenced pop-power.” Head of a lion, wings of a bat, feet of limburger.

Things You Might Have Missed: Death Penalty – Death Penalty

By Steel Druhm on December 23, 2014 in Doom Metal, English Metal, Heavy Metal, Rise Above Records, Things You Might Have Missed 2014, Doom Metal, Heavy Metal, 11 comments

“When Cathedral went belly up last year, riff-meister extraordinaire Gaz Jennings was left with some time on his nimble hands. Like any good doom maven he used this time to recruit a new band and launch Death Penalty, which he lovingly named after the debut by classic doomsters Witchfinder General.” If Gaz be playing, you best be paying.

Things You Might Have Missed: Dawnbringer – Night of the Hammer

By Steel Druhm on December 15, 2014 in 2014, American Metal, Doom Metal, Heavy Metal, Profound Lore Records, Things You Might Have Missed 2014, Doom Metal, Heavy Metal, 27 comments

“One of the biggest disappointments this year was Profound Lore’s inexplicable failure to get us a copy of the new Dawnbringer promo, Night of the Hammer. Due to said failure, it was we who might have missed one of the best albums of the year. I’ve been a major supporter of Chris Black’s (High Spirits, Pharaoh, ex-Nachtmystium) weird proto-metal project ever since their outre Nucleus platter, and I was equally bowled over by 2012’s Into the Lair of the Sun God. Maintaining the band’s upward trajectory once again, Night of the Hammer takes the Dawnbringer sound even further backward into metal’s past.” Like a hammer to a nail, so are the days of our metal lives….

Things You Might Have Missed 2014: Onheil – Storm Is Coming

By Dr. A.N. Grier on December 11, 2014 in 2014, Black Metal, Cyclone Empire, Death Metal, Dutch Metal, Post-metal, Things You Might Have Missed 2014, Black Metal, Death Metal, Heavy Metal, Post-Metal, 15 comments

“Being the metal fan that you are, I can only assume you’ve had that late-night trip to the record store, hell-bent on purchasing a new album. It doesn’t even matter what album. However, tonight it turns out your favorite record store doesn’t have shit in the way of metal. Either you own it or don’t want it. So you base your purchasing decision on close examination of the “fans of blah blah blah” labels, the artwork, and the band name itself. You finally come across an album just released that week and buy it knowing there’s the possibility for one-of-three outcomes.” Buying blind, oh the thrill!

Zero Down – No Limit to the Evil Review

By Steel Druhm on December 9, 2014 in 2014, American Metal, Heavy Metal, Minotauro Records, Reviews, Heavy Metal, 9 comments

“If there was ever a band making music because they wanted to and not caring if anyone else liked it, Zero Down is it. These cats have been lurking in the most obscure corners of metaldom since 2002 and managed to self release three prior albums, with No Limit to the Evil being the latest. They rock an olden style of metal something like a mash up of British Steel era Judas Priest mixed with Motorhead, hard rock and punk, and in all honestly, it’s a bit of a hot mess.” That cover says a lot, but doesn’t tell the whole story.

Bloodbound – Stormborn Review

By Steel Druhm on November 18, 2014 in 2014, AFM Records, Heavy Metal, Power Metal, Reviews, Swedish Metal, Heavy Metal, Power Metal, 9 comments

“Following these guys is like dating someone with a serious mood disorder. Sure, the wild emotional swings keep it interesting, but the payoff is rarely worth the effort. Bloodbound started out as a throwback traditional metal act, releasing an excellent debut which benefitted greatly from the considerable vocal talents of Urban Breed (ex-Tad Morose, ex-Pyramaze). Breed left thereafter but their sophomore outing was solid nonetheless, and he returned once again for the very good Tabla Rasa outing. He then bailed again, leaving the band to utilize the talents of Patrik “Pata” Johansson for 2011s Unholy Cross, which had moments, but was ultimately too generic to pass muster. Then came the abomination of 2012s In the Name of Metal, which only served to give metal a bad name.” Where will the mood ring take us next? To Westeros, of course!

Crazy Lixx – Crazy Lixx Review

By Jean-Luc Ricard on November 3, 2014 in 2014, Cock Rock, Frontiers Records, Heavy Metal, Reviews, Swedish Metal, Cock Rock, Glam Metal, Hair Metal, Heavy Metal, 11 comments

“You know how Kurt Cobain killed Hair Metal? Of course you know; we’ve been through this already. He didn’t. Yes folks, it’s time for your second dose of hair metal in under a month! You see, while AMG has been distracted dealing with Steel Druhm’s incessant efforts to inject more Jorn onto the site by any means necessary, I’ve launched my own elaborately coiffured campaign to restyle Angry Metal Guy into the far more fabulous Hair Metal Guy.” Jorn in the U.S.A.!

Riot V – Unleash the Fire Review

By Steel Druhm on October 26, 2014 in 2014, American Metal, Heavy Metal, Reviews, Heavy Metal, 14 comments

“Riot is a legendary name in the New York metal scene with a career spanning almost 40 years. They’ve released genre classics like Narita, Fire Down Under and their crowning moment, 1988s Thundersteel. I’ve banged on about how great that album is since joining AMG and to this day it remains one of my all time favorites. The Thundersteel lineup reunited in 2011 for the brilliant Immortal Soul, which earned a very rare 5.0/5.0 from yours truly and it seemed the world was about to witness a major Riot renaissance. Then tragedy struck and founder and guitarist supreme Mark Reale passed away, leaving Riot in limbo.” The New York titans have been resurrected along with their seal faced mascot. But will it earn Steel Druhm’s Seal of Approval?

Allen/Lande – The Great Divide Review

By Steel Druhm on October 8, 2014 in 2014, Frontiers Records, Heavy Metal, Power Metal, Reviews, Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, 11 comments

“A talented singer can become, in the hands of a skilled songsmith, a powerful tool for artistic expression. In such a craftsman’s nimble fingers, powerful vocals can be woven and molded to create a truly sublime listening experience. Likewise, in the hands of a rank amateur, those same vocal gifts can become nothing but a hammer, and every song the nail.” When you learn who is responsible for crafting songs for these metal legends, you may fear a hammering in your immediate future.