Italian Metal

Crying Steel – Stay Steel Review

By Steel Druhm on June 14, 2018 in 2018, Heavy Metal, Italian Metal, Pride & Joy Music, Reviews, Heavy Metal, 86 comments

“Steel doesn’t cry. Nor does Steel run, hide or eat soy-based food stuffs. He does however partake liberally of 80 heavy metal, and that’s how Crying Steel came under his iron gaze ov chrome. Hailing from Italy, this retro rocking outfit has bounced around for quite some time, managing to release a series of albums from 2007 onward, of which Stay Steel is the fourth. They describe their style as NWoIHM (New Wave of Italian Heavy Metal), which in practice sounds suspiciously like the First Wave of American Metal Inspired by the New Wave of British Heavy Metal.” Waves and metal tears.

Abhor – Occulta Religio Review

By Dr. Wvrm on June 12, 2018 in 2018, Black Metal, Iron Bonehead Productions, Italian Metal, Reviews, Black Metal, 45 comments

“Once upon a time, metal acts – the early ones at least – skirted around the issue of Satanism. “Are they for real?” “Are they not?” “Can’t you just like goats and pentagrams without someone thinking of the children anymore?” But that shit curved back on itself like a funhouse mirror. In no time at all, every band, be they black, death, or retro pop, were sacrificing small animals and pilfering scented candles from their mom’s bathroom, and, in so doing, killed the shtick wholesale. Those same blasphemous symbols that once declared you were in league with Satan lost their oomph when they could be purchased on discount tee shirts at Walmart. So what are we to make of Abhor?” In a bowling league with Satan.

Kanseíl – Fulìsche Review

By Lokasenna on June 3, 2018 in 2018, Folk Metal, Italian Metal, Reviews, Rockshots Records, Folk Metal, 42 comments

“It is hardly controversial to describe the Italian metal scene as ‘bombastic,’ or even ‘cheesy.’ Hell, it’s the go-to for basically everyone in the Anglosphere, even when talking about brutally heavy acts like Hour of Penance. So imagine my surprise when I turn over a rock and find an Italian act that defies those expectations!” Cheese famine.

Airborn – Lizard Secrets: Part One – Land of the Living Review

By Eldritch Elitist on June 2, 2018 in 2018, Fighter Records, Italian Metal, Power Metal, Reviews, Power Metal, 53 comments

“Lizard Secrets! LIZARD SECRETS! When sifting through the endless pile of gore-drenched and occult-themed album titles in the AMG promo bin, something as adorable as Lizard Secrets immediately stands out. As for Airborn themselves, well, they’ve had a tough time doing the same in the power metal scene over the past twenty two years of their existence, plugging along on a semi-regular release schedule that I had been completely unaware of until I plucked this album from the a(mg)ether.” I toad you that was a secret!

Kenòs – Pest Review

By Kronos on May 30, 2018 in 2018, Death Metal, Italian Metal, My Kingdom Music, Reviews, 38 comments

“As with a good ninety percent of Mediterranean death metal bands, Kenòs predicate their style on a brutal but boring interpretation of American brutal death, accented with a drum sound that’s preened like a fancy pigeon and monotonous vocals. Somebody out there likes this stuff, I’m sure, but that person isn’t me. Doomed to review Italian death metal every three months like clockwork, I can at least thank Kenòs for trying something a bit different here.” Pasta and pretension.

Spellblast – Of Gold and Guns Review

By Swordborn on April 5, 2018 in 2018, Italian Metal, Power Metal, Reviews, Self-released, Power Metal, 69 comments

“No, it’s not Orden Ogan’s Gunmen: Part Two, but we’ve got another European power metal band going full-bore American west on us. This time around, it’s a lesser-known Italian power metal act by the name of Spellblast, which is well known to me for its release of a pair of strong, if rather unkempt, albums in 2007’s Horns of Silence and 2010’s Battlecry. In 2014, the band executed a crowdfunding campaign (which I contributed to) for its third studio album entitled Nineteen, which was based on Stephen King’s Dark Tower saga. Unfortunately, despite having the band’s best vocal performance, Nineteen suffered from some serious redundancy and creative regression, caused in part by lineup changes and a new preoccupation with “western themes,” which were much less apparent then than now. No longer presenting a fantastical front, Of Gold and Guns is simply an homage to the characters of the American old west.” Spent bullets and dead horses.

Eldritch – Cracksleep Review

By GardensTale on April 3, 2018 in 2018, Power Metal, Progressive Metal, Reviews, Scarlet Records, Power Metal, Progressive Metal, 26 comments

“It’s always more difficult to review a band with an established discography when you’ve never heard of them in the first place. Such is the case with Eldritch, a prolific Italian power metal outfit with a whopping 11 albums under their belt since their 1991 inception. Allegedly, their earlier works contained such influences as Metallica, Machine Head, and Pantera, but 17 years and a few line-up changes can do a lot to a band (right, Metal Magic?) In case of Eldritch, their experience has pushed power and progressive tendencies to the forefront, settling on a sound from the neighborhood of Angra for their new release, the curiously titled Cracksleep.” Eldritch non-elitist.

Messa – Feast for Water Review

By Steel Druhm on April 2, 2018 in 2018, Aural Music, Doom Metal, Italian Metal, Reviews, Doom Metal, 82 comments

“In my lengthy tenure as an AMG contributor, I can count on half a hand the number of albums that blindsided me as hard as Messa’s debut Belfry did. I plucked it from the promo sump knowing zero about the upstart Italian doomsters and was soon hopelessly in the thrall of their eerie doom drone hybrid style. Naturally, Belfry was going to be a tough act to follow regardless what direction the young act decided to travel, and after a fairly short wait, we get their second album, Feast for Water.” Into the deep end.

Repulsione – Desecrating Review

By Dr. Wvrm on March 10, 2018 in 2018, Grind, Italian Metal, Reviews, WOOAAARGH, 25 comments

“It was to be the heist of the century, my crowning achievement: sneaking a suspiciously un-hyped release by original grinders Repulsion out from under everyone else’s grubby eyes and watchful mitts. And I would have gotten away with it too, if it weren’t for that pesky e. What a difference a letter makes. Enter Italian vets Repulsione. All the grind you wanted, now with twice the bass.” E-limination.

We Have the Moon – Till the Morning Comes Review

By Mark Z. on March 3, 2018 in 2018, Electronica Metal, Italian Metal, Metalcore, Reviews, Rockshots Records, Electronica, Metalcore, 10 comments

“This is it, folks. We spent years telling our kids they were special, years encouraging them to be creative and let their imaginations run wild. No doubt this encouragement led to some fantastic art, but there was certainly some that were lacking. Fortunately, parents or instructors were typically there to steer these budding musicians along, telling them gently to ‘try something else’ or ‘maybe play soccer instead.’ But of course, there were always a few that slipped through the cracks.” Bad moon rising.