Massacre Records

Aeternitas – Tales of the Grotesque Review

Aeternitas – Tales of the Grotesque Review

By Dr. Wvrm on June 29, 2018 in 2018, German Metal, Massacre Records, Reviews, Symphonic Metal, Symphonic Metal, 43 comments

“Aeternitas are show people. The touch of a thespian graces every pocket of their off-off-off Broadway metal career. 2016’s House of Usher took a step back from their Rappacinis Tochter stage show, to a green-as-a-clover Dr. Wvrm‘s great relief. Even then, the Poe-inspired production struggled to balance theatrics, symphonics, and plain old musics. Now, the Germans ditch a single narrative for a collection of them in hopes that fifth entry Tales of the Grotesque can mend the gap between art and fart.” Community theater-core.

Stormwitch – Bound to the Witch Review

Stormwitch – Bound to the Witch Review

By Steel Druhm on June 27, 2018 in 2018, German Metal, Heavy Metal, Massacre Records, NWOBHM, Reviews, Heavy Metal, NWOBHM, 75 comments

“Stormwitch is the Captain America of metal music: Perpetually out of sync with the times and what’s going on around them. Heavily influenced by the NWoBHM, they released their Walpurgis Night debut in 1984 just as the style was on the wane. They switched to a more commercial style on albums like 1986s Stronger Than Heaven as the thrash explosion engulfed the world. By 1989 they were dabbling in cheesy, ballad-heavy Euro-power as extreme metal was growing in popularity and the whole scene was on the brink of near annihilation by the Seattle grunge movement. Long story short: Stormwitch put out 10 albums at the wrong time and never broke it big.” Witches, man…

The Heretic Order – Evil Rising Review

The Heretic Order – Evil Rising Review

By Steel Druhm on June 25, 2018 in 2018, English Metal, Heavy Metal, Reviews, Heavy Metal, 39 comments

“Well I’ll be damned. It looks like your friendly neighborhood Steel Druhm swiped a King Diamond / Mercyful Fate worshiping band out from under the usually vigilant Doc Grier while he was sleeping with his back turned. U.K.’s The Heretic Order rock a kind of sloppy, sleazy mash-up of Kingly hits and meat n’ taters heavy metal, and they do so with the grace and subtlety of a gaggle of drunken bikers.” No order, no mercy.

Burden of Grief – Eye of the Storm Review

Burden of Grief – Eye of the Storm Review

By Master of Muppets on May 8, 2018 in 2018, German Metal, Massacre Records, Melodic Death Metal, Metalcore, Reviews, Melodic Death Metal, Metalcore, 110 comments

“Oh, Metalcore, I mourn for those who never knew you. Glorious was the heyday of such then-gigantic core ‘core acts as Killswitch Engage, All That Remains, Shadows Fall, etc. The alchemy of fusing melodeath-inspired riffage and radio-friendly songwriting yielded far more quality results than one might expect or willingly concede, yet the saturation and over recycling of this formula ultimately failed to maintain the staying power of its trve idols. Nonetheless, it’s still a thing, so people are still doing it. In Germany, Burden of Grief are hard at work being that collective guy.” Burden of core.

Abinchova – Weltenwanderer Review

Abinchova – Weltenwanderer Review

By Lokasenna on April 9, 2018 in 2018, Folk Metal, Massacre Records, Melodic Death Metal, Reviews, Swiss Metal, Melodic Death Metal, 15 comments

“One of my esteemed fellows, when I picked it from the promo-bin, dismissed Weltenwanderer as Eluveitie-core. Even as one of the few people around here with a soft spot for Eluveitie, that criticism is spot-on. Abinchova are three albums into their career and are settled into a style of folk-infused melodeath strongly reminiscent of their countrymen. Leaving the merits and flaws of the style itself behind, is Abinchova any good at it?” All folked up.

Schwarzer Engel – Kult der Krähe Review

Schwarzer Engel – Kult der Krähe Review

By Grymm on March 3, 2018 in 2018, German Metal, Gothic Metal, Massacre Records, Reviews, Symphonic Metal, Gothic Metal, Symphonic Metal, 4 comments

“Ever get that queasy feeling in the pit of your stomach when you commit to something that’s absolutely foreign to your comfort zone? You know what I mean… you say “yes” to something before you get a good, hard look at what you’re about to do, and all of a sudden, Internal You is “nope!”-ing at record speed? Folks, that was me upon accepting Kult der Krähe, the sixth album by German one-man symphonic machine Schwarzer Engel, upon looking at the cover without hearing a single note prior.” Kult ov One.

Victorius – Dinosaur Warfare – Legend of the Power Saurus EP Review

Victorius – Dinosaur Warfare – Legend of the Power Saurus EP Review

By Eldritch Elitist on February 4, 2018 in 2018, German Metal, Power Metal, Reviews, Power Metal, 63 comments

“I hate how the paleontological community has degraded the popular image of dinosaurs in recent years. It’s not that I disagree with their theories – I’m no scientist, and I’m not about to dispute countless hours of research performed by people who actually know what they’re talking about – but I’m still disappointed, because imagining a Tyrannosaurus rex as a big fucking chicken and a tender lover absolutely shatters the mystique of my childhood obsession. So you know what, Victorius? Go right ahead. Strap laser beams to their frickin’ heads. Refer to them as “epic war machines” fighting a “holy war” against “alien scum.”” Saur spots.

Rebellion – A Tragedy in Steel Part II: Shakespeare’s King Lear Review

Rebellion – A Tragedy in Steel Part II: Shakespeare’s King Lear Review

By Steel Druhm on January 26, 2018 in 2018, German Metal, Heavy Metal, Reviews, Heavy Metal, 28 comments

“If you encountered me during my misspent youth as an 80s metalhead and asked if Shakespeare and metal went well together, I’d have pondered the question deeply for several seconds, before hurling a half empty Schlitz can at you whilst cursing your ancestral line as posers and PMRC collaborators most foul. In the fullness of time I’ve come to realize the great English scribe’s body of is in fact, potent fodder for metal, teeming with sinister plots, betrayal, murder and war, sweet war. This pairing has been field tested with 2 concept albums based on Macbeth, one of which coming from German’s second-string grave exhumers, Rebellion.” Some are born metal, and some have metal thrust into them.