Metalville Records

Cirkus Prütz – Blues Revolution Review

Cirkus Prütz – Blues Revolution Review

“While Dr. Grier recently lamented that there was little to find in the neck-deep tar pool that is the AMG promo pile, imagine what it’s like for a n00b who has to wait patiently until Steel loosens my chains and lets me out of my dark cell to pick at the leftovers. Still, on my most recent forced dive, eyes burnt out from the light, I managed to come up with an oddity that wasn’t a one-man black metal project. Instead, I came up gasping for air with a Swedish blues record clutched in my sticky mitts. I have no idea how this thing made it through the filter, or why Cirkus Prütz would want a bunch of disgruntled metal writers who argue all day about hobo wine and Deafheaven to review their album. Still, I’ll take it.” Rock in a dank place.

Freaks and Clowns – We Set the World on Fire Review

Freaks and Clowns – We Set the World on Fire Review

Freaks and Clowns is a Swedish quintet, two full-lengths into their five-year career. While undoubtedly power metal in Christer Wahlgren’s vibrato-laden trills, expect little Rhapsody of Fire sword-flashing here. Injected with a healthy dose of AC/DC-esque hard rock and aptly energetic Gothenburg riffing with an Avatar clown theme to boot, tracks range from glam-themed arena-rock anthems to take-no-prisoners beatdowns of riffy goodness.” Game of clowns.

Blackballed – Elephant in the Room Review

Blackballed – Elephant in the Room Review

“Standing on my shelf next to other “non-metal” records, like Captain Beyond, Pink Floyd, Johnny Cash, Tom Waits, Waylon Jennings, Blue Öyster Cult, and Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, you’ll find albums from B.B. King, Eric Clapton, Joe Bonamassa, Robert Johnson, and John Lee Hooker. Am I trying to say I’m an expert in the field? Heavens, no. But this would explain my odd selection of (typically) straight-forward, go-nowhere blues/hard rock promos for review. And here’s yet another.” Blues balls.

Grand Massive – 4 Review

Grand Massive – 4 Review

“Stoner rock and aggression mix about as well as water and oil. It’s more suited to laid-back breeziness or good-natured fuzz rock. It’ll tread into darker territories on occasion (Realms of Vision’s Through All Unknown two years ago was a memorable example) but beyond that, attempts at a darker form of the style frequently dissolve into sludge. The genre, not the metaphor. Grand Massive is a German stoner outfit who have been working on the road since 2008, and they try another angle, giving their stoner style some thrashy venom and just a whiff of old school heavy metal.” 4 for the desert.

Surgical Strike – Part of a Sick World Review

Surgical Strike – Part of a Sick World Review

Surgical Strike had its beginnings in 1993 and put out a couple of demos before going on hiatus for nearly twenty years. Reforming in 2014 with vocalist Jens Albert as the lone link to its past, the band released an EP in 2016 and now present their first official entry into the German thrash canon. And a solid entry it is.” Speed sickens.