Napalm Records

Vista Chino – Peace Review

By Jordan Campbell on August 29, 2013 in 2013, 3.0, American Metal, Napalm Records, Reviews, Stoner Rock, Heavy Metal, Stoner Rock, 2 comments

“No, this isn’t the title of the second Palmsszzzzzzzz record. Vista Chino is the mercifully rechristened Kyuss Lives! (A moniker so abysmal that even something like Kinda Kyuss would’ve been an acceptable alternative.) John Garcia and Brant Bjork’s resuscitated baby now has a name befitting something classier than a casino-circuit cabaret act, and they’ve got eyes on reclaiming the long-abdicated stoner / desert rock throne. 2013 is becoming the year of comeback records: Gorguts, Carcass, and now Kyuss. Well, kinda ,
Kyuss.” There’s a special sandy place in many hearts for the desert rock of classic Kyuss. Can the members of that seminal act recapture the magic with the awfully named Vista Chino? Jordan Campbell reports from Sky Valley.

End of Green – The Painstream Review

By Steel Druhm on August 20, 2013 in 2013, 3.5, German Metal, Gothic Metal, Napalm Records, Reviews, 8 comments

“End of Green have a shit-kickingly bad band name. I’ve always hated it, but it hasn’t stopped me from following these guys since their 2002 Songs for a Dying World release. They started life as a gothic, doomy metal act that stole most of their inspiration from Type O Negative, but over the course of their career they’ve drifted toward a more direct gloom-rock style not very far from Entwine, Lacrimas Profundere, late period Sentenced and Katatonia. Their early albums were terribly inconsistent and suffered from some bigtime filler demons, yet their talent was always apparent on a few standout tracks.” We haven’t reviewed a gothy, doom-rock album in a while since we’re usually so obsessed with death metal. To balance the ledgers, here’s a review of something gothy and doom-rocky.

Powerwolf – Preachers of the Night Review

By Madam X on July 24, 2013 in 2013, 4.0, German Metal, Heavy Metal, Napalm Records, Power Metal, Reviews, Heavy Metal, Power Metal, 20 comments

“Who’s up for a wolfnado? Hit play, go on I dare you… The wolf-pack’s back and as luck would have it I freed up just in time to safely prise Preachers of the Night from Mr Druhm’s steely, far too cynical grip! For those of you that don’t already know and love Powerwolf’s brand of heavy or power metal they go for your throat with canines bared. Locking on with the speed and catchiness of HammerFall (Glory to the Brave era), with uncomplicated melodies, simple riffing and hugely delivered, shout-along choruses similar to those of Sabaton all the while capturing some of the atmosphere of King Diamond.” Madam X made damn sure Steel Druhm didn’t review this because he has a Powerwolf hunting permit. But can even she stomach all the theatrics and silliness that comes with a release from these overacting hurricanines?

Lonewolf – The Fourth and Final Horseman Review

By Happy Metal Guy on June 24, 2013 in 2.5, 2013, French Metal, Heavy Metal, Napalm Records, Reviews, 3 comments

“It’s unfortunate that French heavy metal band Lonewolf’s sixth studio album had to be next on Happy Metal Guy’s reviewing list right after he reviewed this. But well, it’s too bad—that’s just how life is. When life splashes lemonade on you, use a pail to collect every drop of it dutifully, obtain citric acid crystals from it and use them to produce pesticide.” Well, not every album can be White Wizzard, whatever that means.

Lacrimas Profundere – Antiadore Review

By Steel Druhm on May 31, 2013 in 2013, 3.5, German Metal, Gothic Metal, Napalm Records, Reviews, Gothic Metal, 2 comments

“More goth-metal from Napalm Records? Sure, I think we all need a break from the endless waves of retro-death, retro-thrash and black metal (which is by definition retro). Lacrimas Profundere has been around forever and over the past five or six albums, they’ve settled into a comfort zone of glum, goth-rock in the same vein as Entwine, H.I.M., To Die For and naturally they include plenty of nods to The Cure and The Cult. While one can hammer them for essentially releasing Ave End over and over again, their knack for keeping things catchy and lively continue to draw me back time after time. While I think their Filthy Notes For Frozen Hearts was their best release in this cycle, I was more than pleased with 2010s The Grandiose Nowhere and still spin it pretty often when that urge to be morose hits me.” Steel Druhm is on a goth-metal kick, so you all must deal with it and play along until we go back to death metal 24/7.

Tristania – Darkest White Review

By Steel Druhm on May 30, 2013 in 2013, 3.0, Gothic Metal, Napalm Records, Norwegian Metal, Progressive Metal, Reviews, Progressive Metal, 9 comments

“Norway’s Tristania was one of those quirky, but compelling bands that really grabbed my attention with their Beyond the Veil album. Their strange mash-up of goth, death, black and symphonic metal was quite intoxicating and had more moods than any crazy ex girlfriend you care to mention. Follow up World of Glass was also gripping and fascinating, but as the years went by, Tristania’s wow factor rapidly drained away. By the time of 2010s Rubicon, they had become a mere shade of their former selves and the album felt like run-of-the-mill goth-metal with little to set it apart from the legions of similar female-fronted acts. I expected more of the same here with Darkest White, but I was pleasantly surprised by the improvements the band has made in their approach and song writing.” Since all we do is review death metal that sounds like Septicflesh, Steel Druhm thought it might be a good time to review some goth-metal. Tristania was available, so here they are for your viewing and reading pleasure.

Summoning – Old Mornings Dawn Review

By Noctus on May 26, 2013 in 2013, 4.5, Austrian Metal, Black Metal, Napalm Records, Reviews, Uncategorized, Black Metal, 27 comments

“It was seven years ago that I purchased my very first CD as a teenager who knew nothing about music other than the fact I absolutely loved it and wanted to find something completely different and obscure. I opened up a metal magazine and was instantly pulled in by the mysterious description and album cover to Summoning’s Oath Bound. The nature-influenced album cover, the Austrian black metal description, all of it seemed incredibly alluring so I bought it blindly — my first ever musical purchase. Needless to say, Oath Bound arrived and floored me.” Noctus has a heartfelt history with this group of Tolkien-obsessed black metal maven, but does their new album live up to his lofty (and insanely fanboyish) expectations?

Atrocity – Okkult Review

By Madam X on April 8, 2013 in 2013, 3.5, Black Metal, Death Metal, German Metal, Heavy Metal, Melodic Death Metal, Napalm Records, Rating, Releases, Reviews, Black Metal, Melodic Death Metal, Symphonic Metal, 12 comments

“Yes, Atrocity have indeed lived up to their name and not in the way one hopes for in death metal, technical, melodic or otherwise. They’re the band that brought out the very un-metal Werk 80 consisting of ‘metalled up’ covers of 80’s pop songs. Oh and wait for it they didn’t stop there, 11 years down the line they doubled the atrocity with the release of Werk 80 II (a double album offering) – I have to ask why?” Steel Druhm joins Madam X in asking why a death metal band chose to make their name doing novelty covers of 80s pop hits, but hey, who are we to judge? Now they’re doing real death metal again and Madam X kinda digs it.

Serenity – War of Ages Review

By Steel Druhm on March 18, 2013 in 2013, 4.0, Austrian Metal, Heavy Metal, Napalm Records, Power Metal, Reviews, Heavy Metal, Power Metal, 17 comments

“Serenity have been releasing solid power metal albums for a while now, but so far they seem to be fairly underrated. I really enjoyed their older releases, especially Fallen Sanctuary (“The Heartblood Symphony” is a great fucking song). No small part of their appeal comes from the fact that singer Georg Neuhauser sounds a lot like Sonata Arctica’s Tony Kakko, but Serenity’s music is heavier and more ballsy than anything Sonata has attempted in ages. War of Ages sees the band right the flagship and find the proper balance between their increasing symphonic leanings and their prior metal edge. The result is a good approximation of what Kamelot would sound like if they replaced Roy Kahn with Mr. Kakko and continued on their merry, pirate-shirted way. ” Do you like Sonata Arctica? Do you like Kamelot? Well according to Steel Druhm, this is so deep in your wheelhouse, you’ll never get it out!

Mortillery – Origin of Extinction Review

By Steel Druhm on February 25, 2013 in 2013, 3.5, Canadian Metal, Napalm Records, Reviews, Thrash Metal, Thrash Metal, 3 comments

“In the sea of mediocre re-thrash that was 2012, the unheralded debut by Canadian upstarts Mortillery was one of the few life rafts of quality. Murder, Death, Kill was tongue-in-cheek fun and had all the flavor of the second wave of ’80s thrash while incorporating just enough traditional metal and punk elements to keep things interesting. You could feel the youthful exuberance and hunger in the band’s music and they greatly benefited from the exception vocals of Cara McCutchen and the axe slinging acumen of Alex Scott and Alex Guitierrez.” Steel Druhm happily trotted out the skull tank of rethrash for 2012s Mortillery debut, and now they’re back with a follow-up! Will that tank start up again after sitting all year?