Nov18

Sadist – Spellbound Review

By Ferrous Beuller on November 16, 2018 in 2019, American Metal, Death Metal, Progressive Death, Reviews, Scarlet Records, Death Metal, 54 comments

“Sadist are a band who have always toed the line between cult classic and second tier. Their progressive death metal has run the gamut between introspective fusion and ham-fisted rhythm, but aside from their excellent debut, Absence of Light, our relationship remains regrettably distant. Now, imagine my intrigue when faced with the Italians’ eighth full-length, Spellbound, a record based on the work of the infinitely influential Alfred Hitchcock. Surely combining my favorite core genre with the oeuvre one of the greatest auteur directors of all time is a recipe for success? Don’t call me Shirley…” Sadism comes in many forms.

Divine Ascension – The Uncovering Review

By Carcharodon on November 16, 2018 in 2018, Australian Metal, Power Metal, Progressive Metal, Reviews, ViciSolum Productions, Power Metal, Progressive Metal, 53 comments

“Australian progressive metallers Divine Ascension are back with their third album, The Uncovering. Apparently. To be honest, I was blissfully unaware they were here in the first place or that they’d gone anywhere. But this appears to be a failing on my part. Their previous outing, Liberator, saw them touring in support of genre stalwarts Stratovarius, as well as getting on the road with the inimitable Blind Guardian. Whilst I have something of a soft spot for both these bands, it is undeniable that their (extensive) back catalogs are patchy—although I won’t hear a word said against Blind Guardian’s Nightfall in Middle Earth—and I can’t help but query how much space there really is in what might be termed progressive-power metal.” Cover up, Buttercup.

Vouna – Vouna Review

By Dear Hollow on November 15, 2018 in 2018, American Metal, Artemisia Records, Black Metal, Doom Metal, Reviews, Black Metal, 33 comments

“I’ve bet you’ve never heard of Vouna. I certainly haven’t. However, I bet you have heard of Wolves in the Throne Room. If you haven’t, I’m banishing you from this review until you’ve heard Two Hunters. We good?” Game of Throne Rooms.

Sunless Dawn – Timeweaver Review

By GardensTale on November 15, 2018 in 2018, Danish Metal, Death Metal, Prime Collective, Progressive Metal, Reviews, Death Metal, Progressive Metal, 37 comments

“While I dislike music competitions as much as anyone, there’s something to be said for the worldwide Metal Battle program, involving 27 countries and hundreds of fledgling bands. Organized by Wacken, you can at least trust there will be no significant genre bias, unlike general music competitions. And while winners may be to your taste or not, they can always be deemed competent at the very least. Sunless Dawn won the 2016 Denmark Metal Battle, but it took them until now to release their debut, the hour-long progressive behemoth that is Timeweaver.” Greater Danes.

The Algorithm – Compiler Optimization Techniques Review

By Kronos on November 15, 2018 in 2018, Electronica Metal, French Metal, Reviews, Self-released, Electronica Metal, Melodic Death Metal, 50 comments

“I’m a big fan of The Algorithm’s first two demos, both sprawling and unpredictable mash-ups of glitchy electronica and heavy riffing. Adventurous and eclectic, The Doppeler Effect and Critical Error have stayed in my regular rotation for the better part of a decade, but after 2012’s Polymorphic Code, Rémi Gallego’s strange project fell off my radar. It wasn’t that I lost interest in the music – I just had bigger, heavier fish to fry, and record companies at the time were not the best at making their products readily available for perusal.” It’s a synth.

Artillery – The Face of Fear Review

By Steel Druhm on November 14, 2018 in 2018, Danish Metal, Metal Blade, Reviews, Thrash Metal, Thrash Metal, 32 comments

“The fact that Artillery is still going always surprises me on some level. Though they were an integral part of the original thrash wave in the 80s, these once great Danes were always overshadowed by their American and German counterparts, never receiving their share of respect and fame despite the strength of albums like Fear of Tomorrow and By Inheritance. After taking off much of the time between 1991 and 2008, they reformed and have been relatively productive over the past 10 years.” Shellshock.

Hex A.D. – Netherworld Triumphant Review

By Doom_et_Al on November 14, 2018 in 2018, Doom Metal, Fresh Tea, Norwegian Metal, Progressive Metal, Reviews, Doom Metal, Progressive Metal, 26 comments

“It’s a great time to be a doom fan. It feels like the genre is going through a burst of creativity at the moment. Bands who are failing to keep up, however, can find themselves left by the wayside. Hex A.D. is a quartet hailing from Norway, and their first two albums, Even the Savage Will See Fair Play and The Last Nail in the Coffin Lid consisted of fairly run-o’-the-mill sludgy, stoner doom. Nothing wrong with that, of course, but there was little to distinguish them from many of their peers. Their latest effort would have to offer something tastier than their previous platters to distract me from the doom buffet of 2018.” Take all you want, but eat all you take.

Atlas – Primitive Review

By Mark Z. on November 13, 2018 in 2018, Finnish Metal, Inverse Records, Metalcore, Reviews, Metalcore, 63 comments

“Modern metalcore is such a tease. For every killer band like While She Sleeps, there’s a dozen more that leave me unmoved. Nonetheless, I always hold out hope that a new metalcore band will show up and blow my balls off, and that’s exactly why I grabbed Primitive from the promo bin.” Madballz.

Sigh – Heir to Despair Review

By Kronos on November 13, 2018 in 2018, Avante Garde, Black Metal, Candlelight Records, Japanese Metal, Progressive Metal, Reviews, Black Metal, 76 comments

“Some of the band’s previously bagged waterfowl are among the rarest and colorful to ever take flight, flashing their lavish plumage in iridescent hues and streaming with fanciful feathers. After the modern classic of In Somniphobia and Graveward’s acceptable, if not always exciting, follow-up, the band needed something different to end this quartet with something more powerful than mere exhalation.” Where the Heir is thin.

Tank – Sturmpanzer Review

By Huck N Roll on November 13, 2018 in 2018, British Metal, Dissonance Productions, Heavy Metal, NWOBHM, Reviews, Heavy Metal, NWOBHM, 80 comments

“Sometimes we get what we want, and sometimes we get what we deserve. Here I am, trudging towards the end of the year, relying on headmistress Madam X to dole out the review rewards and punishments as she sees fit – except for this week. This week, she forgot about little old me, and what did I see lurking in the promo bin? Tank. How did Steel Druhm, my cohort in late-middle-age, not grab this? Both of us remember the original Tank from way back in the early 80s, with their punk/proto take on the whole NWOBHM movement briefly endearing them to many.” Tanked.