Ulterium Records

Diviner – Realms of Time Review

By Steel Druhm on June 7, 2019 in 2019, Greek Metal, Heavy Metal, Reviews, Ulterium Records, Heavy Metal, 39 comments

“Diviner’s Fallen Empires debut was one of the happy little surprises of 2015, offering a burly, beefy and catchy fusion of Iced Earth and Brainstorm. It was easy to digest traditional metal with a bit of Euro-power flair – simple, straight forward and heavy enough to satisfy. Now these Greek metal warriors return with the followup, Realms of Time and it seems the band used their down time wisely. All the things they did well last time have been improved upon. The music is heavier, but even catchier, and the hooks dig deeper than before as they pull out all the stops to make a humdinger of a classic heavy metal album.” Divine right.

Within Silence – Return from the Shadows Review

By GardensTale on October 24, 2017 in 2017, Heavy Metal, Power Metal, Reviews, Slovak Metal, Ulterium Records, Heavy Metal, Power Metal, 39 comments

“When it comes to metal countries, Slovakia won’t be the first that comes to mind (it didn’t even exist as a category on this site yet!). The little Eastern European country, sandwiched between Poland and Hungary, has scarcely become a hotbed for metal since splitting from its Czech twin, with the biggest name perhaps power metal band Signum Regis. The amount of you going “Who?” just confirms my point. Nevertheless, Within Silence is joining the ranks and dropping their sophomore album Return From the Shadows.” Shadows over Slovakia.

Theocracy – Ghost Ship Review

By Steel Druhm on November 1, 2016 in 2016, American Metal, Power Metal, Progressive Metal, Reviews, Ulterium Records, Power Metal, Progressive Metal, 55 comments

“Though I’ll admit to having steered clear of “Christian metal” over the years due to some silly, small-minded prejudices, there have been exceptions that slowly opened my eyes. Trouble began life as a “white metal” act and I still loved them intensely, and little known Barren Cross caught me in a weirdly inescapable web of hooks with their Atomic Arena album back in 88. Much more recently I was completely blown away by Theocracy’s 2011 opus As the World Bleeds, which mixed bombastic power with prog and classic metal in a way that suited me down to my nonspiritual bones.” It’s high time to get some religion!

Signum Regis – Chapter IV: The Reckoning Review

By Dr. A.N. Grier on November 24, 2015 in 2015, Power Metal, Reviews, Ulterium Records, Power Metal, 33 comments

“Being the black metal fan I am, I’ve scared many a girlfriend with my devil-worshiping, goat-sacrificing practices; which – according to these people – are not the result of the music but because that’s who I am and why I listen to metal music. All people have opinions and metal fans are no different. Many were recently offended because of the semi-regular appearance of the Christian deity in this year’s releases. As you can probably surmise, Signum Regis is here to continue this God-fearing trend.” We’re reviewing so much godly music lately that we may qualify for tax exempt status!

Diviner – Fallen Empires Review

By Steel Druhm on November 20, 2015 in 2015, Greek Metal, Heavy Metal, Power Metal, Reviews, Ulterium Records, Heavy Metal, Power Metal, 44 comments

“Greece loves heavy metal. This is known. From symphonic blackness to cheese-coated dragon and sandal power silliness, they’re well represented as fans and performers alike. Now Diviner joins the eternal fight to defend the faith with their Fallen Empires debut, weaponizing a kind of traditional metal with deep roots in the mid-80s American scene.” Enter the No Dragon Zone!

Things You Might Have Missed 2013: Theocracy – Theocracy (Re-recorded)

By Steel Druhm on December 22, 2013 in 2013, American Metal, Power Metal, Things You Might Have Missed 2013, Ulterium Records, Power Metal, 20 comments

“Once upon a time, Christian metal was completely devoid of bands talented enough to make a name for themselves outside their very small niche [Except for Trouble, of course. — Steel Druhm]. 10 years ago, Theocracy changed all that, and today the budding Christian metal scene boasts supremely talented artists numbering… well, it’s pretty much still just them. Sure, the scene has cracked out a few good releases here and there, but by and large, there’s not a wealth of quality. Despite the relative lack of bands to follow in their righteous wake, Theocracy has still been a pretty significant force in power metal over the last two years, with their highly acclaimed Mirror of Souls and As the World Bleeds albums.” Christian metal gets a bum rap, so in the spirit of the Holiday and love for all Mankind, we make sure you didn’t miss the re-recording of Theocracy’s debut! God rest ye merry metalheads.

Theocracy – As The World Bleeds Review

By Steel Druhm on December 8, 2011 in 2011, 4.0, American Metal, Heavy Metal, Power Metal, Progressive Metal, Reviews, Ulterium Records, Heavy Metal, Power Metal, Progressive Metal, 16 comments

Here’s a band I bet most haven’t heard of and some actively avoided due to their “christian metal” tag. Well, its time you heard of them and stopped worrying about such silly tags. However, for those diehard, anti-christian, pagan warriors of Wotan, try replacing “christian metal” with “white metal” or “good metal.” Okay, that probably didn’t help AT ALL but the point is, Theocracy is a really good band and their third album As The World Bleeds is an exceptional dose of progressive power metal. Once a one-man project helmed by Matt Smith, Theocracy is now a fully functioning band and these altar boys can really play! Sounding like a mash-up of Avantasia, Axenstar, Balance of Power, Eden’s Curse and Shadow Gallery, they deliver hyper-polished, super-slick, technical, proggy power with a ton of melodic hooks and a fair amount of heavy edge to boot. Songwriting is first-rate, musicianship is very impressive and heck, God will appreciate you listening to it. When was the last time you hordes of miscreants could honestly say that? Yeah, that’s what I thought, sinners! In all seriousness, this is a great power metal album, regardless of religious inclination. If you dig melodic metal, follow Steel Druhm through the desert of this review and he’ll deliver you to the Angry Promised Land.