Lord Mantis – Universal Death Church (Review)

Lord Mantis - Universal Death ChurchLord Mantis are from the US and play Blackened Sludge Metal. This is their fourth album.

2014’s Death Mask was a tortured nightmare of evil sludge, pretty much as foul as the style gets. Five years later the band have returned, infecting the world with 44 minutes of new material that’s as virulent and as nasty as ever. Continue reading “Lord Mantis – Universal Death Church (Review)”

Une Misère – Sermon (Review)

Une Misère - SermonUne Misère are an Icelandic metal band and this is their debut album.

Sermon mixes together gritty modern metal and violent hardcore, along with a touch of powerviolence, (and some other styles), and does so very convincingly. Continue reading “Une Misère – Sermon (Review)”

Algebra – Pulse? (Review)

Algebra - Pulse

This is the third album from Algebra, a thrash metal band from Switzerland.

Having been impressed with 2014’s Feed the Ego, it’s been far too large of a gap between Algebra releases for my liking. Well, there’s almost an hour of material on Pulse?, including a fiery Sepultura cover, so I feel like the band have made up for their absence. Continue reading “Algebra – Pulse? (Review)”

Ghastly Sound – Have a Nice Day (Review)

Ghastly Sound - Have a Nice DayThis is the debut album from US metallers Ghastly Sound.

Having really enjoyed both Ghastly Sound and The Bottom, I’ve been looking forward to Have a Nice Day. It has not disappointed, quite the opposite in fact. Continue reading “Ghastly Sound – Have a Nice Day (Review)”

Ram – The Throne Within (Review)

Ram - The Throne WithinThis is the sixth album from Swedish heavy metallers Ram.

Since 2015’s Svbversvm, and then 2017’s Rod, I have been a huge fan of Ram. Very few heavy metal bands from the last decade or so do it for me quite like Ram. They are, quite simply, just so damn good at what they do. Continue reading “Ram – The Throne Within (Review)”

Betraying the Martyrs – Rapture (Review)

Betraying the Martyrs - RaptureBetraying the Martyrs are a French metalcore band and this is their fourth album.

Betraying the Martyrs play keyboard-enriched metalcore that contains elements of both technical and nu-metal. The band’s sound makes for a dynamic listen that doesn’t pull punches, either musically or emotionally. Roughly a mix of Bleeding Through, American Headcharge, Carnifex, Korn, Born of Osiris, and Slipknot, Rapture is a rich and enjoyable album. Continue reading “Betraying the Martyrs – Rapture (Review)”

Aktaion – Above Empires (Review)

Aktaion - Above EmpiresThis is the third album form Swedish modern metal band Aktaion.

I’ve been a fan of Aktaion ever since their debut album Throne in 2015. They then followed this up with the improved The Parade of Nature a year later. The bigger gap between that album and Above Empires seems to have paid off, and the band’s third album truly sees them blossoming even bigger. Continue reading “Aktaion – Above Empires (Review)”