Defiatory – Hades Rising (Review)

DefiatoryThis is the second album from this Swedish thrash metal band.

Defiatory’s debut album Extinct was a notably enjoyable thrash attack, ably mixing together older influences into a modern take on aggressive thrash metal. Continue reading “Defiatory – Hades Rising (Review)”

Tantal – Ruin (Review)

TantalTantal are a Russian metal band and this is their third album.

Mixing elements of modern, progressive, melodic, and Gothic metal into 49 minutes of music, Ruin is the follow up to 2014’s Expectancy, which was a good starter for getting to know Tantal’s sound. Ruin sees the band Continue reading “Tantal – Ruin (Review)”

Buried Above Ground – The Crown (Review)

Buried Above GroundBuried Above Ground are a US metalcore/deathcore band and this is their new album.

The Crown is a 30-minute slab of brutality, full of punishing grooves, heavy breakdowns, and savage vocals; NWOAHM-meets-deathcore, with added electronic/keyboard enhancements. Continue reading “Buried Above Ground – The Crown (Review)”

Barren Earth – A Complex of Cages (Review)

Barren EarthBarren Earth are a progressive metal band from Finland and this is their fourth album.

My my, there’s a lot of talent in this band. With members from notable groups such as Amorphis, Moonsorrow, October Falls, and Kreator, as well as many others, you know this isn’t going to be a dud. Special note should Continue reading “Barren Earth – A Complex of Cages (Review)”

An Argency – Eternal Legacy (Review)

An ArgencyAn Argency are a deathcore/metalcore band from Belarus and this is their second album.

So here’s a band that are travelling a path slightly less-worn – self-described as symphonic blackened deathcore, or occult deathcore, Eternal Legacy is the sound of deathcore/metalcore structuring that’s been warped and corrupted by black metal’s sickening touch. Continue reading “An Argency – Eternal Legacy (Review)”

Light the Torch – Revival (Review)

Light the TorchLight the Torch are a US metalcore band and this is their debut album, (or third, depending on how you look at it).

Light the Torch have arisen from the ashes of Devil You Know, whose 2015 They Bleed Red was somewhat of a sleeper hit for me, one which I now regularly return to for a splash of modern song-based heaviness. Continue reading “Light the Torch – Revival (Review)”

Primordial – Exile Amongst the Ruins (Review)

PrimordialPrimordial are an Irish heavy metal band and this is their ninth album.

It doesn’t seem like 2014 that the very enjoyable Where Greater Men Have Fallen album came out, but apparently it was. Blimey. Continue reading “Primordial – Exile Amongst the Ruins (Review)”

The Iron Gates – The Story Thus Far (Review)

The Iron GatesThis is the debut EP from US metalcore band The Iron Gates.

Here we have 20 minutes of thrash-influenced metalcore that strikes a balance between Darkest Hour‘s razor-sharp thrash, Killswitch Engage’s groove, and something a little more along the melodic death metal lines, (Amon Amarth?); there’s a pleasing aggression to parts of these songs. Continue reading “The Iron Gates – The Story Thus Far (Review)”