Zao are an American metalcore band and this is their eleventh album.
By this point Zao are pretty much a musical institution, despite this being their first album since 2009’s Awake?.
The Fear Is What Keeps Us Here is probably my favourite Zoe release. The utterly catchy chaotic savagery of it still blows me away to this day. The Well Intentioned Virus is Continue reading “Zao – The Well-Intentioned Virus (Review)”
Alkira are a thrash metal band from Australia and this is their second album.
You may recall Alkira from their 2014 debut album Juggernaut. This was a very enjoyable slab of aggressive thrash metal that I especially enjoyed as it seemed at the time that so much of thrash was doing the retro/ironic/humour/whatever version of the style, which is largely not for me; Alkira were, (and are), somewhat of a panacea for this. Continue reading “Alkira – Klotho (Review)”
Arcade Messiah is a one-man progressive metal project from Ireland. This is his third album.
Although there are some vocals on this release, it’s mainly instrumental, with the man behind the band making sure that the music has the starring role.
The songs are the kind of modern, progressive Continue reading “Arcade Messiah – III (Review)”
This is the debut album from German thrashers Raw Ensemble.
Raw Ensemble deliver a raw and vicious take on old-school thrash metal on Suffer Well. This immediately grabbed me upon first listen, as the combination of catchy riffs and blast beats that characterises the first song on the album, Enemy, suits me to the ground. Continue reading “Raw Ensemble – Suffer Well (Review)”
This is the seventh Aborym album. They play industrial metal and hail from Italy.
I love Aborym’s earlier work, but after Generator I lost track of the band unfortunately, so Shifting.negative is my first experience with them in about ten years or so. What a shocking omission on my part! This review will inevitably come from this viewpoint, as I have missed out on their last two albums, which would probably, (I imagine), have given me a more smoother transition to the current incarnation of Aborym. Continue reading “Aborym – Shifting.negative (Review)”
This is the second album from Distant Sun, a Russian power/thrash metal band.
2015’s Dark Matter was an enjoyable slab of metal, in which Distant Sun, (featuring members of Shadow Host and Starsoup), showed the world what they had to offer. Continue reading “Distant Sun – Into the Nebula (Review)”
A Sense of Gravity are a progressive metal band from the US. This is their second album.
I bet you’ve always wanted a record that mixes Dream Theater and Between the Buried and Me haven’t you? Well, now you have one. With symphonic/neoclassical elements combined with extreme metal, this is 68 minutes of progressive metal delivered just the way we like it; interesting and exciting. Continue reading “A Sense of Gravity – Atrament (Review)”
The Last Ten Seconds of Life are a US metal band, this is their third album.
What happens when deathcore runs out of room to expand within its restrictive genre confines and needs to spread its wings into a wider world? The Violent Sound is what happens.
Mixing the heavy, low-end rumble of deathcore with a slice of nu-metal, The Last Ten Seconds of Life have a sound that is largely one of their own in 2016. Continue reading “The Last Ten Seconds of Life – The Violent Sound (Review)”
This is the eighth album from Norwegian symphonic/Gothic metallers Sirenia.
After being around for a good 15 years now, Sirenia know a thing or two about the style they play. Largely held in high regard for their symphonic/Gothic metal, they’re back once more with what is, I think, one of their Continue reading “Sirenia – Dim Days of Dolor (Review)”
Hammerfall are a Swedish heavy/power metal band and this is their tenth album.
Since forming in 1993 and developing into one of the bigger names in heavy/power metal, the title of their tenth album is quite aptly named.
It pleases me that the first song starts right into the action, rather than having any faffing around. It’s a small thing really, but it immediately endears me to the music. Continue reading “Hammerfall – Built to Last (Review)”
Wonderbox Metal 