Reviews – Page 471 – Wonderbox Metal

Epidemia – Leprocomio (Review)

This is the second album from these Death Metallers, who hail from Ecuador.

With an album cover that screams 80s death metal, possibly with a bit of thrash mixed in, Epidemia actually reveal themselves to be much more of a brutal 90s proposition. Leprocomio is raw, ugly and mercilessly aggressive.

The songs on this 35 minute excursion into the torturelands are savage and give the listener a right old battering. When they’re not ploughing ahead at full speed, they have a rhythmic brutality that recall Continue reading “Epidemia – Leprocomio (Review)”

Grand Magus – Sword Songs (Review)

This is the eighth album from this Swedish heavy metal institution.

How’s that for an album cover, eh? It certainly paints a pretty picture of what the album sounds like.

For twenty years Grand Magus have been blaring out their brand of heavy metal in one form or another, and they Continue reading “Grand Magus – Sword Songs (Review)”

Polar – No Cure No Saviour (Review)

This is the third album by Polar, a UK Hardcore band.

Polar offer us 40 minutes of passionate music, tinged with elements of punk and post-hardcore delivery. It’s heavy and abrasive in parts, but not without subtlety or melody in others; it strikes the right balance between both.

As soon as the record starts it’s immediately apparent that Continue reading “Polar – No Cure No Saviour (Review)”

Behexen – The Poisonous Path (Review)

This is the fifth album from this Finnish black metal horde.

There’s something remarkably pure about Behexen that manages to encapsulate everything I like about orthodox black metal, without ever becoming stale or tired.

There’s a lot of music on The Poisonous Path; 58 minutes of utter Continue reading “Behexen – The Poisonous Path (Review)”

Dark Funeral – Where Shadows Forever Reign (Review)

This is the sixth album from this Swedish black metal institution.

With a new lineup, (including a new vocalist), this is the first Dark Funeral album in seven years, and it lands with the impact of a swinging broadsword.

Make no mistake; this is Continue reading “Dark Funeral – Where Shadows Forever Reign (Review)”

Blakk Old Blood/Black Devotion – Split (Review)

Blakk Old Blood are from Switzerland and Black Devotion are from the US. Both bands play Black Metal and have teamed up for this split release, each contributing one song.

Blakk Old Blood start Continue reading “Blakk Old Blood/Black Devotion – Split (Review)”

Omega Monolith – Fungus (Review)

This is the latest album by Greek Doom Rockers Omega Monolith.

Omega Monolith fuse Doom and Heavy/Progressive Rock together to create three sprawling tracks that constitute Fungus. At 43 minutes in length, their musical vision gets a thorough exploration and no avenue for drawn-out claustrophobia is left out.

Fungus is born out of Continue reading “Omega Monolith – Fungus (Review)”

Gridfailure – Ensuring the Bloodline Ends Here (Review)

Gridfailure is a one-man solo experimental project from the US.

This is a mutated, corrupted, experimental release that incorporates all manner of guitars, electronics, keyboards, noises, violins, bongos, harmonicas, and much, much more into its aborted embrace.

Okay, but is it any good? This is the Continue reading “Gridfailure – Ensuring the Bloodline Ends Here (Review)”

Eclipse – Clandestine Resurrection (Review)

This is début album from Indian heavy metal band Eclipse.

This is melodic heavy metal played in the old-school style and backed up with bright keyboards that add some ostentation and punctuated highlights to the music’s already colourful charms.

The singer has a powerful and clear voice that soars above the music with character and passion. A good singing voice can make or break a band like this, and I’m pleased to say that there are no real issues in the vocal department. Continue reading “Eclipse – Clandestine Resurrection (Review)”

Devildriver – Trust No One (Review)

This is the seventh album from this US metal band.

I’ve always enjoyed Devildriver’s combination of modern metal, melodic death metal, thrash metal, NWOAHM, classic metal, nu-metal and crushing groove metal. Sure, they’ve had their ups and downs over the years with some albums being noticeably stronger than others, but they’ve always had enough meat on their metal bones to make me happy to listen to them in some capacity or other.

This moves us onto Continue reading “Devildriver – Trust No One (Review)”