This is the third album from French thrash/heavy metallers Heart Attack.
Described in the promo blurb as “the lovechild of Gojira, Machine Head and early Metallica”, this is a decent starting point for approaching Negative Sun. Across 45 minutes, (including a Genesis cover as a bonus track), Heart Attack unleash a mix of old and new thrash/groove/heavy metal, (with a touch of hardcore), and do so with passion and charisma. Continue reading “Heart Attack – Negative Sun (Review)”
Decapitated are a Polish death metal band and this is their eighth album.
This is the follow up to 2017’s Anticult, and offers 37 minutes of heaviness that is ridiculously enjoyable. I expected a new Decapitated release to be good, but I was not ready for just how good Cancer Culture turned out to be. Continue reading “Decapitated – Cancer Culture (Review)”
Once Human are a metal band from the US and this is their third album.
Brought to us my an ex-member of Machine Head, Once Human play a heavy brand of modern metal that is designed to get pits moving everywhere, but also offers a bit more depth than you’d expect. Think of a mix of bands such as Machine Head, Fear Factory, Gojira, Jinjer, Strapping Young Lad, and Lamb of God, and then add some increased progressive and technical metal influences, and a touch of classic heavy metal, and you’ll have a decent starting point for Scar Weaver. Continue reading “Once Human – Scar Weaver (Review)”
This is the fourth album from UK metallers Employed to Serve.
Across 48 minutes Employed to Serve dish out eleven tracks of energetic damage. Combining metal and hardcore together like it’s something fresh and vital, the band manage to avoid the tired metalcore tropes and instead deliver an album of crushing tunes and anthemic heaviness. Continue reading “Employed to Serve – Conquering (Review)”
Tombstoner are a death metal band from the US and this is their debut album.
Now here’s one I’ve really been looking forward to. 2020’s Descent to Madness was seriously good, and I’ve only grown to love it even more over time. On Victims of Vile Torture, we once again get a feast of old-school death metal, played with a modern edge that incorporates elements of grind, hardcore, groove, and thrash metal. The music combines all of the above elements into a roaringly good collection of tracks. Continue reading “Tombstoner – Victims of Vile Torture (Review)”
Wingless are a Polish metal band and this is their second album.
So strongly do I associate Poland with death metal, than upon seeing the album cover of The Blaze Within I immediately jumped to that conclusion with Wingless. Well, you know what they say about books and their covers… Continue reading “Wingless – The Blaze Within (Review)”
I, the Betrayer are a Norwegian metal band and this is their debut EP.
This is the first EP from this new band, although as there’s over 30 minutes of material here, it’s actually longer than some albums. Continue reading “I, the Betrayer – 7 (Review)”
Ghost Season are a modern metal band from Greece. This is their debut album.
I enjoyed their 2014 EP Ghosts Like Her, so it’s good to see the band putting out their first full-length release.
However, a lineup change, including a new singer, mean that the Ghost Season of 2017 is a different beast to that of their first EP. Continue reading “Ghost Season – Like Stars in a Neon Sky (Review)”
This is the second album from this US Metal band.
Tenth Amendment play modern Metal with groove and aggression. Back in the 90s when this kind of thing was just called either Metal or Hardcore rather than groove Metal or Metalcore, (usually due to how the band looked more than anything else), bands like Pantera, Fear Factory, Machine Head, Merauder, Skinlab and Pro-Pain we all staples of my CD collection, and Tenth Amendment very much remind me of that time.
Coming across as a combination of the aforementioned bands, we get song-based aggression with an industrial undercurrent that leans towards the heavier end of the spectrum. The album is very riff-based and there’s a purity of intent inherent in this kind of approach.
Systemhouse33 are a Metal band from India. This is their latest album.
Their previous release Depths of Despair was an enjoyable, albeit brief, romp through all things heavy and modern, and Regression continues the theme but ups the stakes.
At a slightly longer 30 minutes in length, the band have further refined their blend of modern Metal and Metalcore/Hardcore/Death Metal influences into a potent blend of muscular aggression.
The singer has a harsh snarl that fits well with the music and doesn’t allow for any compromise. He plainly means business and I like what he’s selling.
The songs chug, rumble and bludgeon their way through the playing time and there’s a decent amount of catchy riffs and heavy melodies involved.
Although I liked Depths of Despair this is an all-round more cohesive, focused and superior release; perfect for when you want some heavy, crushing, upbeat, groove-based music. Without too much extremity, but also without going the other way into commercial, sanitised waters, Systemhouse33 have hit the right spot and Regression is actually a positive move forward.
For fans of Lamb of God, Meshuggah, Whitechapel, Skinlab, Machine Head, Testament, Merauder, etc.
Wonderbox Metal 