This is the third album from Ice Howl, a heavy metal band from the US.
I enjoyed 2020’s Cadence of the Cursed, so Darkness from Beyond is well-received. Now rounded out to a duo and featuring a couple of guests, this new album seems like more collaborative affair. It’s also a bit meatier, with ten tracks and 43 minutes of material to sink your teeth into. Continue reading “Ice Howl – Darkness from Beyond (Review)”
Idol Throne are a heavy metal band from the US and this is their debut album.
Combining thrash and power metal, with a touch of progressive metal, The Sybylline Age contains 61 minutes of prime metallic heft. Traditional heavy metal is augmented with thrash metal muscle, neoclassical flourishes, and power metal flair. These elements are distributed across the album to Continue reading “Idol Throne – The Sibylline Age (Review)”
Skull Fist are a Canadian heavy metal band and this is their fourth album.
Paid in Full boasts 34 minutes of true, old-school heavy metal, and it’s good to hear.
Skull Fist are a band that were Continue reading “Skull Fist – Paid in Full (Review)”
Lady Beast are a heavy metal band from the US and this is their latest EP.
Lady Beast play classic heavy metal, with no frills, no filler, and no messing around with gimmicks or pointless intros, etc. There are four originals here and a Rainbow cover. Omens is a lean 20-minute ride into the old-school, and it’s a great way to escape the horrors of the modern world for a while. Continue reading “Lady Beast – Omens (Review)”
This is the debut album from Void Vator, a heavy metal band from the US.
Great Fear Rising is a modern take on a very old style. Void Vator play old-school heavy metal; it’s presented with a modern recording and delivery, but this is mainly a product of the 80s, make no mistake. Continue reading “Void Vator – Great Fear Rising (Review)”
This is the debut album from US heavy metal band Throne of Iron.
“Highly recommended for fans of Dungeons & Dragons, Eternal Champion, Visigoth and Manilla Road!”, states the promo blurb, and it’s hard to disagree. Adventure One provides 42 minutes of classic metal escapism and fun, and I like what Throne of Iron are peddling. Continue reading “Throne of Iron – Adventure One (Review)”
This is the debut EP/mini-album from US heavy metallers Silver Talon.
Do you remember Spellcaster? You should do – Night Hides the World was a great record. Why do I bring it up here? Only because Silver Talon features these same talented gentlemen producing some very tasty new music for us to lap up. Continue reading “Silver Talon – Becoming a Demon (Review)”
Seven Sisters are a heavy metal band from the UK and this is their second album.
They say you should never judge a record by its cover, (do they say that?), but it was the album cover of The Cauldron and the Cross that made me want to listen to it more than anything else. Continue reading “Seven Sisters – The Cauldron and the Cross (Review)”
Shotgun Justice are a German Heavy Metal band and this is their début album.
Shotgun Justice play a personable brand of Heavy Metal that incorporates elements of both Hard Rock and Thrash Metal into its upbeat delivery.
Despite a logo and album cover that might lead you to believe that the band play some form of contemporary Metal, this is music that’s resolutely Old-School and couldn’t care less. The songs reflect this, as does the low-key production.
Shotgun Justice have the feeling and attitude of the early-Metal era firmly nailed down, managing to reproduce the essence of the time quite faithfully. Although this can be slightly deceptive, as the Old-School swagger and production sometimes masks the more interesting and sophisticated elements of their sound, such as added female vocals and some nice moments of introspection, (such as The Scales of Justice), as well as some almost Progressive Metal influences, especially on the latter part of the album.
The male vocals have some presence and do their job nicely. On occasion these are joined by the aforementioned, and very impressive, female vocals, adding a different facet to the band; it’s a really nice touch.
If you’re in the mood for what is, (largely), a throwback to simpler times with some rocking good tunes then you could do a lot worse than this. Check them out and see if they hit the spot for you.
This is the second album by US Heavy Metal band Relentless.
Their first album, Souls of Charon, was a very enjoyable slab of Heavy/Doom Metal. This new release keeps the flag flying for Traditional Heavy Metal and all but drops the Doom Metal aspect of their sound.
In fact, Relentless seem to have gone further down the NWOBHM route on Night Terrors. The songs are upbeat rockers that value a chorus and are a lot rougher than their old incarnation, both in attitude and delivery.
The recording is grittier and less polished too. The band almost come off as some undiscovered garage Metal band, lost to the mists of Metal history.
The singer adds her own character to the songs and hearing her on this release is quite a contrast to her more laid-back style on their début.
The songs are proper Metal songs, full of swagger and upbeat energy. If you are familiar with Old-School Heavy Metal then this is quite the feast.
A change in direction, certainly; rawer, Traditional Metal with more attitude. I wonder, what will album number three bring for Relentless?
Wonderbox Metal 