FOR THE LOVE OF METAL
Like fellow Quebecer’s Unexpect, Blackguard has a distinctive classical European flavor, melodic black metal with a distinctive nod to folk and they like to play fast – Dragonforce fast. However, unlike the self-masturbatory English band, their frenetic pace is not accentuated by technical guitar work, but instead is sopping with keyboards and orchestrations.
When I think MeteorCity, riff rock bands like Lowrider and The Atomic Bitchwax come to mind. In that sense, Flood isn’t your typical MeteorCity band.
To The Nines is the most recent release spawned by Dansk melodic death metallers’ Hatesphere. There is something about Hatesphere that separate them from all the rest.
Germany’s Suidakra return shining bright with their 9th studio effort, Crogacht (meaning – bravery).
The third offering from Sweden’s The Legion, A Bliss To Suffer doesn’t wait to try and crush its listeners. Even with a sprinkling of instrumental spots here and an added sound effect there, the core black/death elements emerge from the beginning of opening track “Shining Redemption” and remain more or less consistent throughout the album as a whole.
A quick historical run down here: Leif Edling began his musical career in the Stockholm, Sweden based hard rock act Trilogy in the late 70s where he worked alongside drummer Håkan “Ian” Haugland, later of Europe. In 1985, Leif launched his groundbreaking doom metal band Candlemass who became well-known worldwide for its fresh pioneering sound
While Heaven & Hell has proved itself as formidable of a live act now as it was first time around in 1981, The Devil You Know is a decent album but unfortunately it isn’t as great as it possibly could have been.
Contrary to their name, the bizarre album cover and the somewhat disturbing images of the quartet in the liner notes, Rumpelstilskin Grinder is a serious band – perhaps too serious.
These guys bring the rock and announce themselves with killer riffs and well placed guitar solos. Tracks like “Snakecharmer” and “Rock Formation” are calibrated for maximum epic impact, true journeys in heaviness that end up on the mountaintop where rock gods dwell and mystic visions abound.
New York State’s Suffocation don’t waste any time on their latest release, Blood Oath. From the moment it bursts out of the starting gate, the album lumbers along with the death metal/ grindcore sound that has become a trademark of the band.