Category: Reviews – Audio

Glorious metal in all its earthly forms, compressed onto shiny plastic discs or into digital files. Which ones will become the soundtrack to your life?

  • Leif Edling: Songs of Torment, Songs of Joy

    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

  • Heaven & Hell: The Devil You Know

    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.

  • Rumpelstiltskin Grinder: Living For Death, Destroying The Rest

    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.

  • Serpent Throne: The Battle Of Old Crow

    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.

  • Suffocation: Blood Oath

    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.

  • Amesoeurs: Amesoeurs

    Amesoeurs claims that it grapples with the modern world in its music. On the preceding EP, this was a persuasive assertion. If Amesoeurs still chooses to hold itself up as a sonic social critic, then this album can only be taken as criticism if it is approached as parody.

  • Steel Assassin: War Of The Eight Saints

    Chances are that unless you followed Metal Blade’s Metal Massacre compilations back in the mid-eighties you may have never heard Steel Assassin.

  • Astra: The Weirding

    Originally forming in San Diego, California during 2001 under the moniker Silver Sunshine, this progressive rock changed their musical style from psychedelic pop to progressive rock in 2008 and also decided a name change was in order too, settling on the new name of Astra. However, Do not be mistake Astra with the Italian progressive…

  • Hellsaw: Cold

    Hellsaw’s Cold is an album that starts out much stronger than it ends.

  • Ted Nugent: Motor City Mayhem

    This ain’t no Double Live Gonzo, but America’s weirdest right-wing redneck rocker celebrates his 6000th concert at home in Detroit, Michigan. Ted Nugent, you are a freak.