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Category Archives: Pure Metal/Album reviews
Album review: ASOMVEL – Knuckle Duster
Bad Omen Records – Out Now. Ask anyone in the music business what the two basic elements for achieving commercial success are (apart from talent, obviously), and you are bound to hear among the answers ‘good timing’ and ‘luck’. These, … Continue reading
Album review: SOULFLY – Savages
Nuclear Blast – Out Now. There are not many musicians out there who have willingly parted ways with one of the biggest Metal bands in the world and can still hold claim to a decent career, but Brazilian musician/song-writer Massimiliano … Continue reading
Album review: RHAPSODY OF FIRE – Dark Wings Of Steel
AFM Records – [Release date 25.11.13] Keyboard wizard Alex Staropoli, founding member of the Symphonic Metal outfit Rhapsody (Rhapsody Of Fire since 2006), is a man who has suffered trials and tribulations and undoubtedly grown a second skin through relentless … Continue reading
Album review: THE VISION BLEAK – Witching Hour
Prophecy Productions – Out Now. Goth and Metal are two musical genres which, though closely related in some ways, are obviously quite distinct. It was in the early 90s and in the truly capable hands of bands like Anathema, Paradise … Continue reading
Album review: DEATH ANGEL – The Dream Calls For Blood
Nuclear Blast – Out Now. Twelve years ago, and following a ten year Sabbatical, the vast majority of the original line up of the Bay Area Thrashers Death Angel reunited for the purpose of participating in Thrash of the Titans … Continue reading
Album review: DUSKMACHINE – Duskmachine
Massacre Records – Out Now. Duskmachine are a ten year old Power/Thrash Metal outfit that started out like every other struggling, up-and-coming band. Following various line-up changes, however, they ended up being the right environment in which ex members of … Continue reading
Album review: AYREON – The Theory Of Everything
Inside Out [Release date 28.10.13] Telling a story through music is a tried and tested method and is certainly as old as Rock itself. Examples are too many to mention, but the most celebrated works would undoubtedly have to be … Continue reading
Album review: ANNEKE VAN GIERSBERGEN – Drive
Inside Out – Out Now I have always been a strong supporter of the idea that the boundaries which separate the average musician from the real artist are strict and always clearly defined. Those who belong in the former category … Continue reading
Album review: SHADES OF REMEMBERANCE – Veil
Burn All Records [Release Date: 26.04.13] Ohio’s Shades Of Remembrance are metal band with proggy leanings on an album that straddles both genres rather than fuses the two. ‘Veil’ duly delivers enough speed, intensity, resolute playing and dark themes to … Continue reading
Album review: THE FLOWER KINGS – Desolation Rose
Inside Out – Out Now. It was almost a year ago that I was granted a thoroughly delightful and highly entertaining interview with Roine Stolt during which I openly questioned his priorities by stating that having a band like The … Continue reading
Album Review: DARK DESIGN – Prey For The Future
Heaven And Hell Records – Out Now. Young bands are the lifeblood of any music scene and innovations in recording technology have only seen their numbers grow in recent years. Sadly, easy access to said technology does not always guarantee … Continue reading
Album Review: CHURCH OF VOID – Dead Rising
Svart Records – Out Now. Debut albums from young and up-and-coming bands are released pretty much on a daily basis but, judging from many positive past experiences, it is mainly those which carry the seal of approval of the independent … Continue reading
Album review: RUNNING WILD – Resilient
SPV – [Release date 7.10.13] Few bands can claim to have fans across the globe who are as passionate and devoted to their craft as those belonging to the legendary German Heavy/Power Metalers Running Wild. Even they, however, had their … Continue reading
Album review: ANNIHILATOR – Re-Releases- Double Live Annihilation , All For You, Schizo Deluxe
UDR Music (Release date – out now) Following Annihilator releasing their new album ‘Feast’ recently, the band’s new label, UDR Music has re-released three of their previous albums to allow potential new fans to catch up on … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, Pure Metal/Album reviews
Tagged album, All For You, Annihilator, CD, Double Live Annihilation, Jeff Waters, metal, review, Schizo Deluxe, Thrash, UDR
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Album review: FATES WARNING – Darkness In A Different Light
Inside Out [Release date 30.09.13] When Jim Matheos, leader of the Connecticut-based Progressive Metal legends Fates Warning, decided to put his band into a dormant recording state back in 2004, even he could not have expected this period to last … Continue reading
Album Review: ANNIHILATOR – Feast
UDR [Release date 26.08.13] This album is the 14th studio release from Canadian thrashers Annihilator. I have been aware of the band for many years but have never really warmed to them, even their ‘Alice In Hell’ … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, Pure Metal/Album reviews
Tagged album, Annihilator, Feast, Jeff Waters, metal, review, rock, Thrash
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Album review: ASHES OF ARES – Ashes Of Ares
Nuclear Blast [Release date 6.09.13] The concept of high profile musicians combining forces and working on side projects is as old as Rock music itself – still, as if by instinct, I always find myself negatively predisposed towards any collection … Continue reading
Album review: EWAN DOBSON – Acoustic Metal
Candy Rat Records [Release date 06.02.13] ‘Once you see the line between metal virtuosity and classical music the challenge begins.’ So says Canadian guitarist Ewan Dobson whose 2 CD ‘Acoustic Metal’ is a challenging, innovative and hugely enjoyable CD. If … Continue reading
Album review: ONSLAUGHT – VI
AFM Records [Release date 20.09.13] When the Bristol-based Thrash Metalers Onslaught decided to give this music business thing another try back in 2005, quite a few people, myself included, were slightly sceptical as to how long this second phase … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, PURE METAL (All posts), Pure Metal/Album reviews
Tagged onslaught
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Album review: DEADLOCK – The Arsonist
Napalm Records – Out Now. The combination of brutal male and angelic female vocals, better known as the “beauty and the beast” phenomenon in Metal music, first appeared in the mid 90s and was popularised by leading bands of the … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, PURE METAL (All posts), Pure Metal/Album reviews
Tagged deadlock
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Album review: CHURCH OF MISERY – Thy Kingdom Scum
Rise Above – Out Now. Church Of Misery is a Japanese Doom/Stoner Metal quartet that I barely knew up until a couple of years ago. It was a highly energetic and fairly inspirational show at the London Underworld that first … Continue reading
Album review: PHILIP H.ANSELMO & THE ILLEGALS – Walk Through Exits Only
Season Of Mist – Out Now. Philip H. Anselmo is probably one of the few active musicians who, I would presume, is in the enviable position of being able to sit back and rest on his laurels without having to … Continue reading
Album review: TROUBLE – The Distortion Field
FRW RECORDS – Out Now. Being a top quality singer involves much more than having a good voice, it requires charisma – although what that actually is can be difficult to define sometimes. In Eric Wagner, Chicago based Doom Metal … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, PURE METAL (All posts), Pure Metal/Album reviews
Tagged Trouble
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Album review: BLOOD CEREMONY – The Eldritch Dark
Rise Above – Out Now. Ask me to provide you with a list of all the bands I adore and you are guaranteed to find among them important names like Black Sabbath, Jethro Tull and Deep Purple. These legends of … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, PURE METAL (All posts), Pure Metal/Album reviews
Tagged blood ceremony
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Album review: BURZUM – Sol Austan, Mani Vestan
Byelobog Productions – Out Now. Having paid his dues to both the Norwegian penitentiary system and society at large, Kristian Larsson “Varg” Vikernes has since been a very busy man indeed. Under his highly controversial moniker Burzum, and with the … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, PURE METAL (All posts), Pure Metal/Album reviews
Tagged burzum
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