Category Archives: Pure Metal/Album reviews

HIGH ON FIRE – “DE VERMIS MYSTERIIS” CENTURY MEDIA (2012) High On Fire are a three-man Heavy/Stoner/Sludge combo that are not at all alien to the concept of success. Formed by the ex-Sleep guitarist/vocalist Matt Pike back in 1998, the … Continue reading →

PARADISE LOST – “TRAGIC IDOL” CENTURY MEDIA (2012) Maintaining one’s band in top form is a pretty arduous task, especially when the band in question has enjoyed a career as long and as challenging as that of the Halifax-based Doom/Goth … Continue reading →

BURZUM – “UMSKIPTAR” BYELOBOG (2012) The story of Varg Vikernes, founding member and driving force of the Norwegian Black Metal outfit Burzum, is one that has been well-documented and well-promoted. Ever since he was released from prison back in 2009, … Continue reading →

NAGLFAR – “TERAS” CENTURY MEDIA (2012) For a band that was first formed back in 1992, Umea-born and bred Melodic Black Metallers Naglfar can hardly be described as a prolific outfit! Maybe it is the result of having suffered numerous … Continue reading →

THE SAFETY FIRE – “GRIND THE OCEAN” INSIDE OUT (2012) Inside Out is an independent record label that has acquired a good reputation over the years as a result of lending its support to numerous young and much promising progressive … Continue reading →

HUNTRESS – “SPELL EATER” NAPALM RECORDS (2012) Self-promotion is important for any young outfit, struggling to make a name for itself, especially in an era where new bands appear like mushrooms after the rain. The Californian Heavy Metal quintet Huntress … Continue reading →

OSI – “FIRE MAKE THUNDER” METAL BLADE (2012) Massachusetts-born guitarist Jim Matheos has been a very busy man lately. It was only a few months ago that his collaboration with ex-band mate and vocalist extraordinaire John Arch resulted in the … Continue reading →

SECRETS OF THE MOON – “SEVEN BELLS” LUPUS LOUNGE (2012) Black Metal has been with us long enough to trick some people into thinking that original ideas and fresh modes of artistic expression from new and current serving bands of … Continue reading →

LAY DOWN ROTTEN – “MASK OF MALICE” METAL BLADE (2012) Do not let anyone convince you that there is no power behind a band name because the fact of the matter is that there is! Take, for example, the Hessen … Continue reading →

DESASTER – “THE ARTS OF DESTRUCTION” METAL BLADE (2012) The first time I have ever heard of the Rhineland-Palatinate based quartet Desaster was back in 2007 when, together with a very good German friend, I attended the first ever Metal … Continue reading →

IRDORATH – “DEKONSTRUKTEUR DES FLEISCHES” MASSACRE (2012) The advent of the Internet has been as much a blessing as it has been a curse for both bands and record labels alike as the general consensus is that it has solved … Continue reading →

CANNIBAL CORPSE – “TORTURE” METAL BLADE (2012) Being a band that has helped shape the extreme genre that we all know as Death Metal, and enjoying a pretty impressive twenty four year pedigree, is an achievement in itself and even … Continue reading →

BARREN EARTH – “THE DEVIL’S RESOLVE” PEACEVILLE (2012) Side projects have been an outlet for Rock musicians since the late 60s – an understandable move for those who feel their band does not always provide all the necessary space for … Continue reading →

CORROSION OF CONFORMITY – “CORROSION OF CONFORMITY” CANDLELIGHT (2012) Corrosion Of Conformity are no an ordinary band. When they first formed in Raleigh/North Carolina back in 1982, they did so with the understanding that they were going to be a … Continue reading →

EPICA – “REQUIEM FOR THE INDIFFERENT”  NUCLEAR BLAST (2012) When Mark Jansen, lead guitarist and founding member of the Dutch Symphonic Metal quintet Epica, decided to relieve Helena Michaelsen (Trail Of Tears) of her duties in favour of the virtually … Continue reading →

3 INCHES OF BLOOD – “LONG LIVE HEAVY METAL”  CENTURY MEDIA (2012) Twelve years ago, in the seaside city of Vancouver/Canada, three friends decided to resurrect their then defunct Heavy Metal band. Little did they know that their supposedly one-off … Continue reading →

ELUVEITIE – “HELVETIOS”  NUCLEAR BLAST (2012) Strange as it may sound to fans of Rock and Metal music today, there was actually a time when Folk and Rock were two worlds that were literally miles apart in terms of orientation … Continue reading →

PILGRIM – “MISERY WIZARD”  METAL BLADE (2012) It been a good forty two years since Birmingham Heavy Metal legends Black Sabbath released their eponymous debut album and bands all around the world seem to still be heavily influenced by the … Continue reading →

NAPALM DEATH – “UTILITARIAN”  CENTURY MEDIA (2012) Thirty one years is a pretty long and impressive period of time for any band to be actively creating and performing and when the outfit in question happens to perform one of the … Continue reading →

ASPHYX – “DEATHHAMMER”  CENTURY MEDIA (2012) Line-up changes are a common occurrence among bands, but I cannot think of many which can claim to have seen more people coming and going as the Dutch Death Metal legends Asphyx have during … Continue reading →