Metal music reviews, top albums and forums (2024)

3.50 | 1 rating

UMUR

"Every Bridge Burning" is the fourth full-length studio album by US, California based hardcore/powerviolence act Nails. The album was released through Nuclear Blast Entertainment in August 2024. It´s the successor to "You Will Never Be One of Us" from 2016 and there´s been an almost complete lineup change since the predecessor as only guitarist/lead vocalist Todd Jones remains from the lineup who recorded "You Will Never Be One of Us". New in the lineup are Andrew Solis (bass), Carlos Cruz (drums), and Shelby Lermo (guitars).

Stylistically Nails play a hardcore style with both influences from grindcore, crust punk, and sludge. It´s punchy and in our face music, loaded with caustic aggression and raw power. Jones has a shouting/screaming angry vocal style, which suits the music well. Featuring only 10 tracks and a 17:44 minutes long playing time, Nails haven´t made a long album, but it´s fully in line with album lengths of their previous releases, so this is what the seasoned listener expects. What is most noteworthy when keeping in mind that "Every Bridge Burning" is a very short album release, is how many different influences and varition Nails are able to pack into their otherwise one-dimensionally raw and aggressive music style. It´s always been one of their greatest assets, that you´re never bored when listening to their albums, as they always include something new or some little detail, that you didn´t expect (I was for example plesantly surprised by the few times guitar solos appeared). It´s not exactly progressive music, but the point is that Nails arguably put a lot of thought into their pretty extreme take on hardcore.

"Every Bridge Burning" features a raw, distorted, and considering their status on the scene, a relatively unpolished sound production, which suits the materal well. Nails understand that this type of music can´t be presented in a clear and polished sound production without losing integrity and authenticity. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

• 5 days ago
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• Report #881113

4.50 | 2 ratings

Kev Rowland

The full title of this album is ‘British Disaster! The Battle of ’89 Live At The Astoria’, from which one might guess this is a live recording from 35 years ago when the band were promoting their third album, ‘Fabulous Disaster’. They may have lost Kirk Hammett to Metallica before their debut album, but they never let that small matter get in the way of them making huge waves in the thrash scene and by the time of this recording they had already been playing for a decade, and it shows. This is hungry, angry and in your face, showing exactly why thrash made such a huge impact when it hit.

Back then the line-up was Steve Souza (vocals), Gary Holt (guitars), founder Tom Hunting (drums), Rick Hunolt (guitars), and Rob McKillop (bass), and it really says something about the band that the first three can still be found in the current version of the band. They have obviously given the title they have as it was recorded in London on March 8th, 1989, and they were touring ‘Fabulous Disaster’, but this is certainly not what one might think given the title as this is a triumph from beginning to end. Here we have a thrash band who have often been touted as one of the ‘Big 5’ alongside Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth, and Anthrax and there is a strong argument for them to be included as such given the impact and importance of what they were doing in the Eighties (and given that Metallica have done nothing of note since ‘And Justice For All’ I would personally happily kick them out altogether). Here we have a band who are out to attack the UK on the last night of their headlining tour (supported by Acid Reign), before heading back to the USA to open for Anthrax, and the 20+ gigs in just over a month had the band incredibly honed and battle ready.

Thrash rarely gets better than this, and one can only wonder as to why it has taken so long for the tapes to be released, but at long last we have them. If you ever wondered what Exodus sounded like in their heyday and why they are still deemed to be so important then put this on and crank it up, LOUD!

• 5 days ago
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• Report #881110

4.50 | 1 rating

Kev Rowland

Riot were a band who appeared in many ways to get more praise in the UK than they did in their home of New York, with both ‘Rock City’ and ‘Narita’ gaining lots of praise during the NWOBHM era although their sound was quite different. It was always Mark Reale’s band, and after his death in 2012 the question was whether or not to continue, but continue they did with a slight change to the name, and this is the third release with the same line-up of Todd Michael Hall (vocals), Nick Lee (guitars), Mike Flyntz (guitars), Don Van Stavern (bass), and Frank Gilchriest (drums). There may not be any original members left but both Stavern and Flyntz originally joined in the Eighties while Gilchrist was there more than 20 years ago, so while none played on the classics, they have every right to use the name.

This is American commercial metal with high vocals, some harmonies, all played in a style where the bottom end seems almost transparent and it all feels very Eighties, as if Bon Jovi had never really gone away. But you know what? I always enjoyed this style of music and felt the likes of Poison, WASP and the rest had far more musical chops than they were often given credit for, and these guys can trace their beginnings back to 1975 and a debut in 1977. There is no doubt in anyone’s mind that Riot deserved to be huge, and the reason that never happened was out of their control. In fact, Classic Rock wrote a great piece on them a few years ago which started with “In the late 70s, Riot were the Great White Hopes of American rock. But that was before the public ignored them, their label disowned them, and their singer quit. And then things got really bad…”.

Given what they have been through, there is no way Riot (V) should be here all those years later producing something which is a modern American hard rock/metal classic which brings back the days when they were young and hopeful, but they have. This is a superb release which made me smile the first time I played it, the grin getting wider with each song. This could well be their best release since ‘Fire Down Under’ more than 40 years ago, and that is saying something. Essential.

• 6 days ago
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• Report #881104

4.00 | 1 rating

Kev Rowland

Pathology are back with their twelfth studio album, and their third with the same line-up of Dave Astor (drums), Daniel Richardson (guitars), Richard Jackson (bass) and Obie Flett (vocals). Astor is the only person who has been there since the beginning and is also known for being a founder of Cattle Decapitation in the Nineties (where he provided bass and vocals). Since their inception in 2006, Pathology have created quite a name for themselves in the brutal death genre, and I was certainly a fan of their last album, ‘The Everlasting Plague’, and it is great to see just how strong this outfit have become since Astor undertook a reset in 2018 when he invited Flett back into the fold (he had briefly been in the band in 2010) along with two new members.

This release was designed, recorded and mixed at Sharkbite Studios by Zack Ohren (Aborted, All Shall Perish, Decrepit Birth) in June 2023, mastered by Alan Douches at West West Side Music (Origin, Cannibal Corpse, Cattle Decapitation) while the cover artwork is by Pär Olofsson (Exodus, Abysmal Dawn, Immolation), so even before putting this on there is a certain level of expectation. I am glad to say that is reached with a death metal release which is both pummelling and complex. The drums are everywhere, while the guitars are hugely complicated, providing both chords and runs in an intertwining pattern which is somehow melodic and massively over the top at the same time, with the bass switching between backing up the guitars and going into foundation mode. Then at the front we have the growls of Flett who appears to be at risk of losing his lungs at any moment. Given who was involved, it is no surprise that the sound is top quality, the result being an album which really rewards being played at high volume – there is a depth within which makes this powerful and easy to listen to, without ever remotely falling into anything like easy listening.

Over the years there has been a significant output from these guys (Astor’s old band, Cattle Decapitation, has released half the number of albums in the same period), yet there is no doubt that there is no reduction in quality as this is a blast from beginning to end.

• 6 days ago
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• Report #881103

4.50 | 6 ratings

siLLy puPPy

Very few bands and artists thrill me to the point that i actually truly look forward to a new release but there are a few top dogs in my world that still give me that giddy euphoria that i felt as a teen utterly mesmerized by the majesty of their musical output. NILE is one of those top dogs and to my ears has never released a substandard album in its entire career although some albums are clearly stronger than others. This is a band that stridently strives for quality over sheer numbers so when i got word that a new release was hitting the scene in 2024, well, i just got the musical version of NILE fever! It’s been five years since “Vile Nilotic Rites,” which i personally loved but apparently didn’t quite resonate with the rest of the fanbase as strongly. The band’s newest attack of the senses comes from the pummelation overload of its tenth album THE UNDERWORLD AWAITS US ALL which adds a new member to the previous album’s quartet status. Guitarist Zach Jeter of lesser known bands like Doomsday Revival, Imperium, Lecherous Nocturne and Olkoth joins the team adding a whole new level of bombast to the team’s treacherous crocodile filled stream of sound.

The band is death metal royalty at this point in their career and has pretty much been so for well over two decades ago but like a handful of bands such as Enslaved, Incantation, Moonsorrow and Esoteric just to name a few seems to never run out of inspiration and a passion for delivering the highest caliber of metal in its retrospective field and even though NILE may dip a bit in overall quality from album to album, to my ears it’s always above average with an endless cornucopia of creativity sweeping the undercurrents of every brutally delivered guitar riff, bantering bass groove and guttural growl. Once again the band returns with what many are deeming the band’s best album in years however i find it simply to be yet another top notch feather in a well decorated cap. With the extra heft of a second guitarist, THE UNDERWORLD AWAITS US ALL unleashes a ridiculously full sound effect with dueling galloping guitar gymnastics and a frenetic beastly warlike percussive drive that has propelled George Kollias to the top of the heap for technical drummers in the modern world.

The album features 11 tracks that add up to about 53 1/2 minutes with the usual NILE characteristics of nerdy technically infused gnarled rhythms whizzing by like a blitzkrieg in Cairo with the occasional breaks into traditional Egyptian musical scales downtuned into an acoustic melancholy. To the uninitiated an incessant form of headache music that sounds like every other death metal migraine but to the fully indoctrinated into the cult of NILE, a massive upgrade in technique and expansiveness as the first five member album to appear since 2000’s “Black Seeds Of Vengeance.” The results is an even greater amplification of the sheer brutality the band has delivered since the beginning coupled with knotty labyrinthine riffing excursions and a slightly warped sense of reality through bizarre syncopated techniques and an unwavering weaving of a cross-section of contrapuntal anomalies. What sounds a bit new to my eras is that two guest vocalists add a bit of backing support from time to time which ushers NILE into the world of vocal harmonies albeit unpredictable where they will emerge and rather fleeting once they appear like a desert mirage.

Like every NILE release, the musicianship is top tier with razor-sharp guitar gymnastics leading the way supported by the most robust beefy bass bantering and technical drumming wizardry the world of technical death metal has to offer. Likewise Karl Sanders’ vocal growls sound as poignant as ever with the piercing precision of a hanged man delivering his last noose-necked utterances. The incessant flow is relentless which will please all the speed freaks out there who lament the fact bands like Ulcerate have slowed their frenetic death metal delivery system to a doomy dirge and other bands such as Gojira or Behemoth have ventured into the more commercial viabilities of catchy alternative metal based song structures. NILE remains true to its craft with an incessant dedication to the chaotic flow that it has always unleashed with a furor and even some 25 years after its earliest recordings still shows no signs of letting its foot off the gas.

While cries of treading water may come from many who find such rampaging attacks to be overweening and taxing on the ears, it should be remembered that such woes of despair emerge from those who can only handle death metal lite in all its watered down variations and that NILE is reserved for those who want their death metal to deliver the deathly goods without having to sweeten their caffeinated beverage into a trendy latte version of its former glory. I for one admire a band like NILE that forges ahead into the future fearlessly adhering to its Egyptian themed metal mania without compromising its basic principles of keeping death metal brutal and as friggin ugly and mangled as is possible. As with all NILE releases, the differences between the albums lie in the subtleties which for some may take a few spins to discern but to my ears this album is clearly different than what came before not just by the quintet status which gives the band a fuller more dynamic spectrum of sound but also in the musical motifs, clever cadences and use of clean vocal harmonies to add a touch of contrast. Pretty much every NILE is a winner in my book and this one is no better or worse than the majority of its canon. Simply another pleasing journey into the best of what brutal technical death metal has to offer and NILE is always a band that delivers.

• 9 days ago
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• Report #881080

3.50 | 3 ratings

Warthur

Black Widow's second album finds them dialling back the psychedelic and occult influences on their sound, yielding a sort of bluesy proto-prog approach. Opening number Tears and Wine, for instance, lands particularly close to the sound Audience had circa House On the Hill when it comes to finding comparisons on the wider scene, particularly on the opening Tears and Wine; other moments, like The Journey or Poser, suggest the influence of early Deep Purple. Zoot Taylor's organ and piano contributions and Clive Jones' interjections on flute and sax make sure that there's a touch of psych-prog still in play, but it's certainly less original and distinctive than their debut album, Sacrifice.

This may have boded ill for Black Widow going forwards, lending credence to the perception that once they moved away from their eye-catching early concept there wasn't that much to them, and certainly there's a touch of the "transitional album" here. On the plus side, this does mean that the sound is fairly varied; on the downside, it'll be a rare listener that loves all of these tunes equally. The Gypsy, for instance is a mostly-acoustic number save for a volcanic electric guitar solo, which isn't quite a novelty song but feels like it's at risk of going in that direction at any moment.

There's flashes of a potentially new vision here and there; Mary Clark, in particular, comes across especially well, though there's a caveat here - it's actually a left-over song from the Sacrifice sessions, the earlier version of which was left off the album because it didn't fit the concept, and so the update here is more of a flash of the genius which once animated the band rather than the light at the end of the tunnel for their creative crisis.

Had Black Widow swiftly found a strong new creative vision to pursue after moving on from the style of Sacrifice, perhaps their history would have been different. As it stands, it's easy to see how at the time the album didn't quite hit the mark - anyone keen for the Sacrifice approach would have felt disappointed, anyone open to a new direction might regard what they're playing here as rather similar to what a lot of progressive groups were doing at the time. In retrospect, it's not half bad, with The Journey and Mark Clark being particular highlights, but it's unsurprising it got lost in the shuffle. One for those who particularly like the sound of the more Deep Purple-ish end of proto-prog.

• 10 hours ago
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• Report #881324

3.50 | 1 rating

siLLy puPPy

Chile has been on fire in the last couple decades with its revival of the rotten and macabre style of blackened death metal brought to the world by bands like Asphyx, Bolt Thrower, Autopsy and Atomic Aggessor. This band emerged in 2009 in the far southern city of Castro which is practically as far as you can drive down the coast of Chile before the sparse settlements give way to the vastness of the Patagonian wilderness. This trio started out as a quartet with the early lineup of Alonso Gomez (guitar), Walter Guinel (bass), Carlos Miranda (drums) and Boris Vivar (vocals, 2009-11) with this debut REUNIÓN DE BRUJOS (Meeting Of The Warlocks) the only to feature growler Boris Vivar.

The band has released three albums since its inception with this debut coming out in 2011 on the Pacto label. A rather short collection of six tracks at just under 33 minutes in that murky gray area where you ask if it’s an EP or a bonafide album but nevertheless BUTAMACHO cranks up the volume and distortion up to maximum decibelage on this debut with a veritable mix of old school death metal in the vein of old Incantation along with moments of doom metal mixed in for good measure. The band blurs the line between the ugly nasty blackened world of war metal with the more no nonsense old school variety of death metal but with a lo-fi downtuned approach the band’s evil as f*ck sound delivery is a nice nasty treat of filthy raw and unpolished death metal from the Chilean underground. Fans of early Incantation will love this one.

Graced with distinct tracks that feature varying grooves, rhythms and melodic touches underlying the grimy exterior, BUTAMACHO’s debut showcases a mix of crafty death metal that alternates speedier blastbeat infused outbursts with more reserved groovier parts that trade in the heavy pummelation for a series of cymbal majesty. The riffing is both set to quickened monstrous assault speed to more doomy slower oozing effects. Vivar’s vocals are permanently set to low guttural growls keeping the brutal below Hades effect the primary mode of action here. The band’s morbid cover art will evoke a sense of nostalgia for the old school death metal crowds who miss the days of horror, gore and display of skeletons that still carried a shock value back in the day. The band eschews any technical or progressive tendencies leaving those modernizations up to bands like Inanna who are carrying the nation into the next phase of death metal splendor.

While i wouldn’t consider BUTAMACHO’s approach here revolutionary or even a significant deviation from what has been done a million times before, the band does deliver a somewhat unique mix of percussive drive and riffing action that when taken as a whole is quite a pleasing presentation of filthy festering death metal from the abyss. Some say this is the only true death metal. While i wouldn’t quite agree i do concur that there is nothing like this old school variety that allows the cover art imagery and somewhat streamlined songwriting simplicity to not get in the way of a distortion infused noisefest. The band appears to still be active and continues to haunt southern Chile delivering enough high octane energy to melt Patagonian glaciers. A nice mix of elements that is pretty much unknown outside the confines of the Chilean homeland. Remote bands from bumf*ck regions of the world have made quite a splash in recent years. BUTAMACHO is just one of many in the Chilean underground causing quite a stir

• 1 day ago
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• Report #881316

3.00 | 1 rating

siLLy puPPy

Perhaps the most southern based death metal band on the entire planet, INFERNAL DOOM emerged from the extreme southern Patagonian city of Punta Arenas, Chile in 1999 and has been keeping warm in its proximity to Antarctica by unleashing its own brand of melodic technically infused death metal. The band has released four albums in its quarter of a century existence with this debut JUST THE BEGINNING debuting in 2005. Initially released only as a CD-R, the band has since found supporting labels and the album was reissued in 2015 in a more appropriate CD and digital format.

With an ever changing lineup over the decades this earliest offering features Jaime Bustamante (vocals, guitar), Marcelo Oyarzo (guitar), Marco Alvarez (bass) and Vladimir Vukovic (drums). While labeled generally as death metal, this debut is a strange sounding album that sounds a bit like melo-death with doses of technicalities only the vocals aren’t of the guttural growl variety but rather a raspy scream from the abyss effect. The band releases its albums in the English language thus projecting an international intent of marketing.

The album of nine tracks and about 47 minutes of playing time comes across more like a progressive metal album with death metal crossover over aspects somewhat akin to a weaker style of Death, Cynic or even Atheist. In fact the band considers itself progressive death metal. The music while not incompetent doesn’t quite measure up to the ambitions though with lazy drumming (most of the time) and rather monotonous guitar riffing (for the most part). The tempos often drop down to such slow speeds that it completely escapes being death metal altogether especially when the clean vocals are thrown in. The overall effect is a little too polished to sound threatening and yet not competent enough to sound like a compelling progressive metal album either.

The second instrumental “Without Scape” sounds more akin to the melodic heavy metal instrumentals delivered by 80s bands such as Iron Maiden however it’s a bit more energetic and based in extreme metal with heavier drumming and more distorted guitar riffing. The closing “Beginning Of The End” is the longest track and most progressive track at just over 11 minutes long and starts out with some demented chanting before bursting into a heavy metal attack. The track features varying tempos and some slide guitar moments as well as what sounds like fretless bass. It’s also probably the most competent track on the album however even so it’s mostly an extended jamming type of track with a receptive riffing cycle and a bunch of guitar squeals and antics. Nice noisy as f*ck ending though! Decent but nothing mind blowing either.

Granted this was a primeval debut that found a band in one of the remotest regions of the planet finding its way onto a much larger world’s stage. To my ears this sounds a bit amateurish even with the short electronic instrumental “Butterfly Effect” which is more of an ambient clean guitar intermission. It’s a decent album with nothing inherently wrong but sounds like it suffers from an identity crisis as if it doesn’t know if it wants to be prog, prog metal or death metal and in the end doesn’t really sound like any of the above. Basically what drags this album down is the samey songwriting approach. This is my first exposure to INFERNAL DOOM so most likely their newer albums are much more competent. This one however is just a bit too underwhelming for my liking however not offensively so in any way. Just average.

• 1 day ago
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• Report #881315

3.00 | 1 rating

siLLy puPPy

Extreme underground black metal from Chile. HADOTOR comes from the northern coastal city of Iquique and is somewhat unique in that it doesn’t deliver the typical anti-Christian rhetoric that many hateful black metal bands crank out but rather attacks pre-Christian Judaism which when taken logically delivered the roots of Christianity so why not just nip it in the bud before it ever gets to maturity! This band formed in 1997 and even though technically still active has only released a full length and this EP titled EXTREMISMO A ZION which obviously delivers a hatred for the current state of Zionism and how it has infiltrate the entire planet.

This EP of only about sixteen minutes features vocalist Johnny Magallanes, Patricio Magallanes, guitarist Óscar Pinto and drummer Vitas Constandinis. The tracks are short with only two over three minutes and the album is like a cross between second wave Darkthrone black metal and crust punk. The band exercises extreme bombast with super fast tempos, buzzsaw guitars and the old school second wave black metal characteristics such as blastbeats and a vile hatred for just about anything that moves it sounds like! Comparable to some of the fastest second wave black metal bands like Dissection, Satyricon or Taake, HADOTOR imbues itself in a kvlt black metal purity that will appeal to those who loathe the hybridization effect that black metal has ventured into in the ensuing decades.

It’s a competent release with all the musicians on fire delivering a machine gun percussive drive, the blurred distinction between buzzsaw guitars and bass bombast and a frenetically raspy screaming typical of the old school second wave playbook. Nothing new or original here in the least and the unintelligible lyrics are presented in the Spanish language. The EP ends as quickly as it begins and delivers a rampaging set of six tracks that pretty much hit like a lightning bolt and then shoulder off into who knows where. Overall a nice delivery of energetic black metal but about as generic as it gets in term of originality. Probably one of those bands that’s shocking to see live especially if hateful diatribe is inserted between tracks in a live performance. Why hate one religion when you can hate em all i always say. It’s about time Judaism got as much hatred in black metal as Christianity. Oy vey!

• 1 day ago
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• Report #881314

3.50 | 1 rating

siLLy puPPy

La Serena, the second oldest city in Chile which hosts a metropolitan population of around 200,000 very well may be the black metal capital of all of Chile with a huge number of bands emerging from this northern coastal city. Bands like Perverse, Nergal, Doomhall, Sakrogoat, SuizidKult, Undertaker Of The Damned and Uggae Command amongst a slew of others all call this small city home. Add to that list the masterful BLACK LIGHT BRINGER that formed in 2010 and four years later released its critically acclaimed debut THORNS IN THE FLESH which delivered a thunderous display of competent second wave black metal that featured nine tracks with a near 40-minute playing time.

Sounding like a very pissed off rampaging Marduk, this debut from BLACK LIGHT BRINGER only featured two credited musicians: drummer Defiler and vocalist / guitarist Regicider and like typical second wave black metal on steroids blurs the distinction of guitar and bass with a hazy cascade of buzzsaw guitar action descended into distortion hell. This is a no nonsense type of black metal album looking back to the purity of the 1990s second wave scene and untainted by any homegrown influences, synthesized atmospheric effects or folk hybridization. This is unhinged energetic black metal in its most ferocious form delivering a series of stampeding pissed off musical deliveries that feature a ferocious drumming attack and not just set to blastbeats but rather competent technically infused drumming effects.

The guitar riffing is above average as well and not just your usual power chord grunge-a-thon. Likewise the vocals are of the highest caliber of raspy beneath-the-din extravagance making this some of the most frenetically delivered black metal that offers a sinister thrash metal infused style of competence without sacrificing any characteristic of the classic black metal purity. Comparisons range from Marduk to Immortal and Taake to the more competent technical prowess of the Swedish giants Dissection. While a bit on the generic side of the black metal equation without offering any significant contributions to the classic sounds laid down in the early Norwegian church burning days, BLACK LIGHT BRINGER nevertheless offers an extremely competent performance and one of the best black metal bands i’ve experienced from all of South America at this point.

Virtually unknown outside of its Chilean homeland, nevertheless BLACK LIGHT BRINGER delivers its lyrics in the English language with the aim of capturing some international intention but given that the competition is fierce with the entire world competing and the more competent bands latching onto this same exact sound, it’s unlikely the band will succeed in doing so unless it finds some unique shtick to distinguish itself. While falling silent for almost a decade the band finally released a followup EP in the form of “Among Us” in 2023. For those who can’t get enough of the most energetic second wave black metal that sounds like it came straight from the vaults of 1993 then you can’t go wrong with BLACK LIGHT BRINGER as the musicianship is off the charts phenomenal but if you seek some sort of creative distinction then you are SOL as this band is about as generic as it gets in that department. A worthy exploration of the greater black metal universe but not exactly the cream of the crop either.

• 1 day ago
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• Report #881313

3.50 | 1 rating

siLLy puPPy

ULKAN NEWEN is a Chilean folk metal band that got its start in the small town of Curarrehue which is situated near the Villarica volcano from which the band derives its name only from the indigenous Mapudungun language translation of the volcano. The band formed in 2008 and after going through many lineup changes relocated to the larger city of Temuco. The band describes its music as “Global Folk Metal” which incorporates folk music not necessarily indigenous to South America but literally adopts folk musical ideas from all over the globe and mixes them with heavy metal music.

The band has found a bit of success and popularity for its unusual approach and has appeared at international festivals such as the PaganFest II where they played with better known bands like Eluveitie and others. So far the band has released only a single album titled LA FUERZA DEL CANTO which translates into “The Force Of Song.” The album is fairly short as far as folk metal albums are concerned with many in the genre sprawling over an hour’s playing time. LA FUERZA DEL CANO features only six tracks that add up to 35 1/2 minutes of playing time. Without a label the band so far has only released its album independently.

The band really does incorporate a lot of various folk styles into its mix ranging from traditional Latin folk flavors to Irish jigs and gypsy swing. The band features two guitarists, a bassist, drummer, keyboardist, violinist and flute player. While folk metal can range from the primarily black metal dominated sounds of Moonsorrow infused with folk flavors to bands that are more folk music oriented than metal, ULKAN NEWEN adds more emphasis to the global folk side of the equation with the metal only serving as a somewhat secondary element usually in the form of hefty guitar riffing and the occasional growly vocals otherwise the band is more like a speed folk type of act.

I can see why this gets overall negative reviews as it does come off as a little cheesy. It’s very melodic and the symphonic keyboards and violins add more non-metal elements than the guitar, bass and drums can often overpower however a few tracks like “Invoca El Poder” adopt a virtuosic Symphony X type of approach with crazy keyboard soloing and neoclassical guitar sweeps along with galloping guitar riffs and fast tempos. The band is just as likely to escape metal altogether and engage in a festive folk dance style that makes you feel like you’ve entered a fiddling contest where the Irish jigs are in competition with the gypsy swing and Latin American influences.

It’s a very instantly endearing album if you like highly melodic folk-infused hooks with lots of violin and flute. While the metal is not as prevalent as many would like, the band certainly has the chops to deliver the goods when the metal is unleashed into a furious uproar but on the non-metal segments the band sounds like a typical global fusion type of band which is a style of music i actually love a lot so this is actually a type of music that appeals to me. I’m personally OK with not thinking of this as a metal band per se and that it’s a band that simply incorporates metal into a larger recipe. The most impressive track on the album is the closing “Bagual” which delivers beautiful folk music and adds enough metal to make it a very interesting track especially with all the twists and turns.

Overall the band does a fairly decent job of mixing metal with the varying folk styles and although i do wish the metal was a more important ingredient to this folk-infused potpourri, i can’t say i’m displeased with the results of what’s presented. A very nice album even if not reaching any kind of classic status. Given the large amount of instrumentation i have to say that the production and mixing is actually pretty decent considering this is an indie band. The band has a very professional looking website and knows how to promote itself. For emerging from such a remote area and having only a limited exposure to the world market, ULKAN NEWEN delivered a fairly impressive debut. The question is though will a new album ever come to light? The potential for becoming a world class band is definitely there.

• 1 day ago
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• Report #881312

2.50 | 1 rating

siLLy puPPy

Starting out as SEDIMENTO NEGRO (Black Sediment) in 2010 in the city of Copiapó, Chile the band released an EP titled “Bajo El Sol” and then continued a few more lineup changes before landings the lineup of Maxwell Villanueva (vocals, bass), Matias Lillo (vocals, guitar) and Felipe Arredondo (drums) in 2019 when they shortened their name to simply SEDIMENTO.

Influenced by the hard rock bands of the 1970s and the stoner rock bands of the 90s like Queens Of The Stone Age, Kyussm Unida, Clutch and Monster Magnet. SEDIMENTO released its first album under its new moniker in 2020 titled ERRANTE (Errant) which featured eight tracks that ran the short running time of just over 33 minutes. "El Pacto", "Carretera" and "En Su Cárcel" are the three singles and videos that the band released and the track “El Pacto” would be featured on the “Doomed & Stoned In Chile” various artists compilation the following year.

Listening to ERRANTE is like a time warp as it really sounds like its straight out of the Palm Desert 90s of Southern California with the heavy distorted guitar riffs that are right out of the Kyuss and Queens Of The Stone Age playbook. While all lyrics are in the Spanish language, the musical performances are pure retro and display zero traces of creative effort. This is simply tried and true stoner rock by the numbers. While the gist of stoner rock is to craft catchy pop hooks and then amplify them with fuzz guitar and a bass and drum rhythm section, as pop hooks go SEDIMENTO doesn’t really craft satisfying results.

All in all this is a fairly generic representation of stoner rock which is fairly too common these days simply because the style is so easy to play that many bands take the path of least resistance. While creatively infused stoner rock and metal can be exhilarating, far too many of these bands have spent far too long smoking out on the sofa rather than studying the world of music and how to write catchy songs. It’s a fairly average spin this one with nothing at all that really stands out. Not my favorite style of hard rock and it totally turns me off when no creativity emerges in any shape or form.

• 1 day ago
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• Report #881311

4.50 | 1 rating

Warthur

This is the third of the three distinct ways you can take in Black Widow's debut concept album, Sacrifice. The first-released, second-recorded one is, of course, the Sacrifice album itself; second-released but earlier-recorded was Return To the Sabbat, the demo version of the album which included Kay Garret on vocals before she left the band which was finally saw an official release in 1997.

This was recorded the last of all the three, and released the last - being a live show from the Sacrifice tour. It seems like Black Widow's live show at this time basically consisted of playing the entire Sacrifice album, which nmakes sense because even though they had a previous existence as Pesky Gee, the Exclamation Mark album didn't exactly have many classic tracks on it aside from the cover versions of work by much bigger acts.

However, the live show expanded on the Sacrifice concept, working in masses of theatrical flair and, in particular, focusing on adding in more ritualistic elements that give the performance the air of an actual occult gathering, and pehraps qualifies this as the best version of the complete narrative.

• 1 day ago
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• Report #881306

4.33 | 8 ratings

UMUR

"rEVOLVEr" is the fourth full-length studio album by Swedish thrash metal act The Haunted. The album was released through Century Media Records in October 2004. It´s the successor to "One Kill Wonder" from 2003 and there´s been one lineup change since the predecessor as lead vocalist Marco Aro left to concentrate on his family. He is replaced here by Peter Dolving, who also performed on the band´s 1998 debut album, so it´s a return to the fold for him.

The change on the lead vocalist spot is rather significant for the sound on "rEVOLVEr". While Aro is a raw semi-growling type vocalist, Dolving has evolved quite a bit since his performance on The Haunted´s debut album, and now possesses a highly aggressive and raw thrash/hardcore vocal style. He also performs a few clean vocal parts to great effect (his clean vocal intro to "Abysmal" is for example very effectful). The clean vocal parts are few and far between though, and the raw vocals are Dolving´s primary vocal style on "rEVOLVEr". The instrumental part of the music is still energetic and fast-paced thrash metal and occasionally mid-paced, groove laden, and heavy thrash metal too. I hear a few melodic elements (for example the main riff on "All Against All") which wasn´t something you heard often on "One Kill Wonder (2003)", but "rEVOLVEr" is not a melodic thrash metal album by any means. Raw aggression and high energy compositions are predominantly the order of the day.

The album is loaded with killer riffs, catchy sing/scream along vocal parts, and powerful organic drumming, which drive the music forward in an irresistable fashion. The Slayer influence which was always strong on the preceding releases is less apparent here, although it´s definitely still there. Just take a listen to the riffs on the middle section of "99" or the tapped part of the guitar solo on the same track, which must almost be a homage to the tapped part of the guitar solo on the title track from Slayer´s 1990 "Seasons in the Abyss" album.

There´s not a single sub par track on the album, but if highlights have to be mentioned I´ll mention the opening trio of tracks "No Compromise", "99", and "Abysmal", as absolutely crushing material but at the same time fully displaying the variation of the band´s music. Closing track "My Shadow" deserves a special mention too for its use of non-distorted guitars and strong clean singing/spoken word sections from Dolving. It´s not always it sounds pretty when extreme metal singers decide to perform clean vocals, but damn Dolving is as great singing clean vocals as he is performing his caustic raw vocals. There is some real personality on display here and you believe him when he describes himself (It could be another person, but I interpret the lyrics to be personal) in a self-loathing way on the chorus of "Abysmal", singing the lines: "This one is abysmal, This is a oneway ticket down, Some say there ain't nothing to lose, but I lost that too, So what am I gonna do now?". There´s just something incredibly convincing about his commanding delivery which has great impact on the listener.

"rEVOLVEr" features a sharp, raw, and heavy sound production, which suits the rawness and energy of the material perfectly. While "One Kill Wonder (2003)" is certainly a great album in its own right, "rEVOLVEr" is a step up in songwriting quality and especially in performances. Not that the band weren´t energetic and aggressive in the past, but Dolving´s return seems to have given them an extra energy boost, and you´ll be hard pressed to mention another contemporary thrash metal release as vibrant, sharp, and hard edged as "rEVOLVEr". To my ears it´s a seminal post-2000 thrash metal release and of course a mandatory listen for fans of the genre. A 4.5 star (90%) rating is fully deserved.

• 2 days ago
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• Report #881297

3.96 | 62 ratings

UMUR

"High Voltage" is the international debut full-length studio album by Australian hard rock/heavy rock act AC/DC. The album was released through Atlantic Records in April 1976. The band had released the two Australia only albums "High Voltage" from February 1975 and T.N.T." from December 1975, both of which proved successful for the band in their native country and got them noticed by Atlantic Records who signed them for a woldwide record deal in December 1975.

Although AC/DC´s Australian debut album is also titled "High Voltage", the two equal titled albums feature almost completely different tracklists. Only "She's Got Balls" and "Little Lover" from the Australian version are featured on the international version of "High Voltage". The remaining tracks on the album are culled from the band´s second Australian album T.N.T.". So all tracks featured on the 9 track, 44:37 minutes long album have been released before, but it´s doubtful many people outside Australia knew about AC/DC before the release of the international version of "High Voltage", so to those people this album was their first introduction to the band and their music...

...and AC/DC hit the ground running, as "High Voltage" is through and through a top notch hard rock release. Tracks like "It's A Long Way To The Top (If You Wanna Rock 'N' Roll)", "Live Wire", "High Voltage", T.N.T.", and "The Jack" are snarling heavy rockers filled to the brim with hard rocking blues based riffs and driving hard rocking rhythms. The icing on the cake are the blistering guitar solos by Angus Young and the raw nasal snarling vocals by Bon Scott. The latter delivers his hedonistic rock´n´roll lifestyle lyrics with great passion and conviction, and he makes you believe that this is the way he lives (which he actually did). The slightly more quirky rockers "Can I Sit Next to You Girl" and "She's Got Balls" bring some variation to the album as do the slow building blues of "The Jack".

Although the sound production is a little less heavy than on subsequent releases, it´s a near perfect sounding production job for the material featured on the album. The producer team of George Young (the older brother of guitarists Malcolm Young and Angus Young) and Harry Vanda have skillfully created a sound which makes the material shine. Upon conclusion "High Voltage" is not only a high quality (international) debut album by AC/DC it´s also often considered an iconic hard rock release and deservedly so. A 5 star (100%) rating is deserved.

• 2 days ago
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• Report #881296