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heavy metal

Album Review- Voyager: "V"

By Wizard on June 13th, 2014

So, there I am, listening to the newest album from Australian "progressive" metal band Voyager, "V", and my first thought is, "Did Duran Duran come back as an Australian progressive metal band?". Honestly, that was my first impression. I wasn't sure what was I getting in to? As I listened on, however, I realized what I was hearing was not your average heavy metal album. And it was not Duran Duran.

Seriously, the vocals of Daniel Estrin sound a lot like Simon LeBon from Duran Duran so I was not surprised when Voyager's own promotional material made the same comparison.

Album Review: Arch Enemy - "War Eternal"

By D.M on June 13th, 2014

Arch Enemy is one of those bands whose career can be broken down into segments and viewed individually by vocalist. It all began with Johan Liiva, the grating grunter who teamed up with the brothers Arnott and brought the band to worldwide fame. Liiva’s tenure was characterized largely by noise, as Arch Enemy blended black and death metal with the heady tradition of European twin guitars.

Building a New Future - A Conversation With Spider One of Powerman 5000

By D.M on June 10th, 2014

Perseverance is an underrated quality. The measure of an artist is so much more than just success, the lion's share is given over to how a man or woman handles the lean times, how they take adversity in stride and the confidence with which they bounce back. Spider One, he who is Powerman 5000 and vice-versa, should be given no less than full marks for his exhibition of resillience. Powerman is back, hungry, re-forging their old identity from the first brick and climbing back into your stereo. Fresh off the release of their new record "Builders of the Future," Spider took some time to sit down and answer our questions, as we talk about his band, where they are, what inspires him and the album that never was.

Album Review: Darkest Era - Severance

By Chris C on June 09th, 2014

Bands from all around the world have attempted to blend their cultural identities with that of the standard metal sound, but not all of the efforts have been successful. Many of the Scandinavian bands have found success fusing their dark folk music with metal's bombast and power, while bands like Angra and Sepultura have married tribal rhythms to the pounding beat of metal. These efforts have worked, because the culture they have added to the mix bolstered an element of the metal sound that already existed.

Album Review: Bloody Hammers - "Under Satan's Sun"

By Wizard on June 06th, 2014

Before we get started, look at this album cover. There's an old saying, "You can't judge a book by it's cover" or, in the case of musical offerings, you can't judge a record by it's sleeve. Some of the best looking albums have absolutely nothing of value inside and, sometimes, the most bizarre record jackets have the greatest music you've ever heard in them. And that brings us to the latest album from Bloody Hammer, "Under Satan's Sun".

Album Review: Powerman 5000 - "Builders of the Future"

By D.M on June 06th, 2014

Full disclosure – I am a longtime fan of Powerman 5000, beginning waaaaay back in the “True Force” days. That probably makes me more forgiving than some.

Album Review: Killer Be Killer - "Killer Be Killed"

By D.M on June 02nd, 2014

Let’s be serious here – if you were told to write down what you thought the combined sound of Soulfly, Mastodon, the Mars Volta and the Dillinger Escape Plan would be, what are the words that come to mind? Irascible, scratchy, virile, pummeling, cacophonous, noisy, and a thousand synonyms.

Album Review: Sabaton - Heroes

By Chris C on May 27th, 2014

When last we heard from Sabaton, they were a band in a state of flux. “Carolus Rex” was the last statement of a band that was fracturing, a dividing line that will make clear what constituted the Sabaton sound all these years. The band split apart, with the majority of the instrumentalists forming the lackluster Civil War, and singer Joakim Broden keeping the Sabaton tradition alive. Band politics are often juicy fodder for the tabloid aspect of our world, but they mean nothing to the music, which is the only thing that should matter.

Album Review: Greenleaf - "Trails And Passes"

By Wizard on May 23rd, 2014

When does a "side project" stop being a side and start being a primary project. Generally, a side project is something you do part time, as an escape or a way to shake things up so you can continue pursuing your main objective. But when your part time job starts to become more important than your full time job then maybe it's time to switch.

Album Review: Vestal Claret - The Cult Of Vestal Claret

By Chris C on May 21st, 2014

Doom metal has always been an underground scene, but even in doom there are levels of complete anonymity. While bands like Pentagram, Saint Vitus, and Candlemass managed to make their names known, even if their audiences were always small, the vast majority of doom bands never make it any further than the devoted fans of the genre. Vestal Claret, to this point, has been one of those doom bands that you would never have heard of unless you were deeply entrenched in the doom scene.