NIGHTBLADECloser To The Threshold Sky Rocket (2013)Rating: 8/10 Heavy metal is back!! Okay, so we knew that anyway, not that it really went away, but Nightblade, with their distinctly 80s sounding moniker, are the sort of band we want in the trenches alongside us as we march across the misty moors in search of heavy […]

TRISTANIADarkest White Napalm (2013)Rating: 6.5/10 Tristania, like many symphonic metal bands, has been tremendously hurt by hosting a seemingly revolving door of musicians. Although the second album to feature most of the current line-up, it’s Darkest White that is the Norwegian band’s best hope of restoring the fans’ belief in Tristania. Recorded throughout Norway, it […]

PASADENA NAPALM DIVISIONPasadena Napalm Division Minus Head (2013)Rating: 8/10 For me, any band that is fronted by D.R.I. vocalist Kurt Brecht has got to be on to a winner. Forget the thrash revival, D.R.I. were churning up mosh pits years ago. It’s great to hear that Brecht – in the company of three members of […]

LANTERNBelow Dark Descent (2013)Rating: 8/10 Dark Descent Records have found a gem of a band in Finland’s Lantern. Not for a long time have I heard such a cavernous sound from a crew who, it would seem, have opted to record their debut full-length platter in a dungeon beneath one of the seven gates of […]

IMPRECATIONSatanae Tenebris Infinita Dark Descent (2013)Rating: 8/10 Hard to believe that Imprecation, who hail from Texas, have been around since the early 90s, but it’s no surprise that their long awaited full-length debut album is a smoking old school death metal mini-masterpiece. The quintet have certainly been through the mill since their 1992 Ceremony Of […]

SVARTSYNBlack Testament Agonia (2013)Rating: 6/10 I’m amazed at the amount of one-man bands within the black metal genre. There really are some clever guys out there roaming the frosty forests in search of that elusive and remote sound. Svartysn are no exception, the band being the brainchild of Ornias who since the foetid days of […]

ALICE IN CHAINSThe Devil Put Dinosaurs Here Capitol (2013)Rating: 7/10 It never seems possible that Alice In Chains has lasted as long as they have. Their debut, 1990’s Facelift, was essentially a metal album with enough unique twists to be accepted by the growing throng of heavy alternative fans; a full-length opus full of sludge […]

SUICIDAL TENDENCIES13 Suicidal (2013)Rating: 8/10 Suicidal Tendencies is nearly a genre unto itself. I first discovered this iconic Venice Beach, California-based band when exploring the realm of punk rock, and was impressed by the depth offered in their catalogue. Suicidal Tendencies is part punk attitude, part thrash power, part funk groove, and Mike Muir’s special […]

THE PETE FLESH DEATHTRIPMortui Vivos Docent Pulverised (2013)Rating: 7.5/10 As soon as the grating opening riff of ‘Fallen Bliss’ rakes the ears, I’m hooked. Sweden’s The Pete Flesh Deathtrip may sound like some weird 60s B-movie, but the harsh reality is this is a solo project put together by one Pete Flesh (real name Peter […]

EVILESkull Earache (2013)Rating: 7/10 Evile have been held responsible for the UK thrash revival. The Huddersfield metalheads hit the metal scene big time in 2007 with their Enter The Grave debut. I have to admit that I’ve never been the biggest fan of the band but, before anyone chops my testicles off, I do admire […]