LACUNA COIL Release Seventh Studio Album ‘Broken Crown Halo’ March 31st, 2014 Milan, Italy-based heavy rock group Lacuna Coil issued seventh studio full-length album Broken Crown Halo in North America on April 1st, 2014 through Century Media Records. The label also scheduled international release for one day earlier. The outing was cut in Milan, Italy, […]

SARGEISTFeeding The Crawling Shadows W.T.C. Productions (2014)Rating: 8/10 Emerging from the inhospitable corners of Finland, Sargeist is a true black metal band who has been plying their unearthly trade since 1999. A respected quartet on the European scene, Sargeist have now released their fourth full-length opus, which comes four years after 2010’s superb Let The […]

LACUNA COILBroken Crown Halo Century Media (2014)Rating: 8.5/10 Broken Crown Halo is the latest from goth-tinged Italian hard rockers Lacuna Coil. The follow up to the highly successful Dark Adrenaline (2012) and Shallow Life (2009) albums, Broken Crown Halo finds the band at a crossroads of sorts due to the departure of guitarist Cris Migliore […]

SONATA ARCTICA Release Eighth Studio Album ‘Pariah’s Child’ March 28th, 2014 Kemi, Finland-based melodic metal group Sonata Arctica issued eighth studio full-length album Pariah’s Child on March 28th, 2014 through Nuclear Blast Records. The outing was cut and produced by Sonata Arctica at the group’s own Studio 57 in Alaveteli, Finland. Vocalist Tony Kakko issued […]

AUGBe Careful What You Wish For… Arrt (2014)Rating: 9.5/10 Aug is an American hard rock band that have appeared on the same stage as Faster Pussycat, L.A. Guns, White Lion, Dokken, Joe Lynn Turner, Blue Öyster Cult and countless others. And with these details on their CV I expected a full-throttle opus of driving riffs, […]

CRYSTAL TEARSHellmade Massacre (2014)Rating: 8/10 Greek headbangers Crystal Tears have been lurking in the shadows since 1997 but Hellmade is only their third record, following on from the 2006 debut Choirs Of Immortal and its 2010 follow-up Generation X. These guys certainly don’t rush when it comes to recording albums. This time round the band […]

TROLLFEST Release Sixth Studio Album ‘Kaptein Kaos’ March 28th, 2014 Oslo, Norway-based folk metal group Trollfest issued sixth studio full-length album Kaptein Kaos on March 28th, 2014 through NoiseArt Records. The outing was cut at the dUb Studio in Oslo and at the Trollskogen Recording Facilities, with mixing duties being handled by Endre Kirkesola. Designed […]

TEMTRISShallow Grave Battlegod Productions (2014)Rating: 8/10 Formed initially under the name of Labyrinth in 1999, and then altering the name slightly to Labyrinthia, before finally deciding on the equally mystical Temtris, this female-fronted band from Australia released its debut outing in 2003, under the title of Threshold. This was followed in 2007 by Masquerade, but […]

SINBREED Release Second Studio Album ‘Shadows’ March 28th, 2014 German power metal group Sinbreed issued second full-length album Shadows on March 28th, 2014 in Europe through AFM Records. The label also scheduled United States release for April 15th. The track listing was as follows; 01. ‘Bleed’ 02. ‘Shadows’ 03. ‘Call To Arms’ 04. ‘Reborn’ 05. […]

DYNAZTYRenatus Spinefarm (2014)Rating: 8/10 Renatus is the fourth studio album from Swedish metal band Dynazty, who have the sort of moniker better suited to some cheesy 80s hair metal / glam band. But look beyond the name and we are greeted by a powerhouse of a metal band who dabble in clinical, melodic and occasionally […]