SEBASTIAN BACHGive ’Em Hell Frontiers (2014)Rating: 9.5/10 When I grew up as a teenager in the 1980s, I never expected my heavy metal heroes Alice Cooper and Ozzy Osbourne to eventually become household names taking on cartoonish facades. Over time I would lose interest in these rock giants, despite the fact their music evolved through […]

KILMARA Release ‘Love Songs And Other Nightmares’ April 8th, 2014 Barcelona, Spain-based melodic metal group Kilmara issued third studio full-length album Love Songs And Other Nightmares on April 8th, 2014 through Sony Music. The outing was tracked by Roland Grapow (Masterplan / ex-Helloween), Grapow taking the helm. Cover artwork duties were handled by Jessica Allain, […]

BLACK LABEL SOCIETY Release ‘Catacombs Of The Black Vatican’ April 7th, 2014 Los Angeles, California-based heavy metal group Black Label Society issued ninth studio full-length album Catacombs Of The Black Vatican on April 7th, 2014 through the Mascot Label Group. eOne Music scheduled release for the 8th in North America. The track listing was as […]

TURBO Release ‘The Fifth Element’ April 7th, 2014 Polish heavy metal group Turbo issued studio full-length album The Fifth Element on April 7th, 2014 in Europe through Metal Mind Productions. The label also scheduled North American release for the 15th. The Polish-language version of the effort, entitled Piaty Żywiol, was available for purchase in Poland. […]

ACHRENThe White Death EP Ceol Dorchas Productions (2014)Rating: 5.5/10 Scottish trio Achren is a band that has been existence since 2003, with the band members often referring to their style of music as “blood metal”. Although the outfit has been busy over the years with a couple of EPs, demos, split projects etc, the debut […]

LOST SOCIETYTerror Hungry Nuclear Blast (2014)Rating: 6.5/10 Considering the amount of modern thrash bands hell bent on bringing back the 80s sound, I actually found myself partly riveted by Lost Society’s 2013 debut opus, Fast Loud Death. It was a riotous chunk of Finnish thrash featuring speedy rhythms, generic gang shouts, and rasping vocals that […]

BRAINSTORM Release Tenth Studio Album ‘Firesoul’ April 4th, 2014 German power metal group Brainstorm issued tenth studio full-length album Firesoul on April 4th, 2014 in Europe through AFM Records. The track listing was as follows; 01. ‘Erased By the Dark’ 02. ‘Firesoul’ 03. ‘Descendants Of The Fire’ 04. ‘Entering Solitude’ 05. ‘Recall The Real’ 06. […]

KILL RITUAL Release Second Album ‘The Eyes Of Medusa’ April 4th, 2014 San Francisco, California-based metal group Kill Ritual issued second full-length album The Eyes Of Medusa on April 4th, 2014 through Golden Core Records / ZYX Music. The outing was cut at Fossil Sound in San Jose California, and at Fang Studio in San […]

LOST SOCIETY Release Second Album ‘Terror Hungry’ April 4th, 2014 Jyväskylä, Finland-based thrash metal outfit Lost Society issued second full-length album Terror Hungry on April 4th, 2014 in Europe through Nuclear Blast Records. The outing was cut at Sonic Pump studios, with Nino Laurenne handling production duties. Cover artwork responsibilities were overseen by Jan Meininghaus. […]

CONFESSJail SG (2014)Rating: 5.5/10 I so want to be convinced by this runaway train known as Scandinavian sleaze / glam metal. It’s been rollin’ on for more than a decade now in its sordid attempts at bringing 80s LA-styled cock rock back to the masses. Sadly, having not succumbed to the sickly, over-glossy mess that […]