STENCHVenture Agonia (2014)Rating: 7.5/10 Sweden’s Stench is a horrid blackened death metal troupe, and Venture is the sophomore conjuration of this trio. It follows on from the impressive 2010 debut In Putrescence, and again showcases the unusual appetite of this band for rather unorthodox extreme metal dynamics which sit within an almost stark, skeletal framework […]

THE PROPHECY²³Untrue Like A Boss Massacre (2014)Rating: 5/10 Clearly washed ashore through the foam of the charging revival thrash metal trend, German moshers The Prophecy²³ – in spite of their dodgy moniker – don’t make for an all too bad listen if you like basic thrash metal riddled with humour and the variety of a […]

PALACEThe 7th Steel Massacre (2014)Rating: 8/10 It’s time to strap on that armour and with sword in hand take to the promised land in search of lost treasure and dragons, and with Palace by your side I’ve no doubt you’ll find your quarry, because this is a high octane dose of driving power metal that’ll […]

LORD VOLTUREWill To Power Mausoleum (2014)Rating: 7/10 Having been impressed by the recent steely shenanigans of German metallers Stallion (Rise And Ride), I was more than prepared for another deadly dose of traditional metal. Thankfully, Dutch metallers Lord Volture have stepped up to the plate, albeit in patches. Will To Power is the third opus […]

MIND SNAREAncient Cults Supremacy The Spew (2014)Rating: 8/10 Opting for a straight-laced death metal barrage, Italian extreme metal mongers Mind Snare are veterans of this noise, having been active from the late 1980s although originally as Satan’s Slaughter, and then into the early 90s as Chemiotherapy before altering their moniker again in 1992. Ancient Cults […]

BURNING NITRUMMolotov Punishment 18 (2014)Rating: 7/10 In 2010, vocalist Dave Cillo formed Burning Nitrum – a thrash metal quintet hailing from Bari in Italy. The band’s debut EP, Pyromani, was released in 2012 to favourable reviews, followed a year later by the ‘Turned To Ashes (Nothing Stands Still)’ single. For this debut full-length outing, Cillo […]

HELLDORADOSLessons In Decay Massacre (2014)Rating: 5/10 Lessons In Decay is the second album from German rockers Helldorados and it’s one that remains upbeat throughout, even if the overall feel is one of an album lacking weight and maturity. Even so, this is upbeat hard rock with heaps of melody, a sprig of grit and the […]

WORK OF ARTFramework Frontiers (2014)Rating: 8/10 It’s nice to review a rather summery opus when on the fringes of a dreary winter. Framework is the third platter from Swedish rockers Work Of Art and as expected it once again revisits the classic rock sounds of Toto, Journey et al. Soft, warm and cosy by design, […]

ZODIACSonic Child Napalm (2014)Rating: 8/10 Zodiac – featuring members Nick van Delft (vocals / guitar), Stephan Gall (guitar), Ruben Claro (bass) and Janosch Rathmer (drums) – is a German rock band with a heavy blues influence. Sonic Child, the band’s third full-length, is an easy-on-the-ears exploration into what I can best describe as chilled out […]

MEGASONICIntense Mausoleum (2014)Rating: 8.5/10 It’s great to see Mausoleum Records still pumping out high quality heavy metal and the debut slab from Belgian melodic metallers Megasonic is no exception. I have to admit that when I first saw the album cover for this 13-track affair I wondered if this was some sort of belated late […]