GRIMSKULLAwake Asleep Skullcrack (2022)Rating: 7/10 So, my vocal issues come to the fore again as Norway’s Grimskull issues its third full-length album since forming back in 2009. Unfortunately, crooner Trygve Johan Solheim has a rather irritating tone which remains off-key and unconvincing, but then again the whole album is flawed; the production is thin and […]
WORMBluenothing EP 20 Buck Spin (2022)Rating: 8/10 Florida’s Worm is one of those bands that have a constant buzz about its own rotten carcass. Since their 2017 debut full-length album Evocation Of The Black Marsh their name has coated the lips of death metal fanatics worldwide; us babbling, rabid worshippers can’t wait for a new […]
DEAD CROSSII Ipecac Recordings (2022)Rating: 9/10 It’s time to brace yourself once again for another sonic tour de force through the darkest depths of punk, hardcore, crossover and whatever else you find while digging around the second full-length outing from the maniacal Dead Cross. Of course, any band which the legendary Mike Patton fronts is […]
DARKTHRONEAstral Fortress Peaceville (2022)Rating: 8/10 We’ve certainly been here before as cult members Ted “Nocturno Culto” Skejellum and Gylve “Fenriz” Nagell drag us once again into their doom-laden depths of icy nostalgia, as evidenced by the Panzerfaust (1995) reference on the tongue-in-cheek cover. It’s a shame, of course, that the gruesome twosome does like to […]
JOE LYNN TURNERBelly Of The Beast Mascot Label Group (2022)Rating: 8/10 I was not prepared for the dazzling thrash-cum-power metal outburst of the title track of this awesome new record from mercurial American rocker Joe Lynn Turner, but once inside this rollicking release you just can’t help but stoke the fires and rock along. Rich […]
THEMFear City Steamhammer (2022)Rating: 6/10 Returning from the vault with their fourth full-length studio album is the theatrical Them, an international band fronted by Coldsteel’s Troy Norr (aka KK Fossor). Tapping into the synth-obsessed youth of today, Them cause bats to flutter from the alcoves and owls to hoot in derision as they embark on […]
SPELLTragic Magic Bad Omen (2022)Rating: 8/10 Exploring the realms of cosmic goth, Vancouver, British Columbia-based duo Spell returns with its next storybook narrated in wistful and ethereal fashion by Cam Mesmer, who, along with fellow clan member Al Lester, has crafted another bewitching, prog-laced hard rock opus. These guys have mastered the art of manifesting […]
OBLIVION PROTOCOL Sign Album Contract With Atomic Fire Records October 27th, 2022 International progressive metal band Oblivion Protocol, spearheaded by Threshold keyboardist Richard West, have signed an album contract with Atomic Fire Records, revealing this development on October 27th, 2022. Richard West issued the following statement: “I’m completely blown away to announce that I’ve signed […]
TEARFULEYESLacrimosis Oculis Self-released (2022)Rating: 5/10 Here’s a rather strange marrying of melodic death metal and traditional heavy metal, although I belief this Swedish act began life as a more standard act in 2016. This debut full-length album doesn’t sit right with me; the choppy yet more contemporary death metal barks are distinctly Swedish at times, […]
XENTRIX Issue Lyric Video For New Track ‘Reckless With A Smile’ October 27th, 2022 North-west England-based thrash metal band Xentrix have released an official lyric video for the track ‘Reckless With A Smile’, which can be viewed below. Xentrix issue sixth full-length studio album Seven Words on November 11th, 2022 through Listenable Records. Guitarist Kristian […]
