CLOVEN HOOFHeathen Cross High Roller (2024)Rating: 8/10 My introduction to underrated New Wave Of British Heavy Metal act Cloven Hoof is somewhat hazy, but it was via the 1984 self-titled debut with its satanic cover art which, like a lot of UK bands from the time (Witchfinder General, Witchfynde, Holocaust, Satan, Demon etc.), boasted that […]
FORBIDDEN MESSIAHCall Of The Void EP Self-released (2024)Rating: 7.5/10 With a crunch that early Metallica would have been proud of, Ontario, Canada-based thrashers Forbidden Messiah embarks upon their sophomore seven track EP, Call Of The Void. The band features Brandon Cambridge (vocals and guitar), Lucas Jacques (bass) and Justin Mackwen (drums), and right from the […]
THE TROOPS OF DOOMA Mass To The Grotesque Alma Mater (2024)Rating: 7.5/10 With Dan Seagrave cover artwork, A Mass To The Grotesque is the second outing from Brazilian death thrashers The Troops Of Doom. For those not in the know, the quartet formed in 2020, naming themselves after the classic Sepultura song of the same […]
HOUSE BY THE CEMETARYThe Mortuary Hauntings Pulverised (2024)Rating: 5/10 Riff focused death metal is once again on the menu as prolific Swedish musician Rogga Johansson (Paganizer / Ribspreader / Furnace / Carve etc.) revisits his House By The Cemetary project who released their debut full-length album three years ago in the form of Rise Of […]
LEADBREAKEROverdrive Stormspell (2024)Rating: 6.5/10 LeadBreaker don’t mess around and race from the traps like a hare with a rocket up its arse. Overdrive is the second album from this Swedish act which, and like so many contemporary metal artists, takes influence from Judas Priest, Accept etc. with sizzling riffs and racing bass and percussion. The […]
UNHOLY SWARMExterminator EP Head2Wall (2024)Rating: 7/10 With a contender for cover artwork of the year, Columbus, Ohio-based thrashers Unholy Swarm unleashes its new EP, Exterminator. I’m not at all familiar with the band but I immediately latched onto this release when I heard the snarling grind of ‘Machine’. The band successfully fuses hardcore with a […]
MORTAL WOUNDThe Anus Of The World Me Saco Un Ojo / Dark Descent (2024)Rating: 7.5/10 With an indecipherable logo, odd cover art and peculiar song titles, Los Angeles, California-based death metallers Mortal Wound return from the pit after a four year silence with their debut full-length slop. Of all the excellent bands squirming around within […]
CAVERN WOMBStages Of Infinity EP Rotted Life (2024)Rating: 7.5/10 With striking artwork from Lucas Korte (Shoggoth Kinetics), Stages Of Infinity is the debut EP from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania-based deathheads Cavern Womb. The outing features four tracks of deep, dense bludgeoning which although dripping in familiarity, remains a wholesome and meaty platter to chew on. From the […]
REVEREND HOUNDDeal In Steel Metalizer (2024)Rating: 7.5/10 Munich, Germany-based metalheads Reverend Hound formed in 2004 but under the moniker of Savage. The name change emerged in 2008 but a debut full-length outing (Release The Hounds) wouldn’t come until 2015, followed three years later by an EP (Enter My Nightmare). Such stats suggest little action from […]
EVILDEADToxic Grace Steamhammer (2024)Rating: 4.5/10 It’s kind of weird that US thrashers EvilDead, who enjoyed a degree of mild success in the 80s and early 90s, released an album, United States Of Anarchy, in 2020. Swept away in the tides of the Covid pandemic, the return of the Los Angeles, California-based band was barely a […]
