Ray Alder – II Review
Heavier and more progressive than 2019’s What the Water Wants, the Fates Warning singer’s sophomore effort, II, retains the former’s ethereal feel but hits some incredible highs that were perhaps lacking on that earlier effort …
The Silent Rage – Nuances Of Life Review
Though Greece’s The Silent Rage is described by many online sources as “melodic power metal,” it is the band’s more traditional heavy metal influences that distinguish it from any perceived peers. Temperance and later Power …
Saint Deamon – League Of The Serpent Review
By comparison, the four-year gap between this, Saint Deamon’s fourth album, and the band’s last album, Ghost, pales in comparison to the ten-year gap between recordings from 2009 to 2019. Yet it still feels far …
Suotana – Ounas I Review
Suotana is a Finnish melodic death metal band that I, and many others, discovered after the release of their sophomore effort, Land of the Ending Time, in 2018. I was on a Children of Bodom …
Hellwalker – Hellwalker Review
Hellwalker is one of those entirely random, spot ’em on Bandcamp finds for me—which is to say, the best of finds. As is true for most people, life pulls me away from that kind of …
..And Oceans – As In Gardens, So In Tombs Review
…and Oceans have mostly operated in a delicately balanced duality of aggressively rich and textured melodic black metal—a seemingly simple concept that is rarely well-executed. Yet these Finns somehow make finding that sweet spot look …
Best Of 2022 – Chris C.: Special Tunes From Metal Goons
We live in strange times—said everyone, ever, right now. Like literally everyone. No one has not said this. Even the strange people contributing to said strangeness recognize these are strange times in their own strange …
Fall Of The Idols – Contradictory Notes Review
A stunning, arguably canonical debut, Fall of the Idols’ The Womb of the Earth remains a doom high-water mark. Though hardly an uplifting contribution, “Sown are the Seeds of Doom” remains a Soundtrack of 2006 …