Cynic – The Portal Tapes Review
When these tracks were initially recorded in 1995, they weren’t intended as a Cynic album – they were, in fact, intended as a fairly significant departure from that band’s early days of Floridian prog-death. These …
Electrocution – Inside The Unreal (Reissue) Review
The Italians gave the world the Renaissance, the Mafia, the Vatican (which they can keep), the battery, the radio, the piano, eyeglasses, newspapers, the concept of the ambulance, and this, the first album by overlooked …
Exumer – Fire & Damnation Review
Cult-classic German thrashers Exumer seemed forever destined to be a footnote in thrash metal history. Debuting in 1986 with Possessed By Fire, Exumer occupied a middle ground between the German giants Kreator and Destruction and …
Paradise Lost – Tragic Idol Review
On the day I started writing this review, I got out of work early. It was a beautiful day, 80 degrees and sunny, and I knew I had some writing to do, so I grabbed …
Cripple Bastards – Senza Impronte Review
The Italian punks in Cripple Bastards have been grinding along since the late 1980s, and though they haven’t always been among the first bands that come to mind when the sub-genre’s biggest acts are listed, …
Salvacion – Way More Unstoppable Review
From the town that brought you Dawson’s Creek and One Tree Hill comes Salvacion, a four-piece trad-metal outfit that dashes the requisite Iron Maiden-ish guitar harmonies with a palpable smoky haze. Way More Unstoppable is …
Accept – Stalingrad Review
Like most, I was surprised by Accept’s 2010 comeback, and more than pleasantly. Accept sans Dirkschneider had been attempted once, two decades prior and to dismal results, and so I initially approached Blood Of The …
Exciter – Death Machine Review
Way back at the dawn of time, Exciter released back-to-back rip-roaring speed-driven rides that laid the groundwork for what would eventually become thrash metal. 1983’s Heavy Metal Maniac and 1984’s Violence And Force stand as …