Tag: Traditional
Rebel Wizard – Voluptuous Worship Of Rapture And Response Review
To get into the right frame of mind for Voluptuous Worship Of Rapture And Reason, picture an ideal raw, atmospheric black metal album cover—the dark, sinister melancholy of a dead forest, the gaping maw of …
Satan – Cruel Magic Review
One of the more tragic aspects of the genre-defining New Wave Of British Heavy Metal was that few bands managed to continue the momentum after the peak of the movement. By the mid-80s, many acts …
Black Viper – Hellions Of Fire Review
There was a stretch in the early 90s when any Jane or Joe could sidle up to the rail and say, “Bartender, give me a True Norwegian,” and immediately receive a frosty mug of vicious …
Cauldron – New Gods Review
Want to like Ghost, but can’t stomach all the pomp and theater? Want to like High Spirits, but can’t stand fun and guitar solos? Well, Cauldron may be for you. Now five albums into their …
A Devil’s Dozen – Thin Lizzy
As a suburban kid raised on the one classic rock radio station in a mid-sized southern American city, I was bombarded daily with the same 45 songs on a never-ending shuffle. “Free Bird,” of course, …
Nachash – Phantasmal Triunity Review
A lot of extreme metal isn’t particularly, well, extreme. Melody, sheen, and progressive elements might end up dominating, or maybe there’s a tendency to lift a bunch of NWOBHM riffs, leaving some screeching dude as …
Manacle – No Fear To Persevere Review
In 2016, Canada’s Manacle self-released a preview of their first full-length, appropriately titled Preview. Now, two years later, they’re finally dropping that full-length on Hard And Heavy Records, and it turns out that Preview was …
Battleroar – Codex Epicus Review
At the intersection of Blind Guardian and Manilla Road lies Greece’s Battleroar—epic paeans to battle and heroes, historical tales of Ye Olden Days, infectious guitar leads, soaring melodies, bombastic choirs… Codex Epicus is the band’s …