Love him or hate him, Geoff Tate is a legend. Nothing less. Having recorded 12 studio albums with progressive metal heavyweights Queensrÿche, at least five of which are immortal classics, 2012 was a turning point for Tate, who split with the band and started a new band, under the name of, hmm, Operation: Mindcrime. With..
Sweet Oblivion – Relentless (Frontiers Music)
If you didn’t pay attention first time around (shame on you!), the Sweet Oblivion project is masterminded by the Italian label Frontiers Music, which has quite a number of successful all-star bands in its roster. This particular project is built around the talent of legendary Geoff Tate, with the help of some amazing musicians from..
Memoriam – To The End (Reaper Entertainment)
The end of this week will mark the release of the fourth album by death metal traditionalists Memoriam, a band, which was born back in 2016 as a tribute to the late Bolt Thrower drummer Martin "Kiddie" Kearns. First few seconds into opener Onwards Into Battle prove that the guys continue forging their trademark mid-tempo,..
Interview with Karl Willets (Memoriam)
Back in 2016, one of the all-time greats of death metal, the mighty Bolt Thrower, announced they will no longer continue, after the tragic loss of their drummer, Martin “Kiddie” Kearns. Who would have thought that Martin’s passing could also be a trigger for a completely new band to be formed, in his memory, and..
Haunt – Beautiful Distraction (Church Recordings)
Everybody’s favorite workaholic Trevor Church returns with yet another full-length release from Haunt, just a few months after Flashback, which came out last June. Titled Beautiful Distraction, the fourth proper album from Haunt, once again puts on display the band’s greatest strengths. This is an encapsulation of Trevor’s DIY ethos and his passion for true,..
Paranorm – Empyrean (Redefining Darkness Records)
Paranorm is a progressive death/thrash band from Sweden, existing since 2008. With two EPs behind their backs (released in 2011 and 2014 respectively), now, finally the time has come for the full-length debut Empyrean. The eight-track album will be released on February 26th by Redefining Darkness Records and you can already listen to the first..
Pounder – Breaking The World (Shadow Kingdom Records)
In case you don’t know that already, Pounder is the band where Matt Harvey (Exhumed, Gruesome) expresses his love for old school, pure heavy metal. The line-up is rounded-up by the equally talented Tom Draper (guitars, Carcass), and Alejandro Corredor (bass, Nausea). Pounder’s debut full-length Uncivilized came out in 2019 and impressed by ticking all..
Viral – Viral (self-release)
Swedish newcomers Viral are one of the examples to prove that sometimes, you can actually judge a book by its cover. The beautiful artwork and stylish logo immediately draw the attention and scream classic heavy/power metal. The surprise actually comes from the first few minutes of music, when one realizes Viral have much more in..
Saber – Without Warning (Church Recordings)
Saber is a relatively new band from Los Angeles, which we can safely put in the NWOTHM sub-genre. The band first released the speed metal flavored single Speed Racer in 2019, and in June 2020 “upgraded” it with another song in the new single Strike Of The Witch. This is the moment when Trevor William..
Sodom – Genesis XIX (Steamhammer)
The past four years have been a challenge for both Sodom and their fans. After the excellent Decision Day (2016), guitarist Bernemann, who has been in the band for 22 years (!), was surprisingly replaced by not one, but, for the first time in band history – two guitar players – the legendary Frank Blackfire..