Some bands literally pass you by. Its not you, its not them, its just one of those things. I’ve heard of Dark Angel, whose Darkness Descends is considered one of the best albums released during that golden age of Thrash metal and yet it seems that they are recognised more for having Gene Hoglan sitting behind the kit. Gene’s legendary status as one of THE metal drummers is not up for discussion, and with Extinction Level Event he is back to remind you why. Extinction Level Event is their 5th album of a career that started in the early 80’s, punctured by a couple of breaks and on listening to it, well its like Thrash never went away.
There has been a resurgence in bands who are attempting to kick start that movement again, with differing levels of success but here we have what I call the real thing. 11 tracks of pure aggression that run that speedy wave that will make you think its 1986 again. I’m not suggesting that this is the greatest metal album ever made, that would be stupid of me but when you hold this up against those bands still going from the same era, none of them come close to having the same level of intensity to their music. They haven’t detuned, they haven’t dropped solo’s, they haven’t changed musical style in a way to chase trends, they just turned up and locked in.
From the incendiary opener Extinction Level Event that kicks in and then kicks you in the teeth, this is the sort of start that gets the blood pumping. It has an incredible old school vibe, from the drumming to the mental guitar solo. It is exactly how these albums should start – no acoustic guitars, no instrumental moments, just riffs. Lots of riffs.
Now they are off and running, burning through track after track, from the heads down Circular Firing Squad through the brilliantly named Woke Up To Blood, with a pummelling drum intro that leads into what I can only describe as a classic part of Thrash – the triplet - into Apex Predator. After this start you wonder if they can keep this pace up, and if they do will they run out of ideas.
Sea Of Heads drops the tempo and as good as it is I’ve got to say that Ron Rinehart’s vocals are more suited to the faster material which they return to on Atavistic. That isn’t to say that Sea Of Heads is a poor song, its just not as good as the faster material. The worry that they would blow themselves out dissipates as they just light you up with cracker after cracker, with Scalar Weaponry being a favourite of mine and is as good as anything served up by the big four (or five) in their pomp.
From here on in it’s a race to the end with Extraction Tactics reaching speeds normally reserved for more extreme forms of metal. At the heart of this are Gene’s drums, which are just irresistible but you must give props to the guitar talents of Laura Christine and Eric Meyer who bring their A-game on this with some top-tier riffology. Comparing this against latter albums others is probably unfair but it has to be said that this possesses a vicious streak that doesn’t fall away after a song or two. It also doesn’t have any filler material, or songs that are too long and go nowhere. Or instrumentals. 8/10
Abyssalis – Adaptation (Transcending Obscurity Records) [Spike]
There are records that punch, and then there are those that also whisper, you catch scratches between the shots. Adaptation is both. Played loud through the room, it’s all sharp edges and force, but when I sat with it later and let the headphones close in, the hidden layers surfaced, the flickers of melody under the riffs, the subtle shifts in drum texture, the way a growl breaks ever so slightly. It’s an album that shifts depending on how you choose to meet it.
This EP kicks off with Adaptation a sharp burst of technical death metal with a touch of brutality that reminds you that yes, this isn’t carefree listening. From the first riff, the band make it clear they’ve absorbed lessons from giants like Decapitated or Eschaton but aren’t just echoing them. They add flair: riffs smartly arranged, grooves built not just to impress, but to linger in your head.
Indomitable doubles down, sending drums scattering like shards under brutal speed, while Pandemonium laces melody into the mayhem, so much so I found myself imagining a midnight drive, the road blurred, engine rumbling, this track blasting with urgency. Senescence balances that aggression with a little breathing space, melodic lead lines stretch over heavy rhythm like sunlight over ruin. Then Valholl closes out the EP proper with a final swell of intensity and sharp riffs, drawing you into the fire rather than letting you escape.
What makes Adaptation more than just brutality is how it uses structure. The transitions feel purposeful with moments of hammering chaos backed by quickly earned space make the weight hit harder. There’s awareness here: of silence, of strings, of how a well-placed lead or breakdown can turn a blastbeat into something that echoes long after it stops.
Mac Smith’s vocals are especially effective, deep growls one moment, acidic rasp the next, never lazy, always expressive. The rhythm section grooves even under the blastbeats, giving momentum rather than letting speed become numbness. And the guitars? They cut clean, tight, detuned enough to rumble, but bright enough that melody and brutality both shine.
There are shades of classic tech-brutal death here, sure but Abyssalis aren’t content with imitation. They push at extremes without losing songcraft. You hear it in how Pandemonium doesn’t just shred, it builds, how Valholl ends with echo not just for show, but to let the chaos settle in your bones.
Adaptation is a fast, focused assault that also knows when to breathe. It pulls you in with brute force but rewards you with nuance if you listen closely. Abyssalis have landed a high bar here. 8/10
Abyssalis – Adaptation (Transcending Obscurity Records) [Spike]
There are records that punch, and then there are those that also whisper, you catch scratches between the shots. Adaptation is both. Played loud through the room, it’s all sharp edges and force, but when I sat with it later and let the headphones close in, the hidden layers surfaced, the flickers of melody under the riffs, the subtle shifts in drum texture, the way a growl breaks ever so slightly. It’s an album that shifts depending on how you choose to meet it.
This EP kicks off with Adaptation a sharp burst of technical death metal with a touch of brutality that reminds you that yes, this isn’t carefree listening. From the first riff, the band make it clear they’ve absorbed lessons from giants like Decapitated or Eschaton but aren’t just echoing them. They add flair: riffs smartly arranged, grooves built not just to impress, but to linger in your head.
Indomitable doubles down, sending drums scattering like shards under brutal speed, while Pandemonium laces melody into the mayhem, so much so I found myself imagining a midnight drive, the road blurred, engine rumbling, this track blasting with urgency. Senescence balances that aggression with a little breathing space, melodic lead lines stretch over heavy rhythm like sunlight over ruin. Then Valholl closes out the EP proper with a final swell of intensity and sharp riffs, drawing you into the fire rather than letting you escape.
What makes Adaptation more than just brutality is how it uses structure. The transitions feel purposeful with moments of hammering chaos backed by quickly earned space make the weight hit harder. There’s awareness here: of silence, of strings, of how a well-placed lead or breakdown can turn a blastbeat into something that echoes long after it stops.
Mac Smith’s vocals are especially effective, deep growls one moment, acidic rasp the next, never lazy, always expressive. The rhythm section grooves even under the blastbeats, giving momentum rather than letting speed become numbness. And the guitars? They cut clean, tight, detuned enough to rumble, but bright enough that melody and brutality both shine.
There are shades of classic tech-brutal death here, sure but Abyssalis aren’t content with imitation. They push at extremes without losing songcraft. You hear it in how Pandemonium doesn’t just shred, it builds, how Valholl ends with echo not just for show, but to let the chaos settle in your bones.
Adaptation is a fast, focused assault that also knows when to breathe. It pulls you in with brute force but rewards you with nuance if you listen closely. Abyssalis have landed a high bar here. 8/10
Illusia - Mind Over Matter (Self Released) [Simon Black]
Dream Theater have been one of the biggest influences on the Prog Metal scene for a very long time, but this is the first time in a while where that influence has been so blatant. The eight minute mostly instrumental opener Overture, sounds like it would fit on any of their records, but Illusia are a) British, b) incredibly young and c) a three piece, although it’s clear that the incredibly talented multi-instrumentalist Jason Tyler is clearly at the heart of things.
Dream Theater have been one of the biggest influences on the Prog Metal scene for a very long time, but this is the first time in a while where that influence has been so blatant. The eight minute mostly instrumental opener Overture, sounds like it would fit on any of their records, but Illusia are a) British, b) incredibly young and c) a three piece, although it’s clear that the incredibly talented multi-instrumentalist Jason Tyler is clearly at the heart of things.
The moment he starts singing however, we are clearly in a very different space, as vocally the records takes a more subtle Prog Rock influenced approach to vocals, compared to the more out there soaring and power laden delivery of the likes of Labrie.
There are a lot of voices in here too, with vocal work also shared with guitarist Dec Doyle, but with no less than five guest vocalists making contributions throughout this feels very much a vocal ensemble, and one that clearly isn’t going to be touring in this format anytime soon. The question as to whether this is a studio only project is a valid one, given how Tyler covers pretty much everything other than guitar here, as let’s face it, there’s nothing worse than a Prog act rocking up and delivering 80% of the instrumentation from a click track on stage.
Musically however, this is quite something, and it’s not an album that you can skim in a hurry. Like most good Prog it works on initial contact, enough to make you sit up and marvel at the musical skill on display, but well-written enough to continue to give up its depths with every successive listen. I’m three spins in as I write this, and it still feels like I’ve barely scratched the surface of what they’ve layered into this beast. That said it has its weaknesses…
The production for a start feels a little naïve, and needs the external ear of a producer to think about things more commercially, because surprise surprise, that element has been delivered by Tyler as well. That said it’s a better job than many self-produced albums that have hit my desk of late, but my point is that an independent set of ears will add another perspective to this.
The vocals are also giving me a little bit of a nagging problem too, despite their quality of delivery. Ensembles work well when you need to add depth, but this album really needs a strong single frontman to hang everything else around and to either augment or provide contrast to. Even the most operatic of multi-singer epics, such as Avantasia, has a strong single voice all the way through to compliment or conflict with the guest artistes.
Add a dedicated front man to this musical depth and song architecture, plus some more players to take this out on the road and you actually might have something with the potential to impact in the way Dream Theater have globally, because at the heart of this is one hell of a talented individual and an awful lot of promise. 7/10
There are a lot of voices in here too, with vocal work also shared with guitarist Dec Doyle, but with no less than five guest vocalists making contributions throughout this feels very much a vocal ensemble, and one that clearly isn’t going to be touring in this format anytime soon. The question as to whether this is a studio only project is a valid one, given how Tyler covers pretty much everything other than guitar here, as let’s face it, there’s nothing worse than a Prog act rocking up and delivering 80% of the instrumentation from a click track on stage.
Musically however, this is quite something, and it’s not an album that you can skim in a hurry. Like most good Prog it works on initial contact, enough to make you sit up and marvel at the musical skill on display, but well-written enough to continue to give up its depths with every successive listen. I’m three spins in as I write this, and it still feels like I’ve barely scratched the surface of what they’ve layered into this beast. That said it has its weaknesses…
The production for a start feels a little naïve, and needs the external ear of a producer to think about things more commercially, because surprise surprise, that element has been delivered by Tyler as well. That said it’s a better job than many self-produced albums that have hit my desk of late, but my point is that an independent set of ears will add another perspective to this.
The vocals are also giving me a little bit of a nagging problem too, despite their quality of delivery. Ensembles work well when you need to add depth, but this album really needs a strong single frontman to hang everything else around and to either augment or provide contrast to. Even the most operatic of multi-singer epics, such as Avantasia, has a strong single voice all the way through to compliment or conflict with the guest artistes.
Add a dedicated front man to this musical depth and song architecture, plus some more players to take this out on the road and you actually might have something with the potential to impact in the way Dream Theater have globally, because at the heart of this is one hell of a talented individual and an awful lot of promise. 7/10
Mike Tramp - Songs Of White Lion Vol. III (Frontiers Music) [Rich Piva]
I generally keep it positive, but nothing has gotten my blood boiling in a review more than when former White Lion singer did a full album covering his old songs, but with way worse versions, on Songs Of White Lion. I take it back; what got me more annoyed was Songs Of White Lion Vol. II. So, when blog boss asked me if I wanted to review the next volume in the set, I had to look at my calendar to make sure it was not April Fools Day. Alas, here we are and here I am listening to Tramp’s latest money grab, Songs Of White Lion Vol. III. FFS.
I mean, you had two full albums of White Lion “classics” that you ruined with terrible vocals and overproduced sound, so yeah, let’s go deep cuts!!! I feel bad for the band, as they sound really tight on their cover of Warsong, and I love the keys on it. Seriously though? Covering your own cover of Radar Love??? Do you have no shame??? Also, I think most metal fans can get behind that the first White Lion record, Fight To Survive, lands somewhere between respectable to excellent, so ruining those songs is unforgivable. Redo and jack up Don’t Say It’s Over all you want, but don’t mess with All Burn In Hell for crying out loud.
Yeah, this is what it is: A money grabbing trash heap. Everyone remember, Vito Bratta is what made White Lion anything special. If you like any of these songs, don’t listen to this. If you never heard Fight To Survive, check it out. White Lion had some moments, I even like Mane Attraction, but someone needs to put a stop to these abominations. 1/10
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