Reviews: Gus Drax, Temor, Decipher, Faceless Envoy (Matt Bladen)

Gus Drax - Theories Of Imperfection (Theogonia Records)

Being or having been a member of Sunburst, Black Fate and Suicidal Angels, Gus Drax is a player you can consider a virtuoso, within these bands he's the melodic intensity, firing off solos and leads galore but with his instrumental solo albums he can show off his skills without the limitations of genres and styles of bands.

His last solo record was over a decade ago so there's probably been a lot of writing going on in the background since then to make sure his second solo record surpasses his debut. He's tapped into his connections to add a who's who of musicians as his studio band.

He has enlisted George Kollias on drums, George Charalampidis on bass, and Bob Katsionis on keyboards, so surrounding himself with only the best to make sure that the rest of the playing here is just as top class as Drax's six string mastery. Elsewhere he has John K adding the orchestrations, Lefteris Pouliouadds sax.

Simone Mularoni mixes and masters everything to bring that clarity that he infused through the prog/power records he's been a part of, and it's that prog/power influence that is at the forefront of Theories Of Imperfection, the likes of Steve Vai, John Petrucci and Michael Romeo all flowing through the fleet fingered skill of Drax.

Tracks such as the melodic dreamscape Nocturnal Waltz, the intense metal Emotive Resonance bring the prog styles of Symphony X and Dream Theater while with Ethereal Horizon and Sombero Attack he channels the likes of Plini or Intervals with the jazzy/mathy refrains. There's even some balladry on Final Atonement while Cosmic Shadow is duet of epic proportions as Andy James add a guest solo.

Closing out with the euphoric and hopeful Everything's Going To Be Alright, Theories Of Imperfection is a stellar instrumental record from this veteran of the Greek metal scene, there's emotional depth, technical brilliance and melodic intensity with the guitar as the main voice, superb! 9/10

Temor - Weeping Waves (Self Released)

Temor are a melodic death/black metal band from Volos formed by guitarist Theo and vocalist Thyragon in 2023. They do something a little bit different with their sound as they employ the skills of Konstantinos Chinis on the Halldorophone an electronic cello that gives them an orchestrated drone to their muscular melodeath.

Joined by guitarist Constantine, bass player Bill Manthos and drummer Nikitas Mandolas, Weeping Waves is their second album and it's one that has them taking a heavier, more blackened approach, that combines the lead guitar driven style of Children Of Bodom with the groove driven sound of modern Rotting Christ and those melodeath veterans Nightrage as well.

Weeping Waves delivers a style that is well engrained but they add an instrument you may not expect to hear, it makes for an interesting take on melodeath. 7/10

Decipher - ΘΕΛΗΜΑ (Transcending Obscurity Records)

Greece's Decipher made a bold noise on their last album Arcane Paths To Resurrection with a style of black metal that honoured both the Hellenic and Scandi scenes.

The trio comprising guitarist/vocalist Kostas Gerochristos (Lucifer's Child), bassist Kostas Ragiadakos (Dephosphorous) and drummer Nodas Chatzopoulos, pull from heavier, broader, and more arcane influences with album number two.

Likened to Varathron, Necormanyia and of course Lucifer's Child, Decipher also have drawn comparison to Emperor and Bolzer, basically any band where the technicality is mirrored by ferocity.

Θελημα (Thelema) has longer more complex songs than on their previous album, the narratives here shapeshift through various guises, driven by a classic black metal rawness but melodic intelligence. Witnessed on the blistering Bound To The Wheel and Hail Death where the influence of Celtic Frost is felt strongly.

Focussing on how they use riffs Decipher lead a black metal charge that will get heads banging with intensity. 8/10

Faceless Envoy - Memoirs Within (Self Released)

Despite only appearing in 2024, Faceless Envoy arrived full forged and ready to take over the Greek music scene with their heavy grooves, percussion battery and breakdown driven style of modern groove/metalcore.

Inspired by bands such as Gojira, Sepultura and Orbit Culture, their debut EP announced their presence as a steamrolling new force in the groove metal, giving a short bludgeoning introduction that left you impressed and wondering where they would go from there.

Well here's their debut full length Memoirs Within and it's eight tracks of full force battery, driven by relentless precision of double kicks, low end dirges and repeating riffs that will hurt your neck on tracks such as Ga-Ra.

It's intense and aggressive but brings atmosphere too when they shift from the battery to the melodic phases, vocals that are just as potent when growling as when their clean and sonorous on tracks such as Enemy Down and The Waltz.

Recorded at Sound Symmetry Studio, Memoirs Within, is an album that explores inner conflict and resilience through the dynamic and powerful groove metal of Faceless Envoy. 8/10

Reviews: Devil Electric, Kim Jennett, Cemetery Dogs, Eternal Champion (Matt Bladen)

Devil Electric - Tahlia (Self Released)

Inspired by and a homage to the Latin phrase "that which nourishes me, destroys me” Tahlia is the newest collection of occult doom rocking from Australian band Devil Electric. 

Driven by the soulful, often dreamy vocals of Pierina O’Brien, which are counterpointed by bassist Nicolas Dumont, though it's Tom Hulse who plays the bass on this album (though it clocks in at about 34 minutes), especially the groovy Weirdos and also performs the vocals and wrote the strutting When We Talk About Nothing.

Behind this "tango between vintage doom metal and modern heavy rock" is the studied, propulsive drumbeat of Mark Van De Beek and the fuzzy, six string of Christos Athanasias, they kick off with the doomy title track and the punchy feminist snarl of Jill & Jack Shit as Acid Bath is the most mind bending cut featuring extra guitar from Lex Waterreus of Seedy Jeezus.

Tahlia is another doom driven EP from Devil Electric with a strong sense of the occult and lots of groove. 7/10

Kim Jennett - Queen Of Hell (Self Released)

If you ask me Queen Of Hell has been a long time coming. Kim Jennett has gone through many guises in her career but this powerhouse singer seems to have found her niche with Queen Of Hell a four track EP that shows off her massive voice, love of rock, the blues and brought through a modern rock lens.

Opening with the anthemic Hell Is Wherever You Are, we're firmly in Halestorm territory as Kim tells her tales from the frontline of the rock scene, a woman who has had enough and is using her music to reclaim her identity. The savage Dead To Me continues in this vein with choppy, bass led grooves from the 90's alt rock scene while Bloody Killing Floor brings the glammy feeling the 80's sleaze sound.

The understanding and appreciation for the history of rock is abundant on her own tracks and of course anyone who has the balls to take on Immigrant Song must be applauded. As Queen Of Hell is Kim Jennett ready to take her crown and her throne as the UK's biggest new voice. 8/10

Cemetery Dogs - It All Seems Fine (Self Released)

After their rough and ready trio of tracks on CCC Demos, Cardiff riff trio Cemetery Dogs drop their first 'proper' EP of tracks mixed and mastered. Though just as this is stoner/doom so it's all lovely and fuzzy, driven by Gibson SG's and Red Stripe. Cemetery Dogs have Sky Valley on their mind with grooving, psychedelic, ever so slightly off kilter riffs that permeate the layers of your brain to get the head nodding.

You Can't Have It gets It All Seems Fine going with some driving Kyuss/QOTSA riffs and dual shouted vocals. No Reason gives them some punk volatility Scott's Lemmy-like growl as rough as his guitar while the rhythm of Jo (bass) and Phil (drums), add the force of Melvins and maybe even some Black Flag.

With mixing by Andrew Sanders and mastering from Wigg Grant, it allows them to exhibit a bit more of their psychedelic nature with songs such as Pink Sky, keeping the grittiness of those initial demos but refining them to be more potent. At just 15 minutes you get the full picture of Cemetery Dogs the band, closing with the percussive doom of Old Man which owes something to The Troggs.

On Cemetery Dogs' debut EP is more than fine, it's very good, very loud stoner riffage. 8/10

Eternal Champion - Friend Of War (Self Released)

You could call Friend Of War from Eternal Champion and EP but also a Double A-Side, however you can definitely say it was long clocking in at over 31 minutes across two tracks.

The 13 minute title track is a spectacular showcase of what sort of a band Eternal Champion have become, a sprawling, cinematic track which features spoken word elements, plenty of lore and the most epic sounds Eternal Champion have crafted.

With the influences of bands such as Cirith Ungol, Manilla Road and even a bit of Ghost coming vocally as the choirs and orchestrations are all used to build this conceptual track, which is worth the price of admission alone.

After that though is something a little different as Yslsl is an 18 minute of ambient soundtrack that will do very well to accompany your next D&D session, showcasing the wider appeal of a band like Eternal Champion. If this is an indicator of where they are going in the future then consider me a Friend Of War. 7/10

Reviews: Myrath, Godsticks, Vanir, SolNegre (Matt Bladen & Mark Young)

Myrath - Wilderness Of Mirrors (earMusic) [Matt Bladen]

Whether this is the same Wilderness Of Mirrors that Mr Derek K Dick aka Fish held his Vigil, on his 1990 solo album I don't know, but it is the seventh studio album by Tunisian-French progressive metal band Myrath.

Since their debut Hope on 2007 they have been taking the metal world by storm with their fusion of progressive power metal and North African traditional music that has put them in the 'Oriental Metal' category but Myrath have always been a band who have been a lot more than that as the years have gone by.

They've never dropped the North African influences but their strongly defined power metal beginnings have softened into more other styles as they have added AOR, modern metal and more to their sound without moving too far away from where they began.

If anything they've just gotten more expansive and cinematic with what they do, witnessed here by the opening epic The Funeral, the theatrical Les Enfants Du Soleil and mega ballad Soul Of My Soul.

Both of these tracks remind a lot of Kamelot who also manage to balance the baroque sound of film music and the numbers of various metallic elements. This album follows a compilation of their earlier years which perhaps gained them some new fans and new appreciation for their older material for anyone that may have only joined the party on Karma.

That album was the first to feature new keyboard player Kevin Codfert (then as a session member) whose background in Adagio brought in the more dare I say 'Western' symphonic sounds rather than just the Arabic styles.

Myrath still have plenty of their heritage on Still The Dawn Will Come, Edge Of The Night, and Until The End which features Elize Ryd of Amaranthe, employing a host of guest players to bring qrageb, saz and even their own orchestra. However with you can hear these more recent influences on The Clown, Breathing Near The Roar and Echoes Of The Fallen.

This Wilderness Of Mirrors, is more like a metropolis of glass. A clear, direct message of the band Myrath are in 2026. A cinematic, symphonic experience, built on their cultural musical history, that will have you wanting to replay it over and over. 9/10

Godsticks - VOiD (Kscope) [Matt Bladen]

After being holed up in the studio for 18 months, British prog act Godsticks return with the follow up to their 2023 This Is What A Winner Looks Like, and in the words of band founder/vocalist/guitarist Darran Charles their "toughest and most demanding record".

It's definitely their most instant as it begins in earnest with M.I.A and Hold Back both driven by that chugging, modern meets retro sound Godsticks are known for, not quite in the aggressive crush of Tesseract and not quite the melodic beard stroking of Rush.

Godsticks have always sat in their own field in the UK prog scene with a heaviness that gives them some headbanging grooves, virtuosity that allows them to wield some technically impressive solo sections but also an ear for composition where the song is at the core of what they do.

VOiD is a an album of frustration, obsessed by disillusionment, the overwhelming movement towards disenfranchisement and the world's continuing drift towards division, the erosion of the centre ground, with the band offering a solution to these issues as retreating to your own little void.

In this case it's a void containing some of the bands heaviest and complex tracks the band have produced with Charles shares the writing with drummer Tom Price and guitarist Gavin Bushell, who have both been a major part of the band for a few album cycles now. Price a drummer of skill, precision and power whilst Bushell's guitar playing provided harmony and counterpoint to Charles'.

His vocals still a unique prospect in the progsphere and while they though VOiD is the debut record for bassist Francis George who has added his own dynamic to the band locking into some modern polyrhythmic grooves that lend themselves to the themes of dread and paranoia.

There's a lot of great noises coming from this VOiD of Godsticks, dive in and find your own solace in some top tier heavy progging from these South Wales veterans. 9/10

Vanir - Wyrd (Mighty Music) [Mark Young]

Hardly a week goes by without a melodic death metal release dropping into my in-box. I’m not sick of as a musical movement but I am fatigued by it. 

Finding bands that can do it at a level where I am enthused by them are hard to come by and in a lot of cases it’s definitely me, not them as being the problem. With this in mind, lets hear what Vanir have to say.

Against The Storm is their opening gambit and does a suitably good job of getting things going. It’s built from the tradition methods associated with this genre and in its favour is that it doesn’t look backwards at any point. 

This is there statement of intent; this is who we are and this is what we do. If you dig this, then you will almost certainly dig the rest of this album and from that respect it succeeds. It tells you everything you need to know, how they go about things and how everything will unfold for you.

Never Surrender takes that concept and ups that ante by bringing some devilish melodic guitar as a means of raising interest. In its build, its much like Against, its front facing and heavy, which is what you want from them. It’s not saying anything new, but then I’m not sure there is anything new to be said. 

Putting that to one side, it continues to bring the riffology, which for me is all that matters at this point. Those melodic touches that dropped here and there are done in a way that they don’t become overused, they are tastefully deployed and we are onto Braavalla which wisely goes for build that is slower but no less engaging. 

Seeing Amon Amarth noted within the FFO section, this swinging, Viking hall arrangement is welcome with a quality central riff line that must be mint to play as a guitarist. Three songs in and I think we have a good handle of things here. We know that based on these they can do the fast and medium paced melodic builds without losing any of the energy. 

For me, these songs should be delivered in short kinetic blasts of energy, they lose some of that impetus once they go past 5 or more minutes. Boudica starts off in restrained fashion before launching in a way that is similar to Braavalla. The way its chorus lines are constructed mark it out as being this albums centre point. 

Ostensibly it’s a fine song but because it loops through the same lines twice it feels overlong. It has the potential to go better once its deployed live, but on here its slightly flat.

Da Lammet Brød Det 6, Segl with its spoken narration arrives in a hurry, and successfully mixes between the two tempos, both frenzied and controlled bringing in melody lines that again are tasteful but have that thing about them that raises the material to a higher level. 

They don’t forget to bring that bottom end or the machine gun drumming resulting in the Vanir train getting back on the right tracks in terms of harnessing that aggression once more. Helgrinidir recognises this need and brings it’s A-Game. 

They stick within the core themes associated with melodic death metal and rather than confining themselves they come up with a cracker. Its one of those with the almost ever-present double bass that propels it forward at every turn.

Mor & Ære completes the resurgence, making sure that the ending is as good as the start, and then we are into the end game with De Forbandede År and Nine. Of the former, this has a stilted rhythm to it, and hits like it has traditional form, updated to suit. It shares a lot of common ground to the ones before it, but its not as direct as Helgrinidir as an example. 

Still, its not a ballad or an instrumental interlude which really would have upset me. It’s the sound of a band that is comfortable with how they go to work, and this is crystallised with Nine. If you imagine someone asking a guitarist, play me something that will make me nod my head, it would sound like this. And that is a consistent theme for this album, riffs that make you nod your head again and again. 

Nine does it with what is a simple build, its just that its done with an energy and an eye on getting you up and moving. In that respect, Vanir have been successful. I mentioned earlier that there is a little bit of fatigue setting in when it comes to things melodic. Vanir have crafted a decent set of songs that will be consumed with glee by fans of this music.

From a personal view, it hasn’t quite removed this but I found a lot to like here and I think you will too. 8/10

SolNegre - Anthems For The Grand Collapse (Meuse Music Records) [Mark Young]

Anthems For The Grand Collapse came at me from out of the mist and I’ll be honest took me by surprise. A new band on me, and it’s a welcome introduction to them with an album that snuck in, gradually cajoling you in and then once it gets those hooks in you that is it, you stay until the end. 

Seeing it tagged as being Death/Doom, initially I’m not that excited to press play as it can be such a mixed bag but this is quality. It has the virtue of sounding like no one else I’ve heard but keeps within what I consider ‘Good’ sounds like. Of course, you and will differ, but stick with me and I’ll try to justify myself.

The Axiom – Song For The Inert Part II is the expansive jumping off point. Its gives you a plain indication of how things are going to play out here; Everything is delivered so that it is massive in scope, the doom pace meaning that they have the time and space to do it. 

Its amazing to think that 9 minutes passes by so quickly in its company with each component part seated so there is just a natural flow. And the lead break around 5minutes is just chef’s kiss. Its both emotionally driven and technically minded, flurries of notes put together before they bring the big riffs out. 

The thing that strikes here is the way that they have constructed it, its in perfect synch and a cohesive whole. And what’s more they just casually start things off with it. This approach remains in place as we progress through it, the general vibe is to stay within that specific Doom lane in terms of tempo, which I admire. 

They don’t try to change things around in an effort to sound different, they just rely on the sheer strength of their songs. For All That Could Have Been, sitting at the mid-point continues to entrance, using all the tricks to keep you in place. 

Piano led moments that break into their big-riff changeovers, clean into guttural vocals and just sublime, introspective parts that allow you to take a breath and start afresh with them. It’s a powerful statement that again passes the 9 minute mark without feeling like it. 

I should also note that amongst this display of strength we have a song of beauty, In the Stillness Of The Womb is a gentle, driven piece where guest vocals are provided by Gadea Es Ineseta, and they are breathtaking. Delivered in a way that befits the build, it’s an example of how devastating a song like this can be when approached in this manner. 

It’s a favourite of mine on here, probably my standout moment in all honesty because it feels here as everything has aligned in the right way.

They end as they came in, with another epic slab of melodic Death Doom. A Path Of Aloneness (I & II) is their goodbye and provides the right climax following the introspection of the track before. It’s a masterclass in how to do epic songs, and I think that much is evident based on the content here. 

It’s a build that attempts to bring its title to life as a self-contained tale. This is the thing; you could take any of the songs from here and listen to them in isolation and they would not lose anything. Each is built to machine tolerance, slotting in and out as the album moves through its gears. They rely on the little, deft touches to make each one fly and its something to behold, especially on this final track. 

It does all you would expect from this genre, but its unique to them, at least as far as I can tell. It’s a fantastic release, and hopefully it’s the start of something special for them. 9/10

Reviews: Fulci, Lömsk, Miserate, Black Label Society (Mark Young, Spike, Matt Bladen & Rich Piva)

Fulci - Risorsero Dalla Tomba e Fu...L’Apocalisse (20 Buck Spin) [Mark Young]

And now, coming slightly later than expected are your friends and mine, Fulci, bringing their considerable talents to bear with three new songs that form the soundtrack to a 30 minute genre film Risorsero Dalla Tomba e Fu...L’Apocalissee. Their last LP, Duck Face Killings plays out like a love letter to the New York Ripper, one of the directors most infamous video nasties.

Starting with Risorsero Dalla Tomba e Fu...L’Apocalisse, Fulci, an introduction that could sit anywhere within that canon, and when it moves, it moves at pace into Paura Che Uccide, and then all bets are off. A scorching blast of death metal that could only have come from them, it has everything you want and is served up in a 4 minute blast. Guttural vocals? Check.

Double bass? Check. Riffs for days? Check, and its all wrapped up in this supremely sounding package. It just rips, it really does and to think that you have a song of this quality dropped as part of a soundtrack, it shows a little in how they approach their craft. 

They approach it with the focus that what ever they do, they have to do it at a 100%. They cannot do it at anything else than that and it shows. As a stand-alone track, its dripping with quality and can rightfully sit as a prime example of what the can do. 

Closing this out is their cover of Apoteosi Del Mistero, originally written by long time Fulci collaborator Fabio Frizzi. Its instantly recognisable but given an update on its original incarnation from the City Of The Living Dead and is a fitting way to finish.

Fans of the band, and I think of horror films in general will get a lot from this and considering that fans of the genre have had the opportunity to collaborate in such a way and from my perspective absolutely nail it means that I need to somehow find this film. Its also an exciting pointer to what their latest material will sound like. Excellent stuff, 8/10

Lömsk– Act II - Of Iron and Blood (Vendetta Records) [Spike]

If the debut was a manifesto of "creative destruction," then Gothenburg’s LÖMSK have used their second act to simply stand in the wreckage and watch the sky turn to iron. Released via Vendetta Records.

Act II - Of Iron And Blood is a sprawling, nihilistic descent that manages to make the end of the world sound remarkably well-composed. It is black metal that refuses to hide behind the usual lo-fi fog, opting instead for a clinical, bone-shaking.

The record opens with Fields Of Elysium, and the shift in intent is immediate. There’s a stoic defiance to the riffing, a cold, calculated precision that feels like a direct response to a world the band sees as "rotten and vain." 

It flows seamlessly into the title track, Of Iron And Blood, where the blackened bile of their 2022 origins meets a much more mature, technical ire. The production is massive; it gives the drums a physical, snapping presence that makes the blast beats feel like a machine gun pulse rather than a muddy blur.

One of the more interesting aspects of the CD release is the inclusion of The Gathering Storm. Positioned mid-album, it acts as a much-needed atmospheric threshold, almost a "whisper beneath the skies" that builds the tension before the record descends back into the chaos of Chimaera. 

It’s a smart bit of pacing that rewards those not wedded to the vinyl version, providing a cinematic lull that makes the eventual return to violence feel significantly more earned.

The back half of the record Stare Into The Void, Furia, and the finality of The Silence Thereafter is where the "Rome burning" aesthetic really takes hold. Furia is exactly what it says on the tin: a high-velocity, blackened assault that feels properly, unpleasantly brilliant. 

It leads into the closer, which brings the record to a brooding, inevitable close. There is no hope here, only the "inevitable entropy" the band promised in their mission statement.

By the time the final vibration of The Silence Thereafter eventually dissipates, the silence it leaves behind feels heavy, like the air in a room just after a blackout. LÖMSK haven't just clocked in for another shift at the black metal coalface; they’ve documented a state of total, iron-clad exhaustion. 

It’s a sophisticated bit of survivalism, a record that finds its strength in the realization that while everything eventually ends in ash, there’s a grim, technical beauty in the burning. It’s an honest, unvarnished look at the debris, and proof that Gothenburg can still weaponize the dark with more precision than most of the world can muster. 8/10

Miserate - Weaver Of Witchery (Rekviem Records) [Matt Bladen]

Another band from Norway who are heavily inspired by the Peacville label of the 90's it's Miserate who bring a melancholic style of death doom that features ferocious blasts, pained vocals, and introspective atmospheres that come from emotionally bleak place. 

The band are all veterans of their scene with a load of experience behind them and clear understanding of and passion for, this music.

Having formed in 2024, Weaver Of Witchery is their second EP following on from A Ritual Of Doom and it brings them into slower and heavier territory than their last effort, the abject misery much stronger than before. 

Beginning with Grip Of Winter, the tremolo clean guitars are joined by the ominous, bottom heavy riffs as they pack a few shifts in tone and pace into just four minutes.

It's a trick Miserate repeat on these four tracks with every song managing to tell some complex stories in a short time, never moving into funeral doom length but rather bringing concise but powerful death doom full of atmospheric textures (Behind A Veil Of Death) and crushing heaviness. 

On Weaver Of Witchery, Miserate stay faithful to the 90's influence of those Peaceville artists but with 21st Century production magic. 8/10

Black Label Society - Engines Of Demolition (Spinefarm Records) [Rich Piva]

Black Label Society is a band I am supposed to like. Looking at everything on the surface, the band has all the parts of something I would be a big fan of. The riffs and Mr. Wylde, the vibe of the band, the name and image. 

I am a huge fan of Ozzy’s solo stuff, with No More Tears being one of my favorite records of all time and of course, Zakk loves Sabbath and so do I. But I have never once connected with a BLS record where I would go back and listen to it again. Something has just always been missing for me. This does not change on their new one, Engines Of Demolition, album number twelve.

To say the record is way too produced while saying No More Tears is one of my favorites seems like I am contradicting myself, but Engines Of Demolition sounds antiseptic, which is not what I want from this band and the people in it. Zakk does his thing, squealing away though the thirteen tracks, but to me this is just heavier AOR. I want to like it and I keep trying, but there is just nothing there for me. 

The first three tracks are pretty good, especially the solo on The Hand Of Tomorrow’s Grave, but after that I struggle. Better Days & Wiser Times is a struggle for me, and not just because it’s a ballad. Broken And Blind starts with promise, but winds up without the bite I am looking for, even with the cool riff. I think my favorite track is all lost in the second half of the too long album, the straight up heavy rocker Lord Hummungus. 

The closer, Ozzy’s Song, is a touching tribute and certainly was a real and heartfelt letter to his now gone friend that will make anyone who gave even an iota about Ozzy touching their life will struggle not to shed a tear when listening. Props to Zakk for putting himself out there with this one.

I tried again, but Black Label Society is like the time when I first saw one of my favorite wrestlers, Bam Bam Bigelow, with his head tattoos, flame filled costume, 300 pound mountain of a bad ass as the saxophone player in the video for the single off of Piledriver, the second wrestling album. 

Bam’s vibe is not the sax player, and BLS’s vibe is not what Engines Of Demolition sounds like. There is just something withered down and antiseptic about this record. Both to me are a consistent disappointment built up by my own expectations. 5/10

Reviews: Foetorem, Ablaze, Green Carnation, Obey The Sun (Mark Young, Spike, Rich Piva & Cherie Curtis)

Foetorem - Incongruous Forms Of Evergrowing Rot (Everlasting Spew Records) [Mark Young]

I really should have known it was released by Everlasting Spew. I could probably have written this review just by looking at the song titles, they hark back to a time when bands actively tried to come up with the most gruesome titles possible, probably in a way to attract people like me. 

I’d like to think that collectively we have grown up, matured etc but it has to be said that any album that kicks off with Reeks Of Mouldy Guts is a shoo-in with me. 

The best is that Foetorem just happen to be able to back up this up with the goods. This is their debut release with Everlasting Spew, and I think it is the start of what is going to be a wonderful relationship.

It’s a strong opener, lurching in with a doom perspective in terms of its speed. These opening salvos are about establishing a vibe, one that sees them mixing the tempo to suit here so that it flashes by, occupying that low, guttural area where the growls are almost imperceptible. It sounds great, there is a rhythm line towards the end here which is just royal, played quickly before they return to the start. 

It’s a song that wouldn’t have sounded out of place in the early 90’s, one that is joined by Escalating Rot that looks to the Morbid Angel school of destruction (pre 94). Again, there is a supreme guitar line that props up the opening moments of this song, ably supported by thudding drums. 

There’s a lot going on here, each progression leaps forward off the back of the one before without lessening the song in any way. It’s the sound of a band that knows the way they want to go and will not be dissuaded from it. 

With Oozing With Pustulent Fluids completing this early hat-trick it manages to be brutal in its execution, managing to make simple downpicking sound dangerous again. Its jam-packed with riffs, all of which are incredibly effective in how they play out.

You can transpose the comments attributed to those three to any of the songs presented here. As albums go it is the definition of having no weak tracks at all. They don’t waste time on elongated introductions or atmospheric moments; it’s just straight in for the kill. 

Take Mors Viaturis – The Death Traveller. Taking in hints of Nile, it rolls out across 5 minutes of pure death metal excellence. Now the argument is that there is nothing new under the sun, that death metal has said all it can. 

Maybe that’s true, but when you upcoming acts such as these putting albums like this out, you have got to be happy that there are bands who are capable of reminding you why you got into this in the first place. I’m also happy to say that they don’t fall away as the album reaches its natural conclusion. 

Of course they mix their approach up slightly, moving between the slow / fast extremes with a natural sounding progression. The song titles don’t get any better (or worse) leaving you under no impression of where they are coming from. 

Ending on Peeled Face Mask a concrete heavy masterwork of savage guitars and double bass. There is no off moments, no drop off in attack or quality, no sense of them being something that they aren’t. Hats off to Everlasting Spew, and to Foetorem for a storming debut release. 9/10

Ablaze – Slow Death EP (Independent) [Spike]

If you spent the lockdown years staring at four walls and wondering when the air was going to run out, then the debut EP from Porto’s Ablaze is going to feel uncomfortably familiar. 

Slow Death isn't a record that politely asks for your time; it’s a four-track document of claustrophobia that sounds like it was recorded in a space too small for the ambition it holds. 

It’s metallic hardcore that trades the usual technical gymnastics for a more direct, snot-and-tears intensity, a sound that owes as much to the raw-nerve friction of early Converge as it does to the desperate, melodic grime of the Portuguese underground.

The needle drops on No, and within seconds, you’re hitting a wall of guitar effects so harsh they sound like a mechanical failure. It’s a brilliant, "no safety net" production choice, the kind of biting, jagged tone that makes the hairs on your arms stand up. 

The drums on this opener are scattered and frantic, creating a rhythmic instability that makes the whole track feel like it’s about to vibrate itself to pieces. It lacks the symphonic, high-gloss chaos of a band like The Dillinger Escape Plan, but that’s the point, this is simplified, aggressive songwriting that keeps the rage right at the front of the mix where it belongs.

As the record transitions through Life and Today, the band's knack for a captivating riff is obvious, but it’s here that the "joins" in the songwriting become a little more visible. 

There’s a tendency to lean back into a comfort zone the moment the vocals kick in, making the verses feel a bit like they’re being read from the same playbook. It’s a minor gripe for a debut, but you can feel the band momentarily playing it safe before they find their next burst of genuine grit.

The EP finds its conscience and its most visceral moment on the closer, Martyr. This is where the "slow death" of the title really manifests, it’s a final act of defiance that allows the performances to truly fray at the edges. 

The approach here is physical; the vocals are delivered with a level of pained, exhausted conviction that anchors the straightforward hardcore elements into something much more substantial.

When the final notes fade, you aren't left with a tidy summary or a "promising" hook, you're left with a room that feels heavier than it did twelve minutes ago. 

Ablaze have managed to bottle a very specific kind of modern rot, and while they might still be figuring out how to avoid the safety of the verse-chorus-verse template, the effort and approach on Slow Death are entirely real. 

It’s an energizing, jagged bit of noise that suggests the next time they emerge from Porto, they might just take the whole building down with them. 7/10

Green Carnation - A Dark Poem, Pt. II: Sanguis (Season Of Mist) [Rich Piva]

When Norway’s Green Carnation dropped Leaves Of Yesteryear in 2020 I was blown away. This (former) black metal band who had not released anything in forever was back and with this amazing, proggy, beautiful, complex record that had it all. It will be in my top half of albums for this decade, for sure. 

Then it got mostly quiet again from the GC camp, until the announcement of the trilogy A Dark Poem series, starting with Part I: The Shores Of Melancholia, from back in September of 2025. 

It was really good, and even had some of their old school roots thrown in. Part two is now here in the form of A Dark Poem, Pt. II: Sanguis. While it starts out strong, Part two may be the drag in the trilogy.

The opening track, Sanguis, with all of its organ glory, is a great opener. So very proggy and such great skill that is demonstrated by this band. There is some Opeth in them for sure, but way more “cleaner”. Not just with the singing, but overall. The record sounds a bit sterile, maybe too polished and clean. 

Some of the slower songs are a bit much. I get we are telling a story here, but Loneliness Untold, Loneliness Unfold is a tough listen. The good part though is it leads to the heaviest song on Part Two (musically at least), Sweet To The Point Of Bitter, which is very cool musically, but the vocals seem way up in the mix for some reason and it loses some of the heavy behind it. It is a cool, soaring song though, even if it is recorded weirdly to my ears. 

The single, I Am Time, is some loud quiet loud clean as can be prog and I am not in love. I feel kind of the same about Fire In Ice, where the vocals and the heaviness seem like they do not meld as they should. Let’s hope Lunar Tale leads to a killer opener on part three, because it is kind of a dud to end part two.

I can’t think of a good trilogy where part two wasn't great but part three made everything better right now but I am sure someone can give me one that is a good comparison. Let’s hope that happens with A Dark Poem, because I am struggling to connect with Sanguis. 6/10

Obey The Sun – Desert Ritual (Eclipse Records) [Cherie Curtis]

Hungarian Grunge Metal band, Obey The Sun brings us 4 raw and scorching hot tracks which makes a perfect EP for a dusty summers evening.

Desert Ritual does what it says on the tin, it’s blood pumping and moody without being overpowering and just catchy enough to be ruminating around your brain long after the album finishes because this one is short and sweet. It sneaks in and builds slowly before giving you a kick and leaving you in the dust.

Obey The Sun feels authentic and makes for a great casual listen, their overall sound throughout is stormy and distorted enough to satisfy a craving for metal as well as sludgy with deep grunge vocals paired with heavy drums and lulled, repetitive and uncomplicated guitar riffs that brings the 90s grunge nostalgia. 

We don’t get a lot of grunge metal, so it’s a refreshing palate cleanser. For most I feel it would be a hit or miss, but if it’s not going to be your new all-time favorite, it would make a mighty fine addition to your driving or workout playlist.

Desert Ritual isn’t pristine; it’s murky and jagged but in the best way. Overall, the mix is great, and the composition is professional and atmospheric. Considering Obey The Sun was formed in 2020 so are relatively new, they have the musical skill and magnetic blend of a seasoned band as their sound is well established and cohesive enough to convey. 

Their personality as a band and their essence within a 4 track EP, all the while nailing two beloved genres and blending them in a remarkable way that’s unique to them. 6/10

A View From The Back Of The Room: NØ MAN (Spike)

NØ MAN, Birdwitch, Grim Harvest & Tethered, The Holloway, Norwich 29.03.26

There is a specific, claustrophobic magic to The Holloway when the "Sold Out" sign is taped to the door. With close to a hundred people packed into a space that usually feels like a basement even when it’s empty, the boundary between the stage and the floor simply ceases to exist. It’s the kind of environment where the music isn't just heard; it’s a physical presence that rattles your teeth. 

Last Sunday wasn't just a gig; it was a documented riot, a four-band descent into punk, hardcore, and the beautiful, bruised-rib honesty that sits right at the centre of the protest song.

The night ignited with Tethered (8). Now, I’ll stick my hands up here, I wasn’t aware of this lot and couldn’t find much pre-gig but after this I’ll be digging hard to find their stuff. As an introduction to a bill this heavy, they were a masterclass in establishing a pulse. 

They move with a rhythmic persistence that suggests they’ve spent a lot of time internalizing the more abrasive corners of the post-punk lexicon. It was a sharp, high-velocity start that immediately unified the room, proving that even the opening slot at The Holloway can feel like a headlining set if you bring enough grit to the monitors.

The weather shifted toward the "bloody furious" with Grim Harvest (9). This local lot had a bit of a nightmare early on with the bass header and amp connection, but once they sorted the plumbing, they absolutely exploded. 

Their performance was a ritual; the band spent most of the set in a semi-circle facing their drummer, inviting the audience to peek into a private, chaotic ceremony. Sonically, it felt like being beaten up, a savage blend of parched gurgles and blasting riffs. It was unruly, technical, and when they lobbed in the odd cheeky melodic sections, it felt like a brief, desperate gasp for air before the next assault.

The momentum reached a tipping point with Birdwitch (9). Again they were a first for me and as they describe their sound as "Dream Violence," I was hooked. It’s a tag they’ve earned. It’s an emotional melting pot of doomgaze and post-metal that feels like a heavy, distorted ache. 

As a disciple of the original shoegaze blueprint, I loved the way they mashed together pained, introspective melodies with the tectonic weight of sludge. It was a sophisticated bit of songwriting delivered at a heart-attack pace, the kind of set that leaves you feeling like you’ve been through a cleansing fire.

By the time D.C.’s NØ MAN (9) hit the stage, the venue felt like a pressure cooker. This is a band with a serious pedigree, Matt Michel, Pat Broderick, and Kevin Lamiell essentially helped build the foundations of screamo in Majority Rule but Maha Shami is the undisputed heart of the operation. Her presence is a physical jolt. 

As she noted during a brief moment of clarity, this was a night of punk and protest. And we NEED both of these things at the moment. From my point of view the best thing about protest songs is the love that surrounds the rage.

That love was evident, but the rage was a "tornado in your living room." Shami's vocals, particularly on new cuts like Poison Darts are the most vicious of her career, fuelled by the systemic violence she’s witnessed first-hand in Palestine. 

It’s an alchemizing of the personal and the political that doesn't just ask for your attention; it demands your soul. It’s holding up the “ugly mirror” and making absolutely certain you cannot look away. This is what protest songs with a heavy dose of hardcore look, feel and sound like. The set was a masterstroke of controlled fury, a cathartic inferno that left the audience swamped in a wall of feedback and urban defiance.

It was an exhausting, pained, and utterly professional bit of work. NØ MAN didn't just headline; they provided the definitive proof that the underground is currently operating at a world-class level. They managed to balance a white-hot aggression with a melodic soul, proving that you can scream at the world and still have something beautiful to say. 

I’ve come away from this gig with a list of back catalogues that need urgent excavation, and a ringing in my ears that feels entirely earned. The abyss might be loud, but at The Holloway, it felt like home.

Review: Corrosion Of Conformity - Good God/Baad Man (Rich Piva)

Corrosion Of Conformity - Good God/Baad Man (Nuclear Blast) 

Corrosion of Conformity is a band who has been with me for a majority of my music listening life. First, with the skate kids I hung with in high school blasting the first record alongside our Misfits tapes. Then, seeing the video for Vote With A Bullet on Headbanger’s Ball, which immediately required a drive to The Wiz with the hopes they had Blind (they did) and me proceeding to wear out the tape. 

To the bluesy, stoner, amazing records like Deliverance and Wiseblood. Pepper leaving, Pepper back, so many riffs, and always just being fucking cool, COC has ruled for decades. 

Here we are with the new COC record. Good God / Baad Man. I may be biased, but the fourteen tracks on this record may go down as one of the greatest COC records. It is that good. Seriously.

Why? First off, this is the sound of a band having fun on what they know is their last record as COC. Pepper and Woody are in top form and are seeing eye to eye as they work to put an exclamation mark on what is a band people love. 

The album is split into two sides based on the title, with the Good God side starting with the absolute ripper Good God?/Final Dawn which could not be a more fitting opener for this record. 

Stanton Moore plays drums on the album, and his contribution is felt right away on the first track. I can’t mention COC and drums without mentioning Reed Mullin, who was what COC is about through and through and it is impossible to not feel his presence on this record. 

I love how they left all of the studio interaction on this track too, just giving it this raw, one take, live in the studio feel. It leads to You And Me, which is trademarked COC in such a raw form. Another reason why I love this record is how it sounds. It’s like four dudes playing amazing, heavy ass rock with zero pretence.

Woody’s solo on this track rips, and I love how the middle part just slams the brakes until the shotgun is loaded and the shit hits the fan. So awesome. 

Gimme Some Moore is next, and whoa boy does it rip, leaning way more to the punk side of the band in the most wonderful way while also channeling Motorhead. Glorious. Oh, and when Pepper screams “Woody!” before his solo. Man oh man is this awesome. 

The Handler is for those of you whose favorite COC record is Wiseblood, and would hang with any of the tracks from that amazing album. Another reason why I love this record; it is all over the COC map in the best possible ways. 

Instrumental psych-leaning Bedouin's Hand leads to the last track on the Good God side, Run for Your Life. This is a nine minute epic that is part Zeppelin, part Sabbath and all classic COC.

The Baad Man starts with this side’s title track, with some movie clips and whoos from Pepper that leads to COC going all ZZ Top on our assess. This is not the first time I am going to say this on side B. 

Catchy as hell and super fun, Baad Man is killer stuff that also reminds me of a way more positive version of Monster Magnet's Bummer. 

Lose Yourself sounds exactly like that is what they are doing as they rip it up for four minutes. Instrumental interlude Mandra Sonos leads to another ripper, Asleep On The Killing Floor, that is the aggressive, vintage COC that people love and has a killer instrumental breakdown and harkens back to some of their punk roots too. 

Remember how I mentioned ZZ Top? Handcuff County. So great. That wasn’t enough for you? Then how about Swallowing The Anchor? The stoner version of War’s Low Rider. Amazing one-two punch, showing the band’s bluesy side and how that trio from Texas inspired COC, even if it is not always evident. 

Brickman fits perfectly next. An acoustic driven folky track that continues to show the range of this band now and throughout the years. Closing with Forever Amplified is so perfect. Reminding me of how Faith No More closed out King For A Day with Just A Man, this one is the coda on an incredible journey. 

The track is a gigantic celebration, with a gospel-like big voice added to the mix, leaving us with a huge statement, and the best way to say goodbye to this record, as the heartbeat flatlines…

Good God / Baad Man rules. 66:46? Sure, but I will take every second of it, as a band many of us have loved for a long time delivered one of their best so late in their career. Thank you for everything Corrosion Of Conformity. 10/10

A View From The Back Of The Room: Employed To Serve (Alex Tobias)

Employed To Serve, Cage Fight & Continents, Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff, 28.03.26

 

A busy and ram packed Cardiff on a game day is my destination tonight for a night of metalcore madness from Employed To Serve, Cage Fight and Continents in the superb venue that is Clwb Ifor Bach, lets get inside and see how it all went down.

First up on stage tonight is Continents (7), a band I have seen a few times and never really disappoint with the passion and energy they give every single performance and, tonight was no difference. 

The band walk on to the stage to a quiet response due to the venue not being at full capacity yet but that doesn't stop the ferocious music coming from the stage as we get things going with the first track off the bands 2015 album Reprisal, Drowned In Hate smashes you in the face with a beast of bouncing drum patten and guitars that rip your face off with the post hardcore metal goodness that we all crave. 

The crowd seem to not be very loud for the band in between songs which I find strange as the sound and energy coming from the stage is great from all members. Vocalist Phill Cross is doing his best to ask people to move forward and bringing his strong growls and fast paced energy to everyone he but the crowd don't really all get louder for the rest of the set which was disappointing, not that there wasn't plenty of appreciation for what was happening on stage as we had a pit formed for the next few songs in the set. 

The stand out song however for me was the bands last release, 2025's Smile, a more of a slower punchy song that will have you moving and head banging without you even thinking about it. Another very good performance from a band that are showing they are in a prime period of their lifespan and are going from strength to strength in the UK metal scene, I look forward to more new music from them.

Next up tonight after a short break we get London based band Cage Fight (7), my first time seeing this band and from what I have heard and seen of beforehand I was looking forward to seeing what they could bring to the stage tonight and straight away kicking into One Minute from the bands self titled 2022 album you get a sense that this is going to be a brutal set of metalcore. 

Vocalist Rachel Aspe has the crowd in the palm of her hand from first to last growl throughout the set, a dominating performance with a trip to the centre of the pit for the bands latest release Pick Your Fighter, as the bodies circled around Rachel as the screams reigned down upon everyone was a sight that should be in a underground obscure metal documentary. A very good performance and as guitarist James Monteith says "its the last night of the tour so we want to have some fun with you all" and I can say that majority of the crowd had woken up fully by this point and the room was starting to be the sweaty mess it should be. 

The set ends with Hope Castrated again from 2022s self titled album and its a slamming song that doesn't let up from start to finish, a great set by a band I have been looking forward to seeing.

We get a well needed break of 20 minutes before more in your face metal comes to the stage with our headliners for the night Employed To Serve (8) who have brought their latest UK tour to a end tonight in the Welsh capital, and what a last set it was. Opening up with the full aggression of Treachery, the first track from the bands latest album 2025s Fallen Star. Justine Jones vocals are on point from first note tonight, hitting you in the gut with every deep growl and shaking your brain with every high scream. 

We get to the title track from the bands last album Fallen Star mid way in the set which by this point has everyone here singing along with guitarist Sammy Urwin who effortlessly sings the choruses and keeps the energy pumping with the old school metalcore rhythms screaming from his guitar, the crowd are in full circle pit form throughout the song and all songs till the end. You really get a sense of togetherness with the bands live show, each member playing off each other well and everyone here I think can feel that as the roars after every song show the band a real appreciation from this Cardiff crowd. 

To round off the night and last gig on the tour we get the excellent last song from Fallen Star, From This Day Forward. A song that has that stomping marching riff to get any metal fan stepping around, a half time to die for and then a climatic end that has a modern metalcore maturity that has impressed so many people about Employed To Serve, they even brought out Cage Fight members on vocals, triangle and cowbell for one of their encores Who's Side Are You On?

A great ending to a great night to be fair, three bands that our shoved into the metalcore genre but all have their nuances and different influences that with each you have a good mix of styles to enjoy alongside all being very good bands to watch live.

A View From The Back Of The Room: Kreator (Alex Tobias)

Kreator, Carcass, Exodus & Nails, O2 Brixton Academy, London, 27.03.26



I have come down to the big Don to catch German heavyweights Kreator on their UK tour, support coming from the mighty Carcass, the excellent Exodus and the always brutal Nails. Lets get inside and find out how it all went down.

First up we have California's own Nails (7) who come to the stage to a not yet full venue here at Brixton but the cheers and atmosphere certainly don't disappoint in noise levels as the band kick the night off with the in your face brutality of Suffering Soul from the bands first album which gets people moving straight away. We smash through a few more songs before the band take a little pause to thank everyone and vocalist Todd Jones says how much they are loving this tour and how welcoming and awesome the other bands have been. 

We go through more heavy goodness that the crowed is very happy about with pits starting up and this London crowed are getting very sweaty and pumped early on to the hardcore brilliance coming from the stage, all being a bit far away from the front due to the pyro set up and benches set up in front of them, it still does not feel to distant with the great stage presence Nails have, doing their best to navigate everything in front of them. The band end the set with the title track of their first album Unsilent Earth and by this point the crowed is pumping their fists and at least two circle pits have opened which is in my opinion down to a dam fine opening performance of the night.

How could the night get better you ask? Well after a short break the lights dim again we get We Will Rock You for everyone in the place to sing along to before the Legendry Exodus (8) walk to the stage to huge roars from this crowed, having only ever catching a tail end of a Exodus set a good 15 years ago I was eager to finally get to watch them live for the first time properly. I will just spoil it now and say they did not, kicking things off with the first track on the bands latest album Goliath is the song 3111 a song that gets everyone here moving and stepping away like theirs lives depended on it. 

The spectacular backdrop the band have is the cover from the bands latest album and it is epic I must point out but back to the performance, Vocalist Rob Dukes is truly on fire throughout this set, mixing well crowed interactions and band, always bringing out the best. The bands sound is spot on in the academy tonight with the solos from guitarist Gary Holt being perfect and sounding spectacular cutting through the rhythms. We get classics like Deathamphetamine and Blacklist from the bands 00s era and then a first performance of the title track from the bands latest album Goliath. 

We go back to 1985 with A Lesson In Violence from the bands first album Bonded By Blood which sends this crowed crazy once more, the pits have not stopped for any song so far, just a endless blur of bodies at this point. The Toxic Waltz is up next with a cheeky Slayer nod at the start with the Raining Blood intro then to the last song in the set again from Bonded By Blood the relentless Strike Of The Beast to round off a great set, awesome sound, crowed loved it and that's what matters. 

Not many bands can top a solid performance like that but we now have British death metal giants Carcass (8) who kick things off with Unfit For Human Consumption from 2013s album Surgical Steel, a song that smashes you in the face with its time change that is like a adrenaline shot that sends everyone here into a frenzy of pits. What a start, vocals are heavenly evil from bassist Jeff Walker who comes over the benches and to the edge of the stage a few times over the set to get his mosh on with the front row who are in a constant motion of horns and head banging with the occasional crashing of a body surfing over them. 

Carcass go from strength to strength in their set with Buried Dreams from 1992s Heartwork then onto even earlier material with Incarnated Solvent Abuse from 1990s album Necroticism - Descanting the Insalubrious. There is no letting up from this powerful and brutal set, the band play off each other really well and have pumped up everyone here even more then I thought possible, you can feel the love that this crowed has for Carcass tonight. Rounding off the set the band play classics Corporal Jigsore Quadary and end with Heartwork which gets the room really moving from all over. Seeing Carcass a few times before I can happily say this was one of the best performances I have been to. 

A full venue of hot and sweaty people singing Run To The Hills is followed by our headliners tonight, German legends Kreator (8), who smash straight into the first song from the bands latest album Krushers Of The World, Seven Serpents. A song that is a great powerful opening that has a excellent breakdown middle section for plenty of crowed chants that build to a climactic ending that flows right into the next song without stopping and keeping the energy up of for the crowd with more chanting of Hail To The Hordes from 2017s album Gods Of Violence. 

Kreator have the most impressive stage show of the night as expected with severed heads hanging from the mic stands and around the huge horned devil that surrounds the drum kit that drummer Jürgen "Ventor" Reil looks so far away on this stage due to all the pyro going on at the front of the stage but never sounds far away with superb blast beats for the rest of the set. 

We go back a few decades with People Of The Lie from 1990s album Coma Of Souls and Betrayer from 1989s album Extreme Aggression which is very welcomed by this crowd with more crowd surfers then anytime tonight ascend on the security and front row. Kreator then pause to dedicate the title track from their latest album, Krushers Of The World to the legend that was Ross "The Boss" Friedman of Manowar. The set rolls on with good song choices mixing more new with old that keeps everyone happy here tonight. 

To end the set we get two titled tracks from past albums first up 2001s Violent Revolution and then to end we go all the way back to 1986s Pleasure To Kill which sends this crowd off very happy, a great performance from Kreator tonight, the song selection, the sound, the crowd interactions and just overall musicianship tonight was top class from all bands. 

Reviews: Hellripper, Monsternaut, Axel Rudi Pell, Rosa Faenskap (Mark Young, Rich Piva, Matt Bladen & Spike)

Hellripper - Coronach (Century Media Records) [Mark Young]

Well, I didn’t expect to hear to AOTY candidates drop in the same week in the same month. Just as Winterfylleth drop their absolute smasher, Hellripper enter the arena with what should go down as a stone cold classic in Coronach, their 4th full length release. 

One that squarely tops Warlocks Grim & Withered Hags, an album that has stayed on my personal playlist since its 2023 release and furthered bolstered by catching them live supporting Warbringer in Manchester, cemented them for me as one of the must watch UK bands.

So, I think I can sell this album to you on the strength of one song, and for this I’ve been boring and chosen the opener, Hunderprest. It’s an easy one for me, because it encapsulates everything about them in one place. 

A thunderous storm announces its start that leads into a frenzied pull off/hammer on sequence. Its in the this initial minute or so where you hear the little melodic touches that drop in during the chaos that make this what it is. 

It would be easy I’m sure for them to play it straight like a lot of other bands but they don’t do anything easy. What they don’t do is slow down, its played at speed because they know it has to hit hard and fast. 

The lead break is mental, a face melter of the highest order because of the rhythm work that sit behinds it. Both work together to make your head move, absolutely top stuff. And it doesn't finish there, with an outro that ensures that you stay engaged with this to the end. 

I don’t just get black metal from them, the last lead smacks of Iron Maiden, of early Metallica, in the way that both bands used to write their songs as stories with a fully realised start, middle and end. It’s the use of the right chords to make you feel it, and you do, so much so there is another 7 bangers lined up to follow, all super charged and cut from that same cloth where the riff is king.

There is a lot more to this album than just the opener, you can take any track from here and it will become your instant new favourite. This is its strength; there aren’t any weak tracks here. You get the feeling that if an idea didn’t catch fire, it was immediately cast aside. 

Take the start of The Art Of Resurrection, a melodic and restrained start and you think hang on lads, don’t hit us with a ballad but it’s a fake out. It picks up its speed and then settles in for the long haul. 

You remember I mentioned it’s the little melodic touches deployed here and there that pick this material up? It pervades through this, ensuring that it is anything other than a simple experience. Its about the choice of chords used in each arrangement, they are perfectly curated and then executed in a devastating fashion. 

Because of how much I loved Warlocks, I was worried about this but it was for naught. Everything that is asked of it, it does. It brings speed, heaviness the lot. And in the title track, we have a classic. Its an 8 minute epic and is everything we love about metal. 

It’s the sort of song that inspires guitarists to play, just for the rhythm parts alone. If there’s opportunity to catch them live at any point, please do so. They are phenomenal live, and this new stuff is magic. I trust that this review has done what it needed to in getting you down to your local shop/streamer/online purveyor and buy it immediately. 10/10

Monsternaut - Approaching Doom (Heavy Psych Sounds) [Rich Piva]

Yes, Kerava, Finland’s Monsternaut is on Heavy Psych Sounds. Yes, their first coupe releases had an El Camino and some very 70s style font on their covers (I think it is an El Camino, the car guys are gonna kill me). But make no mistake, the band’s third record, Approaching Doom, is straight up 90s metal. 

Yes, we have some fuzz and some riffs and even some stoner grooves once in a while, but this band is closer to Machine Head then they are Fu Manchu. Ok, maybe not, but this record is more 90s metal sounding than anything else, and that is fine by me.

First of all, the El Camino is replaced by a four wheeler made with a giant’s skull. Second, the dude riding said four wheeler. The true example is the thrash-y Bay Area riff that opens up Cold sounds more like Death Angel than anything else, and I am here for it. Evicted is more metal chugginess and continues the darker vibe and themes of the record, with the vocals all about that metal stuff. 

The title track gives me those same old(er) school metal vibes. The recording of the record sounds so great because it was recorded right to analog, and it is so much better for it. Drain is one of my favorites on the record, and at the right time in history this could have stood up to any heavy rock radio hit of the 1990s. Killer stuff. 

Some other standouts are New Order Of Bliss, which is a fun ripper with a cool riff, and the most stoner rock track on the record, Human Stew. The highlight for me is Demon Strikes, which somehow sounds like a more metal Nebula, and boy oh boy does it rip.

Approaching Doom is a great third record for Monsternaut. The recording sounds amazing, the darker, more metal vibe works great, and the songs are strong. Fans of straight up 90s metal and thrash who also love the stoner stuff will eat these ten tracks up and go back for seconds. 8/10

Axel Rudi Pell - Ghost Town (Steamhammer/SPV) [Matt Bladen]

With 23 solo albums and over 35 years in the business, behind him you could be forgiven for thinking Axel Rudi Pell would be happy to rest on his laurels after all this time, carrying on with what he has done before rather than wanting to innovate and adapt.

However this is definitely not a case of quantity over quality as he's always there to deliver quality melodic metal. His riffs and solos drive these tracks that range from Rainbow-like rockers, Sabbath stompers (The Enemy Within), metallic ragers, and of course a massive ballads such as Towards The Shore.

His axe slinging joined by former Rainbow drummer Bobby Rondinelli, bassist Volker Krawczak and keyboardist Ferdy Doernberg while long time vocalist Johnny Gioeli brings those pipes you'll recognise from Hardline, speaking of recognisable Udo Dirkschneider adds his rasp to Breaking Seals.

Elsewhere there's some power to Holy Water, galloping on Hurricane and your head will bang on Sanity, making for more of that same high quality rocking that Mr Pell has made his living with. There's something to be said about consistency and with Ghost Town you hear why Axel Rudi Pell has such longevity. 7/10

Rosa Faenskap– Ingenting Forblir (Fysisk Format) [Spike]

There is a specific, modern kind of exhaustion that comes from watching the world you grew up in slowly curdle into something unrecognizable. 

Oslo’s Rosa Faenskap have spent their career documenting this shift, but on Ingenting Forblir ("Nothing Remains"), the tone has moved from poetic observation to a high-velocity, black-metal-fuelled confrontation. 

It is a record that manages to be analytically sharp and brutally personal at the same time, proving that if you’re going to scream about dehumanization, you might as well use the most abrasive frequencies available.

The experience hits the ground running with Den Svake Mannen, and the first thing you notice is the sheer clarity of their black metal core. While their previous work toyed with post-rock and prog, this opener is a snot-and-tears jolt of blackened hardcore that sets the mood for the entire album. 

It’s a sophisticated bit of aggression that transitions seamlessly into Faenskap for alltid, where the "shove" of their rhythm section really starts to rattle the monitors.

What sets Rosa Faenskap apart from the standard "angry" pack is their fearless genre-blending. Tracks like La Barna Leve and Klarhet I Kaos weave in these sprawling, post-rock atmospheric stretches that feel like a brief, desperate gasp for air before the next assault. 

It’s that specific "shimmer" I’ve mentioned in other reviews reimagined through a furnace of Norwegian vitriol. It gives the record a narrative weight that feels properly, painfully epic.

The middle of the album, featuring Bygg Til Himmelen and Famler I Hatet, is where the "analytical" side of the band shows its teeth. The songwriting is knotty and unpredictable, moving through movements that feel like they’re constantly expanding until the room feels too small to hold the friction. The production is spot on. It avoids the high-gloss traps of modern metalcore in favour of an approach that feels true to the bone.

The real heart of the record, however, is the nine-minute finale: Jeg Våkner Snart. It’s a sprawling, ambitious bit of survivalism that finally allows the band to stretch their legs into the more "prog" corners of their vocabulary. 

It’s a descent that moves from a contemplative, almost fragile opening into a wall of feedback that eventually just... collapses. It doesn't offer a "fix" for the systemic violence it describes; it simply stands in the wreckage and refuses to look away.

When the final vibration of Jeg Våkner snart eventually cuts out, you aren't left with a tidy summary or a sense of closure. Instead, you're left with that heavy, post-riot silence where the air in the room feels thicker than when you started. 

Rosa Faenskap have spent this record measuring the exact distance between the world we were promised and the one we actually ended up with, and the result is a beautifully distorted ache. 8/10