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

Reviews: Tyketto, Chez Kane, Ignescent, Venus 5 (Matt Bladen)

Tyketto - Closer To The Sun (Silver Lining Music)

Danny Vaughan wrangles Tyketto back on the horse New York rock veterans returning for their sixth album Closer To The Sun. Joined by Harry Scott Elliott on guitar, Ged Rylands on keyboards, Chris Childs of Thunder on bass and Johnny Dee of Doro on drums, this is a record that bursts with optimism and those massive arena anthems.

However Tyketto are not a nostalgia act, they're a band who have their eyes set on who they are today and they also look to the future by revisiting their roots with all the experience of a band who will be celebrating 40th anniversary next year. Recorded across multiple studios, including Rockfield Studios, Closer To The Sun opens with the anthemic Higher Than High, a big rocker where Danny's brilliant vocals sing those powerful choruses.

Vaughan is for my money, one of the best singers in the melodic rock sphere, though sadly I feel he, and Tyketto, are underrated, but any notion of that is blown away with Closer To The Sun, from the Beatles-meets-country of Starts With A Feeling, then there's some big balladry on the title track and The Picture.

Closer To The Sun also has some shimmering organ/synth rocking of We Rise, rollicking blues on Donnowhuddidis, Deep Purple grooves on Hit Me Where It Hurts and an homage classic motorbikes on Harleys & Indians (Riders In The Sky), which has Vaughn honkin' on bobo while Far And Away brings some Celtic feeling with violin.

With their sixth album Tyketto prove that anyone who who have overlooked them until now should be ashamed of themselves as Tyketto should be standing shoulder to shoulder with Aerosmith and Whitesnake in the classic rock league table. Come and get Closer To The Sun with Tyketto, I promise you won't get burned. 9/10

Chez Kane - Reckless (Frontiers Music Srl)

Much like Bonnie Tyler is the pride of Skewen, Chez Kane is rapidly becoming the biggest thing from Glynneath since Max Boyce (though Max never had an album cover like this one!). Reckless see her following up her retro rocking previous two albums that goes deeper into the 80's rock influences, and I'm mean really deep.

A record that brings plenty of choppy Lukather riffs, explosive EVH solos, Jim Steinman bombast, 808 drum loops and of course the gritty, powerhouse vocals of Chez. Once again, written and produced by Danny Rexon of Crazy Lixx, Chez herself collaborated on the writing this time to make the third album her biggest and in her own words "sexy as hell."

That latter point is hard to argue with as song titles range from Night Of Passion, Bad Girl, Strip Me Down and *coughs* Tongue Of Love *coughs*, reclaiming the sexually explicit lyrical content of those 80's bands such as Ratt, Poison and more, but while they were often misogynistic in tone, here it's all about empowerment.

Reckless is an album that shamelessly takes influence from the anthemic music of the 80's, but the modern production and the attitude filled vocals of Kane make for a record of songs that are arena ready. 8/10

Ignescent - Eternal (Frontiers Music Srl)

Ignescent are a modern heavy rock band from Chicago who are influenced by the likes of Flyleaf, Evanescence, and Skillet, cranking out radio and arena friendly heavy rock that has a very contemporary sound to it.

The anthemic, emotive vocals of Jennifer Benson are joined by a record of massive riffs, industrial atmospherics and emotive lyrics that hallmarks of the bands I mention and will get them plenty of airplay on US rock radio, previous singles having hit the top part of the Billboard chart.

Eternal is their newest album to hit Frontiers Music Srl and it highlights real life struggles such as anxiety and depression and puts them through a lens of hope, that has given them a faithful fanbase who can find catharsis in their music, as the mechanised heaviness is carved through with Jennifer's passionate delivery.

Eternal features songs that have co-writes from Sameer Bhattacharya of Flyleaf on Joker and Fearless and Clint Lowery for Sevendust on Chariot Of Fire, and musically they are a fusion of these bands, even adding some rap.

How much you enjoy this album relies on how much you like the bands I have mentioned. It's a slick modern metallic rock record, that does have a Christian theme to it so if that's your thing then you'll want to pick up Eternal. 6/10

Venus 5 - March Of Venus 5 (Frontiers Music Srl)

Frontiers music has always been a label that love a project. Putting together a group of vocalists and giving them songs that suits their vocals individually and together. Venus 5 is the newest one on Frontiers and it's basically the idea of a pop girl group of talented singers from the metal spectrum.

The singers are Karmen Klinc, Jelena Milovanovic, Tezzi Persson (Hell In The Club), Herma (Sick N’ Beautiful), and Erina Seitllari, whether they go by names like Ginger, Sporty, Scary etc is unknown but it's exactly the same idea as those manufactured groups but the music is heavier (marginally).

March Of The Venus 5 is their second album again produced by Aldo Lonobile (Secret Sphere), with a Italian house band it also features some songwring from Chyra's Jake E and runs across the spectrum of melodic rock sphere from ballads to arena rockers with a slightly heavy edge.

The vocalists all work really well together across the album and the music is slick pop metal so if that's your thing then March Of Venus 5 should be on your radar. 6/10

Reviews: Winterfylleth, Iron Savior, Stormo, Foghazer (Mark Young, Simon Black, Joe Guatieri & Cherie Curits)

Winterfylleth - The Unyielding Season (Napalm Records) [Mark Young]

Here we go for one of the BIG releases of 2026. Its 20 not out for one of the pre-eminent UK Black Metal acts and they have returned with a combination of both ferocious and accessible material.

They strike with a blast of extreme metal that should be held as a high water mark of what a band can do with the right tools and the right energy, aligning to make this an album that should appeal to long time fans of the genre as well as bringing in new. I appreciate that in terms of the review, I’m writing it in almost a backwards way, getting my opinions out first about how this is such a storming release rather than giving you a track by track deep dive.

Well, deep dives are boring.

I will say that it starts with what can be described as triumphant, Heroes Of A Hundred Fields. This is the place setter, where any attraction is won or lost and straight away this is on the front foot, grabbing you and embarking on a journey that puts you front and centre. Its everything you expect from them and more, sounding pristine where you can pick up every nuance and then puts its foot through the floor with Echoes In The After, that pace picked up and launched at you. 

What you pick up is those little chord changes that run amongst the charging drums. On the strength of these two you have a beast that is continually moving forward and won’t back off. It is rare that you have an opening 1-2 that comes at you with such an epic stance but that is what you get here. Both tracks are designed to embrace, engage and keep you listening.

One of the key indicators for my enjoyment of any album is how it plays out whilst driving. The boss will tell you that my playlists consist of the albums I review, and generally once the review is done they are removed. This has remained in place, as a reminder of what excellence sounds like. 

This is the case here. It has survived a number of journeys due to the fact that they don’t let the foot off the gas. A Hollow Existence is a superlative track 3, avoiding the normal routine of pulling back in intent and purpose. It keeps that sense of majesty in place whilst the title track builds and builds, opting for a reduced tempo that is no less enthralling because of the way they have arranged it. 

Let me be honest, the key to this albums success with me is not that they have done something completely brand new. All of the classic BM approaches are here, the rising chord sequences that evoke that sense of joy and triumph (you will know exactly what I mean once you hear it) its just the way that they have done it. I couldn’t readily put into words what makes this different, it just is. Even their moments of introspection such as Where Dreams Once Grew, I’ll forgive them for it given the class of the material present.

Like everything, it must end and they bring the curtain down with Enchantment, which is a treat, especially for fans of Paradise Lost. This is a quality nod to another long standing UK act, and it sounds ace. What we have is a contender for AOTY, it is that simple. 10/10

Iron Savior - Awesome Anthems Of The Galaxy (Perception Records) [Simon Black]

This stalwart Power Metal act are one of many that have been doing their thing for an eternity, but whose very existence I was completely oblivious of before returning to this reviewing lark after a 23-year hiatus just in time for Covid. 

Since then, a bunch of their releases have crossed my platter, and generally I am rather positive towards them. It’s exactly the kind of Euro Power Metal that ticks my boxes, balancing just enough classic NWOOBHM influence with the standard Euro Power tropes, but avoiding sounding cliched Power cookie cutter, despite the fact that a significant number of their releases covered a convoluted SF arc through a whole bunch of their albums.

To be fair, much of that recent output has been an opportunity to catch up with that back catalogue, as the band have been gently re-recording the material from their Noise years, since they’re not quite a big enough going concern to win the rights back legally in the way Helloween did; interspersed with new original stuff, natch. This one is a bit different…

No less than seventeen tracks grace this release: all new recordings yes, but not of their own material. Iron Savior has taken the bold step of releasing a whole hour and ten minutes of covers. Now most bands barely get away with an EP of these, and even the likes of Ghost do so sparingly, whilst careful curating ones that fit the ethos of the band’s image. 

This selection shows the age of the band, being entirely culled from either pop hits of the late 70’s and 80’s, or memorable movie soundtrack tracks from the same period (although to be fair in those days those two categories could overlap somewhat). And here’s the rub – not a one of them jumps out as being an obvious empathic note for a cheesy Euro Power Metal band, although for this release cheese most certainly presents in quantity.

I did wonder at first if this was a slightly left of field extension of their seemingly endless Atlantis Sleeper arc (i.e. re-recordings of B-sides and fillers from the early days), but no, this is completely new and off the cuff. This is the sort of thing Tragedy make a living out of, but for some bizarre reason Iron Savior actually pull this off, and well. Firstly, the choice of material is eminently recognisable to most and secondly it survives the cheesy Power Metal processing whilst sounding recognisably a cover and also most definitely the output of Hamburg’s finest.

In many ways this is a smart move, and at least half of these covers could find their way into their live set without anyone batting an eyelid, which is a sensible way of winning over a new audience in a festival setting, because let’s face anthemic bangers that the whole can sing along to despite never having heard of the band before is a winner. 

Sometimes it’s not so effective – neither Journey’s Separate Ways nor Rainbow’s Since You’ve Been Gone are adding anything to either the originals’ nor Iron Savior’s stock, but I’m never going to be able to listen to Frankie Goes To Hollywood’s Relax, the title track of Fame or A-Ha’s Take On Me in quite the same way again…

As for me, Iron Savior has lost nothing credibility wise with this release, which is just as well, as it’s a brave thing to try, but pull it off they do, and with aplomb. 8/10

Stormo - Sogni Che Invadono Il Cielo (ANFESIBENA) [Joe Guatieri]

Stormo are a Screamo band out of Italy who formed all the way back in 2007. With plenty of critically acclaimed releases under their belt, they’ve been flying the flag high for European Hardcore bands for a long time now, being one of the standouts of the genre. Today I’ll be taking on their latest offering, the 2026 EP titled, Sogni Che Invadono Il Cielo.

The record opens with Gesti, an absolute rager, clocking in at just over 1:40. From the get-go, you have straining feedback, wild drums and shouting directly into your ear, absolutely feral. The instruments cover every single nook and cranny of the mix, making sure that you have nowhere to run or hide. It’s a mission statement and they are coming directly for your jugular.

Next going into track two with Maree, the wild energy feels more focused, resulting in a stunning bass line which sweeps over the song in its style, it is that one person in the mosh pit that you can’t help be amazed by as they are dancing so effortlessly as if they do it everyday, it’s pure self expression. This is combined with drums that punch you full-force right in the gut and a solo at the back-end of the track made up of a piercing noise which screams as loud as the vocalist.

Getting deeper, later on we’ve got track five with Constellazion. A warm buzzing sound and very deliberate and detailed drums start things off as we’re taken by hand on a journey through a sunken city. Cinematic fuzz bass and guitars sway as one as group vocals march us forward. It shows the album at its most reflective and after all of the destruction that we’ve witnessed so far, this is a true point of solace. Constellazion is beautiful, it’s no doubt my favourite song on the record. 

There are plenty more moments which I just have to mention here, take track four with Indaco/Ardesia. It has Black Metal stylings to it with the hard blast beats and scratchy riffs. For me it paints a picture of standing on a hillside in a storm as you’re confronted by the fear of how humans have ruined nature. The song then transitions flawlessly into track five, that buzzing as previously mentioned is an alarm bell that lasts forever.

Another song that I would like to point out is the closer with Isole. It is truly anxiety inducing as an industrialised, bordering on primal beat is conjured up from earth's rotten core. With vocals that are truly at their wit’s end, screaming for help, it makes me burst into tears.

Despite the language barrier, every breath connects with my person which is something that I’ve rarely experienced in my life before. The wonderful thing about language is that you can apply your own meaning to it and a handful of the vocal performances here truly moved me. Then the song and album come to an end with a watery guitar passage which attempts to bring some comfort to you, a lullaby of sorts. The conclusion has some hope, though is still distracted by uncertainty. Purgatory.

For me with Sogni Che Invadono Il Cielo, it presents thoughts of external suffering rather than something that is entirely within yourself. To me with most Screamo it’s like shouting in your room on your own, whether this feels like shouting out of your window, trying desperately to alert one human soul out there. The sea pops up to me constantly throughout the album’s run-time and it brings to my attention that our planet is dying. Nature is meant to be natural.

Overall, Stormo has made a fabulous, environmentally-aware EP that is a call for more action in this world. It’s an emotional and heavy hitting documentary in album form, one that you want to go back to again and again, not just for comfort but to learn more. 9/10

Foghazer – He Left The Temple (Hypnotic Dirge Records) [Cherie Curtis]

Foghazer’s debut album, He Left The Temple, features nine otherworldly tracks with a powerful and chilling atmosphere. It's magnetic, weird, and hypnotic in a way that’s both unsettling and comforting. He Left The Temple is more of a soundscape of technological macabre than it is music for a standard playlist – Unless you live in a Neo – Noir crime thriller.

Foghazer masterfully toes the line between messy and the controlled. In theory, as you work your way through the album, what you hear shouldn’t make sense but when the textures and sound layers mesh, they create an eerie and surprisingly catchy beat. Sluggish, distorted, and echoing guitar riffs repeat to slowly build tension, paired with a slow repetitive drum beat to create a hazy and tranquil atmosphere. This is promptly undercut by integrated keyboard samples which dash the tranquil dream state and turn it into a nightmare.

Track 1 He is a fine example of this; it starts slow and repetitive before introducing some gloriously haunting female operatic vocalising for the hook, alongside some 90s- style hip-hop record scratches. Just when you feel you're beginning to grasp what's going on, track 4 Temple, brings some harsh and blinding black metal vocals to serve as an ominous, unexpected pivot.

Overall, He Left The Temple is fascinating; it establishes a world of its own and, track after track, world builds and creates tension without a real conclusion or climax. It's a weird melting pot of genres, trip-hop, black metal and symphonic metal- and that alone is incredibly ambitious. It's safe to say that Foghazer pulls it off. There is soul, musical skill, and delicate craftmanship here, with a healthy dose of experimentation which I feel makes this album one of a kind. 

It isn't something most people, myself included may gravitate towards on a day –to –day basis, but on a grey moody Sunday afternoon or while skulking around a deserted moor, I'll put it on for some ambience. 6/10

Reviews: Power Paladin, Iron Slug, Tomorrows Outlook, Helgafell (Matt Bladen & Spike)

Power Paladin - Beyond The Reach Of Enchantment (ROAR)

Icelandic power metal band Power Paladin, need to do two things with their sophomore record Beyond The Reach Of Enchantment.

Number one: showing anyone who missed it why they scored a massive 9/10 from me with their debut album Magic Of Windfyre Steel. Number two: whether they can recapture that glorious fantasy power metal brilliance on this follow up.

Beyond The Reach Of Enchantment definitely shows their hand early with another conceptual saga where Dungeons & Dragons, Robert E. Howard, Frank Frazetta and anything that features swords and sorcery combines with that power metal purity of bands such as Rhapsody, Stratovarius, Hammerfall, Helloween and also DragonForce (Glade Lords Of Athel Loren).

So they begin with answering both questions in earnest, galloping bass and drums, light speed guitar harmonies, sweeping keys and soaring vocals this is power metal for the old school crowd, but Power Paladin refine it all with album two, as they bring speed/thrash metal explosivity on opener Sword Vigour and The Royal Road, the latter adding some Maiden gallops from the rhythm section.

Power Paladin are a band about majesty and might, creating fantasy worlds to explore with their music, the production crystalline so you can hear every moment and while debut had lots of youthful exuberance, this one is more refined, the maturity, they now have shining through, with the cinematic tones of Aegis Of Eternity and theatrical Camelot Rock City.

They also show their connections with Majestica's Tommy Johansson joining on the neoclassical intensity of The Arcane Tower, but the six piece don't need any additional help really as they have locked in their sound since the debut but refine it with album two. 

As Valediction closes Beyond The Reach Of Enchantment, with nine minute Blind Guardian-like epic, Power Paladin cement their style as classic power metal for a new generation. A well deserved 9/10

Iron Slug– Deceit And Misery (Independent) [Spike]

There is a specific, heavy-set joy in stumbling onto a band that has already built a fortress while you weren't looking. While Iron Slug has a back catalogue that I now realise needs urgent excavation, Deceit and Misery functions as a sudden, hostile takeover for the uninitiated. It is a record that plays out like a high-velocity speed date with the history of heavy metal, hitting on sludge, doom, and various darker corners of the underground in a way that feels curated rather than cluttered.

The experience starts with the brilliant intro to A Calming Turmoil, and immediately, the production choices stand out. The crash of the cymbals and the drums have this distant, unpolished quality, it sounds like the kit is being hammered in the room next door while the rest of the band is right in your face. It’s a raw, honest bit of atmosphere that leads directly into a sludgy, doomy drive of bass and guitars that doesn't just invite you in; it drags you down.

As the record moves into Love Retires Under Night and Graceless Bodies, the band’s ability to pivot between influences becomes their greatest weapon. One minute you’re caught in a slow-burn, tectonic crawl, and the next, a jagged, old-school death metal riff is cutting through the fog. It’s a grime-flecked balance between the slow-burn atmosphere and the sudden, jagged violence that rewards the listener for sticking with the downward momentum.

The middle stretch, Die The Same and Ritualistic Feeding, doubles down on the grit. There’s a physical weight to the rhythm section here, a bruised-rib honesty that avoids the high-gloss polish of modern metalcore in favour of something far more subterranean. The vocals are a guttural anchor amidst the noise, delivered with a level of conviction that suggests these aren't just "protest songs," but a documented reality of the grind.

There is a distinct, dirt-under-the-fingernails feeling to the way this record ends, a silence that carries the weight of the debris it just created. Iron Slug haven't just provided a heavy distraction; they've built a sonic environment where the physical impact of the riff is the only thing that matters. It’s a masterclass in the beauty of the collision, and it’s effectively sent me straight to the archives to uncover exactly what else I’ve been missing while they were busy making the floorboards groan. 8/10

Tomorrow's Outlook - Black Waves (Battlegod Productions/Sörvik Rock Music) [Matt Bladen]

Black Waves is Tomorrows Outlook third studio album of heavy power metal that takes from the US sound despite the band being from Norway.

In the for fans of section names like Crimson Glory, Iron Maiden and Bruce Dickinson are thrown around and those latter comparisons come from the vocals of Tony Johannessen who’s a dead ringer for the air raid siren. 

Whether it’s commanding the rampaging rockers such as Eventide or on the mid-pace stompers like Oceans Of Sadness, he’s got that Bruce bombast which is ideal for the conceptual nature of these songs written by bassist Andreas Stenseth and manager/songwriter Trond Nicolaisen, the ideas of folklore, costal tragedy and history all inspiring the lyrical side of the album.

So Black Waves is written by a bassist, featuring two guitarists, often in harmony and air raid siren voice, Iron Maiden is definitely going to be a big influence (Down Falls The Axe), so though is a band like Heaven’s Gate and that thrashier German scene.

So it’s no surprise that the album was mixed and mastered by Sascha Paeth to make sure that the guitars of Øystein K. Hanssen and Valentino Francavilla have that that dirtier street sound of Judas Priest on Silver Ghost and Wait For The Sun, as there’s swashbuckling on the title track and more power metal propulsion on Lament Of The Dammed as Owe Lingvall’s drumming gets a chance to gallop.

Black Waves is the first album from Tomorrows Outlook since 2018 and while their name suggests otherwise they are band who look to yesterday for inspiration, filling their third album with some classic heavy metal. 7/10

Helgafell – Chronicles (Naturmacht Productions) [Spike]

Anglo-Saxon history is a bloody, jagged mess of "blood and toil," and on Chronicles, Helgafell has attempted to convert that collective memory into four sprawling chapters of atmospheric black metal. It’s a concept album in the truest sense, digging into the battles and kings that defined the late Anglo-Saxon reign. However, as is often the case with one-man solo projects, there is a visible seam to the music, a sense that the record has been "constructed" layer by layer in a room rather than "delivered" by a living, breathing unit.

The experience begins with The Harrying Of The North, and the talent on display is undeniable. The guitars possess a cold, pagan-inflected melody that fits the "torch of remembrance" theme perfectly. But as the nearly seven-minute track unfolds, the transition between the atmospheric calms and the high-velocity black metal stabs feels a bit mechanical. You can almost feel the moment the track shifts from "Part A" to "Part B" on the monitor; it lacks that organic, unpredictable flow that usually comes from a full lineup feeding off each other's energy.

The Bandit Of The Marsh and The Council Of Folly continue this trend of technical dexterity meeting studio-mandated rigidity. There’s a lot to admire here, the drum programming is sophisticated and the layering of the synths adds a genuine sense of historical scale yet it feels a tad disjointed. It’s like looking at a meticulously built model of a cathedral; the detail is stunning, but you can’t help but notice the glue at the corners. It’s "constructed" noise, lacking the raw, bruised-rib honesty that usually defines this genre.

The record finds its most cohesive momentum during The Union Of Kings. It’s the final chapter of the Anglo-Saxon narrative, and it leans heavily into a more heroic, rhythmic strut. The production is high-fidelity, which is a credit to the one-man effort but it occasionally robs the sound of the "gristle" needed for a record about medieval warfare. It’s a clean, professional excavation that sounds more like a documented history than a visceral experience.

By the time the final notes of The Union Of Kings subside, the story is complete, but the emotional connection feels a bit fragmented. Helgafell has clearly put an immense amount of work into the research and the performance, yet Chronicles remains a record of brilliant, isolated parts that haven't quite fused into a singular soul. It’s an interesting, highly talented look at the English kingdom’s roots, but it left me wishing for a bit more blood on the strings and a bit less precision in the mix. 7/10

Reviews: Wildernesses, Only Human, Divine Chaos, Final Coil (Spike, Matt Bladen, Mark Young & Rich Piva)

Wildernesses – Growth (Independent) [Spike]

You don’t just put a record like Growth on; you let it leak into the room like a damp patch on a cellar wall. 

Hailing from a space somewhere between the reverb-drenched ghosts of 1991 and the tectonic weight of modern post-metal, Wildernesses have delivered a forty-minute document that understands a fundamental truth: the best noise is the kind you have to wait for. It’s a record of patience, pained storytelling, and a level of distortion that would make Jim Reid nod in grudging, feedback-soaked approval.

It starts with Sleepless, an instrumental that spends nearly two minutes doing absolutely nothing but building a cold, atmospheric dread. It’s a masterclass in the slow-burn, a hazy threshold of clean tones that feels like a long walk home in the rain before the cymbals finally crack and the floor drops out. 

When the distortion hits, it isn't just "loud"; it’s a shimmering, multi-layered wash that keeps its melodic soul even when the volume is redlining. It’s that specific Jesus And Mary Chain-style trick: burying the beauty so deep in the fuzz that you have to work to find it.

The real heart-punch arrives with Happy Hollow. As a lifelong disciple of the original shoegaze blueprint, hearing these vocals kick in is pure catharsis. 

There’s a pained, melodic clarity here, a direct descendant of the "ethereal-age" legacy that manages to sound fragile even while the rhythm section is trying to shake the teeth out of your gums. It gives tracks like [dread] and English Darkness a narrative weight that feels properly epic, turning the "atmospheric" tag into a vehicle for genuine, bruised-rib storytelling.

The middle of the record, Terrible Bloom and Maintenance, is where the post-rock engine really starts to smoke. These aren't just "jams"; they are expanding soundscapes. 

The production is exceptional, keeping the delicate, needle-fine guitar lines audible even when the low-end churn is at its most oppressive. It moves with a mechanical persistence on Maintenance, suggesting a band that knows exactly how to build a crescendo until the room feels too small to hold it.

As we move through the long-form desolation of Cassino and Four Hour Drive, the "weight of emotion" the band talks about becomes a physical presence. Four Hour Drive, in particular, captures that specific, road-weary exhaustion of a 3 AM transit, leading into the finale of Summertime, 1917.

When the final vibration eventually cuts out, you’re left with a silence that feels heavy and entirely earned. Wildernesses have spent this record measuring the depth of the void, proving that the most interesting thing about a wall of sound is the cracks you can see in it if you look close enough. 

It’s an honest, unvarnished account of the grind, a heavy, shimmering reminder that the best shoegaze is the kind that leaves you looking for the exit while you’re still enjoying the fall.

Personally, and it’s my review, I bloody love this. 10/10

Only Human - Planned Obsolescence (Season Of Mist) [Matt Bladen]

Denmark has quite a history with forward thinking prog bands, from the prog power of Pyramaze, to the industrial elements Mnemic and the modern sound from Vola, their prog metal scene isn’t vast but has always been very musically gifted and willing to break new ground.

Only Human are the latest to make their mark internationally with what they call “existential prog metal” inspired by TesseracT, Spiritbox, Bring Me The Horizon and countrymen Vola (early albums), this is as modern as it gets with huge emotional release coming from the clean/harsh vocal, power inside the cavernous riffs and melody and fragility from the atmospheric synths/keys (Sleep Descent).

Planned Obsolescence is a dystopian record that warns of humanities impending downfall as we are consistently forced to replace things are working due to incompatibilities that are deliberately written into the code, it ponders whether it is us who are really the product.

What I do always find humorous, I guess, with albums that deal with ideas like this, is that they are densely layered with electronics and try to emulate that synthetic feel as much as possible while warning you against the encroaching importance of technology, it's this conflict that makes the songs come alive as the skill here is to make it feel automated but with real humans doing the creative part.

Here with tracks such as Breach and Sleep Descent, Only Human, prove to be more than human as the electronic elements are particularly strong. Even a slower tracks like Death Cult and Techno Fascists have introspective ambience, a lingering sensation of the ominous that comes from the fight against losing our humanity.

With ethical technological dilemmas are big on Planned Obsolescence but the music driven by human passion and skill, resulting in cutting edge prog metal from Only Human. 9/10

Divine Chaos - Hate Reactor (Independent) [Mark Young]

A touch of Brit Metal!! Divine Chaos have returned with Hate Reactor, their follow up to The Way To Oblivion that dropped (as I am reliably told) back in 2020.

So, I’m adding Divine Chaos to a list of bands that show an incredible amount of promise in grasping what makes metal tick whilst managing muddy that message up. I’m getting ahead of myself, so lets take in the positives here (and there is a ton of them). 

It sounds tip-top, its clear, precise and you really get submerged within these super sharp guitar lines. Its aggressively played, harnessing a modern tone that allows them to also drop face-melting lead breaks at will. 

I’ll point you in the direction of Hate Reactor, the second track that is a great summation of this approach. Straight forward, down the middle rhythms and guttural vocals, you can’t go wrong with this. 

The lead break is excellent, and in all honesty if someone asked me for an example of what good sounds like, I’d set them here. In fact, they have such a handle on making the guitars the main focus, with the interplay, harmony lines everything sounding so on point its hard not to get carried away.

The downside is where they utilise cleans. They come in and add an unwanted sheen to things, so much so that it snaps me out of it. For me, they offer nothing and detract from the oft stunning work they have done on here. I don’t think I’ve ever felt so strongly about this before, possibly because of how strong the music is behind I am genuinely upset by it. 

I hate to be negative about anything, especially this. Again, this is a personal opinion, and on reflection when you weigh up the presence of the cleans against the guitar work that is in place here, the choice of ignoring it is yours to make.

As albums go, they have crafted a strong one in spite of my feelings towards the other style of singing. Of the 9 tracks here, only Condemned To The Void feels like a misstep and again that leans more into the aggravation I have with that clean singing. 

Elsewhere, each track has that quality that when transposed to the live arena will cause the crowd to well and truly go off. Playing these live will roughen them up, refine their edge but only slightly. On balance, they can be rightly proud of their efforts here. 7/10

Final Coil - 1994 (Nyctophobic Records) [Rich Piva]

Final Coil has had a wild ride on this blog. 

Polarizing would be a good word for it, but I gave their 2024 record, The World We Inherited, a pretty decent score as they nicely incorporate 90s alt stuff with some proggy and metal leanings with some synths added in too. Cool. 

The band now has decided to go “back to their roots” , mentioning bands that put out important records in that year as reference points: Alice In Chains, Nine Inch Nails, Nirvana, Pink Floyd, and Machine Head. 

I get all these reference points, I just wish they would stop mentioning Pink Floyd, for multiple reasons. Anyway, the four songs from this new EP are supposed to harken back to the days of flannel and whatnot. As someone who pillaged K-Mart’s racks to find a different flannel pattern, I will be the judge of that.

OK sure, it is raw and tuned down, so that’s cool. Instant Fix, the opener, sounds like a band from 1994, but maybe one of the ones that got signed to a major because every other one did and then no one liked it except for me, the band got dropped, and it wound up in the promo bin. This is a compliment. Remember The Vines? I get that too. That one is not so much a complement. Narcissist is a fun little 90s track with all of the self loathing a good kid of the early to mid 90s had. It sounds like a demo from the session where Dig recorded their self-titled debut. 

Playing Games gives me Liars Inc. vibes, which is a good thing, but the song is so raw it leans a little too much towards the demo side of the house, which is maybe what they were going for? I like the harmonized vocal effort and its unabashed tribute to the year the EP is named after. It is fun that they got the ex-drummer of 90s favourite Therapy? To perform on the EP, which adds some cred for sure. Speaking of, Woke kind of reminds me of Therapy? Just a bit. It is another fun and raw effort. A song called Woke from an EP called 1994 though?

You can tell Final Coil had fun with 1994. It is very raw and underdone, which is a 180 from their usual output, and is kind of refreshing. The four songs here are a nice tribute to a time the band obviously incorporated into their sound, without it being a boring covers record. Good job. 7/10

Reviews: Stonus, Mystfall, Fuzzing Nation, Sanctum Pyre (Matt Bladen)

Stonus - Space To Dive (Ripple Music)

Finally I get one from the internationally recognised leaders of all things riff, Ripple Music.

I couldn't let m'colleague Mr Piva get his hands on this big fat slice of Cypriot fuzz, so I snapped it up to see what the band had to offer on their second studio album. Their debut Ripple after previous records came via Electric Valley/Daredevil Records and Ouga Booga And The Mighty Oug, the label of Greek stoner rockers 1000mods. 

It's in with, bands like 1000mods and Planet Of Zeus that Stonus fall style wise, both previous touring partners, while there's also a lot of gratitude payed to Nightstalker and American Space Lord Mutha's Monster Magnet. Space To Dive then has to prove why Stonus were signed to such a prestigious label in the riff scene. 

They burst out of the speakers immediately with woozy, psych-drenched chugs that pull you into an album inspired by "the torus field — the visual representation of sound, energy, and atomic vibration", the connection between everything in the universe, the metaphor for this band who live in different countries but coexist as one entity within music. 

The connection between the band is obvious with a tracks like Follow Me and Psychactive Baby where the bottom end of drummer Kotsios Demetriades and bassist Alaa Albaharna give them hypnotic grooves of the Monster Magnet universe, the vocals of Kyriacos Frangoulis have that reverb drawl of Wyndorf. 

Colours has Pavlos Demetriou and Nikolas Frangoulis playing some biting riffs from the likes of Mastodon while In Loop brings dazed desert rock of Nightstalker, to the record with lots of space to lose yourself in the groove as it segues into the explorative Tangerine and the heavy doom of The Hermit. 

While I've mentioned their influences a lot Stonus manage to create a sound of their own inspired by the bands I've talked about, Stonus' debut for Ripple is a more diverse journey into psychedelic heaviness, so strap in and enjoy this cosmic ride through Ripple accredited riffs. 9/10

Mystfall - Embers Of A Dying World (Scarlet Records)

Embers Of The Dying World is the second album from Greek band Mystfall. Led by soprano Marialena Trikoglou, they very much fall into classic grandiose sound of symphonic metal originators Nightwish, Epica and Within Temptation. 

No 80's synths, pop influences or anything like that which comes into symphonic metal these days, Mystfall are all about Marialena's soaring operatic vocals, sweeping orchestral movements and power metal backing that brings galloping riffs. 

Embers Of A Dying World poses the question, what's left if we keep destroying the planet at the rate we are? The band explore these though the concept of an alternate world where dreams are alive and fighting nightmares, so someone has read Neil Gaiman's The Sandman.

I digress though as these emotionally resonant themes are released with the theatrical, cinematic sound of Mystfall as Aris Baris' guitars create the cutting riffs and escalating leads, as Dimitris Miglis' drums provide the pace locked in with Stelios Vrotsakis' bass who brings that often needed other element of traditional symphonic metal bands, the harsh male vocals. 

Embers Of A Dying World by Mystfall recalls that initial symphonic metal era and when every other band is trying to modernise, their time-honoured, classically driven sound needs to be appreciated. 8/10

Fuzzing Nation - Mother Truck (Octopus Rising/Argonauta Records) 

Another album of Greek fuzz this week with a journey to a Fuzzing Nation. 

Again let's get them out of the way early as Fuzzing Nation have influence from 1000mods, Planet Of Zeus, Nightstalker, with a look outside of Greece to the greasy riffs of Fu Manchu and bands born from that Sky Valley scene. 

They were formed in 2022 by Angel Ioannidis (vocals/guitar) and Steve Giannakos (bass) both of doom band Sorrows Path as ex-Innerwish drummer Terry Moros finishes the trio who have a lot experience behind them in the studio and on stage. 

Born from a spontaneous studio jam, that D.I.Y ethos of "play it how it feels" that's directed their two previous EPs, returns on their debut full length but they approach it with a conceptual edge of this album being a chase through the desert, part Smokey And The Bandit, part Vanishing Point through the wastelands of Mad Max. 

This big Mother Truck speeds through dunes of grooving riffs where the early desert rock pioneers meet the post punk throb of Blondie on The Elders Code and Sabbath goes punk for I Don't Believe. These detours to the juggernaut of fuzzy stoner riffs are welcome variation in a style that can become a little one note. 

Fuzzing Nation though keep you interested and your head bobbing on their debut, whether you can follow the story or not, the music tells its own with fuzz and fury. 8/10

Sanctum Pyre - He Who Remains (Steel Gallery Records)

Sanctum Pyre aren't as much a band as they are a studio project with international reach. Forged by a trio of musicians based in different parts of the world. 

However the fact that Battle Symphony's Nikos Tzouannis, writes all the music, orchestrations, lyrics, plays the keyboards, and produces it means that their worthy of inclusion here, it also helps that they are signed to Greek label Steel Gallery. 

Now it's not a solo effort as Nikos is joined by mysterious guitarist/bassist/drum programmer/mixer Mike G and vocalist Rob Lundgren who has sung for everyone and their mother, but when your voice is that good I'd hire him too. 

Sanctum Pyre is a band I'd call an epic metal band, one moment (The Hammer And The Cross) they've got the weapons in the air march of Manowar, then the next it's the anthemic tones of Sonata Arctica, the folk filled style of Blind Guardian and dramatic storytelling of Kamelot.

The latter especially when they take Middle Eastern routes on Daughter Of The Wind where Thomas Karam of Noor and Shlomit Lev of Orphaned Land join. The one criticism I will say is that they do seem to have just the one intro riff on about three or for of the songs, that sounds very similar but bands have made careers playing the same song repeatedly so it's not too much of an issue. 

He Who Remains combines a lot of different sounds from different bands into one fantasy influenced heavy metal record, swords held high this pyre burns brightly. 8/10

Reviews: Neurosis, Mclusky, Exodus, Gong (Rich Piva)

Neurosis - An Undying Love For A Burning World (Neurot Recordings)

Look, I am not going to sit here and write this pretending I am something more than a casual Neurosis fan. Have I enjoyed their work? Yes. Do they have some records that are post metal sludgy classics? Of course. A Sun That Never Sets for example. For me though, Neurosis has always been a mood band, which is probably why I never dove deep into the darkest depths of their catalog. 

Well it's a good thing that the world is in a mood because it is the perfect time for a new, surprise, Neurosis record, titled An Undying Love For A Burning World. What could be a better title for a record dropped in 2026? What record could sound more perfect for a Neurosis in 2026? Add ISIS vocalist and post metal legend Aaron Turner to the mix, and you have everyone screaming for An Undying Love For A Burning World as an album of the year candidate. They would be right.

First off, Turner fits in perfectly. I am not sure anyone else could have filled the role. Second, the vibe of this record is the vibe of humankind right now, put to music. There is still a tiny glimmer of hope under all the despair on An Undying Love For A Burning World, but there is a lot of bleakness on these eight songs. The intro, We Are Torn Wide Open, is 58 seconds of tone setting, which leads into the heavy tidal wave of Mirror Deep. Right away you hear the synergy with the band and their new singer, who completely understands the task at hand. 

Musically, the dissonance and the heavy to soft, quiet to loud is what this band is all about and is on full display here. The production of the record is perfect for what it is all about. Words are hard to pick to describe An Undying Love For A Burning World, but what I can say is the three track run of Blind, Seething And Scattered, and Untethered will be in the mix for some of the best parts of any record all year. 

Blind, with the riffs and doomy sludgyness, Seething And Scattered, with the synth and noises to go along with the great riff and killer vocals, and Untethered, which sounds wonderfully like its name while having just enough melody underneath the surface to keep you right with it. Only a handful of you will be excited when I say the last two songs are a total of 28 minutes, but like what I assume it was making this record, we all must sacrifice for the art, and the payoff is so very worth it.

Someone just throwing this record on with no context or background might not get it. They may say it’s too long, or too all over the place, or they don’t like growly vocals. But even for a casual fan like me, this record absolutely blew me away. I can only imagine how the Neurosis super-fans feel; having their band back in 2026, with Aaron Turner on vocals, and the result being An Undying Love For A Burning World. Breathtaking. 9/10

Mclusky - I Sure Am Getting Sick Of This Bowling Alley (Ipecac Records)

Mclusky is one of my favourite bands of all time. Given how they ended, I thought we would never hear another peep from them as that band. Not only did we get a peep, we got a pretty much perfect Mclusky album last year in the form of the aptly titled The World Is Still Here And So Are We. 

After 22 years the band was back and sounded like they never left. Surely we won’t have anything else new? We certainly do, as the embarrassment of riches for Mclusky fans continues with the mini album I Sure Am Getting Sick Of This Bowling Alley, which is such a Mclusky album title. This blast of Mclusky goodness is six songs in thirteen minutes that continues the top quality new material that the 2025 record was chock full of.

Of course the first line of the mini album opener, I Know Computer, is “Long hair, no skin?”. What else could it be? We get a driving bass line, trademark Mclusky guitar work, and Andrew Falkous being Andrew Falkous both vocally and lyrically. As A Dad could be on any of the other classic Mclusky records and should be a live staple going forward. In the piranha was another piranha. Indeed. Spock Culture has some fun background vocals as the bass drives the vocals and the rest of the track along perfectly, for another undoubtedly Mclusky track. 

Hi, We’re On Strike is protest song, Mclusky style. It’s simple math. The noise rock category they get thrown in sometimes gets some evidence from this one. Fan Learning Difficulties seems like a weird love letter to all the shit rock lovers out there. I hear you Falco. The closer, That Was My Brain On Elves, is pretty damn deep for a track with that title and is just Falco and guitar telling us all the meaning of life.

More new Mclusky, please. Keep it coming. Falco may be Getting Sick Of This Bowling Alley, but no Mclusky fan is sick of their new material in any shape or form. 9/10

Exodus - Goliath (Napalm Records)

Thrash bands from the 80s seem to want to prove they can still bring the heavy in 2026. This was true of Overkill a couple years ago, of Testament’s amazing new record last year (absolutely killer stuff), and now true of Goliath, the new record from thrash legends Exodus. While not trying to prove that they are as fast as everyone as they may have on their last record, the band certainly brings the heavy, and a lot of it, on the ten tracks for almost an hour of headbanging California thrash.

A couple of thighs to get out of the way. First, this record should have been shorter than its 55 minute run time. There is nothing bad on Goliath, it is just a lot for one sitting. It is a tad slick production-wise, but you can get past that given the performances and the songs. Rob Dukes is back on vocals, and he sounds great. Of course Gary Holt is Gary Holt, and he has not slowed down a bit on this record. You can tell that is true right off the bat on the opener, 3111, which is a straight up ripper. 

Hostis Humani Generis shows that the only true original member of Exodus, drummer Tom Hunting, is still a madman and can hang with anyone in the genre. The Changing Me sounds as close to Iron Maiden will ever sound and is a great old school thrasher. The slow burn title track is certainly an interesting choice, especially with Katie Jacoby adding violin to the mix. Other highlights for me include the circle pit madness of Beyond The Event Horizon, the mid tempo rocker Violence Works, and how the record closes with another ripper, The Dirtiest Of The Dozen.

A fine effort for the 2026 version of Exodus, indeed. I got to see the band live last year, and the songs on Goliath will fit right in a live set. I think fans of the band will be happy with this record and it fits nicely with their later period work. 7/10

Gong - Bright Spirit (Kscope)

Gong has been around since the late 1960s. This is not the same band as the original lineup. A quick glance and their wiki and it looks like there have been at least 100 people in the band, give or take. I am in no way a historian on Gong, but I can say I enjoyed some of their early stuff. The new record, Bright Spirit, did not give me the same tingly feelings the older stuff did.

Why? It is so cleanly produced it is like antiseptic. A song like The Wonderment was five minutes of going nowhere. The opener, Mantivule, made me anxious for some reason. Stars In Heaven was more on the psych pop side of things and is by far my favourite track on the record. Most of the record is a lot of proggy bits that really don’t connect with me.

I am sure there are better people to review this record, but as a Gong novice, nothing on Bright Spirit is bringing me into the fold. There is nothing here for me to grab onto or have a return listen to. It’s not bad, just not for me. A bit too sterile and a bit too safe for my liking. 5/10

Reviews: The Holeum, Goatsmoker, Imbrium, Astral Goat Dominion (Rick Eaglestone, Mark Young, Matt Bladen & Joe Gautieri)

The Holeum – Ensis (Lifeforce Records) [Rick Eaglestone]

The Holeum return with their third album Ensis via Lifeforce Records and if you haven’t been paying attention to what this band have been quietly building since their 2016 debut, now is absolutely the time to fix that. 

This is a record that resists any single genre tag – part Death Doom, part Post-Metal, part Progressive and part something that genuinely doesn’t have a name yet – and it is all the more essential for it.

Album opener The Fermi Paradox does exactly what the best openers do – it sets the terms and dares you to keep up. The conceptual framing is right there in the title: that vast, unresolved question of why, given the statistical near certainty of extra-terrestrial life, silence is all we’ve ever received back. 

Pablo Egido’s vocals carry that weight convincingly, ranging from low, cavernous growls to something that sounds less like singing and more like a transmission sent into the void with no expectation of reply. 

It’s patient, heavy, and completely uncompromising – a statement of intent that Cosmic Void Spheres then moves sharply on from, arriving with a density and emotional reach that makes the album’s full ambitions plain. 

The guitar interplay between Luis Albadalejo and Julián Velasco surfaces here with some of the album’s most overtly melodic passages, and when clean vocals appear alongside them, this is the moment Ensis first shows you that devastation and beauty are, in The Holeum’s vocabulary, simply the same thing from different angles.

Macrocosm + Microcosm is where this record starts to demonstrate what separates The Holeum from their contemporaries. The track moves from something intimate and fragile to something that feels continental in its weight, and Miguel A. Fernández’s drumming is the structural backbone holding it all together – this is a band thinking about architecture, not just impact. 

Spontaneous Synchronization follows and is perhaps the most rewarding track on the album on repeat listens. There is nothing accidental about how its elements cohere, even as they appear to be working against one another, and Paco Porcel’s bass sits at the centre of it providing gravity when everything else threatens to pull apart. The mood never fully resolves and that feels entirely deliberate – it is an unsettling listen in the best possible sense.

Hyperdimensional Physics leans hardest into the progressive side of The Holeum’s sound and is Ensis at its most compositionally ambitious – structural phases that would feel jarring from a lesser band feel completely earned here, each one growing logically out of what came before it. If you want to know what this band are genuinely capable of, go and put this one on loud. 

Esoteric Futuristic Visions then builds around Egido’s drone work to deliver something atmospherically distinct from anything else on the record – forward-facing and speculative, a sound that looks beyond the edge of the known rather than retreating into familiar territory. 

For a band, whose entire conceptual identity is rooted in the furthest reaches of the cosmos, this is where that vision feels most fully realised.

Ensis closes with Geometric Congruence Vortex, and it is a closer that earns every second of its runtime – the clean tones of its opening minutes give the listener room to process the journey the album has taken them on, and the gradual return of heavier elements feels less like repetition and more like the album quietly acknowledging everything it has been.

Overall Ensis is the record that the Holeum’s genre-defying blend of Doom, Post-Rock, Death, and Progressive metal is rendered with a cohesion and emotional devastation that their previous work was pointing towards but never quite reached. 7/10

Goatsmoker - E.R.I.S (VinylTroll Records) [Mark Young]

And to close out the week, how about some massive riffs? Here to satisfy that need is Copenhagen’s Goatsmoker who bring their latest sonic pummelling for your delight and delectation. 

I should qualify that statement that this is primarily for those who dine out on big, fat guitars, vocals that have been dragged out and jumped on and song lengths that test your power of endurance. If you are still onboard after that description then you will find 5 songs of doom perfection.

Cursed leads the 4 piece out to play and over 9 minutes gradually grind you to a pulp. This isn’t super polished, their own bio notes that imperfection is key for them, and I suppose that is the case when you hear discord that is brought down on later moments. It’s the sound of a band that writes music that excites them first and you second. 

I’d love to wax lyrical about it but there’s little point. This is doom for those affection for it is captured within the lengthy, repeating mantras that their songs offer. It’s something when they make the shortest song feel like it has been stretched out of form, which is what they do on Waiting. 

It has a background sound that is like air raid sirens wailing in the distance and its here that those imperfections come in. When it does change, its subtle, little increases in speed here and there without sounding out of place. What doesn’t change is the weight of these riffs, they are fuzzed out and in turn almost blissed out as they teeter on a knife edge without falling over. Gods Of Gunzilla is a prime example of this. Its drawn out, slow, measured to the point of collapse but is pulled back each time. 

Doom fans will be all over this, that is without a doubt because it takes all of the key maxims for what you expect this genre to offer and puts them on a plate for you. The trouble is that for those liking a faster or shorter style then this is likely to turn you off. Saying that, if you made it through Cursed then you know what you have let yourself in for.

Entropy Reigns In Silence is the penultimate song and is massive. Truly massive, possessed with more life than the preceding tracks, it’s a glacial tempo but one that continues moving forward at all times. I would suggest that the best way to experience this is with headphones, which enable you to immerse yourself within this song. It changes shape as it pushes forward to the end, reaching a crescendo that I didn’t think I’d hear with them. 

It is a quality song, one that others should look to when writing a ‘good’ doom song because it is a belter. Dakhma is almost an anti-climax after that but isn’t without its charms. Taking some of its cues from Entropy, its happy to wield its own form sonic destruction and close this 5-song cracker out. Look for the almost angelic vocals running through it as it wraps up.

I think in all honesty it’s has the capacity to held up as a statement release. Its doom in the style they want to play and its all the more honest for it. I couldn’t say that its essential for everyone, but then if we all like the same then it would be pretty boring. If you have a hankering for big guitars then check them out. 8/10

Imbrium - Singularity (Self Released) [Matt Bladen]

If you like Evergrey then you'll like Imbrium. There I said it, this Leeds/London band take a lot of influence from the Swedish mastered with their dark melodic take on prog metal. 

Featuring former members of Dreamcatcher, Memoreve and The Defiled, their EP, Singularity brings together dark melodic metal and progressive composition, striking a balance been atmosphere and weight.

From beginning of Fade Away which moves between driving riffs and piano driven choruses, the chunky The Dark Is Home, through the guitar riff meets orchestrations of Reach Out and the stirring finale of Dark Singularity, the guitars all come with a down tuned heaviness but there's also and abundance of sympathetic keys and synths, with an emotional heft in the lyrics that lends itself to the introspective sound Imbrium create.

The band say that they create music "that’s designed to hit hard—sonically and emotionally" and Singularity does do that in the same way that Tom S Englund and co can. They'll make you headbang one song, then cry the next and Imbrium do something similar with their songs about pain and loss, sung with passionate vocals and played with technical precision that never lets virtuosity hinder the melodies.

An impressive EP from Imbrium, a must for any fans of Evergrey or bands that have an emotional side to their prog metal. 8/10

Astral Goat Dominion - Only Lucifer And Fuzz (Self Released) [Joe Guatieri]

Astral Goat Dominion are a two piece Doom Metal band from Italy consisting of guitarist and vocalist Sergio Khaosfuzz and bassist and programmer Marco Oniric. Today I’ll be covering their debut album Only Lucifer And Fuzz which was released on the 31st October, 2025.

Getting into the record after the introductory interlude, we have track two with Lucifer (Part I). The guitar and bass both act as an ocean covering the song, immediately reminding me of Come My Fanatics era, Electric Wizard but not as raw. I say that as the guitars are trying to envelop you but they can’t, sure the loud volume is there but all of the other elements at play suck the life out of the track.

The drum machine is far too studio ready sounding clean and shiny, it’s as if they used computer software and simply dragged and dropped the sample on top of everything else. Similarly with the organ sound which attempts to create a spooky atmosphere, is just completely out of place. It’s unfortunate as well that all of this happens alongside vocals that just drone on and on, it’s not hypnotic, it’s boring.

The album title track doesn’t get much better. It has a clear Kyuss influence but it’s far too fast for its own good. Then to confuse myself even more by 1:04, there is a full-blown Disco section where the bass starts playing bouncy octaves, it completely threw me out of the experience.

Getting deeper with track seven, Make The Sludge Doom Great Again, performs a sin. It’s trying to insight a Black Sabbath-esque sing-along, constantly trying to beg people to get out their lighters and wave along with the band and the venue stops the show for fear of a fire hazard. The vocal just falls flat on its face and there is nothing appealing about it, not even heaviness can save the day.

This is a debut album and man does it feel like it… At last count one or two good to interesting riffs but they still copy Electric Wizard and that’s the thing with this record, I would rather be listening to anything else. After the album finished on a streaming service that I refuse to mention, a Mephistopheles song came on and I was transported into a world that I wanted to be in, it was so night and day.

Overall, Astral Goat Dominion has sadly failed to impress me with Only Lucifer And Fuzz. The lack of a drummer and simple programming really hurts the record, resulting in something that sounds lifeless. Obviously the band are huge fans of Doom, Stoner and Sludge as a whole but they do things which we’ve all heard a thousand times before and they go nowhere. It’s like having a drunken conversation with a few friends and not acting on a thought as you know for a fact that it would be a bad idea, no matter how fun it seems. 2/10