KREATOR - Krushers Of The World review

 

KREATOR - Krushers Of The World

Nuclear Blast Records

So as someone who is an early fan of this band as well as Tuetonic Thrash in general I have to say the following. KREATOR's last two albums sucked. Prior to them I'd say 2012's Phantom Antichrist was decent. With that said I think Krushers Of The World sucks as well. 

This is Thrash for fuckin posers which is funny because it's not even Thrash. This album sounds more like Power Metal than anything else. So KREATOR is a Power Metal band now. Well they're pretty cheesy at that as well. I knew I was gonna hate this and wasted an hour. Fuck You!

https://www.nuclearblast.com/de/#gbaid74159

LISTEN HERE:

https://kreator.bandcamp.com/album/krushers-of-the-world

SAVAGE MASTER - Dark & Dangerous review

 

SAVAGE MASTER - Dark & Dangerous

Shadow Kingdom Records

In my not so humble opinion SAVAGE MASTER are one of the best US Metal bands out there. So yeah bias alert I'm a huge fan. A few years ago in a review I said that by now anyone into good Metal should know about SAVAGE MASTER. I mean they've release a bunch of great albums. Their live performances are amazing. Plus they've got some cool videos. I mean you would have to be a jaded bozo to not like em or not know about em.

But any unknowing people (clowns) out there then here's a quick history. The band is a five piece act who hail from Louisville, Kentucky. They started out back in 2013 and in the early part of their career they released two great full lengths as well as equally great EPs. In 2019 they put out their third full length, Myth, Magic and Steel. I thought that was a great full length but to me it was a transitional release. The album had one part of the style they were doing but also showed some branching out.

The result from that branching out was 2022's Those Who Hunt at Night which to me is the band's best album. I mean that one ranks up with the greatest Metal albums of all time. It's a perfect record. So how the hell do you follow up on a masterpiece? Well ya do what cool bands did back in the day. You stick with the formula and tweak it a bit. So after listening to this the band's fifth full length I've gotta say it's another Metal masterpiece.

So let's start with the obvious fact that Stacey Savage has gone from being a great singer to an amazing vocalist. Check out the final cut "Cold Hearted Death" or "I Never Wanna Fall in Love" both of which showcase a different side to the rest of her vocals on the album. "Cold Hearted Death" is almost a power ballad. "I Never Wanna Fall in Love" should be paired with "Devil Rock" as a seven inch single. In a better world they'd both be hits on FM - AOR radio. 

Musically this album, after a one minute instro intro, just rocks with opener "Warriors Call". From that point on you know you're getting some late 70's / early 80's non-commercial Metal influences. Yeah I hear early PRIEST as well as some other acts. The song "The Edge of Evil" is totally classic 80's era Metal. On this album the riffs are catchy as fuck. The guitar lead work is down right cool. And of course the drum work is solid for this style. 

In the end yeah Dark & Dangerous is another masterpiece of Metal by SAVAGE MASTER. They're coming to town in June and I'm looking forward to that. Basically I wanna hear what songs they perform off of this album. Yeah I kinda expected Dark & Dangerous was going to be one of the best albums of 2025. Tonight it is the best Metal album of 2025.

https://www.shadowkingdomrecords.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://staceysavagemaster.bandcamp.com/album/dark-dangerous

ANIMALIZE - Verminateur review

 

ANIMALIZE - Verminateur

Dying Victims Productions

And they are back and just as cool as before. A few years ago I checked out this French band's debut album Meat We're Made Of. Basically this four piece act had a sound  like a page torn from 1980's Heavy Metal. I mean it was far more that a copycat homage. These guys took that style and created their own path. Which is why I thought one was an amazing album. 

How do you follow up that greatness? Well you do it one better which is what Verminateur is all about plus you make it French Heavy Metal. Imagine an 80's era HM band from LA but they're French. That's pretty much what you got with ANIMALIZE. The band knows how to rock and also touches onto the Speed Metal genre on a few cuts. 

There are many great things about ANIMALIZE, on this album, first off is that the vocals are all in French. Great vocals by the way. Secondly there's some catchy as fuck songs with great solos added. Once again this is not a remake of the past. ANIMALIZE have just remade an old Metal genre and come away with it sounding fresh. 

I really feel bad for those who are pining for the past by still living there and do not acknowledge this as some great fuckin music. Not only that but this band brings the 80's to the 2025 era in a good way. I say that while there's a ballad playing on this album. 

Nuff Said.

https://dying-victims.de/

LISTEN HERE:

https://dyingvictimsproductions.bandcamp.com/album/verminateur

FLY - Or Die! review

 

FLY - Or Die!

Dying Victims Productions

In all honesty every couple a years I'll see and hear some new Hard Rock / Metal act that's supposed to be the biggest thing since sliced bread. In 2025 it's FLY a four piece act who hail from Melbourne, Australia. 

Now in all honesty hell yeah on this the band's full length debut FLY fuckin rocks. The opener cut is an instro but the next official song "Highway Fiend" has a MOTORHEAD vibe which fuckin kills. The following song, "The Sinner" is a full on ripper. It's like MOTORHEAD with Richie Blackmore on guitar. Seriously listen to those riffs because it's Machine Head all the way. And the leads are damm good as well.

As this album continues yeah the MOTORHEAD influence reigns on a bunch of cuts but I also hear VENOM and some RADIO BIRDMAN on "Loser" and "Fly or Die". So yeah this is in spirit a homage to hard fuckin rock from the late 70's whether it was Australian Punk Fuckin Rock or UK MOTORHEAD rock and rule. Great fuckin album. 

https://dying-victims.de/

LISTEN HERE:

https://dyingvictimsproductions.bandcamp.com/album/or-die

KNOWLEDGE IS FOR FOOLS - Fast Food for Thought review

KNOWLEDGE IS FOR FOOLS - Fast Food for Thought

Self Released

So once in a while I've gotta rock n fuckin roll. And here's a release which is raw and unrelenting in your face. Bias alert because I'm friends with this North Carolina band. But then again most people in the media don't even admit to that so there ya go. Yeah at least I do and yeah I've been anticipating this release for a while. 

This is the third full length by KNOWLEDGE IS FOR FOOLS aka: KIFF who started out in the late 2000's. If you listen to their first two full lengths, which you should, then you know this band has progressed from being just a cool Punk Rock N Roll band to a catchy anthem concert act. And on this their third full length it's like one arm is covered in tattoos of the RAMONES, STOOGES and the DEAD BOYS to the other arm being covered with tats of THE GODZ, BLACK OAK ARKANSAS & KISS. 

First and fore-most the production on here is over the top. This is the best sounding KIFF release ever as far as headbanging, knee slapping and oh hell fucking yeah sing along screaming. With eleven tracks to pick through it's hard to find some favorites but I've gotta say "Lady Doom" is a kick ass hit. "Fast Food Fight on a Friday Night" is a punk anthem to anyone who knows what that's all about. Also the added female vocals rule.

Why this band rules is simple. You've got these cool raw vocals, a thunderous bass player ya know like old Punk Fuckin Rock and Metal had. Add to that some really savage guitar riffs plus rock n roll soloing. And finally some drumming that kicks fucking ass. All of which are in one song "I Want Blood" as well as the rest of the album but hey there ya go. 

In my not so humble opinion this is the best KIFF album ever, for now of course. If you're a Metal Head or a Punk Rock n Roller and better yet someone inbetween then here ya go. KIFF's third full length is a release you need to check out. It's a damm amazing release, period end of story. Oh fuck it, if you don't buy this release you're a poser. I was paid five bucks to say that last line. I gave it back because if you still don't get this album then you're a loser. Now I can honestly say Nuff Said.

LISTEN TO & BUY HERE:

https://knowledgeisforfools.bandcamp.com/album/fast-food-for-thought

 

TOWER - Let There Be Dark review

 

TOWER - Let There Be Dark

Cruz del Sur Music

I like when newer bands start out strong with that fury of the past and then recreate it all in their own image. On this TOWER's third full length they've forged something powerful and slightly different then last time I heard em. And just from the beginning here I'm gonna say this fuckin album rules.

I first got into this New York five piece act with their second album Shock to the System. I saw em on that tour and they were amazing. It was great female fronted Metal as far as contemporary acts go these days. They were very rock influenced but had plenty of NWOBHM influence within. So that album was one of my top favorites of 2021. It still is in fact I'd label it a classic album of the 2020's decade.

So with this new one yeah it's forged in a different and better way. Starting with the obvious, Sarabeth Linden's vocals are over the top. I mean she has that operatic high style plus some hard rockin vocals to boot. I thought she was captivating to hear last time around. But on this album I'd say Sarabeth Linden is one of the greatest vocalist in Metal right now.

The second thing which is great about this album is the amazing rocking guitar duo of James Danzo and Zak Penley. The riffs are in that speedy NWOBHM style and the solos just bite yer head off. Along with that the band has new drummer Keith Mikus who joined in 2022. This guy is pretty fuckin dynamic in his playing. Also there's original bassist Philippe Arman who also came back into the fold in 2022. So this is like a super fuckin line-up. 

Now when the opening cut "Under the Chapel" hits then you know, if you're a fan, that this is not exactly the TOWER you knew. Since the album title is Let There Be Dark then yeah TOWER has moved slightly to the darker side. Also this album has more of a metallic edge as well as still being melodic and aggressive sounding. 

This album is just fantastic as in one of the best albums of 2025.

https://www.cruzdelsurmusic.com/store/

LISTEN HERE:

https://towernyc.bandcamp.com/album/let-there-be-dark

LADY BEAST - The Inner Alchemist review

 

LADY BEAST - The Inner Alchemist

Dying Victims Productions

Well make no mistake I've been hailing the work of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania's LADY BEAST for quite a while. The last thing I had written about em was the reissue of their second album from 2015 Lady Beast II. That was last year and it came out on this label. But I originally got into LADY BEAST back in 2020 with their The Vulture's Amulet full length. I've been a fan ever since. 

So here we have the band's fifth full length and yeah I'm bias but fuck you it's damm good. First off it works well when your key musicians are still around after over twenty years. I'm talking about vocalist Deborah Levine, guitarist Chris Tritschler and drummer Adam Ramage. In recent years the band added devotees like Amy Bianco on bass and guitarist Andy Ramage (from ARGUS) who provides some killer lead work.

 

For me LADY BEAST are in my not so humble opinion a great sounding traditional metal band. Of course it's better when you have an amazing vocalist. Deborah Levine comes across as soulful, nasty and powerful sounding. And after all of these years she still sounds amazing. In fact I'd say she's at her very best on The Inner Alchemist. 

Musically this release is a melodic metal masterpiece. This is what I want to wake up to every day. I mean years ago I'd wake up and do my morning constitutional then play the radio for the weather. After which I'd push play on the turntable to hear some get the fuck up music. As always it was an album that was on the turntable for weeks. The Inner Alchemist is one of those albums. 

You tell me, wouldn't you wanna hear "The Wild Hunt" with it's cool ode to NWOBHM rhythm as well as atrocious soloing? Or how about "Through The Eyes of War" where Deborah Levine sings cool and crafty over a solid riff package and then Andy Ramage comes in with a savage sounding solo. Only to have Amy Bianco join in with a thunderous bass attack. 

Yeah I like this album a lot and the single "Inner Alchemist" should prove I'm right about this band. LADY BEAST fuckin rules!

https://dying-victims.de/

LISTEN HERE:

https://dyingvictimsproductions.bandcamp.com/album/the-inner-alchemist

CHRISTIAN MISTRESS - Children of the Earth review

 

CHRISTIAN MISTRESS - Children of the Earth

Cruz Del Sur Music

So does anyone else remember CHRISTIAN MISTRESS? Well yeah I do, back in the late 2000's they where what you would call "a thing". Basically they were a new female fronted Metal band with some good musicianship. some people in the Metal media put em into the Doom genre category. I didn't but hey I'm not a hiptard. 

The band, who were from Seattle, Washington, started out in 2008. Their debut full length, Agony & Opium, came out in 2010 on 20 Buck Spin records. Their second and well received album, Possession, came out in 2012 on Relapse Records. This was their high point. Then in 2015 the band released To Your Death which was a decent rocker. After that the band went silent. 

I own all three of the CHRISTIAN MISTRESS full lengths. I still think Possession is a great album. But here we are ten years later and the band is back but not what you think. The band right now is still Christine Davis on vocals, Tim Diedrich who joined in 2014 on guitar, Jonny Wulf is still on bass and Reuben W. Storey still on drums. Back in the day this band was a five piece act but those two original guitarists are gone. 

So what does CHRISTIAN MISTRESS sound like ten years later? Well in all honesty they're not as good as they use to be. Musically this eight song release reminds me of a time decades ago when you'd have an average sounding rock band with a female singer and you thought they were OK. At their high point years ago CHRISTIAN MISTRESS were probably filling a five hundred capacity venue. Listening to this I think they'd be lucky to get thirty people to see em in a bar on a Saturday night. 

https://www.cruzdelsurmusic.com/store/

LISTEN HERE:

https://christianmistress.bandcamp.com/album/children-of-the-earth

DECEASED - Children of the Morgue review

 

DECEASED - Children of the Morgue

Hells Headbangers Records

I belong to this Facebook Metal group site (don't laugh) and a while back someone posed a question on who in Metal is the most consistent band since starting out. To me the answer was easy and it's DECEASED. I mean they started out in the mid 80's. Their debut album, Luck of the Corpse, came out 1991. Over the years they've always had a sound which was part Death Thrash and part straight up Metal. Despite going through various line-up changes they still hold to a certain sound which is recognizable. They never sold out to musical fads / popular trends. I mean there's a clear reason why I call DECEASED America's best Metal band because of what I just told ya.

So here we have DECEASED's eleventh full length although I thought 2021's Thrash Times at Ridgemont High was a covers compilation album. But on here it's the mighty sound which you know carries you though out this album. Obviously when it comes to this band's sound it's King Fowley (vocals) who has the vision and it always stays true. I still say that their 2018 full length, Ghostly White, is fuckin amazing. 

So on here you got plenty of death thrash assaults to the head which make you wanna rise to the occasion of slam pit action. But this time around the musicianship kicks in a lot of melodic touches especially on some of the guitar soloing. But still it's the amazing song writing. I mean you've got the galloping riffs, the death thrash punishment, some doom style moments and of course their newer melodic yet harsh style. 

Every listen to this album excites the fuck out of me. Musically it's the epicness of cool sounding extreme metal. The song structures are diverse in the band's normal style but then kick out into wild territory. I mean this one here is a fuckin masterpiece, period end of story. 

https://shop-hellsheadbangers.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://the-true-deceased.bandcamp.com/album/children-of-the-morgue

HEXENBRETT - Dritte Beschw​orung: Dem Teufel eine Tochter review

 

HEXENBRETT - Dritte Beschw​orung: Dem Teufel eine Tochter

Dying Victims Productions

OK so this one sounds insane but then again it's been a crazy year and I like it. This is the second full length by Germany's HEXENBRETT. They are a two piece heavy metal act with plenty of dark, occult themes and influences to their sound. The press release throws down the "Black Metal" tagline but I'm not going with that even if you say it's first wave BM which I have problems with anyways. 

The two people involved here are Josto Feratu and Scarlettina Bolett. They perform everything as in guitars, bass, drums and keyboards. One of em does the deranged vocals, there's also spoken word parts and all of it is in German by the way which just adds to the harshness. 

Musically the music here rocks in a cool 80's fashion. But hey it's no ACCEPT or SCORPIONS. We're talking a German version of say MERCIFUL FATE minus the falsetto vocals. Then again the song structures, at least mid way through this album are similar to KING DIAMOND. We're talking about theatrical influenced metal beautifully played. And it's more along the lines of late 80's speed metal and even punk fuckin rock. 

HEXENBRETT's second album is a fuckin shock to complacency. I like that because from beginning to end it takes you on a reminder journey and then ruins it throughout. Who would've guessed that a two piece metal act from Germany would put out the most psychotic true Metal album in 2024? 

https://dying-victims.de/

LISTEN HERE:

https://dyingvictimsproductions.bandcamp.com/album/hexenbrett-dritte-beschw-rung-dem-teufel-eine-tochter

DEMON SPELL - Evil Nights EP review

 

DEMON SPELL - Evil Nights EP

Dying Victims Productions

Let me explain something to ya. Years ago when you had underground bands doing the whole classic heavy 80's metal revival thing. The singers of those bands would do the whole heavy metal scream style which was either an influence of Halford, Dickenson or somewhere in between. No one would ever touch King Diamond because well he's fuckin King Diamond. 

Now in the past decade because things have changed. These days you've got some great bands channeling old MERCYFUL FATE. For example you've got ATTIC from Germany, MIDNIGHT PRIEST from Portugal and now you have DEMON SPELL from Italy. I mean while listening to this I felt it was a MERCYFUL FATE demo. 

Now DEMON SPELL are a four piece act. Vocalist Federico Fano sounds like 80's era King Diamond. Guitarist Francesco Bauso is damm good with the catchy riff action. Plus the rhythm section of drummer Dario Casabona (this guy is damm good) and the bass thunder of Riccardo Liberti (this guy is also damm good) keep these songs interesting and powerful. 

When I first checked out this four song EP, the opening cut / title track didn't win me over all the way. But next up was "Black Wings" followed up by "Dark Deceiver (Woman of the black Oath)" and these two cuts are the best of the four. The last track "Evil Nights" is a decent rocker. But the two inbetween tracks rule the most. So this Italian band needs a full length. But until then this one rules!

https://dying-victims.de/

LISTEN HERE: 

https://dyingvictimsproductions.bandcamp.com/album/evil-nights

DARKTHRONE – It Beckons Us All review

 

DARKTHRONE – It Beckons Us All

Peaceville Records

A few years back I said that DARKTHRONE's Astral  Fortress full length will be the last release I'll ever buy by em. I stuck with that promise because I'm streaming this new one for review. And hell yeah I'm saving money because this one blows as well as the last one. Now I say that because I've stuck with this Norwegian duo for so many years, great and not so good. 

DARKTHRONE's last great album is 2007's F.O.A.D. period end of story. They carried on with the whole blackened speed metal / hardcore thing for a while which was decent. But after that they went on this tangent of we're DARKTHRONE and we don't know where we're going but who cares? Which led us through a bunch of albums that were boring.

  

Nocturno Culto and Fenriz just go through the motions on here much like they've done on their past few albums. There's a couple of catchy tracks and then the rest is filler. I could put together a bunch of cool DARKTHRONE album tracks from 2013's The Underground Resistance to this new one and still not fill up a CD. 

DARKTHRONE have given their fans a big fuck you so I say let's give it back. Fuck You!

https://peaceville.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://peaceville.bandcamp.com/album/it-beckons-us-all

ATTIC - Return of the Witchfinder review

 

ATTIC - Return of the Witchfinder

Van Records

In all honesty (and if you are a regular reader of this blog then you know I'm honest as the day is long) I learned about this German five piece band earlier this year. I'll give props to a favorite Youtube channel of mine for recommending them. But just for the record ATTIC started out in 2010, released their first demo in 2012 and now we have their third full length. And yeah I haven't heard their two previous albums. 

So whats cool about ATTIC? Well if you give this one listen then you'll believe that this band is the musical reincarnation of early MERCYFUL FATE. I mean vocalist Meister Cagliostro is a dead ringer for King Diamond. But as far as the songs go ah yeah it's also a reminder of the Hank Shermann and Michael Denner guitar era. The songs are haunting, sometimes there's an added MAIDEN-esque galloping rhythm thrown in along with some black metal touches. I do like all of the songs on here but the final cut "Synodus Horrenda" is an amazing opus. But anyways this is just an amazing album period end of story. 

Then again OK it's MERCYFUL FATE worship so why should you check it out? Well honestly I hate bands who are carbon copies of others. AC/DC worship bands are the worst. But I listen to this and think well King Diamond hasn't come out with anything new in a while. I'm a huge MERCYFUL FATE fan and here we have a new band that's taking something we all know and continued on where it left off. 

With that all said I believe ATTIC's Return of the Witchfinder album will be played a lot by me this year and I've got to get their early stuff. 

https://van-records.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://attic-vanrecords.bandcamp.com/album/return-of-the-witchfinder-2

SAXON - Hell, Fire and Damnation review

 

SAXON - Hell, Fire and Damnation

Silver Lining Music

Just for the record the words "hell, fire and damnation" best describe the honeymoon with my first wife. But anyways aside from a needed divorce many years ago here we have the I don't know anymore number album from SAXON. Seriously I'm not going to look it up. I remember their first album came out in 1979.

But anyways I got into SAXON in their early days when they were NWOBHM. My favorite album by em is still 1981's Denim & Leather. I'd say you were still in your dad's balls back then but no it has to be your grand dad's balls and he was probably listening to new wave crap back then. But yeah the band's early 80's output is classic fuckin metal. 

Be that as it may for the last twenty years SAXON has been on a roll putting out powerful albums via some outstanding production values. In recent years they put out a full length, sandwiched between two covers albums, titled Carpe Diem which I thought was OK. Listening to this new one you can hear similarities to their last release but it's more laid back.

Personally, after giving this plenty of listens, I think SAXON are seeing the limits of where they can go. Of course introducing their  new guitarist, Brian Tatler ( taking over after the retirement of founding member Paul Quinn) gives em strength out the wazoo. It's still musically Biff Byford showing the world he can still sing with some familiar lyrical themes put to classic metal song structures. 

Hello and welcome to the past twenty years (or more) of this band's cookie cutter career. Now don't get me wrong over the past two decades SAXON has put out some killer albums but this ain't one of em. The fast power songs are boring. Actually I like the slower melodic "Madame Guillotine" which has an amazing guitar solo. Another favorite from this album is "Fire and Steel" which is a fast paced rocker with, once again, showing off some sizzling guitar soloing. 

In the end SAXON are still on average auto-pilot but with great guitar soloing. It just doesn't work for me then again any old fan with a hint of integrity should agree. Where's the anthems? Where's the songs that put your fists in the air? Hell where's the songs about being proud to be into metal? Sorry they're not here and so am I.

http://sl-music.net/en/

LISTEN HERE:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1taLuc_qnO0&list=PLxJJcP5YX06eoEAtbMk4R75Nt-FWwSHgc&index=2

IRONBOUND - Serpent's Kiss review

 

IRONBOUND - Serpent's Kiss

Ossuary Records

Ladies & Gentlemen (and you others) the people who read this site (and frankly who doesn't) know that my appreciation for Polish Metal is huge. I mean that great nation has given us fans the utmost best in black metal, death metal, grindcore and the only cool stoner rock act I've given a fuck about in years. But I have to say the traditional metal style bands have been few and far away for my appreciation until now.

Ironically I was watching a Sea of Tranquility video on YouTube all about the New Wave Of Traditional Heavy Metal the other day. Wow, I thought, they've caught up on the whole scene. Well as their series on the metal subject continues I hope they mention Poland's IRONBOUND. Actually they better mention em because they are the embodiment of the whole New Wave Of Traditional Heavy Metal sound and style. 

Just to get some history out of the way. IRONBOUND are a five piece act who originally started out in 2014. A few years later they started releasing stuff. Now what we have here is the band's second album. Their debut full length, The Lightbringer, came out in 2021 and also on Ossuary Records. So when I first listened to this one I was hooked by the third song which by the way is the title track. 

Musically IRONBOUND hit all the bases as far as the genre goes. You've got the galloping melodic riffs, a thick up front bass sound, the drum work is decent and the guitar soloing is cool as fuck. Also I like the real guy vocals. There's no campy falsettos / heavy metal screams. What's also cool is that these guys are really trying to give an original take to a tried and true genre style. And that's what makes this a great album. 

I know other people will pick this album apart trying to find something in order to name drop a band from the past. I don't wanna do that because it's disrespectful. Sure it's traditional heavy metal from old but IRONBOUND makes you (and an old fuck like me) rise up and throw the horned fist in appreciation. Hands down Serpent's Kiss is going to be seen as one of the best albums of 2024.   

https://ossuaryrecords.com/en/

LISTEN HERE:

https://ossuaryrecords.bandcamp.com/album/serpents-kiss

THE OBSESSED - Gilded Sorrow review

 

THE OBSESSED - Gilded Sorrow

Ripple Music

The last time I saw The OBSESSED was a few years back when they played with ANTISEEN and EYEHATEGOD in Chapel Hill, NC. Wino and company played a decent set but it wasn't much different then the time I saw em a year before. I think that the Sacred album from 2017 was out at the time. Back then I thought Sacred was a decent album but it was missing some sort of spirit as in the original OBSESSED mode. 

Now giving this new one a few listens I'm like yeah Wino is back as a guy who knew 70's hard rock, played it, rocked it and then got doomy. So yeah this new album rocks with plenty of 70's groove, a slight bit of doom and a whole lot of fuckin Wino killing it. Along with Wino for the ride in this new version of The OBSESSED is returning drummer Brian Costantin who is from the Sacred days. Next up is Jason Taylor on guitar and Chris Angleberger on bass.  

Favorite tracks on here well there's the opener "Daughter of an Echo" which is a cool ass groove laden rocker reminiscent of certain cuts from 1994's The Church Within. "It's Not OK" is also in that same vein. "Realize a Dream" and "Jailine" come across like 70's Southern Rock cuts. Both songs are a full on blast. 

As far as the more doom laden cuts go "Stoned Back to the Bomb Age" is a fuzz laden-ed head banger. While "Yen Sleep" reminds me of SPIRIT CARAVAN which is cool. Be that as it may I'll always say my favorite OBSESSED album is their debut. With that said I believe that opinion has changed after listening to this multiple times. I think this album blows away everything Wino has done in the past under The OBSESSED banner. 

https://ripple-music.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://ripplemusic.bandcamp.com/album/gilded-sorrow

AARDVARK - Tough Love review

 

AARDVARK - Tough Love

Dying Victims Productions

Honestly I can't believe I'm writing about a band named AARDVARK (says the guy who owns the complete discography of ANAL VOMIT). Alright just for starters this band hails from Australia. There are no aardvarks in that country. Aardvarks live in Africa. They eat ants and are a remnant of prehistoric mammals. Which is a great segway into talking about this band. 

AARDVARK are a four piece act; two guitarists, one of em sings, plus a bass player and drummer. My previous mention of the word "prehistoric" fits in well with this act. Musically this band is a throwback to mid 70's hard fuckin rock. I'm talking 1975 to 1979 aka: just before the NWOBHM era kicked in. There are times when this release comes across like JUDAS PRIEST's Rocka Rolla. And guitarist / vocalist Ed Vaark does an early Halford vocal style well.

All in all Tough Love is an enjoyable album, says a guy who's 60. It's melodic hard rock from a time when bands like PRIEST, THIN LIZZY, UFO and SCORPIONS took listeners into something different in the mid 70's. I can't help but enjoy songs like "Destructor", "Fight Back" and the title cut. Yeah this is a perfect album for people who wanna go way back. 

https://dying-victims.de/

LISTEN HERE:

https://dyingvictimsproductions.bandcamp.com/album/tough-love

HELMS DEEP - Treacherous Ways review

 

HELMS DEEP - Treacherous Ways

Nameless Grave Records

As everyone who reads this site (and frankly who doesn't) knows I'm a RAVEN fan. So when a John Gallagher of RAVEN (bass and vocals) side project comes along all hell yeah I'm interested. Add to this is present RAVEN drummer Mike Heller and guitarist / vocalist Alex Sciortino. But actually this is Alex Sciortino as mainman with RAVEN's rhythm section.

With that all said this is pretty fantastic sounding stuff. This is total NWOBHM worshiping material with a plus on a modern thrust. Alex Sciortino has an amazing heavy metal scream presence as well as a real guy vocal. Guitar wise the guy has some amazing solos on here to make Glen Tipton go "whoa?" Plus the riffs and song arrangements are cool.

Alex Sciortino and company sound like the second coming of the next new wave of old school sounding metal. Damm I'm old and I love it to death (cue heavy metal scream). 

https://www.namelessgraverecords.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://helmsdeep666.bandcamp.com/album/treacherous-ways

CIRITH UNGOL - Dark Parade review

 

CIRITH UNGOL - Dark Parade

Metal Blade Records

For years I've always said I like CIRITH UNGOL but the vocals were hard to handle. I always thought that on their early albums vocalist Tim Baker was out of sync with the music. Still they were good records but for me their comeback album Forever Black from 2020  has become my favorite album by em.

So here we are a few years later and CIRITH UNGOL are back with another installment in their career comeback. Some years ago I compared CIRITH UNGOL to an Americanized version of MERCYFUL FATE / KING DIAMOND albeit less satanic, less ghost stories but more sword & sorcery. To me that analogy applies to Dark Parade. 

As always with CIRITH UNGOL they were a band that never quite fit in any specific metal genre style. I've always called em metal despite everything but years ago I saw one of their early albums included in a classic doom metal listing. And on here well yeah it's obviously evident. Dark Parade is musically more in the epic doom realm than their previous works. 

With the exception of opener "Velocity (S.E.P.)" the lions share of this album in a slower doom tempo. But instead on concentrating on distinct heavy riffs it's more about the arrangements in melody as well as the relentless guitar soloing which the band is known for. The riffs are straight up gritty. The drum work is perfect as always and never over done. And of course Baker's vocals are in sync and screechy. 

I also like how the acoustic guitar parts work themselves into the electric sides perfectly like on the epic (and longest track on here) "Sailor on the Seas of Fate" as well on the finale cut "Down Below". The same can be said with "Sacrifice" which features some Flamenco guitar style. 

Not long ago I read something to the effect that this was going to be CIRITH UNGOL's final album. I believe guitarist Jimmy Barraza left the band after this was recorded. Personally I hope it's not the case. I mean sure these guys are slightly older than me (aka: mid-60's). But hey they can still play well and write music far better and interesting than their peers. So yeah if this is their swan song that it's a great one to go out on.

 

https://www.metalblade.com/us/

LISTEN HERE:

https://cirithungol.bandcamp.com/album/dark-parade

SAVAGE - Glory Riders review

 

SAVAGE - Glory Riders

Dying Victims Productions

You wanna talk about irony? I'm in this FB metal group (yeah I know, laugh if you want to) and last week we were discussing how metal in the 80's was pretty damm good overall as well as groundbreaking. Anyways here we have the debut full length from SAVAGE hailing from Germany. This band is a total throwback to the mid-80's metal era. 

This Bavarian act started out in 2019 as a three piece. Later on they added a rhythm guitarist and here they are today. Musically SAVAGE are more of a homage to that West Coast USA 80's era of metal. No they're not hair metal rock. To me this is in the vein of early WASP, minus the hits. Albeit there are some cuts on here which could've been 80's anthems. "Nightmare Invaders" could've been on the Nightmare on Elm Street 3 soundtrack. Add to that the title track "Glory Riders" is pure 80's heavy fuckin metal and pure WASP worship. 

Honestly this eight song LP doesn't have one bad track. I mean the sound and production oozes 1980's Sunset Strip style metal/hard rock. Pawel Nemkovic (vocalist/guitarist) sounds like a young Blackie Lawless. The riffs are rock solid on these songs. I was shocked that the song structures never really showed copycat appreciation or thievery. I mean the opening track, "Carcass on your Shoulders", obviously shows an influence but yet has a distinct original feel. 

In the end I can only say that SAVAGE are fuckin amazing. This is no STEEL PANTHER bullshit. There's no "lets shock the parents" shtick (aka: WASP's "Fuck Like A Beast"). Although their cut "Master Bator" might come as close as it gets and yeah it's a cool anthem track. But yeah SAVAGE fuckin rule! I want to see this band live. It's definitely one of the best albums of 2023.

https://dying-victims.de/

LISTEN HERE:

https://dyingvictimsproductions.bandcamp.com/album/glory-riders