VISION OF DISORDERThe Cursed Remain Cursed Candlelight (2012)Rating: 8/10 Band reunions are very often seen in a very cynical light – accusations of selling out and cashing in are rife whereas if truth be told, the money available to these bands at the end of the day must be insignificant unless said band were of […]
BECOMING THE ARCHETYPEI Am Solid State (2012)Rating: 6/10 Becoming The Archetype burst onto the global scene in 2004 with their debut Terminate Damnation. The Atlanta, Georgia-based progressive death metal outfit made an immediate impression with songs that mixed heavy rhythms with beautiful moments of inspired melody. Keyboards and sitars were no stranger to the sound […]
DOWNDown IV Part I: The Purple EP Roadrunner (2012)Rating: 6/10 The mighty Down return with IV Part I: The Purple EP, the first in a four EP series with each one highlighting a specific side of the band’s sound. This EP is billed as showcasing the heavy side of the New Orleans band and, as […]
THE CASUALTIESResistance Season Of Mist (2012)Rating: 6.5/10 I first heard New York City’s The Casualties when Under Attack (2006) stormed my desk in the middle of the 2000s. I was impressed with their obvious hero worship of The Exploited then and I still am with the release of Resistance. As a 30-something who was just […]
SOLDIERFIELDBury The Ones We Love EP Metalbox Recordings (2012)Rating: 8/10 Bury The Ones We Love is the Metalbox Recordings debut from the UK’s Soldierfield. Recorded earlier this year with producer Steve Wray, the EP is chock full of melody-driven radio friendly hard music. Containing four rockers and a power ballad, the EP is a nice […]
FIREWIND – The Few Against The Many Anthony Morgan September 2012 Firewind (l-r): Petros Christodoulidis, Johan Nunez, Apollo Papathanasio, Gus G. and Bob Katsionis Songwriting within the Firewind camp is usually a group affair, though guitarist Gus G.’s live commitments as a member of the Ozzy Osbourne band from June 2010 until October 2011 prevented […]
THE GATHERINGDisclosure Psychonaut (2012)Rating: 7/10 The Netherlands’ The Gathering don’t really hang around with metalheads anymore. While the band was once the best female-fronted doom group on the planet, it’s been a few years since they’ve offered a true metal release. Bands change over time, and in the case of the Gathering, only two original […]
SERPENTINE PATHSerpentine Path Relapse (2012)Rating: 7/10 Relapse Records most certainly have an eye for talent. New York / New Jersey quintet Serpentine Path, like labelmates Hooded Menace, opt for the doomier side of things, but this time round it’s much bleaker, reminding me of that ashen classic Into Darkness (1990) by cult doomsters Winter. Serpentine […]
HOODED MENACEEffigies Of Evil Relapse (2012)Rating: 7.5/10 With so many death, thrash and doom bands emerging, and hardly any sounding interesting, let alone original, I have to admit to being rather endeared by the deathly doom of Finnish band Hooded Menace. The band name doesn’t do them any favours to be honest, and neither does […]
NEAL MORSE – Smoke And Mirrors Anthony Morgan September 2012 Neal Morse Nashville, Tennessee-based progressive musician Neal Morse organised studio time to occur towards the end of January 2012. Neal, drummer Mike Portnoy (Adrenaline Mob / Flying Colors / OSI / Liquid Tension Experiment / ex-Dream Theater / ex-Avenged Sevenfold), and bassist Randy George (Ajalon) […]
