ORPHANED LAND – Let The Music Be Known Anthony Morgan June 2013 Orphaned Land (l-r): Chen Balbus, Uri Zelcha, Kobi Farhi, Yossi Sassi and Matan Shmuely Israeli heavy metal outfit Orphaned Land filmed two live performances at Reading 3 in Tel Aviv, Israel on December 9th and 10th, 2010. These respective jaunts formed the basis […]

HAVOKUnnatural Selection Candlelight (2013)Rating: 7.5/10 Denver, Colorado’s Havok were one of those bands spearheading the thrash revival that emerged just a few years into the new millennium. Unnatural Selection is the band’s third full-length platter, and despite several line-up changes since their formation in 2004, Havok have stuck to their guns and churned out some […]

Queensrÿche (l-r): Scott Rockenfield, Michael Wilton, Todd La Torre, Eddie Jackson and Parker Lundgren The vocalist appreciates the significance of his new-found position. “Look, it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity, to be the singer for Queensrÿche,” he appraises. “Let’s be honest, though. This is art that we’re creating, and we’re doing it for the […]

GOATESSGoatess Svart (2013)Rating: 8/10 I always thought that doom metal lords Count Raven were one of the genre’s most underrated bands. Maybe it was due to the fact that albums such as Storm Warning (1990) just reeked too much of Black Sabbath, but they were still enjoyable records. And so, it’s great to see Goatess […]

WITCH CROSSAxe To Grind Hells Headbangers (2013)Rating: 7/10 A long, long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away – which I like to call the 1980s – there existed a Danish band called Witch Cross. These cult metalheads only ever released one platter, that being 1984’s Fit For Fight which, in heavy metal folklore, […]

LOCRIAN Release ‘Return To Annihilation’ June 25th, 2013 Chicago, Illinois-based experimental group Locrian issued studio full-length album Return To Annihilation on June 25th, 2013 through Relapse Records. The outing was cut with Greg Norman at Steve Albini’s Electrical Audio Studios in Chicago, while mastering duties were handled by Jason Ward at Chicago Mastering Service. Return […]

POTENTIAL THREAT SFCivilization Under Threat Old School Metal (2013)Rating: 8/10 Wow, another bunch of headbangers who’ve been doing the rounds since the 80s, and once again another cult band who’ve somehow hardly released a bean since their 1988 demo, with their full-length debut album, A New Threat Level, finally emerging in 2009. San Francisco, Californian-based […]

QUEENSRŸCHEQueensrÿche Century Media (2013)Rating: 10/10 It has been many years since Queensrÿche was a driving force in the metal scene. Their steady growth was rewarded with the success of rock opera Operation: Mindcrime (1988) and solidified by the chart topping Empire (1990). A series of mediocre albums were released after, many seeing the band bend […]

DIOMagica (Deluxe Edition) Niji Entertainment Group (2013)Rating: 9/10 The 90s were a rough time for Dio’s less open-minded fans. The decade opened with 1990’s Lock Up The Wolves which was followed by 1993’s Strange Highways and 1996’s Angry Machines. The latter two in particular drew ire for departing from the Dungeons & Dragons format that […]

AMON AMARTH Release Ninth Studio Album ‘Deceiver Of The Gods’ June 24th, 2013 Stockholm, Sweden-based melodic death metal group Amon Amarth issued ninth studio full-length album Deceiver Of The Gods on June 24th, 2013 in Europe through Metal Blade Records. The label also scheduled North American issue for the 25th, and Japanese issue for the […]