GRAVE HEX Vermian Death Cavernous / Night Terrors (2025) Rating: 7/10 If you’re a fan of Finnish extreme metal or underground death metal in general then you might want to add the debut release from Helsinki-based Grave Hex to your collection. Having formed just last year I’m surprised a full-length album has emerged so quickly, […]
DRAGONSCLAW Moving Target High Roller (2025) Rating: 8/10 Just look at that throwback cover art, which conjures images of 1986 and maybe a band like New York metallers Cities. Dragonsclaw are a Sydney, Australia-based combo and Moving Target is only their third full-length album in 15 years. The band started out in 2011 with Prophecy, […]
MOB RULES Rise Of The Ruler RPM-ROAR (2025) Rating: 7/10 Here’s the next episode of the prolific career of German metal monsters Mob Rules, although it’s been seven years since their last album, Beast Reborn. Since then the band has recruited two new members in guitarist Florian Dyszbali (2019) and drummer Sebastian Schmidt (2023), who […]
BURNING WITCHES Inquisition Napalm (2025) Rating: 7/10 I can never quite decide if this all female Swiss group has under or over-achieved. With six studio albums under their belts now and always popular on the festival circuits, Burning Witches should be top tier heavy metal. However, even with their quality output I see them as […]
SADISTIC FORCE Morbid Odyssey EP Self-released (2025) Rating: 8/10 It’s a shame the cover art is so goofy because this is a fantastic new release from Austin, Texas-based thrashers Sadistic Force. This is the third EP from the trio who also have two full-length albums under their leather belts along. Morbid Odyssey begins with ‘Portrait […]
INNUMERABLE FORMS Pain Effulgence Profound Lore (2025) Rating: 8/10 Boston, Massachusetts was never the same after this death metal mob began leaking material into the waters back in 2010. It’s been 15 long years since then and Innumerable Forms caused quite a stir in 2018 with debut Punishment In Flesh, which was followed in 2022 […]
LUX TENEBRIX The Ground That Breaks Beneath Eternal Dread Self-released (2025) Rating: 8/10 It’s not often you hear a black metal band from the Dominican Republic, but this fearsome crew has just issued its debut full-length album from the darker depths of the region. Before my initial spin I expected a rather straight forward, and […]
UNLEASHED Fire Upon Your Lands Napalm (2025) Rating: 7/10 The voracious Vikings are back, even if my love affair for the Swedes fizzled some time ago. Unleashed has become the death metal version of Manowar (check out the track ‘To My Only Son’ for evidence) by pouring tankard of heroic tales which don’t always sit […]
ELLEFSON-SOTO Unbreakable Rat Pak (2025) Rating: 5.5/10 Like a lot of hard rock / heavy metal album covers over the last few decades, Unbreakable is very generic and would probably get overlooked if it wasn’t for the team behind it. Featuring the talents of former Megadeth bassist David Ellefson and Jeff Scott Soto, the voice […]
MARTYR Dark Believer RPM-ROAR (2025) Rating: 8/10 I was introduced to these Dutch metallers way back in the 80s via their debut album For The Universe. I recently revisited this cult item in order to prepare myself for the current version of Martyr. Maybe I hold For The Universe close as a comfort blanket in […]
