BLOODFED Pandemonium Fatalism Musickness (2025) Rating: 7/10 It’s not often I get to review Indonesian death metal, but here’s the debut full-length outing from Septian (vocals). Vebri (guitar), Uyuasi (bass) and Yudi (drums). Bloodfed started out in 2021 and released a three-track demo. The songs from that release all feature here on what is a […]

SYRINX Time Out Of Place Ocula (2025) Rating: 8.5/10 Here’s a contender for album of the year from Canadian / U.S. band Syrinx. Time Out Of Place is an exceptional progressive hard rock record that thinks outside of the box and introduces some very interesting dual male and female vocals. Syrinx boast a wistful 70s […]

RITUAL MASS Cascading Misery 20 Buck Spin (2025) Rating: 8.5/10 The nondescript cover art adds further horror to what is already a mystifying slab of Pittsburgh death metal. Ritual Mass have been lurking in the shadows for over a decade now, dropping a demo, an EP, a single, a compilation and now, finally, a full-length. […]

AMBUSH Evil In All Dimensions Napalm (2025) Rating: 7/10 Swedish leather-clad mob Ambush formed in 2013 and two albums followed quickly in the form of Firestorm (2014) and Desecrator (2015). With this brace it seemed as if the band was on the track to stardom, being part of a heavy metal formation – including Enforcer […]

FM Brotherhood Frontiers (2025) Rating: 8.5/10 I don’t think there has ever been a band with a richer sound than UK rockers FM. Still going strong after several decades in the business, the guys also remain one of the most underrated acts around, but a group which continuously puts out quality material. Brotherhood, the 15th […]

GLENN HUGHES Chosen Frontiers (2025) Rating: 8/10 Described as a “personal work, with lyrics about love, hope, faith and the human condition”, Chosen is the brand new and potentially last opus from legendary UK vocalist Glenn Hughes. One might be lead into thinking that due to its emotional nature that Chosen would veer towards the […]

DARK ANGEL Extinction Level Event Reversed (2025) Rating: 4.5/10 I developed worry lines overnight at the thought of reviewing the comeback album from one of my favourite ever thrash bands, Dark Angel. The last time I felt so nervous writing a review was when San Francisco Bay Area metallers Mordred reunited with their fourth album, […]

THE RODS Wild Dogs Unchained Massacre (2025) Rating: 8/10 The Rods always seemed like heavy metal veterans, even during their early career. There was always something well-worn and weather beaten about the New York band’s greasy biker metal, the sort of tried, tested and tough scrap heap of sound you wanted to drink and brawl […]

VIOLATOR Unholy Retribution Kill Again (2025) Rating: 7.5/10 With only their third full-length studio album in 23 years, Brazilian thrashers Violator remain reasonably steady in line-up and sound considering the last album, Scenarios Of Brutality, was 12 years ago. Still reeling from the let down of Dark Angel’s comeback album (Extinction Level Event), Unholy Retribution […]