What is something that a small band needs to lift themselves off the ground and really show the world that they aren’t messing around? A killer sound, and it the world of metal that fact is doubled as there is … Continue reading Black Ink Sun – Take the Fall
Cryptopsy have been known for being one of those bands that have been literally molding extreme metal into what it is today and they have done some great things. Well with “The Book of Suffering – Tome 1” being the … Continue reading Cryptopsy – The Book of Suffering – Tome 1
I remember hearing Arreat Summit’s debut full length, “Feast of the Wicked”, and thinking to myself, “pretty good, but can be done a little better”. And their newest release, “Frostburn”, proves that Arreat Summit have really started to create music that sounds both dynamic and interesting for anything who can listen to death metal like myself. The first thing that got my attention was the hooks that the guitars pulled off very nicely at the beginning and at several points throughout the two tracks that are featured on this EP. The vocals had a good rasp to them that usually … Continue reading Arreat Summit – Frostburn
I’ve never heard of “wolf metal” in my life, but in my eyes it’s much like pirate metal as that metal has a pirate theme to it, and Varg’s wolf metal has a wolf-themed style which works extremely well for me. Albeit there are only 2 brand new songs on this 8-track EP, each and every song has power infused all over it and you can just feel that just by looking at that magnificent cover art. As a prelude to Varg’s upcoming full length release, “Das Ende aller Lügen”, “Rotkäppchen” is a very nice piece that has definitely made me very … Continue reading Varg – Rotkäppchen
In terms of how intense an alternative metal band can get, Talpa is one of those bands that is really pushing the boundaries. The only band of this genre that pushes more intensely off the top of my head is Disturbed, and Talpa is right on their tail with their solid EP “Happy”. What is really neat about this album is that the vocals are done by a woman which to me have a more natural ebb and flow to them for whatever reason and that really allows “Happy” to become very melodic. The guitars and bass have a great rhythm throughout … Continue reading Talpa – Happy
Ahh, hard rock takes me back, man. Back to just about every metal heads days before they were metal heads and all they had was some hard rock to jam out to before getting into heavier shit. Three Left is one of those bands that takes me back to those days for me. Their self-titled EP has a great rhythm to it that is key to any sort of rock album, but it also has an edge to it that rivals that of heavier alternative metal bands which makes things fairly interesting. The vocals have a smoother feel to them … Continue reading Three Left (self-titled)
Of all the sub-genres of metal that there are, I’m probably the most familiar with death metal of all of them. Torchia sadly brought nothing all that new and fascinating as their debut EP, “Ending Beginning”, is a basic death metal album that is just that: death metal. The vocals are intense as you’d expect (not Cannibal Corpse intense), the guitars and bass are fast and heavy to really bring out the death metal, and the drums have a solid beat in all three tracks that aren’t very interesting to me but they earn my approval nonetheless. What would really … Continue reading Torchia – Ending Beginning
Alternative metal really is just the music that radios prefer because it’s easier on people’s ears and is usually censored, and I don’t care enough to see if both of those quality for Magen’s debut EP simply because it’s good and that’s all that matters to me. “Thoughts in Greyscale” feature a female vocalist which is something atypical of metal music overall sadly, but Magen doesn’t let that stand in their way as they use the vocalist to her maximum potential as she creates an interesting flow that I feel like would be lacking a little if the vocalist was … Continue reading Magen – Thoughts in Greyscale
The word “progressive” literally means when someone or something has implemented new ideas to something, and that is exactly what the essence of progressive metal is and the bands that consider themselves to be in that genre. Monolith Moon is no exception from this either, and that is what makes their debut EP “Leylines” interesting to say in the least for someone like me. And if you haven’t been able to tell by now – “Leylines” has somewhat of a space theme, and even though it’s not obvious the entire time it is indeed present throughout the EP. The fact … Continue reading Monolith Moon – Leylines
Whenever I think radio rock bands, the first genre that I think of is alternative rock as it seems to be that genre littered with bands that make songs for the radio and nothing else. I was very afraid that Lucid Fly was gonna be added to that list, but fortunately that is not the case. All 3 tracks off of “Stasis” aren’t exactly something I’d call amazing or fantastic, but they were definitely more for someone like myself who prizes tracks that have emotion poured into them and that is without a doubt the case with “Stasis”. The female … Continue reading Lucid Fly – Stasis
Head-Banger Reviews 