Written by: The Administrator
Each year, I inevitably spend a whole lot o' time with EPs. Is this due to my bafflingly short attention span? Yes. Is it also because EPs often feel like the perfect vehicle for a band to flaunt their strengths in a concise and well-trimmed manner? Also yes. Listening to a well-constructed EP is perhaps my favorite way to spend time with music, and so here I am, an eclectic collection of favorites gripped in outstretched grubby fingers. But first, some housekeeping! There are, assuming I counted correctly, 30 entries. I was planning on 20, but have no real interest in trimming a list of untrimmable favorites. In that spirit, hopefully you find something here that worms its way into your favorites as well. This list is not sorted by genre despite featuring a lot of different genres. I apologize for the whiplash, but sorting feels antithetical to the overall notion that listening habits should not be confined for the sake of convenient lists. And lastly, this is utterly unranked--if something appears here, please know that it comes highly, highly recommended! Anyways. Let's get into it.
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Written by: Blackie Skulless
More often than not, I find it difficult to unearth heavy metal crossed with AOR in recent years that doesn’t reek of old men overproducing something generic that sounds like a cover of an ‘80s song. In the rare instances where this isn’t the case, expectations go beyond being met. Sumerlands nails this latter description. Being on their second album, these Philadelphia heavy metallers have taken what their debut longed to be and made it a reality. This isn’t to say the self-titled record was bad, but Dreamkiller is where the full potential is realized. Given what we know, you can expect lot’s of metal-oriented riffing that doesn’t really utilize dense distortions or minor keys, but holds onto the rhythmic progressions firmly enough. Shrieking solos, synth-backings, and some of the cleanest singing adds a spacey atmosphere, invoking the feeling of shedding old skin for new enlightenment. Musically, things are ultimately rather light, but the amount of layers allows it to feel full for such a short album. Being only eight tracks, every bit of space is filled to the brim, either taking a steadier approach or a galloping one.  Written by: Blackie Skulless
Ah yes, we’ve once more come around to one of those album covers where looking at it tells you exactly what you’re in for. If you guessed throwback traditional heavy metal, you’d be correct. Midnight Rider are a German-based group that have been around for nearly two decades, but only got around to a full length five years ago. Their follow-up titled Beyond The Blood Red Horizon dropped very recently, giving off vibes as warm as the colors on the cover. Strangely enough, Midnight Rider avoids the speed metal trope that likes to be used in many variants of this type of project. Instead, the focus leans closer to the blusier end of things, channeling classic rock vibes under just enough metal riffing to qualify it as Judas Priest inspired. If their first album met with the debut Rainbow album, and topped things off with some thicker distortions, you’d basically get Beyond The Blood Red Horizon.  Written by: Blackie Skulless
Last year, the Italian traditional heavy metallers Konquest brought forth their debut album The Night Goes On. Channeling a pretty heavy amount of Iron Maiden worship, it was something decently strong, but nothing out of this world. When a young act that sticks to the basics closely hits the scene, it can go one of two ways. Either the band continues with that one trick and gets fine at best, or they take it a step further and make an identity for themselves. Time And Tyranny would see them doing the latter. So it should be obvious that the Iron Maiden influences are still worn on their sleeves, but with higher levels of originality. As a matter of fact, Konquest reflects the Paul Di’anno days more than anything, and that’s fully realized on this record. A far tighter production is added without overdoing it, the mix is at a point that literally everything can be showcased for proper digestion, and the energy is impactful even on the slower numbers. This is all pretty fantastic at its base, but if that were the only step forward, we could just about end things here with a “this is pretty damn good” and little else to say. This year, in an attempt to cover more music that would all-too-oft slip through the very large cracks, we're trying something new and novel around these parts. Namely, we're gonna actually publish the little one-off reviews that were previously (and arbitrarily) deemed too short for publication. In that spirit, here's a mini-review of a single worth checking out.  Written by: The Administrator Watching the growth of Legendarium over the past few years has been a real treat. Each frequent release has been better than the last, which inevitably starts to raise the question: when does upward trajectory stop? When does a plateau in quality become apparent? Not yet, that's for damn sure. The forthcoming Death's Hand In Yours--this year's second full length LP from the band in question--demonstrates Legendarium at their best. It's a varied and confident continued foray into heavy metal. Death's Hand In Yours exists as a glorious homage to the tropes and motifs of the genre at large, and for that reason alone, it presents an absolutely delightful listening experience. But alas, I am not here today to review the album at large; that can wait. Today's praise is reserved for the mighty "Caelador, Destroyer," the latest advance single. This is a rollicking single if e'er there was, built on the spine of a churning riff and a bounding sense of momentum. The verses carry themselves with a jubilant kineticism that, for all its punkiness, reminds me of a more blatantly heavy evolution of Witch Cross. This bouncy energy is quite engaging, to say the least, and if you're able to crank this track without involuntarily bobbing your head or stomping your foot, I'm not entirely sure how to help. And, lest ye forget, no Legendarium track is complete without a ripping-yet-tasteful solo. Bottom line? It's a damn strong single. "Caelador, Destroyer" is the kind of no-nonsense heavy metal track that exists and thrives on the basis of its own component parts. No gimmicks required. If you're predisposed to enjoy new Legendarium material, you'll inevitably like this song. If you are unfamiliar, I can only hope that this serves as the portal for further enjoyment. Give "Caelador, Destroyer" a well-deserved listen below, and consider grabbing a copy of that sweet preorder of Death's Hand In Yours prior to release on December 9th. 
Written by: Blackie Skulless
After actually waiting over a whole year to put out a new full-length, Haunt have come forward with album number six! Considering the rate, I have taught myself to enter new discs without any preconceived expectations, but I’m thrilled to report that Windows Of Your Heart brings forth a little more memorability. While 2021's Beautiful Distraction was still a solid disc, that was my main qualm outside of its title track. Stylistically I wouldn’t really call this one anything much different, but its execution is interesting enough. From the gate, you get a bit of a refreshed feeling from opener “Mercenaries.” The speed metal boost that’s brought forward breathes new energy, especially with the way it fills in the gaps with softer clean guitars. Similar energy exists on “No Control,” though I will admit that this one doesn’t utilize repetition as well as it could have. That isn’t utilized too heavily throughout the album as a whole, though. 
Written by: Lord Hsrah
Portland based heavy metal quartet Splintered Throne's latest offering in The Greater Good of Man comes as a solid slab of classic heavy metal, with a touch of modernity. Reborn with a new lineup reinforced with the addition of vocalist Lisa Mann, The Greater Good of Man blends sonic flavors and audio textures, old and new, combining certain elements from progressive rock, some from speed metal and those of traditional heavy metal, culminating into eight brand new tracks of epic, modern heavy metal goodness. The album opens with a banger of a tune reminiscent of the late 80s Judas Priest, Grave Digger-esque speed/heavy metal style of riffage and overall progresses in similar vain all throughout the rest of the tracks on the record. Add to that the epic vocal lines and melodic passages, and you've got a pretty solid and epic sets of songs to bang your head to. 
Written by: Blackie Skulless
Continuing the recent trend of dropping an album every half-decade or so, Germany’s thrash masterminds Kreator prove what proper amounts of time can do for a new record. 2017’s Gods Of Violence wound up taking album of the year for me. While I may not go that far now, Millie and Co. have conjured up a solid follow-up to it with Hate Über Alles. It follows a similar path to what they’ve been doing since 2001’s Violent Revolution, yet twenty-one years later they’ve still managed to keep it interesting. Admittedly, this one didn’t snatch me in as quickly as the prior two records did. But after a few listens, I was able to capture plenty of interesting ideas being offered. The previous record saw a bit more melody, and while Hate Über Alles doesn’t dial that in as hard, it still remains a prominent factor. “Strongest Of The Strong'' is absolutely loaded with traditional metal hooks with their Teutonic thrashy touch, and the same can be said about “Pride Comes Before The Fall'." The latter cakes on some beautiful singing amongst keys and melodies. “Midnight Sun” certainly focuses on that as well, featuring German new-wave vocalist Sofia Portanet on vocals, adding all sorts of atmosphere.
This year, in an attempt to cover more music that would all-too-oft slip through the very large cracks, we're trying something new and novel around these parts. Namely, we're gonna actually publish the little one-off reviews that were previously (and arbitrarily) deemed too short for publication. In that spirit, here's a mini-review of an EP from 2020.
Written by: Blackie Skulless
Anything that calls itself “black ‘n roll” is going to have my attention immediately. A recent spike in blackened traditional metal that seems to stick with the NWOBHM riffs under a harsh and dark haze offers all sorts of interesting ideas. But New Jersey’s The Gauntlet rides almost entirely on slower, steady riffing that hooks the ear every time. War And Guilt is their sole release (outside of some splits), a twenty-two minute EP from 2020 with solid proportions. Looking at the art work, you would never expect this, as I didn’t. Something that screams generic party thrash turning out to actually be music this compelling caught me off guard. In a way, the entire tape works as one massive song, in the sense that each of the five tracks weave into each other, using the same trick for every execution. Shifts in speed and tone help break this up some. Small licks like the bridge in “Damnation Calls With Haste” certainly add some life before the solo and resolution, and those rumbling drums under the bass in “Old Lord” will shake your insides. War And Guilt displays a pretty impressive ear for gradual layering across the board. The harsh, stagnant shrieks somewhat mask the tweaks in patterns, allowing haunting, Bathory-like rhythms to make their way in. As you can imagine, it does feel a bit same-y at times due to the fact that it’s mostly a one trick pony. Don’t go into this expecting the tag to be too literal, The Gauntlet isn’t going to be Van Halen or Blue Oyster Cult under shrieking vocals. But for what we’re given, it scratches the itch every time. The Gauntlet -War and Guilt was released August 26th, 2020. Find it here! 
Written by: The Administrator
Sonic qualities aside, Titanosaur is not a moniker that conjures notions of elegance. The name imparts a certain sense of inevitable weight and destructive force. This we know. The hefty behemoth leaves footprints the size of small craters, and crushes cars in its maw like unto a nutcracker chowing down on a walnut. The music, then, must match the aesthetics of the beast. Rest assured, this one-man hard rock/metal outfit out of Hudson, NY, does just that. Drawing from the venerable likes of Monster Magnet, Red Fang, Motorhead, and Black Sabbath's more overtly rock oriented work, Titanosaur delivers crunchy riffs and gruff hooks with a no-nonsense air and a hard-edged bite. Back in February of this year,I briefly reviewed Titanosaur's excellent Absence of Universe, stating that, besides demonstrating the band's best work to date, the album illustrated a unique "wry self awareness, notably pounding riffage, and thick application of late cretaceous groove." Off the back of that release, we've got some new tunes incoming. I love a band on a roll, and Titanosaur is currently cruising. But enough rambling! We're pleased to present here today "Eater of Death" and its accompanying B-Side "The Time is Now." Hit play on the ol' embed below, sit back, and enjoy! As always, we'll be there to meet ye on the other side. |
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