It was Primordial singer Nemtheanga who started Dread Sovereign in 2013, a band dedicated to doom-oriented metal. Already in their founding year, a first EP was released with 'Pray to the Devil in Man' which acted as a springboard for the debut album. 'All Hell's Martyrs' is the title of the mentioned first album which... Continue Reading →
Classics: STORMWITCH ‘The Beauty and the Beast’ – re-issue
Every now and then, especially during the Holiday season, Markus' Heavy Music Blog is featuring some classics, some well-known and some not so much. This time we go to Germany, more precisely, Gerstetten on the Schwaebische Alb. We go back to the year 1987 and the band we are talking about is Stormwitch. "The Masters... Continue Reading →
CD review DARK TRANQUILLITY ‘Moment’
Time is flying these days and many moments pass by everyday, some with impact. I had this thought when thinking about the fact of Dark Tranquillity's latest album 'Atoma' celebrating already its forth birthday. After extensive touring, Dark Tranquillity started work on their next album, 'Moment', which be available at the shops this November. And... Continue Reading →
CD review PALLBEARER ‘Forgotten Days’
Snail-pace and giant power can go together very well. Doom metal experts Pallbearer furnish evidence for this fusionwith delivering extremely good heavy metal. Three years after ‘Heartless’ broke through the surface of metal, the quartet delivers with their newest output an eight songs featuring longplayer that reflects Pallbearer with 100% but shows a few deviations.... Continue Reading →
CD review OCEANS OF SLUMBER ‘Oceans Of Slumber’
As I wrote in a post the other day, music is about emotions and the expression of those. What could be better in such a context than reflecting on own emotions, connected to personal experiences, and translating those into notes and lyrics. This is what makes a tune and an album tangible and real. It... Continue Reading →
CD review THE VICE ‘White Teeth Rebellion’
Rikard, Charlie and Petter, that is The Vice. The band was founded in 2012 with an EP entitled 'Let Me Go' that stands for the first countable result of their cooperation. In the meantime we reached the second decade of the current century and The Vice adds with 'White Teeth Rebellion' a next longplayer to... Continue Reading →
CD review THE RITE ‘Liturgy of the Black’
In summary, we can say that The Rite have achieved a very solid start with this album. Thanks to a tight groove, the songs are instantly memorable and will continue to fascinate even after listening to them several times. 'Liturgy of the Black' is an album I can recommend, no doubt.
CD review PARADISE LOST ‘Obsidian’
‚Obsidian‘ is the impressive new album. Paradise Lost took all the strong moments of the different eras of the band and merged them in a great fashion. ‚Obsidian‘ is a very dense, dark, melancholic and heavy album. At the same time it carries a stronger gothic spirit and comprises of hooks that are irresistible. 2020 is already rich when it comes to great records and Paradise Lost adds another candidate for becoming 'album of the year‘ to the mix. It‘s your own fault if you miss this record.
MERCENARY unveil a first new song in seven years
The Danish veterans of dark melodic metal Mercenary are back with their first new song in seven years, out now on Spotify and other relevant digital portals. A music video featuring professional footage from Mercenary’s return to the stage in January will premiere this Friday the 17th at 21.00 CET on the band’s own YouTube channel. Fans can join... Continue Reading →
Nick and Greg discuss PARADISE LOST’s ‘Fall From Grace’
The book has been closed but the story continues: Paradise Lost sharpen their pens and add another chapter to their dark, gloomy history of death, doom and gothic metal. In difficult times, the British legends from Halifax, Yorkshire are the drug that numbs the pain , the lover that takes away the sorrows, the story that... Continue Reading →
CD review TOMBS ‘Monarchy of Shadows’
'Monarchy of Shadows' is the return of a band that went through some rougher times. Renewed and with full enthusiasm the quartet delivers a first prove of work, a promising one when it comes to the future. Black Metal continues to have a homebase in Brooklyn.
CD review THE OLD DEAD TREE ‘The End’
'Gothic Metal', that according to the label info the genre The Dead Old Tree fits best. That might be right but this release is so more than solely Gothic Metal. 'The End' is a record that includes many shades and influences. Great melodies, Dark Rock, progressive structures and some extreme Metal trademarks, all units on... Continue Reading →
MOONSELL re-issues ‘Sin/Pecado + 2econd Skin’
Portuguese Dark Metal outfit Moonspell will re-issue their 'Sin/Pecado' album, originally released in 1998. At the time, the longplayer was an adjustment of Moonspell's thematic direction, moving from wolves and vampires to a more darkwave mood, driven by political and social issues. In this sense it's a milestone album for the band and on December... Continue Reading →
DVD review TRIBULATION ‘Live and Dead at Södra Teatern’
Tribulation seems to be a rather new band but has actually roots that go back to 2004. The break-through though came a few years ago with their third album 'The Children of the Night', followed by the excellent 'Down Below' release. Nearly a year ago today, on December 8th, 2018, Tribulation performed a special show... Continue Reading →
Live report A PALE HORSE NAMED DEATH / MOLYBARON, Baroeg, Rotterdam – 30.10.2019
In the meantime A Pale Horse Named Death is a constant factor in the fields of Goth Metal. The band is the brainchild of Life Of Agony drummer Sal Abruscato. He puts the drums ticks aside for A Pale Horse Named Death and instead picks up the mic and the guitar pick. Together with his... Continue Reading →