Mariangela Demurtas, the name might sound familiar for the one of the other since she is the female voice of Norwegian symphonic metal outfit Tristania. The singer from Sardinia was also guest singer for bands like Moonspell and Dark Tranquility. These days Demurtas releases with 'Dark Ability' a solo effort that features four beautiful songs.... Continue Reading →
Review (DOLCH) ‘Nacht’
Not so much is known about (DOLCH) and the band finds pleasure in keeping things rather hidden. What has come to light, however, is that the band has some roots in Berlin, which is reflected in both the German band name and the album titles. When exactly (DOLCH) were brought to life is not passed... Continue Reading →
Review SCHWARZER ENGEL ‘Sieben’
Stuttgart in Germany, a city known for Mercedes, Porsche and Spätzle has also a rather vibrant music scene. One contributor is Schwarzer Engel, a gothic and dark metal project, driven by Dave Jason. Schwarzer Engel (German for Black Angel) has six longplayers under the belt und the next one is ready to be shipped to... Continue Reading →
Review LUCIFER ‘Lucifer IV’
The first time that my attention was directed towards Lucifer was when the band opened for Paradise Lost. That was back in 2015 and I had the chance to witness the band performing live in Utrecht, The Netherlands. A lot happened since then. At the time, the driving forces behind Lucifer was Johanna Sadonis, one... Continue Reading →
Review SWALLOW THE SUN ’20 Years of Gloom, Beauty and Despair – Live in Helsinki’
Jyväskylä, Finland isn’t a city that you reach by coincident. 270 kilometers North of Helsinki it is nature that surrounds the town, endless forests that unveil their beauty in every season of the year. Besides that, Jyväskylä is also know for a vital rock and metal scene with bands like Swallow The Sun belonging the... Continue Reading →
Review SILVER LAKE by ESA HOLOPAINEN ‘Silver Lake By Esa Holopainen’
Esa Holopainen is known as founding member and guitarist of Amorphis, one of the strong representatives of Finnish metal. It was in spring 2020 when Holopainen received a phone call from Nino Laurenne, producer and owner of the Sonic Pump, which is a recording facility. The core question to the guitarist was, if it wouldn't... Continue Reading →
SÓLSTAFIR announce co-headlining tour with KATATONIA
Here are the dates: 21 Jan 22 Tullikamari (FI) Tampere22 Jan 22 Kulttuuritalo (FI) Helsinki23 Jan 22 Helitehas (EE ) Tallinn25 Jan 22 Stodola (PL) Warsaw26 Jan 22 Huxleys (DE) Berlin27 Jan 22 Longhorn (DE) Stuttgart28 Jan 22 Batschkapp (DE) Frankfurt29 Jan 22 Roxy (CZ) Prague30 Jan 22 Arena (AT) Vienna01 Feb 22 Akvarium Klub... Continue Reading →
CD review MOONSPELL ‘Hermitage’
After the first single release, which was the title track, curiosity for Moonspell's new album was aroused. But step by step. The first time I ever listened to Moonspell was when the Portuguese opened for Tiamat in 1995. Impressed by the intensity of their music, the band's sound has stuck with me to this day,... Continue Reading →
CD review LAKE OF TEARS ‘Ominous’
Compared to the colorful cosmic trip of 'A Crimson Cosmos', the newest Lake Of Tears album appears dark and gloomy. It seems like a gigantic black hole absorbed all the colors and what remains is a cold and dark universe. It has been rather quiet about Lake Of Tears for the last ten years. 'Illwill'... Continue Reading →
CD review DEMON HEAD ‘Viscera’
In line with the dark season, the inventors of diabolic rock release their new album 'Viscera'. Active since 2012, the band debuted in 2015 with 'Ride the Wilderness' after two demos and a single first attracted attention. Slowly and steadily Demon Head could increase the audience, a fact to which the quality of the following... Continue Reading →
CD review THE DAMNED ‘The Rockfield Files’ – EP
Rockfield Studios in Monmouth, Wales are an important place for The Damned. It was the home for the band while working on the important 'The Black Album' which was released in 1980. 'The Black Album' was a shift from the early punk rock days towards a more atmospheric sound. The Damned's sound became darker and... Continue Reading →
CD review CRIPPLED BACK PHOENIX ‘Ellengæst’
Releasing an album like 'Ellengæst' shows a perfect sense for timing. Sunrays and upcoming colors of spring would take a away intensity from a longplayer that is wrapped in shades of grey. After singer Daniel Änghede left, Justin Greaves had to close the gap and there are two ways to do that. Either you integrate... Continue Reading →
SÓLSTAFIR launch a new song –
Icelandic post-rock outfit Sólstafir is preparing the last details for the release of their upcoming album 'Endless Twilight of Codepending Love', scheduled for for November 6th. One of the songs on the album is 'Her Fall From Grace', which the band now release as single and it can be watched here: https://youtu.be/NkZH0sCWGK8 Vocalist Aðalbjörn Tryggvason... Continue Reading →
CD review MERCURY CIRCLE ‘The Dawn of Vitriol’
Days getting shorter again and although summerly high temperature makes you sweat night and day, remedy is on its way. There is a cooler breeze from the North, that might help to cool down and prepares for the coming autumn season. Provider of this sonic breeze is Mercury Circle from Finland. Mercury Circle is the... Continue Reading →