NEW RELEASES. Here's the regularly updated list of what's in the pipeline.
NEW RELEASES 2020 – updated 27.09.2020
CD review HEATHEN ‘Empire of the Blind’
Good things will find you, regardless of time. In a way that’s valid for Heathen’s new longplayer ‘Empire of the Blind’ too. The band premiered in 1987 with the stellar ‘Breaking the Silence’ debut in 1987 and after the sophomore smasher ‘Victims of Deception’s has intensified the great impression, radio silence took over. Silence was... Continue Reading →
CD review PLAGUE YEARS ‘Circle of Darkness’
Michigan-based riff grinders Plague Years unleashed a first wrecking ball called 'Unholy Infestation' in 2018. eOne has noticed the potential of the band, hailing from Detroit, and after a contract has been signed the full-length debut will be in the shelves mid September. There can't be a much better moniker for a band these days... Continue Reading →
CD review TULKAS ‘The Beginning of the End’ – EP
Mexican Metal maniacs Tulkas celebrate their 10th anniversary in 2020. and the career of the quintet features several releases with the two full-length longplayers being certainly the highlight. Two years after 'Take the World' has been shipped to the record stores, the guys deliver with 'The Beginning of the End' a next EP. Five songs... Continue Reading →
CD review MESSIAH ‘Fracmont’
Live shows, something we're all missing these days, have been the kick-start for Swiss Metal veterans Messiah to get together again for working on a next Messiah album - the first one in 26 years. With being hungry again for furious Thrash Metal, the band went at the studio again and what results from the... Continue Reading →
CD review EVOKE ‘Seeds of Death’
Seven songs, 34 minutes ... Metal doesn't need much more than that, at least when it comes to Evoke and their new longplayer 'Seeds of Death'. Metal purists will love the album since the three Norwegians deliver right to the money. After having started the band in 2016 two demos has been released that paved... Continue Reading →
CD review METALLICA & SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY ‘S&M 2’
'S&M2' is better than the first attempt from 20 years ago and certainly the new version will become another commercial success for the Metal veterans from the Bay Area. Some of the songs are actually done very well, although the entire album feels like band and orchestra playing next to each other more than performing together as a unit. Combining two pieces of a puzzle doesn't necessary create a great total and that's a bit the case with this release too. The idea of making such an album is awesome and leaving the comfort-zone a bit more would have added extra excitement. 'Let's play safe' is the focus more than leaving the known.
CD review INTOXICATED ‘Walled’ – EP
...'Stuck in Mode' is another evil thrasher before the first tones of 'Yuck' heralds the ending of this EP. The song, with a screaming guitar solo by Ken Andrews (Obituary), is the final punch of a release that brings back a time when Metal was raw, sweaty and relentless. Intoxicated picks-up these attributes and embedded them in these six songs that are surely worth to be checked out. A real blast from the past.
CD review TÖXIK DEATH ‚Sepulchral Demons‘
Töxik Death, hailing from Norway, has nearly 20 years on their back, but so far only have one longplayer released. The guys premiered in 2014 with ‚Speed Metal Hell‘, before line-up trouble forced a break. Singer and the entire rhythmsection needed to be replaced after the first question, continue or not, was answered positively. With... Continue Reading →
CD review ONSLAUGHT ‘Generation Antichrist’
'Generation Antichrist' is hard and heavy, in the best meaning of these words. Furious Thrash Metal from the UK is the result of willpower, passion and dedication, all manifested in eight songs and an intro. Nige Rockett and his bandmates deliver a very strong Thrash Metal album that might be even the best the quintet brought to plate so far. Onslaught challenges the Bay Area with 'Generation Antichrist'.
CD review ZARRAZA ‘Rotten Remains’
Without offending anyone, I think most people know Kazakhstan from international football matches. However, metalheads should not only see Kazakhstan as a deliverer of scoring points for World Cup- and European Championship qualifications (the team plays actually quite well). There is also a Heavy Metal scene in Kazakhstan, but releases rarely find their way to... Continue Reading →
CD review MESSIAH ‘Fatal Grotesque Symbols – Darken Universe’ – EP
It was quiet about Messiah for a long time. In the beginning of the first heyday of Swiss Extreme Metal, with bands like Celtic Frost and Cornoner, Messiah started to record a first demo, followed by a debut album in 1986. Unfortunately, the first era of Messiah lasted not longer than 10 years. In the... Continue Reading →
CD review POLTERGEIST ‘Feather of Truth’
Although Swiss metal veterans Poltergeist premiered in 1989 with ‘Depression’, the count of longplayers isn’t further than on four to date. This has less to do with a lack of musical quality or zeal. It’s mainly due to the fact that Poltergeist was ‘offline’ for 20 years. After having published ‘Nothing Lasts Forever’, nomen et... Continue Reading →
