Reviews written by: Colin McNamara

Reviews

Eternal Tragedy - Origin

Eternal Tragedy is a duo hailing from Greece and Italy and after almost 15 years since their debut, they are back, still spearheaded by guitarist Stefania Ponzilacqua. Over the years band has trimmed down a lot, leaving Stefania as one of the sole remaining members, but her guitarwork continues to shine through along with her songwriting in general...

16/08/2023

Asklepeion - I: Basilisk

<p>For those looking for a step back into the late 90s black metal in the vein of Emperor, Old Man’s Child, and even Dimmu Borgir, look no further than Netherland’s Asklepeion. Born in 2021 due to the pandemic, this three piece unleash some harsh yet crisp melodies in their debut album “I: Basilisk”. For those who feel that Dimmu Borgir has gone to...

07/08/2023

Delyria - III: Oracles And Tentacles

<p>Delyria hail from Italy and “Oracles And Tentacles” is their third full length album. Rooted in a mix of Death and Thrash Metal, one can expect a mix of Legion of the Damned meets Vader, with more lean towards the Death Metal side of things. Since their last album, the band has had quite an overhaul with new members, leaving Fabio Barbetti on gu...

27/07/2023

Beyond The Void - The Machinist

<p>France’s Beyond The Void are relatively new to the Death Metal scene having formed in 2018 but not really gaining any traction until their first EP in 2020. Now they have their first full length debut entitled “The Machinist” and it sounds strong, ferocious, and a mix of well produced Technical meets Modern Death Metal. With touches of Suffocati...

26/07/2023

Walhalla - Release The Beast

<p>Finland’s Walhalla has been rather quiet for almost 20 years, releasing an album back in 2000 and then going inactive for 19 years. Guitarist Lord Heikkinen is one of the sole remaining members and has been involved in a variety of other projects like the gothic metal band Soulgrind or Speed Metal Fierce. In 2019 he revived Walhalla and recruite...

18/07/2023

Vayron - Demo 2022

<p>Very little is known about Vayron save that they are from France and the members are from the likes of the groups such as Silure and Unanswered. A 4 piece rooted in the more late 90s Death Metal style, “Demo 2022” is a very quick but engaging work. It’s a mix of Immolation meets Deicide especially when hearing a track like ‘Dirty,’ which has the...

24/05/2023

Maniae - Vestiges

<p>France’s Maniae’s future might be a little unclear with the departure of their bassist this year, but at least since their inception in 2022 they grant listeners a little something to get excited about for 2023. Fusing black and death metal for a short EP of mid paced but furious music, one can hear a mix of older Dark Funeral meets newer Bloodb...

16/05/2023

Black Rabbit - Hypnosomnia

<p>Black Rabbit are a Death Thrash band that formed back in 2014 but have been pretty quiet up until 2020 when they unleashed their first EP. Now 3 years later they hit hard with their 12 track debut full of music that is full of aggression and groove. Listeners might be happy to know that this five piece from the Netherlands do not take the conven...

15/05/2023

Overlord - Fake Salvation

<p>Groove stomping its way out of Petershagen, Germany, 2 man band Overlord present their version of death metal with their debut “Fake Salvation.” It as actually a pretty decent load of songs that are similar in structure, but feature plenty of melody and groove that these 2 could easily become the Satyricon duo of death metal. Each track is rathe...

02/05/2023

Astral Sleep - We Are Already Living In The End Of Times

<p>Finland’s Astral Sleep has gone through quite the sound changes in the last few years. Originally a Death Doom band with a thick, almost Funeral Doom sounding sound with the lo fi production but also having gothic and psychedelic tinges. Over time, especially with the psychedelic touches, they got more prominent and more present, and now with th...

26/04/2023

Exul - Path To The Unknown

<p>Poland’s Exul have been around since 2011, but the time it has taken to get things really going has taken quite a while. Active for a short bit then taking a break before becoming active again, 2023 is finally seeing a full length debut after a few demos, so the title “Path To The Unknown” is very fitting because listeners/ fans, and even the ba...

25/04/2023

Hackberry - Breathing Space

<p>Hackberry are pretty unknown, but those that do know they are a five piece from the Netherlands that perform all instrumental prog/psychedelic rock or metal, depending on the track they are hearing. The music here is definitely not by any means aggressive or abrasive, like a Post Metal trip or overly dramatic and keyboard soaked like that of sol...

24/04/2023