Like Dolly Duck, I love surprises. And this four-track demo was definitely a surprise. Imbalance impress very much with their heavy, riff-oriented and relatively complex Metal, and they are definitely among the more promising acts …READ MORE
From Brazil comes Power/Progressive Metal rookies Eyes of Shiva, and this was definitely a pleasant encounter. With a kind of Prog Metal-meets-South American folk music feel, at times reminiscent of Angra, at times of Rhapsody, …READ MORE
This is my first encounter with this band, which as far as I’m concerned origins from planet Earth (I do not know which country on this planet, though). They perform a relatively varied form of …READ MORE
This Progressive Metal band from Sweden, which, although unknown to most people, impresses a great deal with their debut album. Featuring elements from bands as diverse as Evergrey, King Diamond, Symphony X, Nevermore, and In …READ MORE
From Sweden comes the Death Metal quartet Unleashed, with a new album – their ninth full-length release – dealing with Vikings, fantasy, and necrophilia. Yes, the song “Only the Dead” (a very cool track, by …READ MORE
Norway’s Borknagar has been a reliable player on the Black/Dark Metal scene for years now, following up their classics The Archaic Course and The Olden Domain with quality releases all along the way. Epic certainly …READ MORE
The first sample from the upcoming Rhapsody album is here, and everything is just as you’d expect. The band carries on with their movie-score-spaghetti-dungeons-and-dragons-knocked-out-of-the-European-football-championships-during-the-qualifying-rounds form of Metal, and it doesn’t sound bad at all. Christopher …READ MORE
The expression “battering ram” is, as far as I can remember, found only in the first verse of the Judas Priest classic “Rapid Fire,” and this is not the only Priest connection present within this …READ MORE
At last! It’s been some time since I got to write a truly positive, old-school rave review, but now the time has finally come. Blind Guardian, one of my all-time favorite bands, has released their …READ MORE
This Danish quintet is back with a new effort; their fifth album so far. Withering Surface has always been a band in the “almost there” category — they have made good albums, but none truly …READ MORE