Formed in 1980 in the burgeoning Bay Area metal scene who at one time had Lars Ulrich audition for the drummer's position before he left to form some other band no one had heard of. With their self-titled debut album in 1984, Metal Church, arguably one of the great classics of American heavy metal, launched … Continue reading Album Review: Metal Church – The Final Sermon (Live In Japan)
Author: Rick
I’m a married father of 2 humans, a rescue cat and a royal python. Not nearly enough tattoos or piercings, enjoys reading, Marmite and lots of coffee.
Album Review: Kittie – Fire
They say that thirteen is unlucky for some, but try telling that to Canadian quartet Kittie as they rise from the embers, ready to reclaim their well-deserved place at the very top of metal's elite with their new studio album, Fire. Considered part of the nu-metal movement back in the late nineties, Kittie started to … Continue reading Album Review: Kittie – Fire
Album Review: Pallbearer – Mind Burns Alive
US Prog/Doom legends Pallbearer return with their most serene and fragile offering to date, Mind Burns Alive. Some albums come through and completely side-sweep you from out of nowhere, and after experiencing them, you almost have to re-adjust and re-focus. Now, this is something I usually put at the end of a review, but quite … Continue reading Album Review: Pallbearer – Mind Burns Alive
Album Review: Arð – Untouched By Fire
The inventors of monastic doom present another stunning milestone on their fast-rising trajectory with their new album Untouched By Fire, which this time focuses on the warrior king Oswald (604–642), who forged Northumbria with fire and sword by uniting the kingdoms of Bernicia and Deira. Constructed of 6 insular doom pieces, the album begins with … Continue reading Album Review: Arð – Untouched By Fire
Album Review: My Dying Bride – A Mortal Binding
Grey lingering clouds of melancholy form once more as My Dying Bride returns with A Mortal Binding. There are moments before any sound appears that a name alone can conjure a mournful excitement; this is personally the case for Yorkshire's My Dying Bride, who aim to continue carrying the torch for the tormented on album … Continue reading Album Review: My Dying Bride – A Mortal Binding
Album Review: Bruce Dickinson – The Mandrake Project
After nearly two decades, author, pilot, brewer, and, personally, my vocal gateway into heavy metal three and a half decades ago via Iron Maiden, Bruce Dickinson returns in a solo capacity with his latest album, The Mandrake Project. The opener, "Afterglow of Ragnarok", manifests something that has been on the back burner for a while. … Continue reading Album Review: Bruce Dickinson – The Mandrake Project