ALBUM REVIEW: Blue Oyster Cult – Ghost Stories


One of the least high-profile sign-offs since Button Gwinnett affixed his moniker to the Declaration, Ghost Stories (Frontiers Music srl), billed as Blue Oyster Cult’s final studio album, still qualifies as a “must have” for aficionados, even if it will never be widely celebrated or remembered in the same way as Secret Treaties, Agents Of Fortune, Cultosaurus Erectus, or Fire Of Unknown Origin.Continue reading


ALBUM REVIEW: The Monolith Deathcult – The Demon Who Makes Trophies Of Men


Avant-Garde Death Metal mentallers with serious swagger and a slew of crazed ideas, Netherlands-based wild bunch The Monolith Deathcult are back.

The Demon Who Makes Trophies Of Men (Human Detonator Records) is an imaginative, irreverent slice of noise that screams “Attack! Attack! Attack!” for much of its grim, punishing but seriously rewarding running time.Continue reading


ALBUM REVIEW: Zombi – Direct Inject


Great music, like great movies, can take you to another world. Instrumental synth-based duo Zombi work their transporting, soundtrack-oriented magic on the sublime, cinema-literate Direct Inject (Relapse Records).Continue reading


ALBUM REVIEW: Myrath – Karma


The Myrath sound is an exciting, intoxicating and entertaining one. On Karma (earMUSIC), there’s a dark side to some of the lyrical content (“Wrath of a raging sea …” Demons, oblivion, etc), leaning towards the heavy and the epic, but the overall impression is relatively light, hooky and generally uplifting. Continue reading


ALBUM REVIEW: Today Was Yesterday – Today Was Yesterday


The expert, intricate and intriguing Today Was Yesterday (Music Theories Recordings/Mascot Label Group) finds the eponymous duo spreading their wings, unboxing various goodies and displaying many talents, in cahoots with guitar greats Alex (Rush) Lifeson, guesting on six of the 10 tracks, and Robby (The Doors) Krieger, on another.Continue reading


ALBUM REVIEW: Ace Frehley – 10,000 Volts


You can take the boy out of The Bronx, but can’t take The Bronx out of the boy.

Ace Frehley, Kiss guitar legend, gives birth to some of his finest cuts and hottest licks with the fret-burning, string-bending, grin-inducing 10,000 Volts (MNRK Heavy).Continue reading


ALBUM REVIEW: Transit Method – Othervoid


Music that’s right here, right now, with echoes of glories past. A dream of an album that takes off fast, edgy, in a punky rush, sounding like … a punky Rush!

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ALBUM REVIEW: Lucifer – Lucifer V


In the beginning … there was Lucifer! And now this fifth full-length outing for the “occult metal” outfit proves to be a thoroughly satisfying, good ol’ heavy rock ’n’ roll album which, at its very best – the outstanding “Slow Dance In A Crypt” – can be downright beautiful and utterly beguiling.

With song-writing nous, all-round playing chops and excellent production, including a superb, crunchy guitar sound, Lucifer V (Nuclear Blast Records) has at its heart the clean, clear, commanding voice of Johanna Platow Andersson.Continue reading


ALBUM REVIEW: The Awesome Machine – … It’s Ugly Or Nothing


The start of a new year is the time to look ahead, of course, but fans of great rock music just love to look back, don’t they? Continue reading