The concept of Epic/Atmospheric Black Metal seems to thrive on extreme ends of the spectrum: it’s either performed as passionately and pristinely as a fantastical saga, or it’s generic drab that breeds vague cliches and untethered musical arrangements. There is no in-between.Continue reading
Tag Archives: epic
ALBUM REVIEW: Borknagar – Fall
Borknagar is one of Norway’s acclaimed heavy metal acts known for their striking Scandinavian sound and resolute resilience. Their beginnings sprouted thirty years ago and over that time they have proven their merit by cultivating complex concoctions full of genre-bending wonders. They are well seasoned in their affluent brewing of black, progressive, and folk elements making their work notable.
Their capabilities continue to shine bright on their next full-length record where they push boundaries and explore new depths of their skill sets on Fall (Century Media Records).
Vltimas (ex-Morbid Angel, ex-Mayhem, Cryptopsy) Shares a New Single and Video for “Miserere” – New Album Incoming
Death Metal supergroup Vltimas is back with new music and a new album Epic, coming from Season of Mist in 2024. The band features ex-Morbid Angel frontman David Vincent, ex-Mayhem and Aura Noir guitarist Rune “Blasphemer” Eriksen, and legendary Cryptopsy drummer Flo Mounier and they have shared a new single and video as the first taste from the new album. Watch the video for “Miserere,” stream and pre-order the album below. Continue reading
ALBUM REVIEW: Foretoken – Triumphs
In late 2020, Foretoken warned the entire world of one thing: the Virginia Beach-based duo is on a mission to completely shake up the status quo. Three years later, Triumphs (Prosthetic Records) is proof positive the mission is so far a smashing success.
ALBUM REVIEW: Spheric Universe Experience – Back Home
The new album from melodic progressive heavy metal act Spheric Universe Experience (never have I heard a more perfect name for a band!) Back Home (UPRISING!) is a true musical journey. This new cut, the band’s fifth overall and first for a decade, plays through like a movie soundtrack for some epic sci-fi adventure, which is apt considering this is a concept album set in space.
The Glorious Rebellion – Scholars of War
An attacked guitar fades in with a straight Rock n’ Roll riff before spacious strings reverberate around the listeners’ skulls. They give way into the abyss as an almighty Sludge riff threatens to swallow the world whole. ‘This Is Fine’ centres on this aforementioned riff and grinds in a cyclical manner around one’s speakers eviscerating the local surroundings. ‘This Is Fine’ is an understatement: as an opener to an EP, it is borderline excellent. Billy Myers III’s shouted vocals have the force necessary to level council flats, and come across as blissfully effortless to listen to.Continue reading
Coheed and Cambria – Vaxis – Act I: The Unheavenly Creatures
Last time around, 2015’s The Color Before The Sun (300) saw New York progressive rockers Coheed and Cambria abandon the lavish story arc of their previous seven albums and move away from the polished and heroic approach they had made their own, ploughing a more straightforward alternative rock furrow. Whether it was an attempt to attain new fans, a one-off experiment, or simply a stylistic change that didn’t quite work, nonetheless, long-time supporters of the band will be pleased to hear that the fantasy conceptualists have returned to what they know best.Continue reading
Sorcerer – The Crowning Of The Fire King
Swedish doomsters Sorcerer has an interesting story. Formed in Stockholm in the late 80s, they’d already broken up by the time a compilation of their demos was released in 1995. And that was it. No more demos, no proper début albums. Cue twenty years of silence suddenly punctured by 2015’s In the Shadow of the Inverted Cross (Metal Blade); a massive record that was one of my favourite Doom records that year.Continue reading
The Veer Union Shares Faith No More Cover – Epic, Boxed Set Coming Soon
Long-running Canadian rockers The Veer Union have shared a video for their cover of Faith No More’s 1989 rap-metal hit Epic’. Watch the clip below:Continue reading
Lamb Of God Is Streaming The Duke EP Online
Lamb Of God has unleashed The Duke EP today via Epic, but if you’re still unsure about picking it up, you can now stream the release in it’s entirety online. Continue reading