For metal fans, the subject of Vikings is nothing new. From wondering why no-one seems to like ‘Invaders’ by Iron Maiden, or suddenly bursting into a frighteningly loud rendition of Led Zeppelin‘s ‘Immigrant Song’ at the merest mention of Thor: Ragnarok, those hairy little pillagers have been part and parcel of our music scene for decades. Continue reading
The term Supergroup is often used to describe any band consisting of musicians from other acts and thus disappointing when it ends up lacking household names, or consisting of dream groupings who do not live up to the expectation their legacy suggests.
Fortunately, new entity Vltimas have offered a debut that smashes those notions.
Made up of former Mayhem man Blasphemer, Cryptopsy’s Flo Mounier and David Vincent (formerly of Morbid Angel), Vltimas is a solid who’s who of Extreme Metal royalty. Notably, this is Vincent’s first Metal outing since the polarising Illud Divinum Insanus (Season of Mist), thus potentially leaving him with a point to prove. Fortunately, it doesn’t take long for Something Wicked Marches In (Season of Mist) to ease any lingering doubts there. Continue reading
Designed Obsolescence (Unique Leader), the latest LP from Technical Death Metal supergroup (we’ll get to that) Continuum has a quite a bit going for it. Continuum hails from the modern death metal hotbed that is California and features former members of acts ranging from Rings of Saturn, Allegaeon, Pathology, Decrepit Birth and more, so you don’t even have to listen to a single note on Designed Obsolescence to know that these dudes can play. Yeah, they can fucking play with technicality and precision that this writer will never grasp. Continue reading
Whilst the UK hasn’t always been recognised as a hotbed for Black Metal bar the occasional, exceptional case; recent times suggest the burgeoning of a rich scene in the underground; from the likes of A Forest Of Stars getting wide plaudits to the new breed which includes Wode, Underdark and Dawn Ray’d flying the flag. Also throwing their hat into the ring, Nottingham up-and-comers Antre offer a somewhat esoteric and widely influenced strain of the genre with a full-length debut that not only personifies the depth the genre has to offer but also puts them as a prime force in the UK’s scene. Continue reading
When I heard about this particular collaboration, I swear a little bit of wee came out. Seattle’s Un is still reveling in the success of last year’s coruscating, moving Sentiment (Translation Loss Records), while Scouse / Scottish hybrid Coltsblood have laid waste to the UK Underground for the last five years. This split, therefore, promises to be a leveller on both sides of the Atlantic. Continue reading
There have been some bold claims coming out of the Disturbed camp with regards to seventh album Evolution (Reprise Records); and for one of Rock and Metal’s biggest, most successful and most stable acts to be making noises about a release setting them up for the next phase of their career, this must mean the feeling in the camp must be that this album is “the one” – the definitive release. From the redesigning of the logo, the stripping away of the Heavy Metal demon that has fronted most of their stock, to the slick and calculated pre-release campaign, there is a weight of evidence that Disturbed have gone away and found their new selves. Continue reading
It has been a bloody long time since the last record from Sludge Metal veterans Deadbird. Ten, count them, years have passed, and even though genre as a collective has been in a rut for some time, the band has seen fit to stick to their guns on new record III: The Forest Within The Tree (20 Buck Spin). Continue reading