Now Playing

[Maggot Colony]

Prong - Beg to Differ

Beg to Differ was boring the arse off me, so I threw on Rust in Peace instead. RIP is one of the best metal albums of all time along with Master of Reality, Reign in Blood, Ride the Lightning, Beneath the Remains, Cause of Death and loads of other 3 word albums.

[Thorn]

Hellwitch - Omnipotent Convocation 10/10
Shoot me but I'm a huge Hellwitch fan and this is the second of their three killer albums to date, technical, insanely fast death thrash, like Sadus and Athiest on amphetamines. One of Florida's oldest bands and for me one of its best.

Destroyer 666 - Never Surrender 9/10
Album number 6 from D666 didn't throw up much in the way of surprises but that's quite alright when they do what they do this good. These tracks must be incendiary live. Roll on November.

Jag Panzer - Ample Destruction 8/10
I was eight in 1984, bopping around the kitchen to Madonna, a couple of years away from A-ha and a couple after that from Bon Jovi and Europe. So I missed out on a hell of a year for Epic and Power Metal with releases from the likes of Queensryche, Brocas Helm, Manowar, Cirith Ungol etc. The debut from Jag Panzer was right up there with them.

Solefald - World Metal 8/10
Sticking this one on after Jag Panzer really demonstrates how far Metal has come as a genre. Is this even still Metal? Well, yes, self coined World Metal with Blackened Edges and that's a bang on description. Not sure if I would have given this the time of day though if I hadn't jumped aboard the crazy Solefald ride way back at The Linear Scaffold.

Ancient Death - Ego Dissolution 7/10
Prog Death debut this year with that cover that looks like someone fed the co-ordinates for Cause Of Death into a computer. Interesting release with some unexpected, introspective passages with clean female vox.

Grave Digger - War Games 6/10
Second one from the German Trad Metallers is pretty tame even by standards at the time though not without its charm and probably most redolent of a band still finding their feet. (They were there all along at the bottom of those funky leg warmers, boys.)

[ijnjnijnilijbibbjknkjbjkk]

Unholy - From the Shadows
Falkenbach - Magni Blandinn ok Megintíri...
Deathspell Omega - The Synarchy of Molten Bones

[Pentagrimes]

Pyogenesis-Ignis Creatio
Eurovision doom/death that's very much of its time. Haven't heard it in about 30 years, unlikely to ever listen to it again.

Iron Christ- Getting The Most out of Your Extinction
Indestroy-Senseless Theories

Had a weird urge to listen to some bargain bin mid 80s thrash today and these are scratching the itch perfectly. Both rippers if not exactly groundbreaking.

[Thorn]

That's the thing about bargain bin thrash, there's always bands to be discovered that you never heard of and I never heard of either of those. Away to Metal Archives with me..

[Snare]

Thanks Thorn for more mini reviews, I must check out Hellwitch then, sound job. I 2nd the previous Yoth Iria review, it's a really really strong album. I had to get it from  the Edged Circle sale a little while back.

Ah Jamie I think you're being overly harsh on Pyogenesis (well that album at least!). I play it regularly enough, the tunes always pop in to my head and I got to pick out the record for a blast and a sing along    Different strokes and all that but "it's the fire that keeps me warm" etc 

[Thorn]

The vocals might put some off the Hellwitch but they work for me, pure frenzied mayhem. Good to hear you nabbed the Yoth Iria, fair play!

[Anvil]

Century - Sign of the Storm
Overkill - Scorched
Accept - Metalheart
Sexmag - Sexorcyzm
Savage Master - Dark & Dangerous
Bolt Thrower - Realm of Chaos
Helloween - Keeper 1 & 2.  (Great outside in the sun music).

[Maggot Colony]

Krieg - The Isolationist
Averse Sefira - Advent Parallax

On a USBM buzz this morning. I'm not going to claim that there are any USBM albums that stand alongside the Norwegian daddies, but it's not all scutter.

The Isolationist is the less straightforward and more interesting of the two. It's a meandering album that mixes black metal, ambient, and industrial, and while it doesn't all work it contains moments of brilliance.

Averse Sefira sound like Immortal playing death metal. Really great stuff. More consistent than Krieg but I find myself returning to The Isolationist more because I love the journey. 

[Carnage]

Black Sabbath: Technical Ecstasy, Never Say Die!

[Pentagrimes]

Trouble s/t

[Sworntothecans]

Drain:Living Proof/California Cursed
Godflesh:Songs Of Love & Hate
Artillery:By Inheritance
King Diamond:The Eye

[Jward]

Cannon - Thunder And Lightning
Ozzy Osbourne - The Ultimate Sin

[Black Shepherd Carnage]

Pretending it's rainy and cold with

Primordial - The Gathering Wilderness
Immortal - At the Heart of Winter

[Black Shepherd Carnage]

Howls of Ebb - Vigils of the 3rd Eye

As superb as ever