Author: Magdalena Medved

Craven Idol return with a crash of thunder after almost four years of deadly silence. Not only do the London Black metallers have a killer new release, ‘Shackles Of Mammon’ (Via Dark Descent on April 14), they will also open for Nifelheim at the Underworld on May 26. All this with … Read More

‘Coven, Or Evil Ways Instead Of Love’ is the insane new album from Cultes Des Ghoules, one of Poland’s finest black metal exports. Although considering black metal has pretty flexible norms, this album exceeds them all (and some would say common sense itself) with its extravagant stylings and epic 96 … Read More

As the title suggests, on their 18th studio album ‘The Grinding Wheel’, the Overkill machine grinds on, with these veterans of the East Coast thrash scene keen to demonstrate their ongoing relevance. And whilst it’s hard not to enjoy Bobby Blitz’s instantly recognisable and gloriously over-the-top vocals, the chunky riffing … Read More

Ascalon, the heavy metal troopers from Lancashire, UK present their debut album ‘Reflections’ via No Remorse. Forged in the classic NWOBHM tradition, ‘Reflections’ is an eight-song journey through an epic heavy metal world (as depicted in the album’s garish artwork), with some speed and power metal influences. At only 35 … Read More

‘Will O’ Wisp’ is the latest spawn of the Swedish blackened thrash band Nekrokraft. After two previous EPs, ‘666 Ways To Torture’ and ‘Witches Funeral (Reborn In Fire)’, ‘Will O’ Wisp’ is a hard ‘n’ fast listen at just 23 minutes. This short, sharp debut album impresses with its blasting … Read More

One of the Irish metal scene’s most original and inspiring new bands, Vircolac do not disappoint with their latest killer EP, ‘The Cursed Travails Of The Demeter’. Released by Sepulchral Productions and Dark Descent Records, just one year after their acclaimed ‘Codex Perfida’, this latest offering is an extremely well-formed … Read More

The Darkthrone duo have surprised us again with a very raw and intriguing album, ‘Arctic Thunder’. Self-produced and recorded in the so-called ‘The Bomb Shelter’, the old rehearsal studio used in 1988 for ‘A New Dimension’ and few other demos, a fact that lead most of the audience to think the band are … Read More

Transylvanians Negura Bunget have tried their luck again with a two-letter album, ‘Zi’ (meaning “Day”) but this time there’s no immediate hit like their 2006 release ‘Om’ (“Human”). The second part of their not-yet completed trilogy, ‘Zi’ is a decent, easy to digest folk/atmospheric black metal release, coming after a not so … Read More

Not by far as good technically as ‘By Inheritance’(1990) and not as raw and creative as ‘Fear Of Tomorrow’(1985), the new Artillery album, ‘Penalty By Perception’ is though, noticeably better than the dull and over-produced previous ‘Legions’(2013) which did not fit in the band usual formula.

What is still keeping the band … Read More