Gritty progressive metal with passion, heft, and a few wrinkles! Humanity struggles with change, and metalheads are at the forefront. Your favorite band puts out a new album, and it is a stark difference from previous output, and suddenly you are decrying their integrity. It happens in all genres, but it seems to result in […]
Soen / Reliance – Album Review Read More »
Melody, power, and speed collide to tell an epic hero’s story! Greek power / speed metal band Valiant Sentinel was a new band to me, and though they have been around since 2018, they just recently released their second album, “Neverealm.” The themes are mythical and medieval, transporting you to a fantasy world where heroes
Valiant Sentinel / Neverealm – Album Review Read More »
Impressive power doom that is crushing and bombastic! I don’t often consume doom, but when I do, I prefer…. Wait, this isn’t a beer commercial, and “the most interesting man in the world” doesn’t strike me as a doom connoisseur. However, it is true that I don’t gravitate toward doom as much as other genres,
Exxûl – Sealed into None – Album Review Read More »
A progressive metal opus spanning varied influences with a strong melodic and heavy delivery! I stumbled upon Swedish progressive metal band Servitude and their brand new full length “Smoke & Mirrors,” independently released earlier in January. I was not familiar with the band at all, but they apparently released 5 singles in 2020 and 2021,
Servitude / Smoke & Mirrors – Album Review Read More »
Frosty post metal from the frozen tundra of…Rochester, NY! Pâro hails from Rochester, New York, but I would have thought they were from the frozen lands of Scandinavia after an initial listen. Post metal is a genre that always intrigues me but, like many genres these days, isn’t necessarily prescriptive enough on what to actually
Pâro – Sketches of an Unseen Realm – Album Review Read More »
Atmospheric progressive death metal that envelopes and pulverizes! If you have read enough of my reviews, you know I have an extra soft spot for extreme progressive metal. There has been a lot of goodness in this genre to come out the past couple years, including favorites like the return of Anciients, An Abstract Illusion, In
Denominate / Restoration – Album Review Read More »
Escape reality with Italian prog power goodness! Italy is synonomous with a lot of things, and one of those is power and progressive metal. It never ceases to amaze me the sheer number of quality bands and releases that have their roots in Italy. Such is the case with Italian progressive/power metal band Walls of
Walls of Babylon / Aeons Apart – Album Review Read More »
Post rock, screamo, progressive blackgaze, and more! Dawn of Ouroboros is a band I love, and they kicked off 2026 with a short West Coast tour with the bands Sadness and Life. I have no idea whether it was intentional or not, but at least in my head I have fabricated that this tour was
Notable metal albums from 2025 that are required listening I love seeing end of year lists and am always fascinated to see how different they are from person to person, molded by what they gravitate to and what resonates. I have definitely broadened the genres and bands I listen to, but I still bias toward
My Top Metal albums for 2025: Top 25 full lengths, Top 2 EPs, 16 more to check out Read More »
My 2024 metal album of the year. Absolutely stunning symphonic metal that cannot be confined! I have been anticipating the new release from Boston area symphonic metal band Seven Spires for quite some time. “A Fortress Called Home” dropped this past Friday, and I wasn’t sure what to expect, even after reviewing the first 2
Seven Spires / A Fortress Called Home – Album Review Read More »
