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ThisIsNotAScene’s Ones To Watch Out For In 2012

ThisIsNotAScene’s Ones To Watch Out For In 2012

Posted on January 31, 2012 | No Comments

2011 was a year that saw many impressive returns, an abundance in high quality releases and a strong arrival of new bands that made the metal world take notice. There were also plenty of excellent bands that did not quite find the moment to capture...

Charred Walls Of The Damned – Cold Winds On Timeless Days

Charred Walls Of The Damned – Cold Winds On Timeless Days

Posted on January 28, 2012 | No Comments

Nowadays, Richard Christy is mostly known for being one of the hosts on the Howard Stern show, but there was a time when he bashed the skins for Death, Control Denied and Iced Earth. He does like to keep his drumming chops in shape with...

Biohazard – Reborn In Defiance

Biohazard – Reborn In Defiance

Posted on January 28, 2012 | No Comments

Biohazard‘s “Reborn in Defiance” was released by Nuclear Blast on 20 January 2012. It was a shot heard around the world! I can not tell a lie, I am a long time Biohazard fan, I’ve even braved the New York subway system to see them...

Painted Black – Cold Comfort

Painted Black – Cold Comfort

Posted on January 17, 2012 | No Comments

Painted Black‘s “Cold Comfort” is an intriguing album. It’s dark and brooding, even channelling Fields of the Nephilim in places. The opening track ‘Via Dolorosa’ is a 9 minute opus. It’s spoken word over classics 80′s new wave music, interspersed with a haunting female voice,...

Zaar – Abkehr

Posted on January 11, 2012 | No Comments

The bio of German band Zaar states: “We’re a collective of three musicians who are obsessed by music and art. The interest for all kinds of music, art in general and passions has led us to a project that is full of eagerness to experiment...

Hawk Eyes – Mindhammers EP

Hawk Eyes – Mindhammers EP

Posted on January 9, 2012 | No Comments

If you’re an avid fan of the underground metal scene, you must have noticed that hardcore has made its long-awaited comeback. Covered in spit, sweat and blood, hardcore bands and their followers have been getting louder and louder in the dark and dingy gig holes...

Rage – 21

Posted on January 4, 2012 | No Comments

After 28 long years, Rage still delivers. “21″, which, incidentally , is their twenty-first album, is hella sweet! The disk drops February 24 on Nuclear Blast GmbH. This talented trio consists of Peter Wagner on bass and vocals, Victor Smolski on guitar, and Andre Hilgers...

Wolfsbane – Wolfsbane Save The World

Wolfsbane – Wolfsbane Save The World

Posted on January 3, 2012 | No Comments

We’ve had to wait nearly two bloody decades for this album from the original “Tamworth Terrors”, and now it’s dropped, we have realised that Wolfsbane have delivered a masterstroke of true “Super Villain” proportions. The title of the album is a ruse; Wolfsbane are not...

Veteran Metallers Malice Sign To Steamhammer

Veteran Metallers Malice Sign To Steamhammer

Posted on December 29, 2011 | No Comments

Reunited Los Angeles heavy metal legends Malice have signed to SPV/Steamhammer, with a new album due early in 2012. The re-constituted band is made up of three original members — guitarists Mick Zane and Jay Reynolds and bassist Mark Behn— alongside former Michael Schenker Group...

Serious Beak – Huxwhukw

Serious Beak – Huxwhukw

Posted on December 29, 2011 | 1 Comment

As one who is generally not eager towards instrumental releases “Huxwhukw” from Australian avant garde metallers Serious Beak is a thoroughly impressive display of creativity and intensive sounds to excite and inflame the senses. “Huxwhukw” is a stunning blistering explosion of unpredictable unique metallic and...

Spires, Incassum & Sworn To Oath At Manchester Alter Ego

Spires, Incassum & Sworn To Oath At Manchester Alter Ego

Posted on December 18, 2011 | No Comments

There is something in the Manchester Metal scene that it is becoming something quite special. This tour has been gaining impressive reviews and slowly building their reputations from separate ends of the metal spectrum, the Manchester duo Incassum and Spires were set and rearing to...

STEMM – Crossroads

STEMM – Crossroads

Posted on December 3, 2011 | No Comments

“Crossroads” is the follow up release to the acclaimed “Blood Scent”. For those of you who don’t know STEMM they formed around 1998 with vocalist and guitarist, Joe Carafella, being the only constant member. They are most noted for their close work with the UFC...

HateSphere – The Great Bludgeoning

HateSphere – The Great Bludgeoning

Posted on December 1, 2011 | No Comments

Sometimes people whinge that metal is dead or that there is no good music out there. They just don’t know where to look. HateSphere blasted out of Denmark about ten years ago and is finally making a splash in the United States. Boy, the USA...

Mötley Crüe – Greatest Hits

Mötley Crüe – Greatest Hits

Posted on November 28, 2011 | No Comments

I think it was the razor tongued bass player of Welsh chart botherers, the Manic Street Preachers, Nicky Wire who summed it up best. “In Wales, we have an 11th commandment” he once said. “It is “Thou art Welsh, though shalt like Mötley Crüe.“” Seen...

Korn – The Path Of Totality

Korn – The Path Of Totality

Posted on November 28, 2011 | 2 Comments

There’s no middle ground when it comes to Korn really. It’s agreed across the board as to how pioneering they were in launching the whole nu-metal movement, and how awesome their arrival was on the metal scene; with their ‘laggy band strings and really plundering...

Exit Ten – Give Me Infinity

Exit Ten – Give Me Infinity

Posted on November 27, 2011 | 1 Comment

“Give Me Infinity” is the second album from Reading’s Exit Ten, who are a British rock/metal band, which is kind of refreshing in this world of a million and one genres. Interestingly, they feature a singer who sings. Although I’m quite happy with cookie monster...

We Are Killing Ourselves – The Road Of Awareness

We Are Killing Ourselves – The Road Of Awareness

Posted on November 25, 2011 | No Comments

Portuguese metallers We Are Killing Ourselves has not only returned with their second album “The Road Of Awareness”, they have also set a new standard by unleashing one of the years most impressive and senses stretching releases. There have been a fair amount of satisfying...

Whitechapel – Recorrupted EP

Whitechapel – Recorrupted EP

Posted on November 23, 2011 | No Comments

My case with Whitechapel is that they are one of those bands that i hear good things about, like what I’ve heard, yet I never get around to giving them a proper amount of attention, so this EP has made a nice little introduction for me. The...

Five Finger Death Punch – American Capitalist

Five Finger Death Punch – American Capitalist

Posted on November 17, 2011 | No Comments

“American Capitalist,” the third and new album from the mighty metallers Five Finger Death Punch is all you expected it to be, a monster release rippling with the trademark 5FDP sound; angry, aggressive and with the intensity the world buckled under with their previous releases....

Black Tusk – Set The Dial

Black Tusk – Set The Dial

Posted on November 14, 2011 | No Comments

Following on from their 2010 release “Taste the Sin” Georgia metallers Black Tusk return with more of their formidable metal, thrash and hardcore punk sounds in the blistering shape of fourth album “Set The Dial”, the Savannah trio once more exploding with thumping direct riffs...