Album Review: 1349 - The Wolf And The King
1349 are a band who have the soul intention and vision to maintain the legacy of black metal and their
Check out our records of the week from Friday, September 20th's new releases. Let us know your favourite releases from this week.
Nightwish - Yesterwynde
Genre: Symphonic Metal
FFO: Epica, Xandria, Within Temptation, After Forever
Rating: 7/10
Grandiose fantasy and gothic tales presented in a tightly wrapped gift of soaring riffs, melodically rich symphonies, dynamic keys and powerful story-telling. Nightwish have always been the masters of dark yet enticing pomp and pageantry and the vast saga that is Yesterwynde is no exception. Not only do you have an album full of symphonic goodness but the whole thing repeats itself again with an orchestral version which is just a magical experience within itself.
Coffin Rot - Dreams Of The Disturbed
Genre: Death Metal
FFO: Necrot, Autopsy, early Cannibal Corpse, Skeletal Remains.
Rating: 8/10
Old school death metal inspired by all things gore, horror, serial killers and torture. A severe assault on the senses of straight up, no nonsense, absolutely brutal death metal. This record goes hard from start to finish and does not lift its boot from your neck whatsoever. Flurries of furious riffage, insane blast-beats, screaming guitar solos, chugging basslines, pitch harmonics and vocals that howl and growl from the depths of hell. Alternating between furious, fast paced insanity and mid-tempo groove stomps, this is nasty death metal at its finest that will bludgeon you to death for just over 30 minutes. Lovely stuff.
Unto Others - Never, Neverland
Genre: Heavy Metal/Goth Rock
FFO: Tribulation, Type O Negative, Danzig, The Cure
Rating: 9/10
Portland Goth/Heavy Metal quartet Unto Others burst into the scene back in 2018 and have reliably produced stunning records ever since. Their third album Never, Neverland is no exception to this whatsoever. Gritty, addictive, soaring, velvety smooth and emotional with huge influences from the goth rock scene combined with heavy metal and a slight sprinkling of punk. Truly a homage to the glory days of 80s/90s goth rock but with the guitars and energy of heavy metal. Dynamic riffs and flying solos, gloriously rhythmical drums and intoxicating clean and gloomy yet impassioned vocals.
Vended - Vended
Genre: Modern Metal
FFO: Slipknot, Whitechapel, Brand Of Sacrifice, Slaughter To Prevail, Left To Suffer
Rating: 8/10
Lets get straight to the point with this record, it's pretty much impossible not to compare it to at least early Slipknot no matter how hard you try and to be honest, that 's not necessarily a bad thing. Considering this band is born of the progeny of some of Slipknot's core members, their sound is very similar to Slipknot's heyday but with a modern approach and a new sense of energy, rage and vigour. This hits hard and although there are heavy Slipknot elements to it, Vended have done a fantastic job of pulling away from that association and forging their own path; further emphasised by the fact that this is an independent release. Catchy hooks, crushing guitars, thunderous drums and ferocious energy, this highly anticipated debut has not disappointed.
Check out our full and detailed album review of Vended's self-titled debut HERE.
Krilloan - Return Of The Heralds
Genre: Heavy Power Metal
FFO: Judas Priest, Blind Guardian, HammerFall, Helloween, Lost Horizon, Evertale
Rating: 7/10
Huge catchy hooks, dynamic layers of melody and power and rousing atmosphere complete with intricate riffs, soaring guitar solos, rampaging drums, chugging basslines and powerfully energetic clean vocals which echo and fly. The focus is to hook you in with heavy grooves and addictive rhythms. The record also features special guests from Evermore and Battleborn to add to the mix. An epic journey of adventure and dramatic storytelling; a worthy addition to any power metal collection.
Check out our full and detailed album review of Krilloan's Return Of The Heralds HERE.
Mork - Syv
Genre: Black Metal
FFO: Darkthrone, Mayhem, Immortal, Taake
Rating: 7/10
Ominous and raw black metal bathed in the dim light of melancholy and savage melody. Dark, bleak and foreboding with progressive elements intertwining the dense atmosphere on a heavy foundation of black metal riffage, blistering blast-beats and rasping vocals. A soundscape depicting mortality and the human experience which is both intoxicatingly brutal and gorgeously morose.
Check out our full and detailed album review of Mork's Syv HERE.
Kingdom Of Giants - Bleeding Star
Genre: Melodic Metalcore
FFO: Currents, Polaris, Alpha Wolf
Rating: 9/10
Rasping harsh vocals and melodically rich clean vocals lead the charge on this record. A great focus on synth and keyboard elements alongside the thunderous drums and heavy guitars create a dynamic, electronic dimension complete with devastating breakdowns and alternating time signatures. This record has a darkness enshrouded amongst the crushing heaviness and catchy hooks.
Check out our full and detailed review of Kingdom Of Giant's Bleeding Star HERE.
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