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From an East Coast Australian perspective, the West Australian metal scene is quite mysterious. We hear of all these quality metal bands and great underground support from metal heads around the city. But what no one has ever told us that they have Vikings! Word about this Viking assembly, known under the guise of Claim the Throne, has made its way to me, and now an album too, so let’s find out what are they like… Musically what we have is unashamed inspiration ... Read More

The Australian metal scene isn’t somewhere you often find bands based around Norse mythology, nor bands who focus on nature-inspired atmospherics and long neofolk passages. That’s the main reason why Sydney’s Ironwood have shocked me so much here. This debut release has some of the most authentic sounding material I’ve heard from the genre. The basis of the band is nothing overly unique – a mixture of slow, folky acoustic passages and much harsher black metal sections. It’s the combination of the ... Read More

When the word Monolith comes to mind, you automatically think of a dominating mountainside which both intimidates and consumes the people below. The same context can also be used to describe the sound and velocity of the band with the same name, yet spelled Monoliyth. Monoliyth are a relatively new band to the local metal scene, yet have had pretty steady success with past EPs and local gigs throughout the Melbourne area, more so with the familiarity of former members being in the ... Read More

If you haven’t already figured it out from the band name and album cover, Sydney’s Buried In Verona are your standard blend of metalcore, hardcore and melodic metal. There’s nothing new or overly exciting here, but it’s not the worst around either. Everything is as you would expect from the genre tag, from the melodic breakdowns to the mix of screaming and clean vocals. There is no deviation from the usual formula here and I’m struggling to listen to more than a ... Read More

Eagles of Death Metal's latest offering, Heart On, gives us pretty much what you'd expect from the boys. You know its not something to listen to provoke thought.. its something you wanna listen to to increase your chances of getting laid. It helps if you have a lady near by mind you.. as this is the music you'll listen to to get in the mood for lovin. Josh Homme (Queens of the stone age) and his handlebar mustachioed friend Jesse Hughes have written ... Read More

One-way Mirror is yet another supergroup to come about, featuring members of Mnemic (singer: Guillaume Bideau), Soilwork (drummer: Dirk Verbeuren), Scarve (Bass: Loic Colin), and Lynzanxia (guitars: David and Franck Potvin). So from reading that first sentence you'll probably already have your mind set on what this band will sound like. Well, lets take a look to see just how right you are. First off, One-Way Mirror does sound like a mix of the bands the members have come from, but a slightly ... Read More

‘Hear No Evil’ is blatant proof that Sydney’s Lord are only getting better. It’s as simple as that. The band’s debut release ‘Ascendence’ (yes, ‘A Personal Journey’ may have the same band title, but it was a different band as far as I am concerned) was absolutely spectacular and more consistent than anything released under the Dungeon name, which is certainly saying something! I was sceptic but hopeful that the up and coming album is to be yet another step upwards, but ... Read More

When I first heard Yngwie J. Malmsteen was going to release another album after his last borderline attempt, 'Unleash the Fury' I wasn't that overly excited since it seemed he was losing his touch, then again many people would say he lost his touch after the initial hype of the 'Rising Force' days back in the 1980's. For the many people who don't know of Malmsteen's work, he is a pioneer of the guitar world who played a large role in the 1980's ... Read More

A 7th studio album, publicity galore, excess marketing…even bobble heads. I guess that normally for this situation the term ‘sell-out’ would come to mind quite easily. I’ll admit, as a diehard listener of Swedish band Amon Amarth for years and years, the sell-out bug did enter my mind for moments in the lead up to obtaining my shiny new digipack version of Twilight of the Thunder God, released 2008 through Metal Blade (Stomp in Australia). Thankfully, I can gladly and proudly report ... Read More

The Amenta are brutal as fuck. Fact. Their debut album – Occasus – which gave us a destructive introduction to the bands electronically industrial death metal, was hailed from both at home in Sydney and Australia, along with fans right around the heavy metal world. Deservedly so it must be said. The question however, as with any band whose first album is hailed such, is can they follow it up? And after four long years, it is now time for The Amenta ... Read More

Too often ‘technical death metal’ is severely lacking in the heaviness department. I’ve probably said that time and time again in past reviews, but it’s true, and is often the defining factor in whether I enjoy the band in question or not. Remove the heavy, neck-breaking sound of a death metal band and what you have left is a sterile collection of riffs and somewhat awkward tunes. Thankfully, not an issue here. I can’t pick what it is, it could simply be ... Read More

After 'Vol. 3' came out with a more commercial sound, and having another Stone Sour album sandwiched between Slipknot releases, no one was really sure what to expect from 'All Hope Is Gone' and which direction the band would take their music in. Roadrunner heavily publicised the album starting 5 months before its release date, with their website showing little teasers to promote the album, showing just how big this release is for them. The album kicks off with '.execute.', an intro to the ... Read More

Gamma Ray have been around for a long time, some might call them kings of their domain, especially considering Kai Hansen is their front man, the man who inspired and practically pioneered power metal with the Clasic Helloween Albums "keeper of the Seven Keys" Parts I and II. And with a title like "land of the free II" they're giving themselves big shoes to fill, to come up with a follow up capable of being in leauge with 1995's incredible Land of ... Read More

Now, I’m going to put this bluntly, I’m not generally a fan of gothic metal/rock. I find the majority to be quite dull and severely lacking in any power or emotion. Apart from a few highlights, I find Temujin’s debut full-length, “1000 Tears”, follows that trend. However that’s of course just personal taste, as far as the writing and execution, this two-piece is just as solid as most others within the genre. “1000 Tears” is essentially a play-by-numbers album. The band sticks to ... Read More

This CD is Modern Death Metal or Metalcore if you which to image-type. I think the main reason people ‘image-type’ bands into the metalcore genre is because of the vocals. However, it is in the vocals in this band – Beneath The Sky from the US - where the variety in the band lies. Rather than generic mono-tonal disease that’s been hanging around the genre for a while now, Beneath the Sky switch in and out between aggressive thrash vocals, clean singing, black ... Read More

Here is a review of ‘The Euphony Fusion II‘ - a free Australian Metal Compilation created by Welkin Entertainment. A limited number of copies are available for free outside the venue at the conclusion of all MESHUGGAH AUSTRALIAN TOUR dates. Distribution gigs: Meshuggah - Sun 12th Oct @ Arena, Brisbane Meshuggah - Mon 13th Oct @ Roundhouse, Sydney Meshuggah - Tue 14th Oct @ HQ, Adelaide Meshuggah - Wed 15th Oct @ Palace Theatre, Melbourne Meshuggah - Thu 16th Oct @ Capitol, Perth Separatist (Tas) – The Harvest If we ... Read More

Trivium have always been at the forefront creating and ever expanding the multidimensional layers of the new wave of American heavy metal with each of their releases. Their latest impression into the metal scene "Shogun", sees the band evolve furthermore from past releases and clearly shows them trying bold news things. The album is heavily based on ancient Japanese culture and mythology, but also incorporating a hint of Greek mythology for good measure. Matt Heafy's strong sense of Japanese culture is quite ... Read More

For any fans of Californian band, The Human Abstract, I should start by saying that they lost their lead guitarist and founding member prior to 'Midheaven'. They have taken the recording of ‘Midheaven’ in a new direction to their debut, which appears to have really divided old fans. I mention this now - think of it as a disclaimer of sorts - as I had never heard of the band prior to this, so I can’t compare how this sits to their ... Read More