Back catalogue: Metal

Review: With the latest release of 2024's triumphant Les Chants de l'Aurore, label Nuclear Blast have opted to reissue the 2019 predecessor project from French post-black metal/blackgaze pioneers Alcest. Spiritual Instinct initially marked only the second time the band's live bassist Indria Saray had performed on record following on from his in-studio inclusion on 2016's Kodama, while musically, the material is noted for continuing to restore some of the previously eschewed metallic malevolence absent from their previous efforts. This restoration reembraces cataclysmic blastbeats and despair-laden vocal shrieks yet reliably subdued, compressed and drowned under swathes of shoegaze haze and bombastic yet lilting crescendos. In short, no one makes black metal sound as pretty as the French.

Review: This is a limited edition black and yellow marbled vinyl version of Alcest's Les Chants de L'Aurore". In the midst of a bewildering world, the album emerged as a beacon of transformative power. Hailing from Bagnols-sur-Ceze, and led by Neige, the group defy heavy music norms as they famously blend darkness with radiant light. Since their groundbreaking debut in 2007, they've reshaped the metal scene, infusing beauty and melody with extreme metal's intensity and their latest release again offers hope and renewal. Recorded intimately yet expansively, it reinvents their sound with newfound depth and sophistication. Neige's ethereal melodies counteract darkness with positivity, offering a sanctuary of blissful beauty. All in all, this record marks a poignant evolution in Alcest's journey as it resonates with both charm and conviction.

Review: Anthrax unleash their ferocious energy on this 2016 album, their first with lead guitarist Jon Donais. The iconic thrash metal outfitifeaturing Joey Belladonna, Scott Ian, Frank Bello and Charlie Benanteidelivers a potent blend of untamed aggression and melodic hooks. Recorded with longtime producer Jay Ruston, the 11 tracks offer a powerful and socially conscious take on heavy metal, tackling themes of religious fanaticism and personal responsibility. Singles like 'Evil Twin' and 'Breathing Lightning' showcase the band's signature sound: a relentless barrage of riffs, thunderous drums and Belladonna's soaring vocals.

Review: Originally released in 2003, We've Come For You All would serve as the much-lauded ninth full-length from one of the Big 4 of thrash metal, New York City's Anthrax. The first work from the band to feature Rob Caggiano on lead guitar while being their final effort with vocalist John Bush following his tenure throughout the 90s on Sound Of White Noise (1993), Stomp 442 (1995) and Volume 8: The Threat Is Real (1998), the material came after a brief self-imposed hiatus that saw the band reroute their course with a unique amalgam of groove-oriented, alternative hard rock injected into their frenetic signature thrash formula. Adored by fans as a welcome return to form, the album also boasted some varied pedigree with regards to guest features, including Roger Daltrey of The Who lending his vocals to 'Taking The Music Back', while Anthony Martini of New Jersey hardcore heroes E-Town Concrete would appear on 'Refuse To Be Denied', yet it's the inclusion of the late, great Pantera axeman Dimebag Darrell (only one year before his tragic and untimely passing) on 'Cadillac Rock Box' and 'Strap It On' that have both become metal legacy pieces in their own right.

Review: Anthrax's Sound of White Noise marked a pivotal shift in the band's sound and lineup. Released in 1993 and with new vocalist John Bush, formerly of Armored Saint, Anthrax infused their thrash metal roots with grunge and alternative rock influences. The album, produced by Dave Jerden, features standout tracks like 'Only' and 'Black Lodge,' showcasing a darker, more mature tone. Sound of White Noise received critical acclaim for its innovation and depth, and achieved commercial success by peaking at number seven on the Billboard 200. This album remains a significant entry in Anthrax's discography and one that symbolises their evolution and adaptability in the 90s metal scene.

Review: Following on from the blistering re-recorded versions of Sepultura's debut EP Bestial Devastation, and album Morbid Visions originally released in 1985/86, the rebranded Cavalera Conspiracy project boasting both brothers Max and Igor (now going by Cavalera), double down with a newly recorded re-release of their seminal 1987 sophomore effort Schizophrenia. Noted as the first work to begin embracing their more prominent thrash meets melodic death metal style, while eschewing the blackened Celtic Frost worship of their earlier material, this is the album where Sepultura first discovered their own true sonic identity removed from their bevvy of influences. Refined, feral and rebuilt from the ground up with a polish that provides clarity yet doesn't detract from the danker qualities of the original recordings, Cavalera continue their quest to reclaim their Sepultura output, seemingly one title at a time.

Review: Released in 2015, Hammer of the Witches marked a return to form for extreme metal and gothic horror favs Cradle of Filth with its intricate compositions and darkly poetic lyrics. Frontman Dani Filth's distinctive vocals drive the narrative as he explores the usual themes of witchcraft and persecution. The album features blistering guitar work, symphonic elements, and relentless drumming that together create a haunting and aggressive soundscape. Almost a decade on, Hammer of the Witches still stands as a powerful testament to Cradle of Filth's ability to evolve while staying true to their dark, theatrical roots.

Review: Originally released in 1991, the debut full-length from Swedish death metal entity Dismember has gone on to be considered one of the most crucial early documents of the Scandinavian scene. Coming at a time where the American wave of acts such as Cannibal Corpse were slowly beginning to form their gory brutal vision, and differentiating itself with a more cosmic and fluid approach, the LP was long locked in label limbo before an overdue repress could finally materialise courtesy of Nuclear Blast. With many often mentioning the band and project in tandem with acts such as Entombed, it's worth noting that their at the time drummer Nicke Anderson handled almost all lead guitar duties for the Dismember debut.

Review: Phoenix, Arizona based modern death metal brutalists Gatecreeper return with their highly anticipated third full-length Dark Superstition. The first album from the band since 2019's Deserted showcases an embracing of both the hyper-violent grindcore-indebted cuts from their 2021 mini-LP/EP An Unexpected Reality, as well as the brooding doom-metal opus 'Emptiness' that bookended the project. Recorded at God City Studios with Converge guitarist and iconic producer Kurt Ballou, while citing influences from melodic death and gothic metal acts such as In Flames, Paradise Lost, My Dying Bride and Anathema, the long gestation period has resulted in the band's most sonically sprawling work to date. Newly signed to Nuclear Blast, the decrepit stage appears to be set for Gatecreeper to finally seize all of their bubbling potential by the horns and throat. Mark our words when we say Dark Superstition will be one of the definitive extreme metal contributions of 2024.

Review: .After Swedish psychedelia worshipping, garage-tinged hard rock heroes The Hellacopters returned to the stage for an apparent one-off performance in 2016, they simply couldn't put the project back to bed. Releasing their follow up to 2008's at the time farewell covers album Head Off in 2022; Eyes Of Oblivion was a groove-laden return to form, restoring the band's knack for earworm hooks delivered with authentically retro riffage. What many might forget is that mastermind Nicke Andersson cut his teeth as the drummer and primary songwriter for death metal pioneers Entombed before ultimately departing, looking to the melodies of his youth in search of creative fulfilment. Now with Overdriver, the second LP of The Hellacopters reunion era, Andersson pushes further back beyond the local and global psychedelic acts of his previous primary inspiration (many of whom were covered on the aforementioned Head Off) and looks to the blueprints of T. Rex and early Elton John to help craft a collection of vintage-seeming hard rock anthems, as playful as they are poignant and respectful. One listen to 'Soldier On' and you'll be convinced you heard your dad blaring it in the car when you were but a young'en.

Review: Swedish garage-tinged hard rock heroes The Hellacopters, made the mother of all comebacks with 2022's sonic refusal to stagnate on Eyes Of Oblivion, which served as their first full-length since 2008's original "farewell" covers project Head Off. Following a return to the stage in 2016, it appears that wasn't enough to satiate the creative appetite of mastermind Nicke Andersson, a pioneering force who started out as the drummer for legendary death metal outfit Entombed before allowing his side-project to engulf all of his prowess and energy. Being one of the band's primary songwriters and then subsequently freed from their aggressive constraints allowed Andersson to explore his own designs, now with the arrival of Overdriver, we hear a seasoned veteran refusing to be boxed in again by his own earlier psychedelic output by boldly embracing the vintage classic rock of his youth. Bombastic riffs, earworm hooks and the antithesis of shying away from melody culminate in a latter day work boasting anthems such as 'Soldier On' which genuinely sound like if Elton John in his peak years traded his piano for a fuzzed out axe of a guitar.

Review: While Swedish garage-tinged hard rock heroes The Hellacopters made their bombastic return with 2022's excellent Eyes Of Oblivion; their 2008 predecessor Head Off was originally envisioned as the band's swansong project. With that creative headspace in mind, the group opted to (try and) go out on a tributary whim with an album consisting entirely of covers of personal favourite cuts from acts they felt were deserving of far more praise, adoration and discovery. Boasting an eclectic mix of renditions from garage-punk outfits from their home of Sweden such as Demons, to seminal American fuzzed out troubadours like New Bomb Turks, Dead Moon, and The Bellrays, to name just a small portion, the LP serves as a celebration of all things garage, punk, fuzz and rock, often in the same sonic breath, from a band who at the time of recording felt they had nothing more creative to say. As time has shown just how wrong they were, what better time to revisit this farewell-turned-covers LP which receives a lush new repress from their recently found label-home Nuclear Blast.

Review: The sixth full-length from Richmond, Virginia groove metal beasts Lamb Of God (seventh if you count the self-titled Burn The Priest debut) arrived in 2012, three long years removed from 2009's raw cementing of their legacy on Wrath. Reuniting with producer Josh Wilbur, the resulting Resolution would simultaneously boast some of the heaviest yet most progressive output from the band to date, with cuts such as album highlight 'Ghost Walking' exuding melancholic acoustic passages marking a subdued embracing of more leftfield influences. Leave no doubt, however, these solitary ebbs give way to avalanche flows of bombastic grooves and heaving riffage on severely pummelling bangers such as 'Desolation' and 'Barbarosa', resulting in yet another reliably venomous yet sonically braver effort from the metallic stalwarts.

Review: German born Johanna Platow Andersson aka Johanna Sadonis returns with the aptly titled fifth full-length from her Sweden-based retro heavy rock project Lucifer. Written and recorded in collaboration with her long-time bandmate and husband Nicke Andersson (vocalist/guitarist for hard rock Swedes The Hellacopters and drummer for legendary death metal entity Entombed), V continues the band's unique coalescence of accessible, grooving AOR emboldened by elements of classic doom metal and proto-psych. Complete with macabre, gothic lyrics delivered with Platow's incomparable, sultry, almost Wiccan cadence, the project offers a hypnotic dirge of horror delivered with a gentle hand.

Review: Unatoned (stylized as UNATONED) serves as the 11th full-length from Oakland, California groove metal titans Machine Head and marks their first effort to feature drummer Matt Alston and lead guitarist Reece Scruggs (with the latter replacing Decapitated axeman Wac?aw Kie?tyka aka Vogg who worked with the band on 2022's Of Kingdom & Crown). First announced through lead single 'These Scars Won't Define Us'; a self-described "Wu Tang Clan-level thrash collaboration" featuring guest vocals from members of In Flames, Lacuna Coil and Unearth, who will all support the band across their 2025 North American tour in support of the project, the addition of secondary single 'Unbound' showcases mastermind Rob Flynn's knack for marrying venomous heft to anthemic structures, whilst the air of brevity compared to some of their previously far lengthier compositions is indicative of a much more instantaneous sonic delivery (or gut-punch) this time around.

Review: The somewhat surprising return and attempt at redemption from the industrial metal shock-rocker Marilyn Manson has been a bold pill to swallow, with the once iconic provocateur seeking to avoid the many allegations and numerous controversies he has garnered over the last decade. Attending rehab and becoming fully sober over the past few years has seen dramatic weight loss, a notably more lowkey public demeanour and a newly signed record deal with Nuclear Blast (having been dropped by Loma Vista not long after 2020's We Are Chaos) turn a few heads, simultaneously cautious and curious as to the authenticity of this humble arc. With lawsuits recently thrown out, the court of public opinion appears to be the only form of due process that shall occur, leaving it to individual listeners to make up their mind as to the merit of the artist as a person. As to the art itself, One Assassination Under God: Chapter 1 is the 12th album to adorn the name Marilyn Manson, and it's his best since 2000's Holy Wood. Tapping Chelsea Wolfe collaborator/producer Tyler Bates to oversee the entire project has helped to create a generational bridge between how out of sync Manson himself had become with his own artistic strengths and audience desire, and Bates' insider knowledge as a younger fan first, collaborator second. Together they rediscover the core industrialist menace, gothic romanticism and hedonistic nihilism that kept listeners hooked after the initial shock of aesthetic would cease, but for the first time in decades, it feels earnest and earned rather than forced. Boasting Antichrist Superstar style buzzsaw synths and chug-heavy breakdowns on cuts such as 'Nod If You Understand', while the self-deprecating admission of using drugs to hide behind monstrous flaws on the gloomy balladry of 'As Sick As The Secrets Within' harks back to the most fragile moments of Mechanical Albums. Be it a cynical cashgrab or attempt to regain fan adoration, or the genuine musings of a tortured artist finally learning to face his own demons head on, there's simply no denying that this is Manson at his most potent, intimate and focused, begging the question of how different of a career trajectory and latter day output might we have had if the man had learned to look inward long before hitting the bottom.

Review: Returning with his first full-length since 2020's David Bowie-indebted We Are Chaos, while more notably marking the industrial metal goth icon's return to the spotlight following a series of troubling allegations that seemingly appear to now hang in limbo, One Assassination Under God: Chapter 1 shall serve as the 12th full-length studio endeavour from Marilyn Manson. Co-produced with frequent Chelsea Wolfe collaborator and film scorer Tyler Bates, the material boasts some of the most synth-laden, new wave winking and direct metallic rock bangers the mercurial yet questionable figure has dropped in almost two decades, making for a sonic victory lap of sorts as Manson attempts to rebuild his brand and aesthetic.

Review: 'Unfurling' their 15th album - a stonking discographic achievement - My Dying Bride's A Mortal Binding is brought to our attention. The Yorkshire-based quintet deliver this incendiary sonic meditation on loss, distress, and abyssal horror with glee, eliding gothic and apocalyptic themes while playing on bleak aspects of the band members' personal lives, sublimated through wicked doom metal. 'Thornwyck Hymn', 'Her Dominion' and 'The Apocalyptist' betray a belief that one can master the end of times - whatever form they may take - and use them to one's own advantage: such is the implied message.

Review: 2024 saw the return of easily the biggest powerviolence act to ever decimate speakers and human hearing - Nails, who picked up right where they left off with their ferocious fourth full-length Every Bridge Burning, marking their first new album in almost a decade. Despite rave reviews, many of the fanbase argue that its 2016 predecessor You Will Never Be One Of Us is still the band's finest achievement of musical malevolence to date. Their final effort with the original trio line-up of bassist John Gianelli and drummer Taylor Young before both would amicably depart in 2020, these 21 minutes of sonic abrasion (still their longest LP) deliver on everything the Nails ethos stands for - frenetic riffage, crushing breakdowns, hulking grooves and a breakneck pace libel to instil panic attacks, while primary songwriter Todd Jones' nihilistic viewpoint and seemingly anti-everything attitude is barely decipherable through his mouth-full-of-broken-glass vocals. Be warned, however, each and every micro-burst of fury such as the 45-second 'Friend To All' is paid back by the end with the heinously oppressive noise-sludge-doom monolithic closer that is the 8-minute 'They Come Crawling Back'.

Review: ***B-STOCK: Sleeve damaged, warped records***


Arriving as the tenth full-length LP from the Finnish symphonic metal pioneers Nightwish, Yesterwynde shall serve as the third and final instalment of the trilogy of albums they've crafted with current vocalist Floor Jansen, since the departure of her predecessor Anette Olzon. Following on from Endless Forms Most Beautiful (2015) and Human. :II: Nature (2020), as well as Jansen's pop ballad LP Paragon released in 2023, the project promises to boast some of their heaviest and complex compositions to date, while also marking their first without bassist/vocalist Marko Hietala since Century Child (2002), as he would depart the band in 2021. With a self-imposed hiatus planned following release, and no tour dates to speak of, Yesterwynde appears set to provide avid followers with a calculated bookend to their latest era, designed and destined to be poured over and absorbed throughout the coming silence.

Review: Arriving as the tenth full-length LP from the Finnish symphonic metal pioneers Nightwish, Yesterwynde shall serve as the third and final instalment of the trilogy of albums they've crafted with current vocalist Floor Jansen, since the departure of her predecessor Anette Olzon. Following on from Endless Forms Most Beautiful (2015) and Human. :II: Nature (2020), as well as Jansen's pop ballad LP Paragon released in 2023, the project promises to boast some of their heaviest and complex compositions to date, while also marking their first without bassist/vocalist Marko Hietala since Century Child (2002), as he would depart the band in 2021. With a self-imposed hiatus planned following release, and no tour dates to speak of, Yesterwynde appears set to provide avid followers with a calculated bookend to their latest era, designed and destined to be poured over and absorbed throughout the coming silence.

Review: Returning with their follow up to 2020's hallucinatory epic Mestarin Kynsi, Finnish psychedelic black metal collective Oranssi Pazuzu deliver their most cosmic, alien reimagining of the genre to date with their sixth full-length Muuntautuja. Expanding their sonic palette beyond the already pre-established forms of blackened psychedelia and prog the group have made their name from bastardising, this latest work channels glitching elements of downtempo and trip-hop, resulting in the type of lysergic horror one could only imagine if the likes of Portishead or Massive Attack decided to switch lanes to pursue and fully embrace black metal in all its macabre, dissonant glory.

Review: It's been four long years since the release of 2020's hypnotic Forgotten Days, with Little Rock, Arkansas doom purveyors Pallbearer hindered immensely by the encroaching pandemic putting a stop to essentially any and all band-centric plans. This forced upon lengthy gestation period culminated in a more tempered and analytical compositional approach entering into Mind Burns Alive; a work the members are confident will truly surprise listeners, remarking that while its predecessor offered a noxious potion of almost every sonic guise the band have adorned until now, from hefty sludge to saccharine post-doom, their upcoming fifth full-length promises to challenge both themselves and avid fans in equal measure.

Review: Best known as the powerhouse frontwoman for Dutch symphonic metal collective Epica, the enigmatic, operatically trained Simone Simons makes her solo debut with Vermillion. Written entirely in collaboration with Arjen Lucassen (mastermind behind prog rock opera project Ayreon) at his home studio, the material marries Simons' grandiose cadence and overwhelming delivery with sonics both familiar and alien to her recorded output, drawing on lush orchestral arrangements as well as bombastic, melodic death metal-inspired riffage and more subdued moments of lysergic, melodious prog. Longtime bandmate Mark Jansen of Epica also makes an appearance, along with Arch Enemy vocalist Alissa White-Gluz and Apocalyptica's Perttu Kivilaakso.

Review: Following on from 2019's Years Of Aggression, Greek thrash metal behemoths Suicidal Angels return with their highly anticipated eighth full-length Profane Prayer. Led by the incomparable vision of sole founding member Nick Melissourgos, the band's recent signing to metal label titan Nuclear Blast, serves as a gleaming sign of approval for their half-decade gestating opus. Teaming with frenetic riffage echoing the likes of early day Megadeth and Testament, this is thrash fury of a deft, artisanal touch, yet delivered with all of the kaleidoscopic abandon of musicians skilled enough to transcend their genre confines without losing sight of what made said genre so potent all those decades prior.